On the 21st of this month, the BMW name turns ninety. Back in 1917, on this date, the BMW trademark was registered for the first time and two days later a letter sent to senior management informed them of the new name with every product built by the enterprise from that date onwards wearing the three letters 'BMW'.

The original company was founded by Karl Rapp as an engine manufacturer, building V12 engines for Austro-Daimler. Later, the small firm was joined by Camillo Castiglioni, Cornelius Jagdmann and Max Friz, and Bayerische Motoren Werke was born.

Today, BMW is one of the largest luxury carmakers in the world, selling more than a million vehicles annually and producing cars in most continents around the globe.