OCBen

You actually say Bimmer, rhymes with simmer???

That's weird. Must be a regional dialect thing.

Here in California we say Beemer, rhymes with lemur, for the car.

And I think I know why. The initials of Bavarian Motor Works are Bee Em Double-You, phonetically.

So we shorten the 5 syllables to two with Bee-mer......just do.

boolala

When I first saw this car at the Chicago motor show several years ago I thought it was one of the most beautiful designs Ihad ever seen. Subsequently I saw an Alpina (limited edition) version on the street (near the local Home Depot!) and was equally impressed. The interior of this particular car just doesn't do it for me though.

9974G

Definitely more unique, but NO!

JohnnyBahamas

If I was tempted by a Z8, then I'd own one.

It's not rocket science.

And, this girl has great **** -

911Dave

For years I have always been told that Bimmer = BMW car, Beemer = BMW motorcycle, and I travel extensively to every major city in America. Better tell the rest of the Californians!

I'll bet you can confirm/deny this easily on one of the BMW forums.

kauai_diver

I've heard beeeeeemer all my life then again I grew up in California plus I have one

PAULSPEED

Hi,
Looks like a Honda sporst car. No!
Porsche rules.
Paul

WalkerInTN

Negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full.

8haggis

According to BMWCCA, Boston Chapter:
"The term Beemer was first used with motorcycles. Back when British bikes dominated the market and BSA was a well-known marque, riders referred to them as Beezers -- a way to say the letters BSA as if it were a word.

BMW riders said Beemer as a way of saying BMW as a word. This was long before the popularity of BMW cars, so whenever the term Beemer was spoken, it referred to the motorcycle. In theory, one could apply Beemer to either cars or bikes since it is only a reference to the name BMW. In fact some folks do call BMW cars Beemers.

When the cars became popular, many people referred to them as Bimmers as well as Beemers. I don't know why this was adopted instead of simply using the existing Beemers.

But generally speaking, one calls the bikes Beemers and the cars Bimmers. While it would be ok to refer to a car as a Beemer, it doesn't seem appropriate to refer to a bike as a Bimmer."

So, in summary, it doesn't really matter. Beemer, Bimmer, your choice (as long as we are talking about the cars.)

H20NOO

Z8 is probably the only BMW I've lusted after, other than the early 70's CS3000 coupe. The Z8 manages to look both elegant and purposeful. Unlike many other sports cars, it actually looks much bigger in person than in photos, perhaps becuase it is unfairly compared with the Z3. Without a doubt, the Z8 is a substantial car. If I had room in the garage, planned to use it only on special occaisions, and wanted something with undeniable collector value, I'd do it.

I've never owned a BMW and don't particularly care for them but, the Z8 is a stunning, rare and unique high performance automobile. I say go for it!

MC

Coochas

Johnny,
You are a 21st century poet my man.

OCBen

I'm with Kurt here.

There are a lot of Beeeeeeeemers out here in CA and everybody that I know pronounces it with a long 'e' sound. I've never heard anyone pronounce it with the short 'i' sound, Bimmer.

It's really silly to have two ways of pronouncing the same brand for two different products. It's like saying Honda for the motorcycle and Hondai for the car - oh wait.

helispud

If you want to start a fight in the BMW motorcycle world, you call the cars beemers. The BMW CCA's magazine "Roundel" always refers to the cars as Bimmers and the motos as Beemers, although they also have this discussion from time to time. Also of note, "Excellence's" sister magazine for BMWs is called "Bimmer".

I personally like BEEEmer for both.

Coochas

I grew up always calling the cars Bimmers and being oblivious to the bikes. I was once told by a BMW-head that the bikes are Beemers. No offense to any owners out there, but I find many BMW drivers (particularly M3) to be on the dicky side.
That being said, I think most people I know refer to the cars as Beemers! Maybe it's a passive aggressive thing to say.

Streamlined

As a BMWCCA member former 'BMW-head' I can confirm the bikes=beemers and cars=bimmers thing. As a matter of fact the first car forum I ever got really involved in was bimmer.org which later became Roadfly.

I do love the looks of the Z8 and did briefly consider finding a nice one instead of the 997, however my prior experiences with BMW service and car issues deterred me. Just the hint that they might have the subframe weakness, among other things, that so many BMWs seem to have put me off.