BMW Community

BMW logo sign in Düsseldorf

From the summer of 2001 until October 2005, BMW hosted the «BMW Films». Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. website, showcasing sporty models being driven to extremes. These videos are still popular within the enthusiast community and proved to be a ground-breaking online advertising campaign.

Annually since 1999, BMW enthusiasts have met in Santa Barbara, CA to attend Bimmerfest. One of the largest brand-specific gatherings in the U.S., over 3,000 people attended in 2006, and over 1,000 BMW cars were present. In 2007, the event was held on 5 May.

BMW slang

The initials BMW are pronounced [ˈbeː ˈɛm ˈveː] in German.^[40] The model series are referred to as «Einser» («One-er» for 1 series), «Dreier» («Three-er» for 3 series), «Fünfer» («Five-er» for the 5 series), «Sechser» («Six-er» for the 6 series), «Siebener» («Seven-er» for the 7 series). These are not actually slang, but are the normal way that such letters and numbers are pronounced in German.^[41]

The English slang terms Beemer, Bimmer and Bee-em are variously used for BMWs of all kinds,^[42]^[43] cars and motorcycles.^[44]^[45]

In the US, specialists have been at pains to prescribe that a distinction must be made between using Beemer exclusively to describe BMW motorcycles, and using Bimmer only to refer to BMW cars,^[46]^[47]^[48] in the manner of a «true aficionado»^[49] and avoid appearing to be «uninitiated.»^[50]^[51] The Canadian Globe and Mail prefers Bimmer and calls Beemer a «yuppie abomination,»^[52] while the Tacoma News Tribune says it is a distinction made by «auto snobs.»^[53] Using the wrong slang risks offending BMW enthusiasts.^[54]^[55]^[56] An editor of Business Week was satisfied in 2003 that the question was resolved in favor of Bimmer by noting that a Google search yielded 10 times as many hits compared to Beemer.^[57]

The arts

1975 BMW 3.0CSL painted by Alexander Calder.

Manufacturers employ designers for their cars, but BMW has made efforts to gain recognition for exceptional contributions to and support of the arts, including art beyond motor vehicle design. These efforts typically overlap or complement BMW’s marketing and branding campaigns.^[58] The headquarters building, designed in 1972 by Karl Schwanzer has become a European icon,^[59] and artist Gerhard Richter created his Red, Yellow, Blue series of paintings for the building’s lobby.^[60]^[61] In 1975, Alexander Calder was commissioned to paint the 3.0CSL driven by Hervé Poulain at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This led to more BMW Art Cars, painted by artists including David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Roy Lichtenstein, and others. The cars, currently numbering 17, have been shown at theLouvre, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and, in 2009, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and New York’s Grand Central Terminal.^[59] BMW was the principal sponsor of the 1998 The Art of the Motorcycle exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and other Guggenheim museums, though the financial relationship between BMW and the Guggenheim was criticised in many quarters.^[62]^[63]

In 2012 BMW brought out the BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors, which featured amongst others the Dikeou Collection. It is the first global guide to private and publicly accessible collections of contemporary art world wide.

The 2006 «BMW Performance Series» was a marketing event geared to attract black car buyers, and featured the «BMW Pop-Jazz Live Series,» a tour headlined by jazz musician Mike Phillips, and the «BMW Blackfilms.com Film Series» highlighting black filmmakers.^[64]

April Fools

BMW has garnered a reputation over the years for its April Fools pranks, which are printed in the British press every year. In 2010, they ran an advert announcing that customers would be able to order BMWs with different coloured badges to show their affiliation with the political party they supported.