The True Origins of the Roundel

atr_hugo · 04-09-2008, 07:17 PM

Since I'm buying my first BMW, I decided I'd do a bunch of reading to try to get a handle on what BMW is and get a decent appreciation of the company's history. And I find I'm doing it in detail. ; -)

For some of you this story is old hat, but a lot of folks here are new to BMW and BMW lore. So here it is:

The story goes that the blue & white in the Roundel are based on an engineer's observation of a BMW engined plane's propeller spinning against a blue sky.

Turns out that story was invented in 1942 and was probably based on the use of the propeller spinnning with BMW wavering above it which appeared in a corporate publication dated from around 1929.

The real origins of the Roundel are from the company BMW morphed from, Rapp Motor Works. The Rapp logo was a Roundel with a black surround and a black stallion's head in the center. (Rapp can be construed to be a black horse in German, according to the article I read).

When BMW was created, in 1917, they kept the Roundel, replaced the Rapp in the surround with 'BMW' and placed the blue & white Bavarian national colors inside. There's the tie-in between Bavaria and the name of the company.

But the blue & white in the roundel are mirror images of the placement of the blue & white in the Bavarian coat of arms. Turns out there was a law against using national symbols in commercial logos.

So there you have it - an interesting bit of trivia that may enhance your standing within the world of BMW. (Or provoke a fight with someone convinced the spinning prop origin is the truth. ; -)

larryn · 04-09-2008, 07:32 PM

In this thread there is a discrepancy in the origin of the roundel between two two BMW websites.

atr_hugo · 04-09-2008, 07:37 PM

Yup - and those are corporate sites to boot! (Granted they're counnntry specific sites - not HQ.)

colonel1961 · 04-09-2008, 07:51 PM

I vote for the propellers - and it's a good excuse to say 'Fokker'...

:roundel:

atr_hugo · 04-09-2008, 07:55 PM

Here's the background story I used for the first post:

04-09-2008, 07:17 PM	#1
atr_hugo No longer moderate 333 Rep 4,401 Posts Drives: '13 135i Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: - iTrader: (0)	The True Origins of the Roundel Since I'm buying my first BMW, I decided I'd do a bunch of reading to try to get a handle on what BMW is and get a decent appreciation of the company's history. And I find I'm doing it in detail. ; -) For some of you this story is old hat, but a lot of folks here are new to BMW and BMW lore. So here it is: The story goes that the blue & white in the Roundel are based on an engineer's observation of a BMW engined plane's propeller spinning against a blue sky. Turns out that story was invented in 1942 and was probably based on the use of the propeller spinnning with BMW wavering above it which appeared in a corporate publication dated from around 1929. The real origins of the Roundel are from the company BMW morphed from, Rapp Motor Works. The Rapp logo was a Roundel with a black surround and a black stallion's head in the center. (Rapp can be construed to be a black horse in German, according to the article I read). When BMW was created, in 1917, they kept the Roundel, replaced the Rapp in the surround with 'BMW' and placed the blue & white Bavarian national colors inside. There's the tie-in between Bavaria and the name of the company. But the blue & white in the roundel are mirror images of the placement of the blue & white in the Bavarian coat of arms. Turns out there was a law against using national symbols in commercial logos. So there you have it - an interesting bit of trivia that may enhance your standing within the world of BMW. (Or provoke a fight with someone convinced the spinning prop origin is the truth. ; -)
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

04-09-2008, 07:32 PM	#2
larryn Lieutenant General 2156 Rep 10,176 Posts Drives: '97 332ti, '21 X5 45e, '16 GT4 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Seattle iTrader: (2)	In this thread there is a discrepancy in the origin of the roundel between two two BMW websites.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-09-2008, 07:37 PM	#3
atr_hugo No longer moderate 333 Rep 4,401 Posts Drives: '13 135i Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: - iTrader: (0)	Yup - and those are corporate sites to boot! (Granted they're counnntry specific sites - not HQ.)
	Appreciate 0 Quote

04-09-2008, 07:51 PM	#4
colonel1961 Rammer Jammer 15 Rep 411 Posts Drives: Join Date: Dec 2007 iTrader: (0)	I vote for the propellers - and it's a good excuse to say 'Fokker'... :roundel:
	Appreciate 0 Quote