My buddy Dave and I had a high-school acquaintance who was fond of recounting her weekend exploits during our shared lunch hour. We’ll call her Misty. Misty’s exploits were mostly limited to working at the deli counter of a local grocery store, and/or visiting her sister in Calumet City. Calumet City is on the lake, and not all that far south of Chicago—and maybe a 60-minute drive from our suburban village. Oh, and Misty’s sister owned a BMW—this is important to my story.
Is it Bimmer of Beemer?
It’s Bimmer, right?
Now, none of this is really noteworthy, and the weekend recaps were—at best—repetitive—but there was one element of Misty’s storytelling that, over time, became grating. First, she lovingly referred to Calumet City as “Cal City,” and she always referred to her sister’s car as a “Beemer.”
Cal City
Now, lots of people call Calumet City Cal City—though the implied familiarity seemed to suggest that this one-time bootlegger haven was now a weekend haven little shy of Monte Carlo or Las Vegas in terms of its beauty, majesty, and premium amenities. Though Dave and I were unacquainted with the charms of Calumet City, we were pretty sure the town was being oversold to us. Whatever.
But the Beemer thing…
Who says Beemer?
Now, Dave and I were serious car nuts, and read every article in every issue of every car magazine every month, and we were quite certain that the appropriate nickname for a BMW was Bimmer. People, at least guys, who referred to BMWs as Beemers were, weirdo car-guy fakers just looking to be mocked. But Misty was a girl, and…how could we prove we were right? Life before the Internet was complicated.
Motorcycles?
Little did Dave and I know about the duplicitous nature of BMW and its loyal fanbase.
And while BMW owners overwhelming referred to their cars as Bimmers, we had no idea that a sperate and distinct culture of motorcycle owners referred to their machines as Beemers. Really, who knew?
Per BMW…
Per BMW, the actual company, comes this:
“Strictly speaking, it’s incorrect to talk about a “beamer car” (or “beemer car”). The correct term for a BMW automobile is “bimmer” – “beemer” and “beamer” actually only refer to a BMW motorcycle.”
We’ll ignore the alternative spelling options suggested above, and just reaffirm: A BMW car is a Bimmer, a BMW motorcycle is a Beemer.
Sorry, Misty
As for Misty, we’ll forgive the lapse in car-culture awareness. Likely she was still in a daze following another wonder-filled weekend in Cal City.
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Bimmer and Beemer Pictures
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