There Ain’t No Propeller: BMW shatters misconceptions surrounding its logo

Let’s be frank: many of us were positive that the BMW emblem symbolized a plane propeller, an homage to the Bavarian car manufacturer’s early career as an aircraft engine maker. Apparently, we were wrong.

The company was founded in 1913 as Rapp Motorenwerke and was renamed to Bayerische Motorenwerke (BMW for short) four years after. It proved quite successful, beginning its operation with designing and producing aircraft engines, but switching to cars, motorboats and motorcycles later on.

According to the latest explanation provided by BMW, the company inherited its logo from Rapp Motorenwerke and wanted it redesigned ever-so-slightly. This is when the BMW badge received its two golden circles and the white-and-blue checkered pattern inside, the latter simply being a mirrored fragment of the Bavarian Coat of Arms. So, as long as you believe the official explanation, the plane propeller has never been a part of the design.