With the ending of the First World War, BMW lost its only customer until then – the military. This was due to restrictions imposed by the Versailles Treaty. The production of aircraft engines for military purposes was no longer permitted in Germany. BMW then attempted to generate the necessary turnover with built-in engines derived from the aircraft engine. Engines for various different purposes were made available under the collective term “Bayern-Motor”. This poster also makes reference to the aluminium foundry and to Zeno Diemer’s world altitude record, which is intended as an “eye-catcher”. Referring to the company name, BMW used the advertisement to effectively capitalise on the positive connotations of the term “Bayern” (Bavaria”) and the familiar white and blue lozenges – a proven method that has inspired numerous imitators to this day. However, solely as a supplier, BMW was not able to achieve notable success with any of these products. This was not to change until 1923, when the company entered into the lucrative end-user sector with the in-house development of its first motorcycle. 

© BMW AG