microcarfan
  • Pre-war voiturette
  • Germany
  • Four wheels
  • Built under licence

BMW 3/15

Also known as Dixi 3/15, Dixi DA-1, BMW 3/15 DA-2, BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg, BMW 3/15 DA-4

BMW’s first car was designed in England. It was the Austin Seven, made at Eisenach under licence as the Dixi, and BMW, until then a maker of aero engines and motorcycles, got it in 1928 by buying the factory that made it.

A dark blue small saloon with black wire wheels standing on a red carpet in a shopping-centre atrium.
Blue BMW 3/15 DA-2 saloon on display at the Sakai City Historic Car Collection, Japan, in October 2013.Photo: Hunini, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

BMW 3/15

3/15 PS · Eisenach

Built
1927–⁠1932As the Dixi from 1927; as the BMW from March 1929 to early 1932
Country
GermanyEisenach, Thuringia; the first BMW bodies pressed in Berlin
Maker
Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach (Dixi)Bayerische Motoren Werke from October or November 1928
Engine
748.75 cc side-valve fourAustin’s design, water-cooled; also given as 747, 749 and 750 cc
Power
15 PS11 kW at 3,000 rpm; 18 PS in the DA-3 Wartburg
Length
3,000 mm1,275 mm wide, 1,625 mm high
Weight
400 kgAbout 400 kg, by English Wikipedia
Seats
2 to 4By body: two-seater, three-seat cabriolet, four-seat tourer and saloon
Wheels
4Engine at the front, the rear wheels driven
Price new
RM 2,200The DA-2’s base price at its launch, July 1929
Production
about 25,00025,356 by German Wikipedia; the 25,000th was built in 1931
Top speed
75km/h75 km/h47 mph; 80 km/h for the DA-3 Wartburg by the Lane museum

How big is it?

True proportion

3.00 m

It is 30 mm longer than a Fiat 500, about 1.7 adults laid end to end.

  • 1.27 m wide
  • 400 kg: about five adults
  • Wheelbase 1,905 mm (75 in), the Austin Seven’s
Drawn at true proportion. The track is 3.6 metres long; the adult stands at the same scale. The Peel P50 is the smallest production car, on every page for comparison.

The story

History

BMW began by building aero engines. After 1918 the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles pushed it into engines for motorcycles and lorries, and its first motorcycle came in 1923.1 It is often said that BMW turned to cars because it was banned from aviation. That is too simple: when it did take up cars, in 1928, it did so by buying a going concern with a licensed product, not by starting from nothing (more on our page on the aircraft makers).12

Dixi of Eisenach

The Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, in Thuringia, had built cars under the names Wartburg and Dixi. The Gothaer Waggonfabrik bought it in 1921, and in the financial crisis of the late 1920s it was controlled by the speculator Jacob Schapiro. To survive, it turned to a small, cheap car, and took a licence from the Austin Motor Company to build and sell the Seven from 1 January 1927 to 31 December 1932.2 The first cars were assembled at Eisenach from kits of parts shipped from England; then the works built the car itself.2 It was sold as the Dixi 3/15 DA-1.32 The 3/15 was the German formula of taxable horsepower over actual horsepower, and DA stood for Deutsche Ausführung, the German version.456 The Seven was also built under licence in France, as the Rosengart LR2, and in America, as the American Austin (see built under licence).

Then BMW bought the works and the Dixi brand. BMW Group Classic dates the purchase to 1 October 1928, English Wikipedia to October and German Wikipedia to November; the price was 800,000 BMW shares and 800,000 Reichsmarks in cash by German Wikipedia, or “approximately one million marks” by the Lane Motor Museum.5321 BMW dropped Eisenach’s two larger models and kept the small one.1

The DA-2: a BMW in steel

Under the chief engineer Gotthilf Dürrwächter the car was reworked. The first series car, the 3/15 PS DA 2, was completed on 22 March 1929 at Berlin-Johannisthal, where Ambi-Budd pressed its body entirely in steel.46 Where the Dixi had braked only its rear wheels, the DA-2 had brakes on all four; it also had larger tyres, a lower final drive, wind-up windows, adjustable seats and a luggage space at the back.35 English Wikipedia says it went on sale in April 1929,3 but the public launch was on 9 July, with full-page advertisements, the opening of BMW’s showroom in Berlin and a press presentation.46 The base price was RM 2,200, and it could be bought on hire purchase.61 BMW pitched it against Hanomag’s small car and the Opel Laubfrosch, and today’s company account says it was presented as cheaper to run than travelling by rail. BMW counts the DA 2 as its first production car.6

It went straight into competition (see racing and rallying). In August 1929 three pre-production 3/15s ran in the second International Alpine Trial and took the team award, BMW’s first win as a car maker.6 BMW’s own histories, known here only from summaries, add five stages of 465 to 629 km (290 to 390 miles), a start from Munich on 7 August with 80 cars leaving at one-minute intervals, and all the great passes. The drivers’ names are often given, but they have not been confirmed.

The Dixi bridged the gap between motorcycle and full-size car. It was simple and achieved acceptable performance and good economy because of its light weight.

Lane Motor Museum, Nashville: its web page on a 1930 BMW Dixi.1

It had one weakness: the crankshaft ran in only two main bearings. Depending on how a car was used it lasted from 5,000 to 50,000 km (3,100 to 31,000 miles), and sustained running above about 75 km/h (47 mph) could break it by vibration.4

The slump, the Wartburg and the DA-4

The world economic crisis struck from late 1929 and sales collapsed. In 1930 production moved from Berlin back to Eisenach.4 By September 1930 an open two-seater cost RM 2,175, a three-seat cabriolet RM 2,625, and a bare chassis for coachbuilders RM 1,900.4

The DA-3 Wartburg of April 1930 to January 1931 was BMW’s first sports car: a two-seater with a lowered, drop-centre front axle, the compression raised from 5.6:1 to 7.0:1 and 18 PS at 3,500 rpm. It stood 1,300 mm (51 in) high, against the saloon’s 1,625 mm, and cost RM 3,100. Only 150 were built.431 German Wikipedia says it won many hill climbs and circuit races in 1930–⁠33, without naming them.4

The DA-4, from early 1931, carried its front stub axles straight on the transverse leaf spring as a swing axle, BMW’s first independent front suspension, under a larger body; it came as a saloon, an open two-seater, a coupé and an open four-seater, or as a chassis.43

The Reichswehr took about 300 of the cars in 1928–⁠29, most of them as machine-gun carriers with the gun at the front and some as signals cars, the Kfz. 2. They were retired by the mid-1930s.4

Licence lapsed

In 1932 BMW let the Austin licence lapse, a few weeks before launching its own 3/20 AM-1.2 The last 3/15s were built in February or March 1932.43

A blue and white roundel on a stalk above a triangular radiator emblem on a red car with a black mesh grille.
BMW’s roundel above the Dixi emblem on the radiator of a 1928 Dixi 3/15 at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon.Photo: Morio, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Two men in suits sit in a small open tourer with wire wheels, parked on a gravel road before dense ivy.
Plate I · 1931 A BMW 3/15 open tourer working as a driving-school car in Dombóvár, Hungary, in 1931.Photo: Fortepan / Erky-Nagy Tibor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A white two-seater with black wings on a dark floor beside a sign reading 1930 BMW 3/15 PS.
A DA-3 Wartburg of 1930, BMW’s first sports car, at the BMW Museum, Munich, in 2014.Photo: Jiří Sedláček, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A man in shirtsleeves empties a bucket of water over the bonnet of a small car with its roof folded back parked at a cobbled kerb, spray flying.
Plate II · 1935 A Berlin motorist cools a BMW 3/15 cabriolet with a bucket of water on a hot day, about June 1935.Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-2004-0729-508 / Scherl, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 19

  • A blue saloon with black wings and wire wheels in a village street, a red tourer and other old cars behind. Opens a larger view

    1 Blue BMW 3/15 saloon leaving the Greußen classic car meeting for Bad Tennstedt in July 2012.

  • A green saloon with black wings and a chrome radiator parked on grass behind a rope among other old cars. Opens a larger view

    2 Green and black BMW 3/15 DA-2 at Motoclassic Wrocław in August 2015.

  • A red open tourer with a black hood and a Motoclassic rally plate parked on grass beside a lamp post. Opens a larger view

    3 Red BMW 3/15 DA-2 tourer of 1929 at Motoclassic Wrocław in August 2015.

  • A small dark blue open tourer with a chrome radiator and rally plate, a driver in a leather helmet at the wheel. Opens a larger view

    4 Black and blue BMW 3/15 DA-2 tourer of 1930 on the “2000 km durch Deutschland” run in July 2006.

  • A tan and brown small saloon-cabriolet with a folding roof, behind a red rope on a dark glossy floor. Opens a larger view

    5 Brown BMW 3/15 DA-2 of 1930 in a museum in Germany in March 2010.

14 more picturesFewer pictures
  • A pale yellow open two-seater with black wings and wire wheels beside a display board, a blue car behind. Opens a larger view

    6 Yellow and black BMW 3/15 tourer at the Berlin Oldtimertage in May 2015.

  • Front view of a maroon saloon with cream wire wheels and black wings on cobbles before a stone wall. Opens a larger view

    7 Maroon BMW 3/15 DA-2 saloon in Dresden in April 2007.

  • A red open tourer with a black radiator and wire wheels parked between modern cars in a car park. Opens a larger view

    8 Red BMW 3/15 tourer, registered B-DV 73, parked in a street in December 2012.

  • A white open tourer with black wings, a black radiator and wire wheels on cobbles beside a brown saloon. Opens a larger view

    9 White BMW 3/15 tourer on the square at Chotěboř, Czech Republic, in July 2009.

  • Side view of a tall dark blue two-door saloon with black wings and wire wheels on a red carpet. Opens a larger view

    10 Blue BMW 3/15 DA-2 saloon in profile at the Sakai City Historic Car Collection, Japan, in October 2013.

  • Rear three-quarter view of a cream saloon with a spare wheel on its tail and plate BF 5816 on a show stand. Opens a larger view

    11 Cream BMW 3/15 DA-2 saloon of 1929 from the rear quarter at the NEC Classic Motor Show, Birmingham, in November 2016.

  • Rear three-quarter view of a tan car with a beige folding roof and a spare wheel on its back. Opens a larger view

    12 Brown BMW 3/15 DA-2 of 1930 from behind in a museum in Germany in March 2010.

  • Rear three-quarter view of a blue saloon with a spare wire wheel on its tail and red-painted wheel centres. Opens a larger view

    13 Blue BMW 3/15 DA-2 saloon from behind at the Sakai City Historic Car Collection, Japan, in October 2013.

  • High rear view of a yellow open car with its black hood folded and a spare wire wheel on the tail. Opens a larger view

    14 Yellow BMW 3/15 tourer from above and behind at the Berlin Oldtimertage in May 2015.

  • Front view of a cream saloon with black wings, a chrome radiator and plate BF 5816, information boards before it. Opens a larger view

    15 Cream BMW 3/15 DA-2 saloon of 1929 head-on at the NEC Classic Motor Show, Birmingham, in November 2016.

  • A red saloon with black wings and a rally plate on its radiator driving across a cobbled square. Opens a larger view

    16 Red BMW 3/15 DA-2 saloon on the Oldtimer Bohemia Rally at Mladá Boleslav in May 2013.

  • A red two-door car with a black fabric roof, wire wheels and louvred bonnet beside a museum label. Opens a larger view

    17 Red BMW 3/15 DA-2 at the EFA Museum für Deutsche Automobilgeschichte, Amerang, in September 2008.

  • Side view of a red two-door saloon with black wings in front of a large black-and-white photograph mural. Opens a larger view

    18 Red BMW 3/15 DA-2 saloon at the BMW Museum, Munich, in August 2014.

  • A dark green four-door saloon with black wings and wire wheels on white gravel beside a rope post. Opens a larger view

    19 Green BMW 3/15 DA-2 saloon at the Technik Museum Speyer, photographed in 2006.

The car: BMW 3/15 DA-4 7

  • A red two-door saloon with black wings, red wire wheels and rally plaques on its radiator, mine wagons behind. Opens a larger view

    20 Red BMW 3/15 DA-4 saloon of 1931 at the ADAC Moselschiefer-Classic in September 2014.

  • A red saloon with a black roof and wire wheels, its bonnet side raised, beside a red and white car. Opens a larger view

    21 Red BMW 3/15 DA-4 saloon with its bonnet open at the Heimweh meeting, Eisenach, in August 2013.

  • A red open two-seater with black wings and red wire wheels driven along a village street, other old cars behind. Opens a larger view

    22 Red BMW 3/15 DA-4 two-seater leaving the Greußen classic car meeting for Bad Tennstedt in July 2012.

  • A red two-door saloon with black wings, red wire wheels and medallions on its grille, a driver aboard. Opens a larger view

    23 Red BMW 3/15 DA-4 saloon of 1931 at the ADAC Moselschiefer-Classic in September 2011.

  • Rear three-quarter view of a red saloon with a spare wire wheel and plate on its back, before a white building. Opens a larger view

    24 Red BMW 3/15 DA-4 saloon of 1931 from behind at the ADAC Moselschiefer-Classic in September 2014.

  • Front view of a red saloon with medallions on its grille and rally plate 11, a uniformed man beside it. Opens a larger view

    25 Red BMW 3/15 DA-4 saloon of 1931 head-on at the ADAC Moselschiefer-Classic in September 2014.

  • A grey-beige saloon with a chrome radiator spotlit on a dark stepped display, a label at its foot. Opens a larger view

    26 Grey BMW 3/15 DA-4 at the Riga Motor Museum, Latvia, in August 2024.

The car: Dixi 3/15 DA-1 10

  • A red saloon with black wings and wire wheels on a patterned floor beside an escalator. Opens a larger view

    27 Red Dixi 3/15 saloon of 1928 at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in March 2013.

  • A red open tourer with black wings, a black radiator and a 1928 plate on a lit display stage. Opens a larger view

    28 Red Dixi 3/15 DA-1 tourer at the car exhibition at the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, Grossglockner, in August 2014.

  • A pale yellow open two-seater with a black hood and plate DA 1H on a blue stand plinth. Opens a larger view

    29 Pale-yellow Dixi 3/15 DA-1 of 1929 on the BMW stand at the IAA, Frankfurt, in September 2007.

  • Side view of a red open tourer with a folded beige hood, black wings and wire wheels on a glossy stage. Opens a larger view

    30 Red Dixi 3/15 DA-1 tourer in profile at the exhibition at the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, Grossglockner, in July 2014.

  • Rear three-quarter view of a red saloon with a rounded tail and a BMW DIXI plate on a wooden floor. Opens a larger view

    31 Red Dixi 3/15 saloon of 1928 from behind at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in June 2018.

5 more picturesFewer pictures
  • A maroon open tourer with a beige hood, black wings and wire wheels among other veteran cars. Opens a larger view

    32 Maroon Dixi 3/15 DA-1 tourer of 1928 at Autoworld, Brussels, in May 2011.

  • A bright green open tourer with a black hood, black wings and wire wheels on a cobbled museum floor. Opens a larger view

    33 Green Dixi 3/15 DA-1 tourer at the UMMC Museum Complex, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Russia, in November 2021.

  • A red two-door saloon with black wings and a BMW DIXI number plate on a wooden floor by an escalator. Opens a larger view

    34 Red Dixi 3/15 saloon of 1928, registered BMW DIXI, at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, in June 2018.

  • Front view of a red tourer with a black radiator and plate 439, a costumed mannequin beside it. Opens a larger view

    35 Red Dixi 3/15 DA-1 tourer at the Fahrzeugmuseum Suhl in July 2013.

  • Front view of a dark green saloon with a chrome radiator and two headlamps on a tiled museum floor. Opens a larger view

    36 Green BMW 3/15 at the automobile welt eisenach museum, Eisenach, in August 2025.

The car: BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg 5

  • Rear three-quarter view of a blue roadster with a rally-plated spare wheel set into its rounded tail. Opens a larger view

    37 Blue BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg sports two-seater from behind at Motoclassic Wrocław in August 2015.

  • Side view of a white two-seater with red wings and wheels and racing numbers, visitors on the gravel around it. Opens a larger view

    38 White and red BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg, race number 24, at the Oldtimer Museumsfest, Großschönau, in August 2026.

  • A black open two-seater with a tall radiator and wire wheels on a grey floor by tall windows. Opens a larger view

    39 Black BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg two-seater at the automobile welt eisenach museum, Eisenach, in August 2015.

  • A white open two-seater with black wings and wire wheels on a white plinth with a lettered edge. Opens a larger view

    40 White BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg sports two-seater of 1930 at the BMW Museum, Munich, in December 2016.

  • A white roadster with a split oval grille and wire wheels on gravel, visitors and a red car around it. Opens a larger view

    41 White BMW 3/15 sports two-seater at the Oldtimer Museumsfest, Großschönau, in August 2026.

The car: BMW 3/15 Ihle 7

  • A pale blue two-seat roadster with flowing wings, a split grille and wire wheels on a blue carpet. Opens a larger view

    42 Pale-blue BMW 3/15 DA-2 with an Ihle sports body at the Bremen Classic Motorshow in January 2020.

  • Rear view of a cream two-seater with a rounded tail, a BMW roundel and a black hood on gravel. Opens a larger view

    43 Cream BMW Dixi with an Ihle sports body, 1928, from behind at the Classic-Gala, Schloss Schwetzingen, in September 2022.

  • Rear view of a pale blue roadster with a spare wire wheel set into its rounded tail and a D plate. Opens a larger view

    44 Pale-blue BMW 3/15 DA-2 with an Ihle sports body from behind at the Bremen Classic Motorshow in January 2020.

  • Rear view of a red roadster with a spare wire wheel and chrome hubcap set into its tail, a black hood folded. Opens a larger view

    45 Red BMW Dixi Ihle 800 sports two-seater of 1928 from behind in September 2016.

  • Front view of a pale blue roadster with a split oval mesh grille between two headlamps on a blue show carpet. Opens a larger view

    46 Pale-blue BMW 3/15 DA-2 with an Ihle sports body head-on at the Bremen Classic Motorshow in January 2020.

  • Front view of a white roadster with a black split oval grille and two headlamps in a dim museum hall. Opens a larger view

    47 White BMW Dixi of 1929 with an Ihle sports body at the Automuseum Melle in August 2025.

  • A red two-seat roadster with a split grille, louvred side and black wire wheels on a brick floor. Opens a larger view

    48 Red BMW Ihle 600 of 1929 at the Lane Motor Museum, Nashville, in April 2009.

Inside and details 5

  • A black four-spoke steering wheel before a cream instrument panel with small gauges, blue pleated seats below. Opens a larger view

    49 Dashboard and blue leather seats of the BMW 3/15 DA-2 saloon at Sakai, Japan, in October 2013.

  • A thin wooden steering wheel before an engine-turned aluminium panel with three round gauges. Opens a larger view

    50 Engine-turned dashboard of the white BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg-Sport at Retro Classics in February 2023.

  • A wooden-rimmed steering wheel before a yellow dashboard with a few gauges, a black seat and a folding windscreen. Opens a larger view

    51 Cockpit of the yellow BMW 3/15 tourer at the Berlin Oldtimertage in May 2015.

  • Close view of a BMW roundel on a stalk above a chrome radiator shell with a triangular emblem. Opens a larger view

    52 BMW roundel and Dixi emblem on the radiator of the cream 1929 BMW 3/15 DA-2 at the NEC, Birmingham, in November 2016.

  • The grey side of a van with a roundel, the words Teile in Eile, a porthole window and a wooden roof rack. Opens a larger view

    53 Side panel of the BMW 3/15 DA-2 “Teile in Eile” van with its BMW roundel, BMW Museum, Munich, November 2014.

Inside and details: BMW 3/15 Ihle 4

  • Two grey pleated seats in a low red open body with wire wheels, a spare wheel behind, on grass. Opens a larger view

    54 Seats of a red BMW Dixi with a 1931 Ihle sports body at a show in July 2007.

  • A cream steering wheel before a dashboard with round gauges and a small brass plaque, grey seats below. Opens a larger view

    55 Cockpit of a 1931 BMW 3/15 with an Eisenach dealer’s plaque, at the Oldtimer Museumsfest, Großschönau, in August 2026.

  • A cream steering wheel before a varnished wooden dashboard, grey seats and a gear lever, a crowd beyond. Opens a larger view

    56 Dashboard of a red BMW Dixi with a 1931 Ihle sports body at a show in July 2007.

  • A white four-spoke steering wheel before a cream dashboard with round gauges and a Dixi plaque. Opens a larger view

    57 Dashboard of the red 1928 BMW Dixi Ihle 800 sports two-seater in September 2016.

Variants and relatives 6

  • A cream two-seater with a black hood, leather bonnet straps and a split grille on gravel by formal hedges. Opens a larger view

    58 Cream BMW Dixi with an Ihle sports body, 1928, at the Classic-Gala, Schloss Schwetzingen, in September 2022.

  • A red two-seat roadster with a split oval grille, leather bonnet straps and wire wheels on gravel before flower beds. Opens a larger view

    59 Red Dixi 3/15 DA-1 of 1928 with an Ihle roadster body at the Classic-Gala, Schwetzingen, in September 2025.

  • A red roadster with a long pointed tail, black wings and a spare wheel at its side, parked on gravel. Opens a larger view

    60 Red BMW 3/15 sports two-seater with a pointed tail at the Oldtimer Museumsfest, Großschönau, in August 2026.

  • A red roadster with a split grille and chrome bumper on cobbles, two men in goggles aboard. Opens a larger view

    61 Red BMW Dixi Ihle 800 sports two-seater of 1928 at a classic car run in September 2016.

  • Side view of a cream sports two-seater with burgundy leather straps, red seats and cream wire wheels. Opens a larger view

    62 Cream BMW Dixi-Ihle DA-2 600 sports cabriolet of 1928 in profile at the Classic-Gala, Schwetzingen, in September 2022.

  • A small grey box van with a roof rack, black wings and BMW roundels on its sides in a white gallery. Opens a larger view

    63 Grey BMW 3/15 DA-2 van of 1930 in “Teile in Eile” livery at the BMW Museum, Munich, in August 2014.

Variants and relatives: BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg 4

  • A maroon two-seater with rally numbers driven past barriers by a crew in leather helmets and goggles. Opens a larger view

    64 Maroon BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg, number 21, at Classic Days, Düsseldorf, in 2022.

  • Side view of a white sports two-seater with a strapped bonnet, BMW roundel and white wire wheels. Opens a larger view

    65 White BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg-Sport, race number 56, at Retro Classics in February 2023.

  • Front view of a bright yellow roadster with a split chrome grille and two large lamps on a cobbled floor. Opens a larger view

    66 Yellow BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg sports two-seater at the Vadim Zadorozhny Technical Museum, Moscow, in March 2018.

  • A bright blue roadster with a split oval grille, a louvred side panel and wire wheels on grass. Opens a larger view

    67 Blue BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg sports two-seater at Motoclassic Wrocław in August 2015.

Period photographs 2

  • A black-and-white photograph of a small open tourer with its hood folded, a small child perched on the bonnet, a cyclist beside it. Opens a larger view

    68 Dixi 3/15 DA, the licence-built Austin Seven, with a child sitting on its radiator and a woman at the wheel, about 1930.

  • Three upright small saloons with numbered placards in their windscreens before a cheering crowd in a town square. Opens a larger view

    69 Small pre-war cars, BMW 3/15s among them, numbered 1 to 3 at the start of the Večer rally from Celje to Maribor, Slovenia, in August 1958.

Picture credits (69)
  1. 1 Tobias Nordhausen, CC BY 2.0
  2. 2 MartinHansV, CC BY 3.0
  3. 3 MartinHansV, CC BY 3.0
  4. 4 Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
  5. 5 Robotriot, CC BY-SA 3.0
  6. 6 Travelarz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  7. 7 VSchagow, CC BY-SA 4.0
  8. 8 Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 3.0
  9. 9 Matěj Baťha, CC BY-SA 3.0
  10. 10 Hunini, CC BY-SA 3.0
  11. 11 Andrew Bone, CC BY 2.0
  12. 12 Robotriot, CC BY-SA 3.0
  13. 13 Hunini, CC BY-SA 3.0
  14. 14 Travelarz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  15. 15 Andrew Bone, CC BY 2.0
  16. 16 M.Rejha, CC BY-SA 3.0
  17. 17 Norbert Pietsch, CC BY-SA 4.0
  18. 18 Jiří Sedláček, CC BY-SA 4.0
  19. 19 Stahlkocher, CC BY-SA 3.0
  20. 20 Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
  21. 21 Dk0704, CC BY-SA 4.0
  22. 22 Tobias Nordhausen, CC BY 2.0
  23. 23 Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
  24. 24 Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
  25. 25 Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
  26. 26 Raf24, CC BY 4.0
  27. 27 Morio, CC BY-SA 3.0
  28. 28 Jiří Sedláček, CC BY-SA 4.0
  29. 29 LSDSL, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
  30. 30 Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0
  31. 31 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  32. 32 Thomas Quine, CC BY 2.0
  33. 33 Stas Kozlovskiy, CC BY-SA 4.0
  34. 34 Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
  35. 35 Helena from the Netherlands, CC BY 2.0
  36. 36 Dk0704, CC BY-SA 4.0
  37. 37 MartinHansV, CC BY 3.0
  38. 38 Dk0704, CC BY-SA 4.0
  39. 39 Dk0704, CC BY-SA 4.0
  40. 40 Janusz Recław, CC BY 4.0
  41. 41 Dk0704, CC BY-SA 4.0
  42. 42 Andrew Bone, CC BY 2.0
  43. 43 Wikisympathisant, CC BY-SA 4.0
  44. 44 Andrew Bone, CC BY 2.0
  45. 45 Epebu, CC BY-SA 4.0
  46. 46 Andrew Bone, CC BY 2.0
  47. 47 Wikisympathisant, CC BY-SA 4.0
  48. 48 dave_7, CC BY 2.0
  49. 49 Hunini, CC BY-SA 3.0
  50. 50 Wikisympathisant, CC BY-SA 4.0
  51. 51 Travelarz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  52. 52 Andrew Bone, CC BY 2.0
  53. 53 Nathanael Burton, CC BY-SA 2.0
  54. 54 Chr. Späth, Public domain
  55. 55 Dk0704, CC BY-SA 4.0
  56. 56 Chr. Späth, Public domain
  57. 57 Epebu, CC BY-SA 4.0
  58. 58 Wikisympathisant, CC BY-SA 4.0
  59. 59 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  60. 60 Dk0704, CC BY-SA 4.0
  61. 61 Epebu, CC BY-SA 4.0
  62. 62 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  63. 63 Jiří Sedláček, CC BY-SA 4.0
  64. 64 Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
  65. 65 Wikisympathisant, CC BY-SA 4.0
  66. 66 Алексей Задонский, CC BY-SA 4.0
  67. 67 MartinHansV, CC BY 3.0
  68. 68 Archiv Superikonoskop, Public domain
  69. 69 Unknown photographer, Večer, Public domain

Variants

Four versions and an army car

The 3/15 family
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
Dixi 3/15 DA-11927–⁠29The Austin Seven as licensed, at first assembled from English kits; brakes on the rear wheels only9,307, or about 9,308
BMW 3/15 DA-21929–⁠32All-steel body pressed by Ambi-Budd, four-wheel brakes, larger tyres, wind-up windows, a luggage space; saloons, tourers, two-seaters, cabriolets, vans12,318, about 6,600 of them saloons
BMW 3/15 DA-3 Wartburg1930–⁠31Lowered two-seat sports car, drop-centre front axle, compression 7.0:1, 18 PS150
BMW 3/15 DA-41931–⁠32A front swing axle on the transverse leaf spring, BMW’s first independent front suspension, and a larger body3,480
Reichswehr cars1928–⁠29Mostly machine-gun carriers, some signals cars (Kfz. 2)About 300

Specification

The DA-2, unless noted

Engine and drive

EngineFour cylinders in line, side valves, water-cooled; a two-bearing crankshaft4
Capacity748.75 cc5747, 749 and 750 cc in other sources: the same engine, rounded differently
Power15 PS (11 kW) at 3,000 rpm543DA-3: 18 PS (13 kW) at 3,500 rpm
Compression5.6:1; 7.0:1 in the DA-334
GearboxThree speeds and reverse31

Body and chassis

BodyAll steel, pressed by Ambi-Budd in Berlin45
Front suspensionBeam axle on a transverse leaf spring; a swing axle on the leaf in the DA-443
BrakesOn all four wheels; the rear wheels only on the DA-135

Dimensions

Length3,000 mm (118 in), the DA-2 and DA-433,000–3,100 mm in German Wikipedia
Wheelbase1,905 mm3
Width1,275 mm3
Height1,625 mm for the saloon; 1,300 mm for the DA-33
WeightAbout 400 kg (880 lb)3

Performance and running

Top speed75 km/h (47 mph)5350 mph (80 km/h) for the DA-3, by the Lane museum1
Acceleration0–40 km/h in 10 seconds, the DA-13
ConsumptionAbout 5.5 litres per 100 km36 litres in BMW’s figures6
Price newRM 2,200 in 1929; DA-3 RM 3,10064

How many were built?

Every figure, with its source

About 25,000 builtAbout 25,000 of all versions, 1927–⁠32: German Wikipedia gives 25,356, and the 25,000th car was built in 1931. Every detailed figure goes back to Werner Oswald’s books, so the Wikipedias’ agreement is one source, not two, and the figures for each version do not add up exactly.

  1. 25,356all versions, 1927–⁠32One source

    German Wikipedia, citing Werner Oswald4

  2. 25,000th carbuilt in 1931One source

    German Wikipedia, on the Eisenach works2

  3. 18,976all BMW-badged 3/15s, 1929–⁠32One source

    English Wikipedia, citing Norbye and Oswald3

  4. 12,318DA-2sOne source

    German Wikipedia4

  5. 9,307Dixi DA-1s, 1927–⁠29; “about 9,308” in the article on the Eisenach worksOne source

    English and German Wikipedia, both from Oswald32

  6. 3,480DA-4sOne source

    German Wikipedia4

  7. about 300cars for the Reichswehr, 1928–⁠29One source

    German Wikipedia, citing Oswald4

  8. 150DA-3 WartburgsTwo sources agree

    German and English Wikipedia and the Lane Motor Museum431

  • Two sources agreetwo good sources give the figure
  • One sourcea good source, alone
  • Unconfirmeda lead only, not yet checked

Famous for

Three points

  1. BMW’s first car

    BMW counts the DA-2 of 1929 as its first production car, though the design was Austin’s.

  2. A win at once

    Three pre-production cars took the team award in the 1929 International Alpine Trial, BMW’s first win as a car maker.

  3. Firsts for BMW

    An all-steel body, its first sports car in the DA-3 Wartburg and its first independent front suspension in the DA-4.

Survivors and collecting

Today

Neither a survivor count nor a dated auction result has been found. In Nashville, the Lane Motor Museum has a 1930 BMW Dixi with a one-off special body, which it catalogues as a DA-3, and BMW Group Classic keeps DA-2s of its own.15 The Lane museum’s page, which gives 150 built and production years of 1928–⁠32, mixes the Wartburg’s figure with the years of the whole range.1

Sources

Numbered as in the text

No period road test was found, and BMW Group Classic says its model page was written with AI help; its facts agree with both Wikipedias. Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. Lane Motor Museum, “BMW Dixi – 1930”, collection page, read in full.
  2. German Wikipedia, Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach. It cites Oswald and Kittler, Alle BMW-Automobile seit 1928, and Paul Hogl in Der Motor.
  3. English Wikipedia, BMW 3/15, read in full. It cites Jan P. Norbye, BMW – Bavaria’s Driving Machines (1984), and Oswald, Deutsche Autos 1920–⁠1945 (2001).
  4. German Wikipedia, BMW 3/15, read in full through a summary. It cites Werner Oswald, Alle BMW-Automobile 1928–⁠1978 (1980) and Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer der Reichswehr, Wehrmacht und Bundeswehr (1982).
  5. BMW Group Classic, “BMW 3/15 PS DA 2”, model page, read in full; the page says its text was created with AI help.
  6. BMW Group PressClub, article T0022917EN, on BMW’s first car, its launch on 9 July 1929 and the Alpine Trial, read in full.