Words and photos: Craig Cheetham/press images
From visionary city cars to the reinvention of luxury models, Chris Bangle’s cars were nothing if not controversial…
When it comes to the court of public opinion, for many the jury is still out on American car designer Chris Bangle.
Born in 1956, Bangle was raised in Wisconsin and chose car design over a career as a methodist minister.
His first role was a junior designer at Opel, when he moved to Europe in 1981. He then joined the design team at Fiat in 1985, before being recruited as BMW’s American design chief in late 1992, where he remained until he left the car industry altogether in 2009 to focus on other areas of product design, most recently in consumer electronics.
While he was never the head of design for any manufacturer, there were a few cars that reached showrooms or motor show turntables looking pretty much exactly as he envisioned them, with these five being the best-known of his standalone designs.
His Fiat and Alfa Romeo projects were instant hits, but was his flame-sided BMW surfacing project a difficult third album? Even now, his designs divide opinion.
Opel Junior
Although it never saw production, in some ways the Opel Junior was Bangle’s most cohesive design.
It was unveiled at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show as a small city car, designed to provide transport for four people in as small a footprint as possible – a concept similar to that of the original Austin-Morris Mini.
It meant the car had to be tall, but to maintain efficiency from its frugal 1.2-litre engine, Bangle made sure it was as aerodynamic as possible, with flush glazing and lamp units.
While it looked quite different, a lot of the aerodynamic surfacing found its way onto the 1993 Corsa B. which ushered in a new world of roundness to the small car market. The Junior had a drag coefficient of 0.31cd, which was astonishing for such a small and tall machine.
In addition, there was a focus on cost – the cabin and dash were created in a way that would be much easier to build with either left or right-hand drive, with many of the core controls located centrally.
Alfa Romeo 145
Alfa Romeo has never been a brand known for doing things conventionally, so it was no surprise to find that the 145 looked completely different to anything else in its class when it made its debut in 1995, two-and-a-bit years after Chris Bangle had left Fiat Group, but still very much his creation.
The bold ‘bread van’ profile was enhanced with a wraparound glass area at the rear, giving it a side view unlike any other, and far bolder than its mid-size rivals from other manufacturers.
Some found it challenging, others loved it, but in time the 145’s styling has certainly mellowed – it’s a distinctive and handsome machine, with a beaked nose that set the design language for an entire generation of Alfas to follow. A 2.0 Cloverleaf in Zoe Yellow? Ooh, yes please….
Fiat Coupé
Officially known as the Coupé Fiat, but more commonly known by the reverse, the striking two-door was revealed at the 1993 Bologna Motor Show, shortly after Chris Bangle’s departure to BMW.
It was an incredible car, with Bangle’s bold exterior enhanced by a Pininfarina-penned interior that was equally breathtaking.
Its distinctive side strakes were perhaps a hint at what was to come from the American designer, who wasn’t afraid to challenge convention with a car’s side appearance. Sold alongside the Alfa Romeo GTV, with which it shared quite a few common components, it was a daring and edgy design that has stood the test of time well.
Those rounded, bulbous headlights? Apparently, they’re supposed to reflect a part of the female anatomy…
BMW 7 Series E65
Perhaps Chris Bangle’s most controversial design, the BMW ‘E65’ 7 Series certainly defied convention.
It perhaps didn’t help that the E38 7 Series that it replaced was inarguably one of the most handsome large cars ever made, nor that the executive saloon market was traditionally one of the most conservative areas of the car industry. So, when it appeared, the 7 Series was met with a level of consternation that it never really shook off, even when a more rounded facelift came along in late 2006.
Its unusual grille and odd-shaped headlights, incorporating the indicators above the lamp lenses, didn’t really help, nor did its rotund rump, but it was the ‘flame-sided’ profile that attracted the most criticism. It was said to lack harmony and received a controversial reception in the media.
In time, it has mellowed. Today, you can look at an E65 among a sea of more modern designs and it somehow feels a lot more congruous than it did in 2001 – but it certainly divided opinion when new, and the flame-sided effect was toned-down for future BMW saloons.
BMW Z4
Undeterred by the rather stark reception received by the 7 Series, Bangle applied the flame surfacing theory with equal power when he designed the replacement for the Z3; a car that had already caused a stir when it first appeared in 1995 for looking so different to any BMW before it.
There were echoes of the E65 in the Z4’s styling, with a similar headlamp arrangement, vast, curved bonnet and distinctive side strakes, yet its execution in a sports car was wholly better received than it was in an executive saloon and proved that, in the right application, a bold and somewhat haphazard approach to vehicle styling had its place.
Put side-by-side with the 7 Series, the family resemblance is clear – but it somehow works far, far better in a sports car. 22 years since it first appeared, the Z4 still looks fresh and modern today.
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