BMW's Controversial 'Bangle Butt' Designs Look Better With Age

In the 1980s and '90s. BMW was known for conservative, elegantly understated designs that evolved subtly from one generation to the next. That changed in the early 2000s when Chris Bangle led the brand's design department and unveiled the fourth-generation E65 7 Series, which drew widespread criticism for its so-called "Bangle butt", an upright trunk flanked by swooping fenders and tail lights that many found disjointed.

" Bangle's other redesigns, including the E60 5 Series and the Z4, were similarly polarizing at the time. BMW moved from low, flat, and wide proportions to dramatic lights, sharp creases, and taller greenhouses, accompanied by new technology like iDrive, active suspension, and active steering that distanced drivers from the machine.

Bangle, an Ohio-born American who studied at the Art Center College of Design in California, joined BMW AG in 1992 after designing the Fiat Coupé. He served as head of design until 2009, overseeing the reintroduction of Mini, the seventh-gen Rolls-Royce Phantom, and the launch of the E46 3 Series, E53 X5, and Z8.

His most controversial work used a style called "flame surfacing," inspired by human and fabric forms, and he even created the GINA concept car with a fabric body.

Recent BMW designs, such as the bucktooth nose on the 4 Series and M3, the bold G70 7 Series, and the pig-snouted XM, have made Bangle-era cars look comparatively elegant in hindsight. " The article's author notes he loved Bangle's bold direction as a kid, a view that has not changed over the decades.