BMW Motorrad turns 60
All kicked off by humble R24December 18, 2008
On December 17, 1948, the first post-war BMW motorcycle rolled off the Munich production line -- the single-cylinder, 250cc, 12hp R 24.
Not only did the 12hp machine create a new economic base for BMW after the ravages of WW II -- there were over 2500 forward orders for it -- but just producing it was a huge achievement in itself.
When the engineering team began working on the new motorcycle, which started life as 125cc prototype before a hike in capacity to 250cc (which was kept secret for a long time), all the production plans and technical drawings were either destroyed or located at the Eisenach plant, which was in the Soviet-controlled sector of Germany and out of BMW control.
A pre-war R 23 was then located and it was disassembled and every part measured in order to produce new plans.
Other issues to consider included the sourcing of production equipment and raw materials, which were in short supply and rationed during that period.
Eventually, all the toil and business smarts were rewarded when the first four-speed R 24 came off the production line, and was eventually won in a company raffle by a chap called Mr Erndinger. The whereabouts of the original R24, if it's still living, are unknown.
The R24 was eventually replaced by the R25 in 1950 after worldwide sales of 12,020.
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