The history of the name itself begins with Rapp Motorenwerke, an aircraft engine manufacturer. In April 1917, following the departure of the founder Karl Friedrich Rapp



![Flugmotor_BMW_IIIa.jpg](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmYgsGkFaDDNMWnAH7448wat2ya57EDPD7TXpCCFhANBSb)


which led to the company descended from Rapp Motorenwerke being renamed Süddeutsche Bremse AG (known today as Knorr-Bremse). Castiglioni was also an investor in another aircraft company, called "Bayerische Flugzeugwerke



![220px-BMW_model_3_15PS.JPG](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/QmbbvHV9Pwh1bMAL14bpKhVekfaq8xKF95V7gnTYtpTneR)



when the company purchased the Automobilwerk Eisenach car company. Automobilwerk Eisenach's current model was the Dixi 3/15, a licensed copy of the Austin 7 which had begun production


![220px-BMW_801_engine.JPG](https://ipfs.busy.org/ipfs/Qme2nktDWCFZUqAZS72V6vLjbig743wcWzpLy8UNmzx3qS)