BMW - Bavarian Motor Works - Recent years.

During much of the 1930s, BMW car production played second fiddle to advanced in aircraft production for the German war effort, and motorcycle advances. However, in 1936, the company made a big splash in the sports car arena with its 328 roadster. This car made so much of a splash and has been long-regarded as a classic sports car, that it is constantly ranked among one of the top cars of the twentieth century. Early BMW roadsters have been selling for remarkable prices in recent years at top classic car auctions around the world.

Much of the later years of the first half of the 20th century for BMW were spent in production for the war effort. Along with work in aircraft engines, the company also did some work in auto repair and servicing. In the mid-to-late 1950s, BMW jumped back into the car scene to compete in the fast-growing sports car market. The company focused much of its effort on research and production and looked to foreign concepts to begin its development into sports performance.

Throughout much of the 1960s, BMW produced successful sports car models, including its 700RS, BMW 1500, BMW 1600, and the BMW 1800. Many of the models were sedan vehicles, but the BMW 1600 also include a convertible style enhancing its sporty and sleek look.

Following its tremendous commercial success of the 1960s, BMW established a new company headquarters in Munich in the early 1970s. During the 1970s, BMW laid much of the groundwork in its racing cars and turbo engines that contributed to its BMW Series 1-5 cars that are still in production today. Many of the turbo engines that are used in the companies more recent models were conceived during the 1970s as well. BMW also continued to be an innovator helping lead the way in car electronics and computer research.

During the 1990s, BMWs commercial success and high-performance turbo engines led to its race cars becoming favorites among successful racers. More production on the BMW series' continued, including new coupes, convertibles, and 8 cylinder engines. In 1994, BMW acquired the popular British Land Rover brand. Today, BMW remains a popular formula 1 racing manufacturer and high-performance sports car maker. It is also widely renowned as the parent company of Rolls-Royce and the MINI, both of which have achieved worldwide success.

In 1994 BMW also bought the British Rover Group consisted of Rover, Land Rover and the MG brands. They also took charge of the now defunct brands of Austin and Morris). After 6 years and after some substantial financial looses they again sold The MG and Rover brands to the Phoenix Consortium to form MG Rover, while Land Rover was taken over by the Ford Motor Company. Ford then went on to sell Land Rover to an Indian company which makes Tata. Oddly enough one of the cheapest cars on the market! The company paid around £1.2 billion for Jaguar in 1989 and a staggering £1.4 billion for Land Rover in 2000. India's Tata Motors seems to have picked both these up for around a measly one billion pounds sterling in total during March or April 2008.

For the Tata Motor Company, the purchase will extend the Indian automobile and truck manufacturer's reach around the world to control of a British work force of about 15,300 in the Jaguar and Land Rover assembly lines. The new Land Rovers are amongst the more expensive vehicles to buy here in the UK. BMW, meanwhile, retained the rights to build the new MINI, which was launched in 2001 and has gone from strength to strength. They recently launched the new Mini and have a very strong grip on the small car market although competion is firece and the new Fiat 500 launched in 2008 may just give the German brand a run for their money!

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