After World War I, BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke or, in English, Bavarian Motor Works) started as an automaker when it acquired Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach (FE) and Dixi Automobil Werke (DAW). At the time, FE was building the Austin 7, which ended up being one of the most-popular cars of its day, and DAW was building the Dixi 3/15, both of which took on the BMW marque. BMW quickly started modifying and upgrading the Austin 7, and the first six-cylinder luxury car, the BMW 328, was born in 1936. Other cars followed, but after World War II, things got tough for the luxury car maker, which survived by building bicycles and pots and pans. By 1952, BMW started building again with the luxury BMW 501 sedan.
