BMW back to its elegant lines ,come 2009....hope so....

[maxbhp]

BMW is in the process of regaining the Elegant look of the car after the car getting bangled left and right . Its high time they did that since its looking really awkward next to Audi A8 which I feel perhaps one of the most elegant cars in this generation not to mention the new S-class with its Maybach-ish butt .


http://www.worldcarfans.com/spyphoto...w-bmw-7-series

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=108559

http://www.autobytel.com/content/sha...le_id_int/1404

[condor]

Un-bangle-izing the B[angle-ized]. M.W cars? Hope they really do this.

[Bullfrog]

Originally Posted by condor

B[angle-ized]

For the un-initiated, can someone please tell what is 'Bangleised'

Regards
Bullfrog

[whatcanthisbe]

bangle is the head of design at BMW with his arrival the bmw lines changed drastically

[ranjan united]

I am a BMW fan... and I'm proud of it. And getting rid of the BANGLED designs will do everyone a world of good. If BMW wants to remain serious and competetive in the near future, they have to get ther act together and come up with some really good looking cars. (and possibly a little less fidgety I-drive)

[v1p3r]

Boot is very Bangled. So are the lines on the hood and the waist.

[1Day]

Bangle made some of the best designs...the 7 series todays holds up its own in front of the new S class extremely well...I think 7 is absolutely the best design which includes current S and the LS460L in this segment

[khanak]

I feel that the unbangled 7 looks too feminine as compared to the current
7 series. I really like Bangle's designs. all those cuts nd angles make the current BMWs look so good

[amitverma]

Let me go on record and say that I do not hate the "Bangled" era....
take the 5 series for example. with its ///M kit, it looks stunning. i just can rate the E or the A6 at par with it. the 7 was a controversial subject.
i loved the 3 series too. it retained it sportier stance and definately looked as better as the current C does. but the A4 wins here.
i dont know if Chris Bangle did the Z4, but the hard-top M4 is a piece of art. the new X5 although much the same, still looks gorgeous.
i dont know why as much as i want to hate the Beemers........
.....I JUST CANT....!

[hanmust]

Its shows how superior are Merc designs..Mr. Bangle started to adopt the Merc's rounded designs to make his cars look more elegant..

[maxbhp]

Each design I feel has to evolve , it shouldnt be so revolutionary as to scare people away . Insome cases revolutionising has brought about stunning design like the current Civic where as some have gone the other way round 7 series , Subaru Impreza are good examples for that...... I am a big fan of BMW and I like the current 7 series but am really missing the E38 , What a classy design ! truly a gentleman's car.

[V-16]

Originally Posted by Bullfrog

For the un-initiated, can someone please tell what is 'Bangleised'

Regards
Bullfrog

Well buddy Bangle as in Christopher Edward Bangle or Chris Bangle, the american automobile designer and design guru who designed the new 1,3,5,6,7 series and the classic Z4 bimmers.
CHRIS BANGLE


One of his more-controversial design elements is the two-level "Bangle-butt". Although criticized by many, this element has been copied by various Japanese and Korean companies and now even the merc.
BANGLE BUTT


Despite the general new appearances, however, Bangle has respected several long-standing BMW traditions like the trademark twin-kidney grille, Hofmeister kink and quadruple headlights. Proponents of Bangle's designs say that the new design direction represents a move into the future for normally stolidly conservative BMWs.
The Hofmeister kink (sometimes also translated Hofmeister kick, German: Hofmeisterknick) is an automobile design feature seen on modern BMWs. It is a bend in the C-pillar of the car, which is the piece of metal that separates the rear side windows from the rear glass. The kink first appeared on the 1961 BMW 1500 and was named after then-BMW director of design, Wilhelm Hofmeister.

Note that this design appeared on cars long before 1961. For example, the 1951 Kaiser shows a considerable "Hofmeister kink" in its design.

HOFMIESTER KINK


Bangle is not shy about defending his designs when they are criticized. He has the backing of the BMW board of directors, which wanted to move BMW's image into the future. He argues that it is necessary for product lines to follow a cycle of a revolutionary generation followed by an evolutionary generation followed by another revolutionary generation and so on. Indeed, he oversaw the conservative evolution of BMW designs with the redesign of the BMW 3-Series BMW E46 and the introduction of the BMW X5. For Bangle this marked the end of the evolution of BMW design and the revolution was witnessed with the 2002 introduction of the BMW E65. Bangle acknowledges that his designs do not look good in photographs, suggesting to critics that they should see the cars in real life before judging them on their looks.
In fact most cars are using the I-Drive which was a bangle design on the & series.
I am quite a fan and love the looks of all the bangle desins , even the Fiat Coupe which he designed.
FIAT COUPE

[Steeroid]

Pre-Bangle, one could imagine a tough-talking mafia chief arriving in a black 7-series. The car had a certain menace to it that was implied rather than stated.

Post-Bangle, one can imagine Jim Carrey stepping out of a 7-series.

Thats how bad it is.

[V-16]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Pre-Bangle, one could imagine a tough-talking mafia chief arriving in a black 7-series. The car had a certain menace to it that implied rather than stated.

Post-Bangle, one can imagine Jim Carrey arriving in the 7-series.

Thats how bad it is.

Well...err....its debatable...its one of those things that u either love it or hate it. Ive got both the bangled 7 as well as the one just before it got the bangle treatment and altough i love both (dearly) i prefer the feel and look of the bangled one. The older gen is more sleek and this ones like a monster as it approaches ...

[///////M7]

The E38 definitely looks good. It would have been nice to evolve this
design, rather than completely change it.

Here is my E38 (740iL)