BMW’s cars ooze personality. That’s part of the reason so many people love them so much! Like boats, airplanes, and any other hobby, some enthusiasts think it’s only fitting to name their BMW. If you’re having a little trouble naming your car, maybe we can help! There’s inspiration everywhere, and your BMW deserves a name as special as the car is.
Borrowing Names From Movies and TV Shows
You won’t have to look far in pop culture to find BMW references. Jerry Seinfeld drove a BMW 5 Series for a while in the hit show Seinfeld – an E34, if memory serves. Even though he’s more readily associated with Porsches, “Jerry” could make for a fun name for your BMW. It’s a good reference for those who get it – especially if you happen to own an E34, or any 5 Series! In the show Frasier, Dr. Crane drove an E34 5 Series too. He eventually upgraded to a dark-blue 7 Series. E34 owners should have no problem picking a name!
The James Bond movies could also serve as great inspiration for a name. The movies feature tons of different cars, driven by both villains and Bond himself. The 750il from Tomorrow Never Dies jumps to mind, as does the Z3 from GoldenEye. As does the Z8 driven by Bond in The World is Not Enough, as you could justify naming any Z car “Bond” in a sort of reference – or deference – to the movie and the halo car.
The list really goes on forever if you’re traveling down the pop culture rabbit hole. Tom Cruise drove an M5 in Mission Impossible, the E46 M3 is featured heavily in 2004’s Taxi with Jimmy Fallon, and the 635CSi shows up in Lethal Weapon 2. You can borrow from that list as you see fit.
Irony and Humor
Another decent naming convention might be irony. An easy example of this is nicknaming your 120 horsepower E30 something like “Quarter Mile King” – or, more accessible, simply “Speedy”. Perhaps something playing on the intentional foibles of your car – “Comfort Cruiser” for a track-prepped M2 with a rollcage, for example.
Capitalizing on that last point, you can also use humor. Self-deprecating car names are never going to stop being funny when done correctly. The aptly named and self-aware “Rusty Slammington” stands still today as a high point for car names. You could also go for humorous interpretations of what “BMW” stands for. My favorite, and the one that rings most true: “Broke My Wallet”.
You can also try combining this with the last section – Movies and TV Shows. Think names like “Millennium Falcon”, “Shadowfax”, or “TARDIS”. All fantastic modes of transportation that make great names for your BMW. Pick a fandom and run with it – there’s probably a great nickname in there somewhere!
The Obvious Names
Lastly, there’s no reason you can’t draw influence for a name from what the car obviously is! “Little Red Wagon” for a red E30 wagon, for example. Or “Silver Surfer” as a name for your Titanium Silver E46 M3. Some less obvious ones might include “Rustbucket” or “Pile”, though that might be venturing a little bit too far into humor territory for some people. “Blue Bomber” or “Red Baron” are two more real-life examples I can think of offhand.
Enthusiasts also know that BMW’s cars are usually referred to as “bimmers”, and motorcycles are referred to as “beemers”. I’d argue that the two terms are now fairly interchangeable, and you can draw on inspiration from those nicknames, too. Fun fact: in China, “bimmers” have become “Boo-ma”, or literally, “precious horse”. Maybe there’s an opportunity there, too?
Hopefully we gave you some good ideas for naming your BMW. Let us know! Comment below what you decided to name your BMW, and why you chose that name!
