Innovative Design.....

[johneek]

"It is called the “GINA Light Visionary”, this Bimmer Concept has a body made out of cloth. The metal body of the car has been replace with a special, flexible, highly durable and extremely expansion-resistant fabric material that stretches across a metal structure. With the development of the BMW GINA Light Visionary Model the BMW Group presents trendsetting solutions. Chris Bangle gives us a first impression of the ideas behind the process of sculpturing an experimental study. This is the story behind this innovation!"

[deaconblues]

This one's been around for a while...I'm so sick of Chris Bangle's designs, personally. He took the really nice, conservatively styled BMW brand and made them look like junk.

[kiramdear]

I was all right with it until the darn thing winked at me.

Kinda like riches to rags, eh?

[johneek]

I was all right with it until the darn thing winked at me....

That was kind of creepy....

[collin]

It looks like my own silver Z4 roadster.....but just gross weeeird . Me no likey.

This one's been around for a while...I'm so sick of Chris Bangle's designs, personally. He took the really nice, conservatively styled BMW brand and made them look like junk.

I'll agree with some of that. I don't like what he did to the standard 3 & 5 series, though they have grown on me a weee bit over time.

I am a big fan (obviously, as I have one. ) of Anders Warming's Z4. Mostly because the Z3- which was, IMO, a hodge-podge of awkward design cues and thrown together out of leftovers, needed to be rethought and done correctly. The Bangle designs take away from the older series cars that didn't need that much change----they still looked "up-to-date."

[jingle_jangle]

This one's been around for a while...I'm so sick of Chris Bangle's designs, personally. He took the really nice, conservatively styled BMW brand and made them look like junk.

Bangle sold BMW on the desirability of doing something with their styling to push them away from the Mercedes/Lexus axis of the styling continuum, and BMW's marketing folks expressed the opinion that they would neither lose old customers, nor fail to attract new, younger buyers.

Unfortunately, Bangle won and the marketing folks were right. Now those Bangle-bustled monstrosities are everywhere. I'm no fan of either Z car, and to read marketing's Bangle-BSed line about "flame surfacing" is a hoot. Bangle did design the '90s FIAT coupé, which was an attractive car, probably because FIAT kept him in check rather than writing him a blank check as BMW did.

The Beemers (2002) of the early '70s are the pinnacle of Teutonic excellence. After that, with the exception of the early 600 series, it was downhill to dreck.

Chris Bangle resigned his position with the BMW Group last February.

Fabric--bodied concepts with moveable surfaces were non-existent when I designed a Peugeot competition concept with exactly the same features. It sank without a trace. Two years later, the GINA arrived on the scene to much press hoopla.

[jps]

Fabric--bodied concepts with moveable surfaces were non-existent when I designed a Peugeot competition concept with exactly the same features. It sank without a trace. Two years later, the GINA arrived on the scene to much press hoopla.

Maybe they didn't like your hair.

[johnallg]

I wouldn't want to be sitting in that in a crash, especially with a SUV, pickup, or heaven forbid a semi....

[romo1950]

I agree with the general consensus on Chris Bangle designs. I have a friend that worked at BMW,s Designworks and we used to hang out with Henrik Fisker , who,s designs were in my opinion awesome.
This is one of my favourite BMW,S

[kiramdear]

With so many innovative designs coming down the line every year, it's difficult for me to keep my analysis properly grounded. They're all seductive and stimulating to discover, but after the initial thrill I have to ask myself these kinds of questions: Is this design for designers in their ivory towers, or is this design for people? What does this mean to me and my neighbors?

Is this just about selling cars? If so, then this design takes its place on the decadent end of a long-rolling wave of design tradition. Not very innovative, in the big picture. Very interesting - next? Or, I would ask, is there something here that's going to affect the way I live in a good way?

As I said, that wink was the tip-off. It was the car salesman's greasy wink.

[marc61]

My dad bought a 2002 new in 1975. That was the first year with the black bumpers. He paid $6200 for the car. No radio, no air conditioning but I loved that car. I have a 2007 5 series. Great car, but I like the previous body style better. I think mine was around $48K and the salesman told me, that if I had my father's car in mint condition he probably would have traded me even up for it. While that may be a wee bit optimistic, I probably shouldn't have taken it as a teenager to pick up chicks, and then bottom it out showing off....destroying the oil pan, crushing the gas tank, and cracking the axle.

[jingle_jangle]

That salesman was blowin' smoke. The '75 in mint, low-mileage condition was a $12-15K car.

A '73 or '74 2002 tii was probably the single finest contemporary BMW for its time. I know that's a lotta qualifiers.

I remember seeing my first 1600 in Chicago in '66, and being very impressed with its compactness, level of creature comfort, and engineering excellence. That particular concept found its pinnacle in the 2002 in '74, and was accompanied by a gradual rise in MSRP from under $2K in '66 to about $5300 by the mid-1970s. I remember going to the dealer when the '74s came out and drooling over their jewel-like look and feel. They were way outside my budget then...I was making do with a used FIAT.

I still, though rarely, see nice tiis here in SF, and they hold up well in terms of style and function.

The 840 and 850 were lovely cars. Friends who owned them, however, complained about frequency of service and fuel consumption. One friend offered to turn his leased 50K mile 850 over to me, and give me $5K to boot, back in 1993. I would, of course, have had to complete the payments and buy the lease out at term's end. He was tired of the high running costs. I turned him down, though with regrets.

[jingle_jangle]

I know what you're thinking, Scotty, but I did say, "nice tiis". It was not a typo.

[shamustwin]

For my gas money, you can't beat an '88 or' 89 635, red with white leather. Yum. Love the back seat buckets.

[romo1950]

I have owned my black 840 for 5 years and it has been a fantastic car , 2 previous owners both company presidents so it was well serviced and maintained. I changed the radiator, expansion tank and hoses a couple of years ago as a precaution at the advise of Sterling BMW. The fuel pump 3 years ago and apart from oil changes and my teenage son and his mates doing a re-run of Risky Business while the missus and I were on vacation ( damage to front fender).
The car has and still is Awesome. We also have a 2001 325 touring and a 2000 528 sport edition , great cars but there is nothing in BMW,s current line up that would make me rush in and trade my 8 series.