Author Archives: James Trotta

BMW: Information and Resources

Bavarian Motor Works, which is also known as BMW, is a manufacturing company based in Germany. The BMW company produces motorcycles, cars and engines, and it also owns the Mini car and Rolls-Royce companies. It was established in 1917 and is headquartered in the city of Munich. The company has additional factories in China, the United States, India, and South Africa. These factories produce cars for their local market. The BMW logo is a circle with a checkered two-by-two white and blue pattern in the center, with the letters “BMW” against a black background in the outer circle.

BMW originally began as an aircraft engine manufacturer. It was forced to end production of its airplane engines at the end of World War I in 1918, and started producing motorcycles as of 1923. Production of the first BMW automobiles began in 1928 after the company purchased Automobilwerk Eisenach, an automobile manufacturer. Its first production model car was called the Dixi, which was produced until 1929. In the 1930s, before the onset of World War II, BMW resumed building aircraft engines, including a jet engine which competed for use in the Messerschmitt Me 262, which was the first jet fighter in the world. It turned out to be a failure, and another company got the contract instead. After the war ended, BMW moved back into automobile production. Despite setbacks and the near-collapse of the company in 1959, the company has since become one of the most respected auto manufacturers in the world.

BMW is largely known for producing expensive cars for the luxury market. The BMW family of cars breaks down to the 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 series, the M models which are high-performance cars, and the X series, which are crossovers or SUVs. The 1 and 3 series are entry-level luxury cars, while the 5 series is the intermediate class and the 7 series is the top-level of their luxury cars. BMW's competitors include the Toyota Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and GM's Cadillac series, and Ford's Lincoln division. BMW's sales average a little over a million cars per year.

BMW Education Programme: What Are the Key Dates in the History of BMW?

This page contains a timeline of historic information dating back to 1916. The timeline includes images of past airplanes and motorcycles. The article also includes past and current BMW automobiles.

The Glorious History of BMW Motors

An MSN Autos slideshow depicting the history of BMW automobiles. Each of the images also includes a paragraph of information about the company beneath it.

The Knowledge: BMW

A Sunday Times article that reviews the history of BMW. The article briefly covers BMW following World War I and after WWII. It also discusses how the company began to see an upturn in profits in 1961 with the production of its 1500 model.

The World's Most Reputable Companies

A Forbes magazine article that discusses the reputable companies in the world. The section of the article places BMW at the top of the list. It also explains why BMW has earned its spot on the list.

Wheel and Axle Information

Information on a variety of wheel and axle types used not only in vechicle and BMW production, but with hobbyists as well.

BMW Group Milestones

This link will take the reader to the BMW Group website. The reader can access history information by hovering their cursor over "Company" and clicking on "History." Viewers will be able to pick either "Milestones" or historical information on BMW "Plants." The page for milestones is in a reverse timeline. Readers interested in information on the plants will be able to view a map with the clickable locations for specific maps.

Motorcycle.com: BMW Motorcycle History

A PDF timeline that illustrates the history of BMW, with a focus on BMW motorcycles. The timeline begins in 1913 and ends in 2011.

BMW Motorcycles in Europe

BMW motorcycle resources in the UK. The company's rich European heritage.

BMW in South Carolina: An Update:

This article is in several sections. The first section is an introduction to BMW's presence in South Carolina. The second portion of the article reviews BMW's background, including its past. Other sections of the article include its economic impact and environmental sustainability. A timeline documenting the history of BMW in South Carolina is also a part of the article.

Music and the Machine

Lush sounds for your drive, BMW is known for wonderful cabin sound and comfort

BMW Information Page

A very brief overview of BMW. The page includes what BMW stands for, where it is headquartered, and an abbreviated review of its history. The page includes a video of BMW performance parts development

The History of BMW

Viewers to this website can learn about the history of BMW during the early and middle years. They may also read present day information. To read about a specific period the read can click on the link for any ten-year time span within the chosen time period.

BMW Facts and Figures

An article in the Telegraph that lists facts about the company. The article includes facts such as the name of BMW's headquarters, which is known as “Four Cylinder.”

Ecology International: Promoting a Healthy Sustainable World for Everyone!

BMW is a leader in the green motor economy, these links direct the reader to other green resources

River Driving

Dedicated to providing information on driving, canoeing and kayaking in New England. The website links are divided into useful river information, GIS information, and other suggested sites.

Preserving the History of the BMW

A rich history deserves preserving. Resources for saving the things that are important. The legacy of passing down reciepes, family cars, and other important memorabilia

Insurance – Protecting Your Investment

A resource page that provides a list of useful links to the BMW owner. There are two sections to this page – one section for teen driving programs and the other for helpful links, such as the Rotary Club of Geneva or the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, for example.

History, Technology, Motor Vehicles

Motor vehicle technology has developed progressively over the centuy. The technology of the civil war could be thought of as a precursor to today'd vechicle technology. This web page is a list of website links that will take the viewer to additional civil war related websites. Some of the links are specific to the CSS H.L. Hunley and the U.S.S. Monitor.

Vehicle Aerodynamics

People interested in driving and driving related topics will find a list of website links pertaining to that topic. Links are listed in alphabetical order.

Transportation from the Rails to the Roads

Driving and Transportation derives its history for the railroads. The routes of travel and transportation historically stem from passage deemed more suitable to small vehicles than large railroad projects.

Driving The World Abandoned

Travelling around the world great drives can be found in Germany, home of the BMW, to abandoned sites offering scening views.

Laborers' Local #1140 – Helpful Links

The vehicle manufacture industry is known to be labor friendly. This page of links to health and safety related websites. These websites are divided into categories that are either association, committee, environmental, government, or occupational training. A final section is for research tools

Driving Safety and Health

Safe driving resources. This page starts by addressing a report entitled Good Health Counts. A link to the report is included. The second half of the page is to health related websites, such as the Center for Disease Control, Oklahoma State Department of Health, and Free Health Risk Assessment, to name a few.

Recommended travel blog

You can’t spend every summer day at a car show; eventually you have to go on vacation. Jim’s travel blog is a site that helps people plan vacation by offering travel ideas. From destination reviews, to hotel reviews, to possible travel itineraries, you’ll find many ideas for your next vacation.
A few recommended pages:
First of all, why not share your vacation plan by submitting to a travel writing contest. You can win some fairly big bucks! The 2006 Summer vacation plan travel writing contest has 1,000 dollars in prizes.
A funny special massage experience in China.
From how to get a good cabin to cruise safety, the cruise news and reviews are good.
All in all, if you want to dream about your next vacation or actually get to work planning it, this is a good site for you.