My dad liked that era of them as well, but mostly because they reminded him of the older ones. Personally, I’ve never liked t-birds. I grew up with the 90s version of them, the ones that looked like a Ford Taurus (which I always thought was ugly as well).
I saw an orange Walletmobile (as in Bring My Wallet 
) sedan parked on the street this morning; it was the only car parked on the block. While the car itself wasn’t all that much, it was parked just next to a restaurant with outdoor seating…& orange metal chairs. The long sea of matching oranges was visually striking; no pics as I was driving by & only had my phone in my pocket. I wish I had a real camera for that one.
Why do people pronounce them as Bimmer instead of Bimwah? There’s no R in their initials,
I saw a 9ZY this weekend!
But there’s plenty of R’s in their name “Bayerische Motoren Werke”.
Also, I pronounce it “Beamer”. I haven’t heard “Bimmer”.
There’s quite a few BMW forums with “bimmer” in the name. AIUI, it’s one of those things were most people say beamer but the “real” enthusiasts say bimmer.
On Amtrak to LA, leaving Sacramento I just saw the Mach 5. I mouthed the words “Go Speed Racer, go!” to the driver as the train passed him.
AIUI, and could be completely wrong, BMW as in cars is pronounced one way and BMW as in motorcycles the other.
When I hear Germans refer to them, it’s Bay - Em - Vay. I rather like that.
I hate Hate HATE “Beemer”. So yuppie-poseur ish.
Spotted a Lexus LC 500 yesterday at the store. When looking up the details I found that it’s being discontinued after this year. It never sold many cars, but it’s fairly good looking. Except for that fugugly grill.
I have a 2010 ES 350, and I’m so glad it predates that horrible hourglass grill that was introduced in 2016 (although the previous couple of years had similar, but not as horrible, designs that foreshadowed it).
I saw a VinFast on the road yesterday, something I didn’t know existed.
A couple from tonight’s walk
1970s? Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser
1985 (40+ years old!) Buick Riviera, 6th generation after the 1984 facelift. It must be their daily driver for when the Vette is unavailable. How often do you see whitewalls?
And I just saw a plate ***AGK1. I’m surprised it’s that deep into the new pattern.
And I was just coming to post that I’d seen a 9ZZ plate in the parking lot at work today. I hadn’t realize we’d actually started the new pattern already. I assumed there’d be more fanfare or something. I guess the DMV just quietly started issuing new plates with the new pattern.
Traditionally (and by that, I mean long internet use, probably preceded by the use in enthusiast mags), Bimmer is the term for cars, and Beemer is the motorcycle term.
I remember reading about that distinction sometime in the early '90s, probably before I was active at all on the internet.
I got one of them! '69!
Two sightings today. First was a MB AMG S 65 V12 twin turbo driven by the stereotypical little old lady. I got a good look at her since she was parked, but that’s a lot of HP for someone who didn’t look like she took advantage of rapid acceleration. But looks can be deceiving.
The second was a bright orange Lamborghini Uris. I tried to find the exact color but there are way too many orange color options avaible so I couldn’t figure out which it was. But it certainly stood out.
Stooped over little old lady I used to work with (she’s now retired, but still frequently shows up at office events) will mention things like, “I’m going to Charlotte this weekend for a two day NASCAR racing school” or “we were in Vegas and [my husband] was in a poker tournament, so I got some track time.”
To keep it on topic, her car, in the parking lot right now, is an absolutely pristine BMW E46 325xi, “I can’t get it serviced anywhere without the mechanic trying to buy it.”
