Bangle quits BMW- Woot!!!

[PrimoM3]

Hooray... article.

Question- how much of the 1 was designed by him? I heard that Van Hooydonk (sp?) played a majority role. Anyone have the details?

Best,

[Citizen Z]

I really thing the current BMW design language is quite reasonable. The E46 was a fantastically difficult act to follow if the BMW design guys wanted to avoid going the Porsche route and leave their cars looking nearly identical for 30+ years.

[boostin]

i enjoy the Bangle era of design. i feel like the Bangle designs make the E46/E39 cars look dated. E46 M3 vs. E92 M3? IMO, the E92 is nicer. E39 M5 or E60 M5? IMO, the E60 is nicer. not to mention, i think the 6-Series is the nicest-looking BMW available right now.

[ChrisM135i]

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227564

At off-topic there is also a thread discussing this.. there is also a link to autoweek.com posted... van Hooydonk seems to be the new the chief-designer.

[emm3tt]

If you paid attention at all to car design the past 10 years, you saw that Bangle was hugely influential throughout the whole industry. The whole "Bangled" thing was funny back in 2001, but not so much true anymore.

[dbtheo]

Originally Posted by emm3tt

If you paid attention at all to car design the past 10 years, you saw that Bangle was hugely influential throughout the whole industry. The whole "Bangled" thing was funny back in 2001, but not so much true anymore.

agreed. Bangle & his were also responsible for the e46 cars as well. Overall his designs took a lot of heat, but he allowed time to prove him right & they extremely successful. If you look at what they did: "Over the years numerous designs for new vehicles and vehicle concepts have been developed under Christopher Bangle's leadership. As well as continuing the BMW 3, 5 and 7 Series, he and his teams were responsible for a range of other models, including the BMW Z3, BMW Z4, BMW X5, BMW Z8, BMW X3, the new BMW 6 Series, the BMW X6 and the BMW 1 Series. Other developments under the auspices of Christopher Bangle include the new MINI and Rolls-Royce models and a number of innovative motorcycle concepts." Basically every one of these designs have been a huge sales success, which the automotive world has copied extensively. In my opinion he has helped make BMW stronger (which I'm obviously grateful for) & pushed the company even further as an automotive leader.

[BlackjackMulligan]

Originally Posted by emm3tt

If you paid attention at all to car design the past 10 years, you saw that Bangle was hugely influential throughout the whole industry. The whole "Bangled" thing was funny back in 2001, but not so much true anymore.

If his designs were so successful then why were many of them changed early in the lifespan of the model? The 7er was "toned down", the 5er was changed to look less slabsided. You don't see that ugly swoosh/angle thing from the old Z4 on the new one do you? I personally don't find the 6er to be a handsome car, but that's just MHO.

Honestly, I wish the 1er didn't have the "sows belly" effect going on. But that wasn't enough to keep me from buying it.

And to the quote about Porsches not changing over 30 years? Point out an angle, line, or crease on the 911, Boxster, or Cayman that isn't gorgeous.

[imported_mega]

I love porsche, they stuck with what works, and keep on making it lighter and faster

I wish bmw did that

I dont like any bmw design after the E34, but yes I have bought them, honestly the looks are not why I bought a 135i, it's what's under the skin

[ssabripo]

Originally Posted by emm3tt

If you paid attention at all to car design the past 10 years, you saw that Bangle was hugely influential throughout the whole industry. The whole "Bangled" thing was funny back in 2001, but not so much true anymore.

uhm...no!

with the exception of the e46 (and current e92), the rest of the new bangle models (e60, e90, e82, 6-series, Z4, etc, etc) have been big transients to say the least, and ergo big facelifts a year or two right after such models came out!

The e36 never had a major facelift....it just looked great.
The e46 tried a facelift and kinda failed. Thank God the M3 e46 didn't get touched.


That he influenced the industry is certain. But that's not necessarily a "positive" thing.

[imported_mega]

bangle did not do the e92

Originally Posted by Sammyzuko

BMW's designs will continue to move forward with Hooydonk in charge. I like a lot of what Bangle did with the exception of the Bangle butt.

Lead designer for each:

E31 8 Series: Klaus Kapitza (Munich)

E36: Joji Nagashima (Munich)

E38: Boyke Boyer (Munich)

E36/7 (Z3 Roadster): Joji Nashima (Munich)

E39: Joji Nagashima (Munich)

E36/7 (Z3 Coupe): Chris Bangle (DesignworksUSA) - First Project

E46: Chris Bangle/Erik Goplen (DesignworksUSA)

E52 (Z8): Henrik Fisker (DesignworksUSA)

E53 X5: Chris Chapman/Chris Bangle (DesignworksUSA)

E60/61: David Arcangeli (DesignworksUSA)

E63/64: Adrian Van Hooydonk (DesignworksUSA)

E65/66: Adrian Van Hooydonk (DesignworksUSA)

E70 (X5): Pierre Leclercq (DesignworksUSA)

E71 (X6): Pierre Leclercq (DesignworksUSA)

E82/87/88 (1 Series): Kevin Rice (DesignworksUSA)

E83 (X3): Geoff Velasco (DesignworksUSA)

E85/86 (Z4): Anders Warming (DesignworksUSA)

E90/91/92/93: Joji Nagashima (Munich)

F01/02 (7 Series): Karim Antoine Habib (Munich)

[emm3tt]

Originally Posted by BlackjackMulligan

If his designs were so successful then why were many of them changed early in the lifespan of the model? The 7er was "toned down", the 5er was changed to look less slabsided. You don't see that ugly swoosh/angle thing from the old Z4 on the new one do you? I personally don't find the 6er to be a handsome car, but that's just MHO.

Honestly, I wish the 1er didn't have the "sows belly" effect going on. But that wasn't enough to keep me from buying it.

And to the quote about Porsches not changing over 30 years? Point out an angle, line, or crease on the 911, Boxster, or Cayman that isn't gorgeous.

Porsches are good-looking cars, but the Cayman can look downright awkward from the rear!

[Guildenstern]

I just dont get the Bangle hate. His design language was innovative, and a bit strange. But also keep in mind he didn't sit down with pen and paper and do all this himself. van Hooydonk and his team did most of the hands on. I think the flame surfacing was a masterfull use of modern sheetmetal and plastic forming technology.

I do however think the Bangle Butt on the 7 and 6 look a bit off. But the rest of the 6 looks stunning and the 7 is an outstanding piece otherwise. His stuff was just really language intensive. Which can end up taking some time to warm up to.

[joeo]

I love porsche, they stuck with what works, and keep on making it lighter and faster

Porsche's do kick ass and certainly do get faster - but lighter? They use lighter materials, but the curb weight has been on the rise.
1991 Porsche 911 Turbo: 3274lbs
2008 911 Turbo: 3494lbs

Go older and the 911's were under 3000lbs.
For what it's worth a 1990 Ford Taurus with four doors weighs 2956lbs.
A 1991 BMW M3 weighs only 2867lbs - that's 407lbs lighter than the 1991 911 Turbo. That's huge!

-Joe
http://www.lovehorsepower.com

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by joeo

Porsche's do kick ass and certainly do get faster - but lighter? They use lighter materials, but the curb weight has been on the rise.
1991 Porsche 911 Turbo: 3274lbs
2008 911 Turbo: 3494lbs

200 pounds in almost 20 years, that's sure beating bmw

I thought the 2009 911 lost weight vs previous years, maybe not the turbo though

[joeo]

Agreed.
2008 M3 - I'm not making this up:3704lbs.

-Joe

[amsfoto]

Seems like the cool thing to do these days, lets all hate on Chris Bangle.

Dude is brilliant, he did something nobody else had the balls to do, and he will always be remembered for his knowledge and willingness to try something different. Whether or not his designs look good are a different story, and are all based on personal preference. He changed BMW for the better, and not only influenced BMW's designs but most of the cars on the road today.

[nonagon]

I'm a designer, and a fan of Bangle's. On the subject of car design, everyone's got an opinion. He gets a bad rap; seems like some of people who criticize his work have a hard time accepting change. His work is progressive and sometimes challenging. And they always look better in person than in 2D.

He was brought in to move the design of BMW into the future. Did anyone see his concept car that had a kind of fabric for the body to allow the car to change shape? Very forward thinking.

And, looking at the list of designers and the models they designed, above, Bangle had little to do with the most controversial designs - for example, our 1 series, X6 and the 7 series (all of which I like). Rather, he played a role in styling the brand, writing the overall design language of BMW that would be used by other designers. And he obviously influenced a lot of other manufacturers too.

[m7ammed]

Originally Posted by ssabripo

uhm...no!

with the exception of the e46 (and current e92), the rest of the new bangle models (e60, e90, e82, 6-series, Z4, etc, etc) have been big transients to say the least, and ergo big facelifts a year or two right after such models came out!

I would have to disagree with that, E60 was out in 2003/2004 and got a facelift for the 2008 model which was a really small facelift just a tweaked front bumper and LED rear lights. E65 was out around 2002 and got a facelift in 2006. Z4 was out in 2002 had a facelift around 2005 and that wasn't a major one as your pointing out just different rear lights and some small tweaks. E63 was out in 2003 small tweaks in 2006. You can notice that all these models got a mid-model cycle facelift, cause each model stays for around 7 years before it gets replaced doing a facelift 3-4 years after release is normal

[BlackjackMulligan]

Originally Posted by amsfoto

Whether or not his designs look good are a different story

Originally Posted by nonagon

His work is progressive and sometimes challenging.

I could throw $hit on a canvas and say it's "different". If it's not good, why would we celebrate the designer? I think that everyone can agree that the majority of BMW enthusiasts would have at least some issues with the Bangle designs, and that's telling in itself.

[adc]

Originally Posted by BlackjackMulligan

I could throw $hit on a canvas and say it's "different". If it's not good, why would we celebrate the designer?

+1.

Good design is instantly and inherently liked - because it establishes a direct connection to the person seeing it. Good design almost never has extraneous pieces and absolutely never needs to be explained.

Think about it - when you saw an Aston Martin, did you need any explanations? Did someone have to explain about round surfacing when you ogled your first 911 ever? Did you need an explanation on edge treatment when you saw a Gallardo? Did you need a user manual when you touched your first iPod?

You can't help reaching with your hands for a good design. You can't help wanting to fondle it, operate it, drive it into the night, or marry it (well yes, works with women too).



I hope Bangle burns in a surface flame in design hell.

[BlackjackMulligan]

Originally Posted by adc

+1.

Good design is instantly and inherently liked - because it establishes a direct connection to the person seeing it. Good design almost never has extraneous pieces and absolutely never needs to be explained.

Think about it - when you saw an Aston Martin, did you need any explanations? Did someone have to explain about round surfacing when you ogled your first 911 ever? Did you need an explanation on edge treatment when you saw a Gallardo? Did you need a user manual when you touched your first iPod?

You can't help reaching with your hands for a good design. You can't help wanting to fondle it, operate it, drive it into the night, or marry it (well yes, works with women too).



I hope Bangle burns in a surface flame in design hell.

Great points. If you have to TRY to like a design, then what's the point?

[sunking420]

Personally, I wasn't wild about Bangle's influence initially. Basically, they grew on me over time to where I actually started to love what he was doing. He had to be pretty bright to be with BMW, and I don't know if genius fits, but generally with anything truly ahead of its time, it will be slagged at first and appreciated later.

As for the design of the one, am I the only one who loves the design, at least of the 135? People on here rag on the "pig belly" curves on the side view, but I tried to imagine it straight and it wouldn't seem right without the curves. My two cents anyway......