7 of Chris Bangle’s most iconic cars

Chris Bangle is a highly talented automotive designer who has a… well, talent for dividing opinions among car enthusiasts. In other words, you either love or detest whatever this American-born designer comes up with.

Bangle began his career with Opel in the early 1980s, but he first gained significant attention while serving as the chief designer for the Fiat Coupe in the early 90s.

Interestingly, he made the decision to leave Fiat to join BMW around a year before the Coupe was launched onto the market.

In Munich, many of Bangle’s designs received positive feedback from the market, although they also sparked controversy, leading some to launch a petition for his removal.

Regardless, any car designed by Bangle himself or cooked up under his leadership is sure to provoke a reaction.

Let’s take a look at seven of Bangle’s most iconic designs:

Fiat Coupe

While the Coupe was still in development, Fiat opted for Bangle and his team’s design over Pininfarina’s. The car features retro design elements such as round headlights, combined with contemporary features like the diagonal lines on its wheel arches.

BMW 5 Series (E60)

When Bangle first joined BMW, the automaker’s bread-and-butter models—3 Series, 5 Series, and 7 Series—sported conventional designs, all sharing a similar ‘face’ albeit in different sizes. Refusing to walk the same path as the ones before him, Bangle gave the fifth-generation 5 Series striking eagle eye-shaped headlights that remain iconic today.

BMW Z3

Although the Z3 was originally designed by Joji Nagashima, it has come to be seen as the first BMW roadster birthed under Bangle’s leadership. Its design is much tamer compared to its predecessor, the Z1, yet the Z3 still captivates with its long bonnet, short rear deck, and distinctive ‘shark gill’ air intakes.

BMW Z4

While the basic form of the roadster was retained, the Z4 exudes greater elegance than the Z3, thanks to a design technique known as flame surfacing, which blends sharp lines with smoother concave and convex surfaces. With the right lighting, you can discern the letter ‘Z’ formed by the diagonal crease between the front wheels and the doors.

BMW 7 Series (E65)

Similar to the 5 Series, Bangle steered the fourth generation of the 7 Series into new territory with a design inspired by the Z9 Gran Turismo concept car unveiled at the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show. Its rounded rear design elicited varied responses, leading to the coining of the term “Bangle Butt.”

MINI Hatch (R50)

Creating a new design is not particularly challenging for a designer of Bangle’s calibre; however, refreshing an iconic design without compromising its essence presents a different challenge. This was the daunting task faced by Bangle and his team with the Mini Hatch but they rose to the challenge.

Rolls-Royce Phantom

During his time at BMW, Bangle was also responsible for overseeing design operations of another brand under the BMW umbrella, Rolls-Royce. Under his supervision, Serbian designer Marek Djordjevic succeeded in crafting a modern Phantom without sacrificing the iconic timeless appearance that the affluent adore so much.