A superb and rare photo of the famous BMW R75 “ Wehrmachtsgespann “ sidecar combination being tested at the Groflen Donbogen testing grounds in Germany. According the spec. sheet that came with the negative, the image was shot on March 14, 1941. On the photograph we also see BMW motorcycle designers Alexander von Falkenhausen and Hans Sachs.

The BMW R75 performed remarkably well in the harsh operating environment of the North African campaign. Motorcycles of every style had performed acceptably well in Europe, but in the desert the protruding cylinders of the flat-twin engine performed better than configurations which overheated in the sun, and shaft drives performed better than chain-drives which were damaged by desert grit. So successful were the BMWs as war-machines that the U.S. Army asked Harley-Davidson, Indian and Delco to produce a motorcycle similar to the side-valve BMW R71. Harley copied the BMW engine and transmission — simply converting metric measurements to inches — and produced the XA and XS.

The BMW R75 was developed during World War II. BMW were already producing a number of popular and highly effective motorcycles, and developed the R75 in response to a request from the German army to make a machine more capable in off-road conditions. BMW followed the general technics of the Zündapp KS 750 in which the third side-car wheel was driven from an axle connected to the rear wheel of the motorcycle, effectively making it a three-wheeled vehicle. Fitted with a locking differential and selectable road and off-road gear ratios the R75 was highly manoeuvrable and capable of negotiating most surfaces. It was even fitted with a reverse gear. The BMW and its rival Zündapp were both widely used by the Wehrmacht in the Eastern Front and North African Campaign, though after a period of evaluation it became clear that the Zündapp was the superior machine simply because it was much cheaper to produce. For instance, the Zundapp featured an inside chain driven gearbox instead of a cogwheel driven one. The BMW R75 remained in production until Allied bombing damage to the Eisenach factory forced production to cease in 1944. A further 98 units were assembled by the Soviets in 1946 as reparations. The BMW R75 is desirable as a collector's item because of its complex and durable technology. A well-restored R75 can be still used for everyday purposes, on or off-road without problems. In 1954 a small number of modified R75 models were produced at Eisenach (then in Soviet-controlled East Germany) for testing under the designation AWO 700, but were not put into full production.

Alexander Freiherr von Falkenhausen has had a long and distinguished career with BMW, working on very successful car and motorcycle designs and racing with them as well. When Alexander von Falkenhausen joined BMW, it was still a licensed re-marketer of Austin Sevens. By the time of his retirement in 1976, BMW was an international powerhouse in automotive production, developing cars and motorcycles that were second to none in the industry. In 1924, at the tender age of 17, von Falkenhausen rode a DKW motorcycle in his first hillclimb, and managed to finish in second place, laying the groundwork for a lifelong interest in both motorcycles and racing. In the coming years, von Falkenhausen abandoned his schoolwork in favor of a more practical education as a mechanic. He was eventually offered work as a designer with a small engine company, and with this experience, he entered Munich's Technical University in 1928, specializing in automotive and aeronautical engineering. By 1934, von Falkenhausen had attained his engineering degree. BMW's chief test engineer and fellow hillclimber, Rudolf Schleicher, was aware of von Falkenhausen's skill as a motorcycle racer, and contracted him to ride BMWs in off-road racing events. In 1935, BMW introduced the telescopic front fork, which dramatically changed how motorcycles handled. The following year, von Falkenhausen added a rear suspension, further smoothing out the ride and revolutionizing motorcycling. He took his experimental motorcycle, the BMW R5, and entered the grueling International Six Day Trials, winning gold medals in 1936 and 1937. By 1938, von Falkenhausen's rear suspension concept went into the production BMW R51. From 1938 onward, von Falkenhausen was integral in BMW's motorcycle development, both in terms of suspension and engine design. During the war years, von Falkenhausen developed a one-man armored vehicle, and put his aeronautical experience to use adapting a nine-cylinder radial engine for use in an experimental tank. Von Falkenhausen said that there was no likelihood the war would last long enough for them to get the thing finished. In 1946, von Falkenhausen, driving his own BMW 328, participated in the very first post-war races in Germany. One victory and a second place finish caught the eyes of his colleagues. In 1947, he began building and designing his own cars, at first under his abbreviated name, "Al-Fa," and then, for obvious reasons, under the name AFM, for Alexander von Falkenhausen, Munich. He continued his prowess on race tracks, and in 1948, won the German Sports Car Championship. After his brief stint as an independent racing car manufacturer, under the name Alex von Falkenhausen Motorenbau (AFM), von Falkenhausen returned to BMW in 1954. In addition to his duties managing the racing division, he took over the technical development of the road racing motorcycles. He helped design the short-stroke version of BMW's 500cc flat-twin and a 250cc flat-twin. During these years, he devised and engineered the forerunner to the BMW Paralever, which has been featured in the series production since 1987. The original system consisted of two joints for the driveshaft and a parallelogram support bracket for the rear swing arm. In the bleak years after World War II, Germans were interested in small, inexpensive cars. Following his motorcycle success, von Falkenhausen transferred his knowledge to designing automobiles. By 1957, he was given the job of BMW's engine development, specifically for the BMW 700 line of small cars, which were powered by a version of the flat-twin in use in BMW's motorcycles. By 1961, a high-performance four-cylinder engine, known as the "New Class," which was influenced by von Falkenhausen, made its debut in the BMW 1500. In 1964, von Falkenhausen drove the sports version of the four-door saloon, the BMW 1800 TI/SA, to victory in the Eberbach hillclimb, and won a gold medal in the Munich-Vienna-Budapest Rally. Success seemed to follow von Falkenhausen and everything he touched turned to gold. In 1966, that same four-cylinder engine was now a serious racing engine with four valves per cylinder and two overhead camshafts. This little two-liter engine set world records at Hockenheim, where it was put into a Brabham. The driver was none other than von Falkenhausen, who by then was 59 years old. In 1983, after von Falkenhausen retired, Nelson Piquet, driving a Brabham BMW BT52, became the first Formula One champion to use a turbocharged BMW engine. Of that engine, von Falkenhausen commented that he thought the block was good for 200, even 300hp, but he never thought it would take 1,000 horsepower. Von Falkenhausen retired in 1976 as BMW's oldest employee, and died in 1989, at the age of 82.

We have more photos listed on Ebay of BMW and other brands with various riders. You can always contact us if you have any requests.

This is your rare chance to own a non period image that reflects a very interesting piece of BMW’s glorious history. Therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 12" (ca. 20 x 30 cm).

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