BBS Logo PNG
A lot of energy, speed, and flight have been invested in the BBS logo. Thanks to the company’s discs, cars can fly along the track as if on wings. The emblem guarantees that the brand’s products will last a long time and will not let you down on the road.
BBS began in 1970 in Schiltach, a small town in Germany’s Black Forest. Heinrich Baumgartner and Klaus Brand were amateur racers, and their first products were lightweight fiberglass body parts. The name BBS came from Baumgartner, Brand, and Schiltach.
In 1972, racer Martin Braungardt asked BBS for a strong, light, and affordable wheel for his Ford Capri in Group 2 and Group 5. After months of work, BBS created a three-piece wheel with a separate rim, disc, and center section, fixed with bolts. The first version was made with Mahle under the BBS Mahle name. Formula BMW ordered racing wheels the same year.
By 1975, BBS had developed its cross-spoke layout and counter-pressure casting. In 1977, the three-piece RS entered series production and later appeared on BMW, Porsche, and other manufacturers’ cars. In 1980, BBS went public as BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG. In 1983, the RS entered the mass market, while BBS of America, BBS Japan Ltd., and an Italian division were founded. The one-piece forged RG followed in 1987.
By 1990, BBS had exceeded $100 million in annual turnover and had become a supplier to Audi, BMW, and Volkswagen. The RSII appeared in 1992, followed by the Le Mans-inspired LM in 1994. Against OZ Racing and Enkei, BBS relied on racing technology and serial production. Later milestones included Air Inside Technology in 2002, financial problems in 2007 and 2010, the RI-D duralumin wheel in 2011, the independent BBS Motorsport structure in 2012, and acquisition by KW Automotive GmbH in 2021.
Meaning and History
The founders immortalized their partnership with the brand name, an abbreviation of the first letters of their surnames and their hometown: Baumgartner, Brand, Schiltach. The brand emblem was immediately invented, the design was not particularly original – the BBS personal sign is a laconic text logo, visually divided into two parts. Above is the company’s official name, in a minimalist style and with a 3D effect. The motto was placed below and reads “Technik aus dem Motorsport,” which translates from German as “Motorsport Technologies.”
The fact is that Baumgartner and Brand, in addition to their love for mechanics, were completely devoted to motorsport. Initially, they planned to produce plastic body parts for German car factories in a small factory. Still, the desire to improve sports cars won over practicality, and in 1972, BBS introduced a unique development to the market. It was a prefabricated rim for fireballs, consisting of three elements – a disk, a rim, and a hub, fastened together with titanium bolts. The item featured a laconic design and, for added effect, underwent diamond processing.
Then Air Inside technology appeared – a disk with empty internal cavities, which significantly, by 5 kg, lightened the wheel’s weight and, importantly, made it cheaper. In addition, this improved safety performance – the probability of deformation of the rim edge decreased by 60%, and the operational properties of the part, so that the damaged part could be replaced, if necessary, changing its overhang, diameter, and width. Thanks to new technologies, the popularity of BBS has increased, and its brand emblem has adorned the cars of giants such as BMW, Audi, Porsche, Daimler-Chrysler, and VW.
When designing product logos, deviations from the standard sample used for the official brand presentation are allowed. So, only the letters BBS, without a motto, are printed on the rims. At the same time, the logo palette also differs from the classic version: white, depending on the background, is replaced with gold, silver, or black.
Throughout BBS’s existence, the owners have not changed the name or the logo’s appearance. And the emblem, in general, fully reflects the philosophy of the German brand: minimalism and elegance, with impeccable workmanship.
Font and Colors
As with rims, when developing the logo, the company’s frontmen relied on concision and functionality, eschewing excessive pomposity and tinsel. The traditional colors of the emblem are white letters, written with a slight slope and surrounded by a red or, less commonly, black border. The frame has an uneven width; the borders are narrow at the top and left and wide at the bottom and right, which gives the letters additional volume and a sense of strict completeness. The name font looks similar to MS UI Gothic but differs in how the letter S is written on the emblem: the parallel lines of the letter are straighter, with slight rounding at the corners. The slogan is usually set in a small, even font, close to the Corbel type, adjusted to the width of the name, and in black.