No, (again), that is not a typo in the title to this post; it is yet another example of the formative role that, 100 years ago, the Austin Seven played in the formation of several motor manufacturing brands that today have achieved global status.

We have already seen examples of how the practice of the Austin Motor Company, licensing the Austin Seven design to other motor manufacturers, provided a launch platform for Jaguar in the UK and for American Bantam in the USA. Further examples can be found in Australia with the Holden Motor Body company, France with Rosengarts and Japan with Nissan.

Following Benz and Daimler, the third German car manufacturer to become established was the Eisenach car factory, starting in 1904, and Dixi was the brand name.

In the difficult economic climate of the 1920s, Eisenach decided that its product line needed to address the small car market, and in 1927 signed a licensing agreement with the Austin Motor Company to build a variant of the Austin Seven. A production level of 2000 cars a year was agreed upon, and Dixi paid Austin a royalty on each vehicle produced.

The first 100 cars were supplied by Austin as kits, but by December 1927 the first of the official Dixi-manufactured vehicles was coming off the production line. Apart from being left-hand drive and using metric fasteners, the car was nearly identical to the Austin. Body styles available were coupé, roadster, tourer and sedan, with a few chassis going to external coachbuilders. Most cars left the factory as tourers.

Looking to move into automobile manufacturing, BMW bought the Eisenach manufacturer in 1928 and with it, the rights to build the Dixi car. So, the Austin Seven was in fact the first BMW.

At first the cars were badged as BMW Dixi but the Dixi name was dropped in 1929.

The 1938 BMW 327 in the museum collection is one of around 2000 produced in the pre-war years from 1937-41. It is a sports / tourer car with a 2-litre, 6-cylinder engine and is about as far removed from the Austin Seven as can be imagined. It does, however, owe its existence to the humble beginnings of that first BMW car, the BMW Dixi – a clone of the Austin Seven.