Bangle

I just changed my mind.

Don't get me wrong, most of his cars (Z4 and FIAT Coupe excepted) are hideous, but I now admire him. He's the only one making new stuff rather than looking backwards. At least he's innovative.

what've you been smoking?

only kidding, didn't he actually design the E46 3-series and E39 5-series too? i think i read about him designing them.

I would commend him for being innovative if his cars looked good.

Much as I dislike the retro-styling fad, I would rather have a good looking throwback than an ugly redesign.

Much as I dislike the retro-styling fad, I would rather have a good looking throwback than an ugly redesign.

disagree, i think both are out of the question, and the car should be killed off if its reached a peak. if its been killed off, leave it there. maybe you can bring it back as a 100th birthday for your company, and keep it exactly the same (ie Ford GT... only throwback done right)

only kidding, didn't he actually design the E46 3-series and E39 5-series too? i think i read about him designing them.

Probably. Both ugly, fat, generic lumps of car.

The new Miura sparked my change of heart. I bet the designers of the original want to smack the hotshot who thinks he's cool by "designing" it again.

strange, i really like the E46 3-series and E39 5-series.

some of his designs

Fiat Coupe
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Fiat_Coupe_vl_blue.jpg/800px-Fiat_Coupe_vl_blue.jpg

BMW 7-series
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/92/E66_BMW_745iL.jpg/800px-E66_BMW_745iL.jpg

BMW 6-series
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/BMW_Series6_silver_h.jpg/800px-BMW_Series6_silver_h.jpg

BMW 5-series
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/BMW_Series5_silver_vl.jpg/800px-BMW_Series5_silver_vl.jpg

apart from the 7 series, his BMW designs do not look so bad. the front and sides are a nice blend of the tradition aggressiveness of BMW and the "flowing lines" of modern automotive designs.
i mean, its got the aggression of a classic camaro, but the luxurious stylings of a lexus.

i also agree with you on his innovativeness; his rear end design is subtly and slowly popping up everywhere - even though, i personally don't like it.

overall, bangle's not a bad guy - but yikes in regards to the 7-series

if there's any new design element it's audi "gaping mouth" new grille design. if they had the middle "bar" painted the same colour as the rest of the car it would be fine.

I still can't stand the new 5 series, the rest grew on me, the E60 failed.

(ie Ford GT... only throwback done right)

I think the New Beetle was done right...

The E60 grew on me. The redesigned 7 hasn't, should have stuck with the pre-facelift. The 6-series is nice, but a bit bland.... a bit of passion wouldnt go amiss. The new 3-series coupe doesnt look that promising, ill wait til i see it in the flesh tho

7 series and Z4 are his only BMWs I like. The rest are FAT. Not phat. :thumbsdown:

Does that FIAT Coupe have bird crap on it? lol :lol2:

I'm thinking the new E92 coupe, which will reside in my garage by the end of the year or early next, looks superb.

Check the sig.

E92?!

That's an awfully big jump from E46...

E92?!

That's an awfully big jump from E46...
Not really, check out the bmw website for all the new info and pics.

I think the New Beetle was done right...yes...I agree with that. :icon16: I still would never drive one..:rolleyes:

in my mind, chris bangle equates to frank gehry.

thing designed by them occasionally look good but for the most part is more concerned with having a particular look rather than just plain old looking good.
sure they will eventually have moments of genius but once that has passed, they should let it go and move on and really find new things to do instead of doing the same thing again. Of course, i know that much of this is market driven but still, for amoint of praise heaped on him as being one of the true car design innovators, I just expect more.

First of all, many of the designs accredited to Chris Bangle were actually designed by Adrian Van Hooydonk. Bangle is head of the styling department, but he actually does very little with pen and paper anymore. Hooydonk was the one that actually penned out cars like the E60.

I was one of the many to jump onto the "I hate all new BMW styling" bandwagon. I thought that 2001-2002 was the height of all BMWs. The E46, E39, E38, Z3, M Roadster, and M Coupe were all wonderful cars and I was afraid to see them change. I hated the E60 5-Series and the E65 7-Series. His "flame styling" just didn't work for me. It was the end of the world, my beloved BMW was dieing.

Except it didn't, and now every single one of Bangle's cars have grown on me. The E90 sedan makes the E46s look old and outdated. The E60 has a presence that you didn't get from the E39, and the new M5 is stunning in person. The 7-series didn't grow on me until the facelift where they changed the trunk and lights a bit, but now it is probably my favorite large luxury sedan. The Z4 is becoming a cooler and cooler roadster, especially the new M Roadster. The new M Coupe looks fantastic. I can't judge the E92 until I see it in person, but from pictures I liked it right away.

Like his designs or not, you have to respect Chris Bangle. His cars are all completely origional. They grab your eye like few other cars do. More and more, other companies are actually starting to copy his designs. Mercedes-Benzes are pathetically boring, the only Porsche that looks different then the ones from 30 years is the Cayenne, Jags havn't changed much in years, and the biggest trend in styling is to go back to the 60's or 70's, but BMW is trying its hardest to set new trends with origional styling. Look at it this way, is there any modern car designer out there that that is as well known as Chris Bangle? I think not. Despite the amount of criticism he's recieved from journalists and people like us on the internet, his designs are a huge sales success. Right now, BMW is the best selling premium brand in the world, breaking 1,000,000 cars/year in 2004.

http://alex.carpent.free.fr/BMW%20Z8.jpg
http://www.motorintro.com/actuales/_images/bmw_images/650ci/650ci_1.jpg
http://www.premierexoticauto.com/vehicles/luxury/750li_1.jpg
http://www.autobytel.com/images/2007/BMW/Z4_M_Roadster/400/2007_BMW_Z4_Roadster_exfrpass34.jpg
http://www.autoweek.nl/images/480/9822422.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v434/BAHILL99/The_Car_Lounge/satan_or_bangle.jpg

i was one of the bashbangles like Dinan but like he said his style ended up growing on me. as far as retro frod,chrysler and VW are the only ones to actually pull off the retro look GM tried but screwed up with its 2 attempts

SSR too slow, too expensive
HHR too late,overpriced and mundane design
Camaro SS, its gonna end up like the GTO

I was one of the many to jump onto the "I hate all new BMW styling" bandwagon. I thought that 2001-2002 was the height of all BMWs.

+1

Like his designs or not, you have to respect Chris Bangle. His cars are all completely origional. They grab your eye like few other cars do. More and more, other companies are actually starting to copy his designs. Mercedes-Benzes are pathetically boring, the only Porsche that looks different then the ones from 30 years is the Cayenne, Jags havn't changed much in years, and the biggest trend in styling is to go back to the 60's or 70's, but BMW is trying its hardest to set new trends with origional styling.

+2

Look at it this way, is there any modern car designer out there that that is as well known as Chris Bangle?

Pininfarina?


http://www.autoweek.nl/images/480/9822422.jpg


^that car was so much more beautiful in blue and in person.

Pininfarina?



^that car was so much more beautiful in blue and in person.

Well yes, there is Pininfarina, but can you name who's in charge of it or who does the artwork?

I agree on the M Coupe, the mystic blue does look better.

Well yes, there is Pininfarina, but can you name who's in charge of it or who does the artwork?

no lol :rolleyes: , but i know its owned by old man batista's son Sergio, i don't know if he's behind the designs though...

I meant E92 is a huge jump from E46 in terms of numbering :p

I thought that 2001-2002 was the height of all BMWs. The E46, E39, E38, Z3, M Roadster, and M Coupe were all wonderful cars and I was afraid to see them change.

Like his designs or not, you have to respect Chris Bangle. His cars are all completely origional. They grab your eye like few other cars do. More and more, other companies are actually starting to copy his designs. Mercedes-Benzes are pathetically boring, the only Porsche that looks different then the ones from 30 years is the Cayenne, Jags havn't changed much in years, and the biggest trend in styling is to go back to the 60's or 70's, but BMW is trying its hardest to set new trends with origional styling. Right now, BMW is the best selling premium brand in the world, breaking 1,000,000 cars/year in 2004.



*Shudder*

E46 was fat and bland. E21 :thumbsup: E39 was fat and bland. E34 :thumbsup: E38 was damned good. M Coupe and Z8 were good, other than that.........

I love the Z4 but the new M Coupe is boring. Looks just like any other fastback sports car. Old M Coupe was distinctive and practical with that roofline :1:

CLS and SLR aside, MB designs are very boring, but they should be more boring, like they used to be. People who want a MB (at least always used to) buy them for silent, graceful prestige matched by solidity and longevity, not cutting edge styling. Jag is stuck in the '60s, as is Porsche.

As far as BMW's popularity, that just makes me want one 10 times less :thumbsdow:

The E36 was the height of BMW sedan styling.


Yes I said it.


PS Mark if you don't put the E31 on your list I'm going to personally drive to Canada and beat you with a frozen fish, I don't care if I have to drive over oceans, it's worth the risk of sinking :p

The E36 was the height of BMW sedan styling.


Yes I said it.


Ahem...
http://www.beygla.is/editor/userimages/E39BMWM53.jpg

The E39 and E46 were much smoother cars then the E36. As much as I like the E36, it just looks old sitting next to a E46 or an E90.

The E39 and E46 were much smoother cars
Smooth = curvy = rolls = fat.

:p

E31 was one of the few outstanding modern BMWs, along with M Coupe (old), Z8, and E38.

Meh, BMW is going down the shitter anyways. The X3 is just the beginning of that long journey down the toilet. <-- there's the bait. :sly:

Smooth = curvy = rolls = fat.

:p

E31 was one of the few outstanding modern BMWs, along with M Coupe (old), Z8, and E38.

Those may be your favorites, but the 8-series, M Coupe, and Z8 are some of the least successful BMWs since the early 90's. The E46 and E39 are considered by many to be two of the best looking sedans under 50-60,000 ever, but to each his own.

Meh, BMW is going down the shitter anyways. The X3 is just the beginning of that long journey down the toilet. <-- there's the bait.

I'm going to have to disagree with you there. Sure, the X3 isn't the best of vehicles, but look at some of the models that have came out since then. The E60 M5 is the king of all sedans (yes, its better then a S65, 760Li, A8 W12, or a Quattroporte), the new M Roadster and M Coupe are great, and I would say the E90 is still the best looking car in its class. The X3 hardly marks the downfall of BMW, but was an occasional dip in what has generally been a very successful lineup of cars.

I feel that many of the people on here are starting to judge BMWs future on its styling, but the way BMWs look has never been what has made them great cars. BMWs have always been great because of the way they drive and the new ones are no different. The cars are steadily becoming higher tech, more powerful, and better to drive. Comment on the styling all you want, but BMW is still doing what it has always done best.

Seriously, if styling is all that matters, a BMW probably isn't for you.

to be fair, the Z8 was a limited production car.
as far as i am aware, the production run sold in pretty quick time and i don't see many coming up for sale.

Meh, BMW is going down the shitter anyways. The X3 is just the beginning of that long journey down the toilet. <-- there's the bait. :sly:


R Class, B Class, all the unreliable Mercs of the last 10 years.



There's the bait:icon16:



Dinan.... The E36 is beautiful, all the squared off lines of the E34, but subtle lines that give it a very modern look, like the way the boot lightly slopes inwards etc. It's BMW's best ever tail-light/headlight design as well.

It'd still look perfectly in place as a 2006 release, that's how timeless it is.

Those may be your favorites, but the 8-series, M Coupe, and Z8 are some of the least successful BMWs since the early 90's.

Exactly why I like them, lol

The E60 M5 is the king of all sedans (yes, its better then a S65, 760Li, A8 W12, or a Quattroporte)

Well that's awfully subjective. Have you driven each? M5 is quite likely the fastest of the bunch; however, that hardly makes it clearly the best. For example, I drive vigorously maybe twice a month...the rest of the time I cruise or commute and want comfort, style, etc. While I've not driven any of the new breed, I have driven an E39 540, a W140 S500, and a previous model S8 and A8...the BMW was quick and had a nice steering feel to it. However, it left me feeling cold and hardened - never really felt I was "in" the car; rather, it seemed like a car that merely tolerated my presence and would much rather I bugger off while it goes and drives itself around some back road alone. To top it all off, the steering lock was horrible, requiring considerable effort to get it parked in the same spot the larger cars had no problem with. I gladly walked away from it.

Of those cars you mentioned, the M5 would most definitely be my last choice.

Hrm, the M5 is also fairly likely to come under a fair bit of pressure with both the new RS6 and S6 (And the S8 I spose).


Yes I am a converted VAG fan-boy, sue me :p

They've discussed this on many bimmer forums and have come to the conclusion that a lot of design cues have been derived from Bangle, or whomever you want to credit with designing the cars.

Sorry Heep thought you meant E92 was vastly different in overall design. It is, but still holds the overall theme from the previous gen.

Cool BMWs.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/4968/mcoupe2sm.jpg
http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/6439/dscf0486s8so.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/BMW_750il.jpg/300px-BMW_750il.jpg
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/2112/85032small0zp.jpg
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5634/1995bmwm520ev.jpg
http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/38/bmw3cabrio7fq.jpg
http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/8056/bm32s8sx.jpg
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5324/nasubi02s9hu.jpg
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5170/m17gv.jpg
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/4434/cimg25289cx.jpg
http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/1029/pbt0205s5il.jpg

That is all. No arguments.

:p

What the hell? You left this out you jolly homer-sexual.


http://www.bmwinfo.com/pictures/00864.jpg


EDIT: and HOW DARE YOU leave this off :eek:

http://www.chinaclassiccar.org/BMW%202002%20Turbo.jpg

:p

You're damned right I left them off :p

E36: Borders on cool, but too many super-bland and super-riced around.

2002: When even a Ford Escort (in particular, MK2 RS models flying sideways at high speed) is cooler than it, it's not cool.

OHH, I love that 8 series, and the old 6. BEAUtiful machines.

Oooooh, you don't want to know the super-botched peeeimping y0 jobs that I've seen done on E30's, that's what sorta removed all the cars credibility for me.

2002 > you.

i'd take the new RS4 over an M3.

Oooooh, you don't want to know the super-botched peeeimping y0 jobs that I've seen done on E30's, that's what sorta removed all the cars credibility for me.

2002 > you.

Yeah, I hate E30s.....except the M3s and Cabs :)

2002 is far overrated.

how can you hate E30s? are you mad. my friend's mum has an E30 4-door with a 4 litre V8, and an M3 EVO III. they own.

and it's, true 2002>heep.

and the M635csi is soooo sweet. how dare you leave that off the list of cool bmws.

http://myspace-454.vo.llnwd.net/00500/45/43/500743454_l.jpg

or

http://www.bohp.net/pict2/m2e635.jpg

ladies and gentlemen, you decide.

LOL! :lol2:

I never said I was cool :p And besides, I have better wheels now :)

E30 with V8 is a different story. I was talking stock BMWs (for the most part). Also, I already put the E30 M3 on my list...

Old 6 series would be cool, but it's let down by all the BMW fans who say it's cool. Not cool.

2002 is still overrated :p

i dont care what the bmw fans say, the M635csi is cool, it's definately cool.

E30 with a V8 is pretty cool, plent fast enough. mildly tuned to about 350bhp i've been told. all N/A.

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/38/bmw3cabrio7fq.jpg
http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/8056/bm32s8sx.jpg

Which ones are these?? They look pretty tastey!!

top is E30 3-series convertible.

bottom is E30 M3 EVO sport.

Nice. I'm gonna go buy one. :)

E30 M3 was voted best drivers' car ever.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1988-BMW-E30-M3-w-tasteful-Evo-upgrades_W0QQitemZ4634730348QQcategoryZ6131QQrdZ1Q QcmdZViewItem

^^^

That one looks pretty sweet. But shit, I could buy a '99 Mercedes C43 for that price!! :eek:

link wont work for me.

heep, the M-coupé isn't cool. it's just plain ugly.

Ah the E30, if ever there was a BMW that I would turn into a pure auto-x car, it would be an E30 M3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_5on0AhAjo
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/eurobonzai/DSCF0184.jpg

The M Coupe might be a bit goofy looking, but it is such a cool car. The old Z3 interior was awesome and the coupe handled incredibly well.

http://www.ecojob.jp/2005_060600371.jpg

I'm sorry guys, I just don't think theres a BMW that I really don't like. I even like the Isetta for its wierdness.

E34 518i? E32 728i? E46 316i? :p



All this talk about the M Coupe and you STILL haven't mentioned the coolest bit.


The gear knob lights up at night :D



John, a C43 for $15k? I'm in the wrong country.....

E34 518i? E32 728i? E46 316i? :p


Yea, I was referring to the general bodies, not the specific versions. I've never been a fan of 4-cylinders in bimmers with the exception of the E30 M3.

Unknown to most, what would have been the greatest M car ever was never made.
http://www.e31.net/pics/M8.jpg

In 1990 BMW wanted the M division to close the gap with Ferrari and gave them a chance to build whatever they wanted. Boy did they run wild. They set the Ferrari Testarossa as a target and developed what could have been absolutely amazing.

One of the bigger problems with the 8-series was weight. The 1997 850Ci weighed in at 4228lbs, alot for what was supposed to be a sports car and more then even today's M5. To fix this, M rebuilt the whole body out of carbon-kevlar and made it wider. They then gave it the S70 6.0l V12 that pushed over 550hp. That engine should sound familiar to you guys because it was later given to the McLaren F1. Exact performance figures were kept secret, but this car would have been amazing. Production was canceled because of the decline in the sportscar market in the early 90's. Not even today's M5 and M6 have the power this thing would of had.

Fortunately, there have been numerous hints that BMW might be looking into this market again. People are saying everything from a new Z8 to compete with the SL55 to a F430 competitor to a SLR killer. Rumors are also saying that it'll have a 600+ hp V12 similar to the M5/M6 V10.

http://hvtm.hu/car/m/bmw/407176.jpg
http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/200510/11/70/b0008270_9414143.jpg
http://img.auto.mail.ru/pic/editor/Image/news2/BMW-Z8-1.jpg
http://www.motortrend.com/future/spied_vehicles/112_0301_m1_l.jpg
http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/image/2005/Q4/120720051412023030.jpg

One of the bigger problems with the 8-series was weight. The 1997 850Ci weighed in at 4228lbs, alot for what was supposed to be a sports car and more then even today's M5. To fix this, M rebuilt the whole body out of carbon-kevlar and made it wider. They then gave it the S70 6.0l V12 that pushed over 550hp. That engine should sound familiar to you guys because it was later given to the McLaren F1. Exact performance figures were kept secret, but this car would have been amazing. Production was canceled because of the decline in the sportscar market in the early 90's. Not even today's M5 and M6 have the power this thing would of had.

wasn't the McLaren F1 powered by an S72?

My word those are all hideous :eek7: (the speculative designs)

yea, they're all incrredibly ugly.

M8 is sweet though.

sorry, dinan. you're right it was the S70.