Remember when.....

[Dave L]

I remember, what seems like a long time ago "on a planet far far away..." when BMW's were relatively unique and when you saw another one on the road you did a little head light flash and a thumbs up in recognition (of another wise individual). Now I'm afraid if I gestured at most of the BMW's out there I'm more likely to have a gun pulled on me.
The world has become a sad place.

 

[x_atlas0]

It was that way a few years back with the new Minis. I drove a JCW Cooper S for a while and I'd get waves, flashes, various non-obscene hand gestures all the time from other Mini owners. I haven't seen the same thing recently since they are a bit more common now.

 

[Stevehose]

I remember the headlight flashing days also. Now I don't even see any 2002's and certainly no coupes around to flash. Newer model owners (even kids in 320i's) are unaware of the tradition.

The Mini people had their own "salute", no? That's gone too.

It was that way a few years back with the new Minis. I drove a JCW Cooper S for a while and I'd get waves, flashes, various non-obscene hand gestures all the time from other Mini owners. I haven't seen the same thing recently since they are a bit more common now.

 

[rsporsche]

now i only see that from other porsche people. in the e30 m3, there was the rare - wow, cool car ... where did you get the aero kit?

 

[m_thompson]

I remember the headlight flashing days also. Now I don't even see any 2002's and certainly no coupes around to flash. Newer model owners (even kids in 320i's) are unaware of the tradition.

I started with a 2002 in '79. BMWs were rare and unusual at the time. Without the BMWCCA I never would have known where to get parts at reasonable prices or how to diagnose and fix some of the problems that I encountered. I also saw my first CS at a BMWCCA meet and just had to have one.

 

[Ed G]

Nothing's changed. 02 and coupe drivers still flash one another don't they? Problem is, the rarity of two being in the same place at one time is unusual and getting rarer every day. I hear what you say, due to the brand's success, those days will never be relived in more current models. Guess you have to be driving a Lotus or some such?

All the more reason to enjoy your vintage festivals and coffee meets!

 

[Mike Goble]

The car culture today is significantly different from 'back in the day'. I bought a new 1968 Plymouth when I returned from Vietnam in 68, and it was a source of constant attention, let me hear the horn, etc. I even got pulled over a couple of times by officers who just wanted to check out the car.
My driver car is my Bavaria, and in the five years I've been driving it all over the west coast I have yet to see another Bav or coupe spontaneously on the road. Murphy's law of spotting is that you will be riding with your wife in her van when the '72 2002 pulls up next to you, as confirmed recently with an encounter on I5.

 

[61porsche]

I thought it was the precurser to paddle control!:mrgreen:

When I was a kid, flashing of the lights was to let the driver ahead of you know...as the song goes.. Hold on.... I'm coming..... Hold on.... I'm coming... faster than you.

It worked; most drivers would move over to allow for passing and then the obligatory queen hand gesture of waiving by the passee/r that all was well.

Everyone's light stays on now. It's rarer here in Texas, but it happens occasionally still.

The other thought is BMW's cycle heritage. Everything is at the helm, with a flick of the finger. I just thought it was quirkey like Porsche- the key switch is on the left so the right hand is already on the gearshift... vroom..vroom for the racer.

 

[Stevehose]

And also warning oncoming traffic of the speed trap ahead...

When I was a kid, flashing of the lights was to let the driver ahead of you know...as the song goes.. Hold on.... I'm coming..... Hold on.... I'm coming... faster than you.

 

[JhwShark]

Agree, not flashing the passers these days...now I just post a coupe spotting (or shark or '02), tough rare it is.

I also used to flash my outside turn signal (left) when in lane 1 and would like the driver in front of me to know I would like to pass on his/her left...considering stopping this as well, NOT (for now anyway)

 

[pamp]

The flash

Some years ago, I was in Seattle and flashed another car as it was past dusk and the on- coming car did not have his lights on...a courtesy. My street wise friend freaked out that I had done this and informed me that gang bangers will do this...drive until someone flashes, then victimize the flasher as a right of passage into the gang. Sad world indeed. In Canada we still flash like makes, as well as a small wave when riding the cycles to other bikers regardless of make. Just friendly folks I guess.

 

[deQuincey]

signals and gestures

i mostly agree, or i would have to (i was not there), with your stories of the old days

i assume that it was fairly unusual, those days in the USA, to find another bmw on the street side by side, that probably makes the great difference compared with todays possibilities of buying any car in any part of the world

also some of the spirit of the road has dissapeared, "the road": that vast, dangerous, and unknown territory sutiable only for brave pioneers, in which help can only came from a motored neighbour (when he was available, and that, ....you would "count on thumbs" !)

today the road is not a dessert but a jungle, too many "others", yeah "too many"!

but one thing that i am finding these days, when i drive my e9 through crowded roads, full of unhappy cars being driven by unhappy people, is that flash lights and friendly horns, salute my smooth passing towards the pleasure of driving (and that is something that they feel they are not having and they wish the could...)

te gusta conducir ? ( do you like driving ?) ;-)

 

[dp]

I also remember when BMW owners kept the racing on the track!