Unexpected origins of BMW, Honda, Citroen, Opel, Lamborghini
From gears, bikes and planes to cars: how Citroen, Opel, BMW, Honda and Lamborghini began
Unexpected origins of BMW, Honda, Citroen, Opel, Lamborghini
Discover how Citroen, Opel, BMW, Honda and Lamborghini began in gears, bicycles, aviation, motorcycles and tractors, and how those roots shaped iconic cars.
2025-09-28T11:31:52+03:00
2025-09-28T11:31:52+03:00
2025-09-28T11:31:52+03:00
Today we see Citroen, Opel, BMW, Honda and Lamborghini as touchstones of the automotive world. Few stop to think that none of them began with cars. Their first ventures lay elsewhere, and only later did circumstance steer them toward the machines that would become icons.Citroen grew out of gear production. Founder Andre Citroen developed the famous V-shaped gears, and only in 1919 did the company unveil its first car, the Citroen Type A. That devotion to precision feels like the seed of the confidence the brand soon showed on the road.Opel took an even longer road to automobiles. Adam Opel’s company started with sewing machines and bicycles. Only by the end of the nineteenth century did the firm produce its first motorized carriage, and in the twentieth century it joined the ranks of leaders in German carmaking. The steady progression reads like a quiet lesson in practical engineering.BMW emerged from aviation. In the early twentieth century the company built engines for aircraft, and after the war it survived thanks to motorcycles and even household items like frying pans. Only in 1928 did BMW release its first automobile, and that debut set the legend in motion. You can sense the engineering discipline of those years in what followed.After World War II, Honda started out as a maker of affordable motorcycles. By 1959 the company had become a global leader in that field, and it turned to automobiles only in 1963, beginning with small utilitarian models. That two-wheeled efficiency clearly shaped its early cars.Lamborghini began with tractors. Ferruccio Lamborghini built agricultural machinery and, disappointed with Ferrari, decided to create his own supercar. Thus in 1963 a brand was born that would come to stand for luxury and speed. The leap from fieldwork to flamboyance says a lot about its ambition.Taken together, these stories show that carmakers often grow out of entirely different spheres. And it was their wide-ranging experience that helped create the distinctive machines recognized around the world today.
Discover how Citroen, Opel, BMW, Honda and Lamborghini began in gears, bicycles, aviation, motorcycles and tractors, and how those roots shaped iconic cars.
Michael Powers, Editor
Today we see Citroen, Opel, BMW, Honda and Lamborghini as touchstones of the automotive world. Few stop to think that none of them began with cars. Their first ventures lay elsewhere, and only later did circumstance steer them toward the machines that would become icons.
Citroen grew out of gear production. Founder Andre Citroen developed the famous V-shaped gears, and only in 1919 did the company unveil its first car, the Citroen Type A. That devotion to precision feels like the seed of the confidence the brand soon showed on the road.
Opel took an even longer road to automobiles. Adam Opel’s company started with sewing machines and bicycles. Only by the end of the nineteenth century did the firm produce its first motorized carriage, and in the twentieth century it joined the ranks of leaders in German carmaking. The steady progression reads like a quiet lesson in practical engineering.
BMW emerged from aviation. In the early twentieth century the company built engines for aircraft, and after the war it survived thanks to motorcycles and even household items like frying pans. Only in 1928 did BMW release its first automobile, and that debut set the legend in motion. You can sense the engineering discipline of those years in what followed.
After World War II, Honda started out as a maker of affordable motorcycles. By 1959 the company had become a global leader in that field, and it turned to automobiles only in 1963, beginning with small utilitarian models. That two-wheeled efficiency clearly shaped its early cars.
Lamborghini began with tractors. Ferruccio Lamborghini built agricultural machinery and, disappointed with Ferrari, decided to create his own supercar. Thus in 1963 a brand was born that would come to stand for luxury and speed. The leap from fieldwork to flamboyance says a lot about its ambition.
Taken together, these stories show that carmakers often grow out of entirely different spheres. And it was their wide-ranging experience that helped create the distinctive machines recognized around the world today.
