When a BMW factory found itself in East Germany they had it building EMW* 340s (prewar BMWs restyled from the waist down + the badges were red/white) – this is the factory that later made the Wartburg family saloons

6 Comments

1. 

   the_spinetingler 3 days ago

   It’s not unattractive.

2. 

   Cmd_Line_Commando 3 days ago

   Ooh that paint job. Lovely.

3. 

   Rc72 3 days ago

   That Eisenach factory was actually the original BMW *car* factory. While BMW (*Bavarian* Motor Works) has been based from its origins to the present date in Munich, Bavaria, it originally built aero engines and then motorbikes, and didn’t build any cars until it bought out Eisenach’s Dixie car factory, which built cars under licence from Austin.

   After WW2, Eisenach found itself in the Soviet occupation zone, whereas Munich was in the US occupation zone. The Communist authorities in East Germany expropriation the Eisenach factory and restarted production, initially **still** under the BMW brand, but without the authorisation from BMW’s Munich HQ. When BMW sued the East Germans in Switzerland, they switched to the “EMW” (“Eisenacher Motor Works”) brand and the red-and-white logo.

   As pointed out by OP, the factory would later on switch to making Wartburgs, which had nothing in common with BMWs or EMWs. Btw, the name “Wartburg” is that of Eisenach’s castle, where Martin Luther once lived.

4. 

   beliberden 3 days ago

   It should be added that in East Germany not only cars were produced, but also motorcycles under the EMW brand.

5. 

   Schwarzes__Loch 3 days ago

   Love the graduated paint job!

   Not sure how good it would look on modern cars…

6. 

   romano_uralic 3 days ago

   My great grandfather had one of these in rural 1950s Finland in white or beige. Somewhere my grandmother has a picture of her brother standing in front of it. I believe that theirs was one of the earlier BMW-branded ones, as she at least refers to it as a Beamer.