A prolific author, Robson delves through BMW’s archives to produce a really interesting book and, instead of dealing with the marque’s history on a car-by-car basis, instead he concentrates on BMW’s factories. It may seem like a pretty dull idea, but Robson manages to bring it off with a certain sense of style.
The early chapters are easily the most interesting part of the book — dealing with BMW’s beginnings, its early career building aero engines, motorcycles and its forays into license-built Austin 7s and Isettas. From the ’80s onwards the books loses its classic interest, although the sections on BMW’s acquisition of Rover and its flirtation with Rolls-Royce are useful additions.
However, the main core of this book is a collection of rare factory photographs — Herman Goering and Adolf Hitler touring the Milbertshofen factory; lines of BMW apprentices in their Hitler Youth uniforms; Dornier and Junkers aircraft assembly; and a whole series of photos that chart the growth of BMW’s massive industrial might. Fascinating stuff, indeed.
BMW’s Bavarian blue and white propeller logo harks back to its early 20th-century roots as an aircraft engine manufacturer. How this venerable company weathered two world wars, moved from aircraft to motorcycles and, finally, to the cars that would provide its greatest glory is the remarkable story recounted in this book. With unique access to BMW’s factories and archives, author Graham Robson gives readers an inside look at how the great German automaker works and how its methods have evolved over the decades. Visiting factories throughout Germany and in the United States, he offers readers a rare, behind the scenes, nuts-and-bolts account of how BMW produces its famed models. Illustrated with rare photographs from BMW’s own archives, this book constitutes an unprecedented tour of the history and culture of one of the world’s great automakers.
Inside the BMW Factories: Building the Ultimate Driving Machine by Graham Robson
Review copy supplied by Techbooks
Review by Allan Walton
