BMW and the 'Bangle-butt'
Chris Bangle is one of the most talked about and controversial car designers in the business, and his styling vision has shaken up BMW after 40 years of conservatism. Though his new ‘Bangleised' models are outselling their predecessors and influencing designs across the market, they have provoked widespread dissent from BMW enthusiasts and industry insiders alike. At a time when most car design seems be the product of wind tunnels and focus groups, Bangle's has a distinctly human element that makes it both refreshing and open to a great deal of criticism.
Kidney Grille and Hofmeister Kink
For years before the arrival of Chris Bangle, BMW had taken its styling queues from two design trademarks: the distinctive Kidney Grille and so-called 'Hofmeister Kink' in the C-pillar. These features aptly sum up BMW's old styling philosophy, where the emphasis was firmly on tradition and consistency as opposed to any radical new ideas.
The two-part Kidney Grille is a symbol of BMW heritage dating right back to 1933, when it featured on the first ever car to be designed and built by the firm in-house. Since then, kidney grilles have graced every single BMW to be produced, albeit in a slightly squarer form of late (the original grilles were at least twice as tall as they were wide; a reflection of the high bonnet shape that was common in the 30s). Though often copied, the design is quintessentially BMW, and beloved by generations of enthusiasts.
The Hofmeister Kink has its origins in BMW's famous 'New Class' of automobiles which premiered in 1961. Named for then director of design Wilhelm Hofmeister, it refers to a small bend at the bottom of the C-pillar, the piece of metal separating a car's rear window from the two adjacent side windows. Though it serves no particular function, the kink is said to subtly highlight the rear-wheel drivetrain, which (like the kink itself) has featured on every BMW since then.
It's generally acknowledged that the New Class models of the 60s established a winning formula that BMW has been recycling ever since. These were the first 'ultimate driving machines', a collection of coupes and saloon cars with powerful engines and faultless sporting performance. In these cars we can see much of the 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series models that would replace them in the 70s and endure in a remarkably similar form right up until 2002 - the year Chris Bangle intervenes.
Flame Surfacing and the Bangle-butt
The first Bangle-styled production model to go on sale was the 7 Series, BMW's flagship and its ultimate in luxury. Unveiled to a stunned international audience in 2002 it provoked some of the harshest criticism to be levelled at any of Bangle's designs, due in large part to the shock factor of its unashamedly modern lines and angles.
Bangle replaced the elegance and austerity of the old 7 Series' designs with what he termed ‘Flame Surfacing', a technique which tries to capture the essence of a burning flame in the curves and angles of a car body. How successfully this is achieved remains up to the individual, but what it means in more concrete terms is a profusion of crinkled metalwork and concave shapes that many said broke up the flow of the vehicle, making it almost uncomfortable to look at. The 7 Series' new rear end was the subject of particular ridicule in the motoring press. Where the majority of designers favour a smooth transition from boot lid into bumper, creating a single straight- or curved surface at the rear, Bangle chose a stepped design that gives the car a bulbous and much more complicated profile. Termed the ‘Bangle-butt' by its many detractors, the feature has been toned down on newer Bangleised models; but it shows no sign of going away completely. Undeterred by the public outcry over the 7 Series, BMW encouraged its new director of design to apply Flame Surfacing to every model in the range. Soon the 3 Series and 5 Series were getting Bangle makeovers, and new cars like the Z4 and 1 Series debuted in the new style. Continued friction from the press and enthusiasts meant that secondhand sales of the models they still loved swelled; but all the publicity generated by the Bangle hate campaign meant new BMW sales picked up too.
"Stop Chris Bangle"
To date, over 14,000 people have signed an online petition which implores: "Fire Chris Bangle, and DO NOT allow him to design [ruin] any more of your wonderful BMWs." However elsewhere in the motoring world, opinion towards his designs is mellowing - even warming in some instances.
Motoring journalists who were once hyper-critical of Flame Surfacing now describe its jagged edges as either ‘contemporary' or 'unique'. Even Jeremy Clarkson, who savaged the Z4 when it came out, has since described Bangle's work on it as "a striking crisp and modern effort". And newfound appreciation for the new face at BMW isn't just limited to the press, either - elements of Bangle's styling have actually started cropping up on designs drawn by other car firms. Even the much ridiculed Bangle-butt has been spotted outside the BMW stable, resplendent on two recent Toyota models.
Chris Bangle is still the subject of great controversy in the motoring world, but now more and more people are coming to realise his greatest achievement - making BMW truly innovative for the first time since 1961. Discounted BMW car insurance
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