The idea to equip the flat twin engine with a supercharger came from the designer of the BMW R 37 race bike, Rudolf Schleicher.

[3] From 1936, BMW switched to their next generation of supercharged BMWs, with the Type 255, which went on to secure the Land-Speed Record in 1937 at 173.68mph, which stood until 1951.

The first official world speed record for BMW was set by Ernst Jakob Henne on a WR 750 on 19 September 1929 with 216.75 km/h (134.68 mph) over the mile with flying start.

The compressor was located on top of the gearbox, and in the first version was driven by an additional open parallel shaft next to the magneto with a right-angle bevel gear linkage.

The chain-drive supercharger was problematic due to surges in pressure with changes in engine revolutions, especially in road racing events.