1926, BMW R32 | Germany
The BMW brand started its life in July 1917; it was producing aircraft engines. With the end of the WWI, Franz Popp realised that he should find another area that needs reliable and powerful engines or BMW would face rapid bankruptcy.
Such a sphere was found - it was the arising motorcycle industry. Thus in 1920 appeared the first flat-twin BMW engine. The M2B15 engine was offered to Victoria Works in Nürnberg, which applied it to the KR1 model. In 1921 also started the production of the Helios motorcycle the same engine, but the company engaged in production went bankrupt and was bought by BMW.
When the director of BMW Franz Popp asked the chief engineer Max Fritz to study Helios in detail for further production, Fritz advised: "to drown Helios in the nearest lake" and designed the R32 model for a month.
