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Originally Posted by IS3andME
Thanks for the info. Now was it Hooydonk or Bangle that was responsible for the Z9? And I always wondered what was the reasoning for signing off on the Bangle Butt 7 and 6.
Also, those patents for some reason made me remember the Z8, when they showed it in coupe form back in the day.
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Good question.
Sources have conflicting info that often credit either Bangle or van Hooydonk depending on context.
The design that became the 1999 Z9 Gran Turismo Concept was first sketched by van Hooydonk; Bangle was both Head of Design Development and the Head of Designworks during this time.
As I mentioned in my previous post, it's entirely possible that both van Hooydonk and Bangle influenced each other in a very complementary duo.
The E65/E66 7er and the E63/E64 6er were perhaps the most representative of this "meeting of the minds"; both of which have van Hooydonk's name on the patent, but occurred during Bangle's tenure as Head of Designworks and/or Head of Design.
Many of the signature elements during the so-called "Bangle era" of BMWs (such as the "Bangle Butt" raised bootlid, taillight shape of the E63/E65, bodyline crease along the side/silhouette, the way shapes were formed and 3-dimensional/"flame surfacing", and the early iDrive system) were present and first manifested through the Z9 GT Concept study.
Similar to how the Vision Future Luxury Concept will be the inspiration of the G11/G12 LCI, the Z9 GT Concept in 1999 was an indicator of what to expect of BMWs from the early-mid 2000s.
And yes, the Z07 Concept that would serve as the basis of the BMW Z8's design was quite a breathtaking thing, especially considering that the year was 1997.
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Originally Posted by 530iDriver
Excellent post. It deserves its very own sticky note!
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Thanks, what is commonly known as the "Bangle era" of BMWs is often shrouded in controversy, myth, legend, misunderstanding, and even mystery.
It was definitely a very unique time in BMW design and everyone has their own specific definition of what is a "Bangle" BMW and what isn't (E46 is a common point of contention).
Nonetheless, perhaps one day I'll write a dedicated thread about the so-called "Bangle era", as it is definitely a time period in BMW history that will be worth studying and analyzing in the future.