Quote:
Originally Posted by bjkim88
I disagree.
Love him, hate him, but you got to respect him.
If multiple manufacturers copied his work like they did, then at least he was doing something right in their eyes.
Not everyone likes what he did, but I thought he gave the company a character and look that was distinctly BMW. And personally, I liked most of the things he did.
Think of it like this. So many musicians and artists where not given the respect they deserved, until they had passed on. And look at their work today.
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Respect for the person's work and personally liking it are two different things. I certainly respect Bangle (although he did go to my alma mater's rival school
) and I respect his design integrity.
But I never liked his design philosophy of the automobile. I simply have a different automotive design sensibility.
As far as cars copying other car's designs, that has been happening throughout automotive history. Some companies do not emphasis original design very much in their own R+D and therefore assume some of the design cues by other (and more successful) manufacturers. The Japanese have historically been good at this. A case in point is their early Nikon 35mm rangefinder that was based on the German Zeiss Ikon; there are numerous examples.
BMW, Mercedes, etc., don't normally copy this way, but they also have been profitable and successful in their own right. And they have a stronger history of design (as do the Italians.)
As far as good sales numbers with the 7ers, that is quite true. Whether Bangle's design had much bearing on that, or whether it's because it's simply a very desirable and technologically advanced automobile, isn't certain.