Bmw: The Book of the Car

From the front flap: The BMWs of the 1980s are international symbols of excitement, status and success. Yet this image dates back only 20 years. Although BMW and its predecessor company produced cars from 1898, it is only since 1961 that the company has become an automotive giant. BMW was virtually destroyed during World War II, surviving into the 1950s only through its motorcycle sales. Above all this is the story of consistently great engineering in search of a marketing strategy which could produce the outstanding success which BMW finally achieved.