I found my 1999 edition of "Friends of BMW" brochure when I was going through my collection of BMW books, brochures, manuals, etc. More than 1,000 BMW CCA members and all U.S. BMW dealers are listed. Each member listing included the name, phone number(land line of course), residence and business address. Followed by what each member could offer: work space, 4 or 6 cylinder parts, tools, spare room or coach, access to a professional mechanic on weekends, coffee and conversation. This was followed by the level of professional expertise of the member: Professional, good, fair, nil.
Member information was followed by a listing of US, Canadian, European, Icelandcic(ring a familiar bell?), Pacific Rim and Military Addresses. But here is where it gets interesting in a historical perspective. There is an alphabetical listing by state of the BMW dealers for each state. For California, the epicenter of the early BMW universe, I counted 30 dealers. Could there be 30 dealers in business today in CA? I wonder. Two names that stand out, Vasek Polak and Peter Pan Motors. What a trip as we used to say.
Member information was followed by a listing of US, Canadian, European, Icelandcic(ring a familiar bell?), Pacific Rim and Military Addresses. But here is where it gets interesting in a historical perspective. There is an alphabetical listing by state of the BMW dealers for each state. For California, the epicenter of the early BMW universe, I counted 30 dealers. Could there be 30 dealers in business today in CA? I wonder. Two names that stand out, Vasek Polak and Peter Pan Motors. What a trip as we used to say.
