Photo: BMW
The one thing that sets BMW apart from all other manufacturers out there is its engines and the brilliant engineering that goes into making them. One of the legendary names linked to this area of expertise was Paul Rosche, the man that stuck with BMW for nearly 40 years of the 80 he celebrated yesterday.
In 1957, right after he got his engineering degree, young Paul Rosche joined the BMW development team, run back then by another legendary man, Alex von Falkenhausen. Initially pushed on by his mother, Paul quickly started liking what he was doing and ended up writing history.
One of his first projects was developing a new camshaft for racing engines, a project that would eventually earn him the “Nocken-Paul” nickname (Camshaft Paul) that is used with love even today around BMW’s headquarters.
His first engine, the one that actually made him famous was the BMW M10 that was manufactured between 1962 and 1988 that would eventually become one of the most renowned and important units ever made by the brand.
The same unit would be used inside a BMW 2002 that eventually won the European Touring Car Championship in 1969 and inside the first BMW 2002 Turbo model ever made, the company’s first turbocharged car, just 3 years later.
In 1973, Paul Rosche became the Head of the main advanced development and racing engine development division in Munich just to become the man in charge of creating the M1 two years later, after Robert Lutz created the Motorsport division. Eventually, Paul rose to the position of Technical Director at BMW M Gmbh from which he overlooked the birth of engines such as the S14 (the one used on the E30 M3) and others over the years.
Back in 1983, due to the innovations and skill of this wonderful and brilliant engineer, Nelson Piquet managed to win the Formula 1 Championship aboard his turbocharged Brabham BMW. The engine in the car he was driving had 4 cylinders and a 1.5-liter displacement, making 800 HP. In the following 4 years, that unit was responsible for 9 victories in Formula 1 races.
Paul also overlooked most of BMW’s Motorsport endeavors. Under his guidance, the company managed over 150 victories in all kinds of races, 6 European Formula 2 Championship titles, several European Touring Championship titles but also a LeMans 24 Hour endurance win.
Even though Mr. Rosche retired over 15 years ago, he’s still an emblematic figure amongst BMW’s engineers and the statement “Paul Rosche will like it too” is still used amongst them to this day. Happy Birthday Paul!
One of his first projects was developing a new camshaft for racing engines, a project that would eventually earn him the “Nocken-Paul” nickname (Camshaft Paul) that is used with love even today around BMW’s headquarters.
His first engine, the one that actually made him famous was the BMW M10 that was manufactured between 1962 and 1988 that would eventually become one of the most renowned and important units ever made by the brand.
The same unit would be used inside a BMW 2002 that eventually won the European Touring Car Championship in 1969 and inside the first BMW 2002 Turbo model ever made, the company’s first turbocharged car, just 3 years later.
In 1973, Paul Rosche became the Head of the main advanced development and racing engine development division in Munich just to become the man in charge of creating the M1 two years later, after Robert Lutz created the Motorsport division. Eventually, Paul rose to the position of Technical Director at BMW M Gmbh from which he overlooked the birth of engines such as the S14 (the one used on the E30 M3) and others over the years.
Back in 1983, due to the innovations and skill of this wonderful and brilliant engineer, Nelson Piquet managed to win the Formula 1 Championship aboard his turbocharged Brabham BMW. The engine in the car he was driving had 4 cylinders and a 1.5-liter displacement, making 800 HP. In the following 4 years, that unit was responsible for 9 victories in Formula 1 races.
Paul also overlooked most of BMW’s Motorsport endeavors. Under his guidance, the company managed over 150 victories in all kinds of races, 6 European Formula 2 Championship titles, several European Touring Championship titles but also a LeMans 24 Hour endurance win.
Even though Mr. Rosche retired over 15 years ago, he’s still an emblematic figure amongst BMW’s engineers and the statement “Paul Rosche will like it too” is still used amongst them to this day. Happy Birthday Paul!
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