When BMW and Audi turned the streets of Los Angeles into an all-out billboard war. What began as a single billboard quickly became one of the most famous advertising rivalries in automotive history. In 2009, an Audi dealership in Santa Monica promoted the new Audi R8 with the slogan, “Your pawn is no match for our king.” Nearby BMW dealers answered with a billboard featuring the BMW M3 and a one-word response: “Checkmate.” The exchange soon went viral, drawing international attention. BMW later raised the stakes by flying a blimp above the billboards reading “Game over,” alongside a Formula 1 car referencing its BMW Sauber racing team. Audi responded with an even larger billboard, and photos of the escalating back-and-forth spread widely online. Whether planned or purely opportunistic, the campaign remains one of the most memorable advertising battles between rival automakers.(Historic Vids)