What Were They Thinking?: Recent BMW Frontal Designs

Once upon a time, a BMW was "The Ultimate Driving Machine."  The company's product line was fairly understandable: 3-series, 5-series and 7-series models.  Happy days for the München knaben.

Nowadays, the moderate-sized carmaker spews a much larger set of models while letting the Driving Machine marketing concept wither.

Worse, from a styling perspective, BMW designs have become unattractive, especially where front end appearance is concerned.  I realize that there are car buyers who value other aspects of a vehicle more than its styling.  I fall into that category regarding my 2019 Toyota RAV4.  But that RAV's design isn't all that awful, so I could ignore it.  But BMWs launched since around the year 2020 are mostly so ugly up front that I would shun them if I were shopping for a new car.

As can be seen in the Gallery below, many recent BMW grilles (and faux-grilles on electric models) are large and heavy-looking -- adding unnecessary (in my judgment) visual weight up front.  Additionally, some internal grille "bar" designs are strange.

I wonder what BMW marketers, product planners, stylists and management were thinking when this new design direction was launch and continued.

All that said, let's take a look.

Unless noted, images below are BMW publicity photos.

Gallery

2027 BMW i7
This new design has what I consider an unnecessarily heavy looking front end.  And it doesn't relate well to the rest of the car.

Same car, frontal view.  Below are frontal views of other BMWs.

1958 BMW 503 Coupe - unidentified original photo source
This has the 2-nostril grille shape of 1950s BMWs, a strong brand identification feature.  Two-segment designs are continued up to the present.

1962 BMW 1500 Sedan
The firm's sales breakthrough model.  Again, simple front end styling.

2013 BMW 328i Cabriolet - BaT Auctions photo
My wife owns one of these.  Very attractive variation of the basic theme.

2021 BMW 4-series - unidentified original photo source
Now we're into the 2020 decade.  Massive BMW grilles began to appear a few years earlier on some models.

2013 BMW 8-series coupe
Compare to the front of the 2013 328i pictured above.  This is very bold, and pretty ugly.

2024 BMW iX2
Similar "grille" shape,  but different context and detailing.

2024 BMW X6 M60i
A functional grille of the same ilk.

2025 BMW X3
Every time I see one of these front ends I curse whoever approved that "bar" pattern for production.  Those diagonals mated to verticals in essentially equal proportions are a senseless design for an automobile.

2026 BMW iX
A recent electric car.  As usual, a too-huge "grille," but the diagonal "bars" are acceptable when used exclusively.

2026 BMW iX3
An electric SUV.  This design harkens to the early nostrils shown here, and might be useful on coupes.  Not as heavy as the other recent designs.  That more recent 2027 i7 frontal design at the top of the Gallery aside, I hope BMW styling begins to follow this concept.

The Colorful 1955 Studebaker Speedster

I was shocked when I saw the first pictures of 1955 Studebaker hardtop coupes.  The beautiful 1953 and only slightly degraded (due to a minimally revised grille) 1954 coupe design had been plastered over with gobs of chrome trim.  There were splashy two-tone and even three-tone paint schemes.

I posted "What Were They Thinking?: 1955 Studebaker Starliner Facelift" here.

What had happened?  Mid-1950s American car fashions happened.  Studebaker marketers and product planners must have thought that their cars had to get "with it," follow those fads and fashions or risk losing sales.

Perhaps the wildest hardtop coupe facelift was the new Studebaker President Speedster, the firm's top of the line model.  Speedsters were listed at $3,253, the next lower model, the President State hardtop coupe, listed at $2,456.  So the Speedster cost about one-third more.

Speedster production was 2,215, and a surprising number of these controversial cars have survived, given what can be found on Internet image searches.

Today's post presents some Speedster paint schemes found on the Internet.  As best I can tell, most or all were either standard options or were cars factory-painted to customer order.  In those days, many customers would order a car with specific items, then wait for its construction and delivery to their dealer.  Nowadays, most buyers simply buy cars of one "package" or another as found on the dealer's lot.

No captions below.  Enjoy (or don't) what you see.  I wonder... how often did two (or three!) tone paint schemes improve the appearance of a design?

Gallery

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - Mecum Auction photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - car-for-sale photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - Bonhams Auctions photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - car-for-sale photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - car-for-sale photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - unidentified photo source

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - RM Sotheby's Auctions photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - Hyman Ltd photo

1955 Studebaker President Speeedster - car-for-sale photo

1942 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet Walkaround

The most distinctive classic first-generation Lincoln Continentals were the 1942 models.

That's because Lincolns were heavily facelifted for that model year, getting boxy fenders, a wider hood and a new grille design which Continentals shared.  World War 2 intervened for the USA with the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Car production was curtailed before March 1942 and not restarted until after Japan's surrender in 1945.  Postwar Lincolns and Continentals retained nearly all the 1942 styling features.  Except the grille.  1946-48 models had one with an egg-crate bar pattern.  Result: 1942 Continentals were few in number and featured a grille design not found on any others.

For some background on Lincolm Continentals, the Wikipedia entry is here (scroll down for information about the first, 1940-1948, generation.

I recently compared some 1942 models in my post "Lincoln's Rare 1942 Convertibles: Basic and Continental."  And in an early post, I wrote about "Lincoln's 1942 Facelift."  Today's post examines 1942 Lincoln Continantal design in more detail.

Images below are a composite of the same car (serial number H133783) auctioned by Mecum three different times.

Gallery

For context, a 1940 Continental Cabriolet, BaT Auctions photo.

The '42 facelift drastically changed the aesthetic "feeling" of the car from graceful to aggressive.  Continental-specific details largely disappear when viewed from this perspective: might as well be considered a new design.

"Suitcase" fenders follow General Motors' 1938-41 lead.  Side-view styling is thematically-consistent and attractive -- courtesy of the tastes of Edsel Ford and styling director Bob Gregorie.

The trunk and separate spare tire are carried over from previous Continental styling.

Tail lights were moved from the main body to the fenders.

The boxy original trunk design blends well with the new "suitcase" fender scheme: consistency.

Original low level chrome trim is retained.

The above-the-bumper bulge theme was used on '42 Mercurys too.

Grille design is logical, given the "bulge" just mentioned.  Nicer than the 1946-48 version, in my opinion.  Note the fashionable "whiskers" flanking/extending the lower grille element.  Headlight assemblies are massive and a bit odd-looking.  They do keep auxiliary lights from otherwise cluttering other parts of the frontal design.

Symmetrical design, the clock balancing the speedometer.  The central element is the radio/speaker.

Frontal overhead view.  Wider hood than before.  Wide fender tops: no catwalk connection.

Continental details are concentrated here.  Rear fenders are distinct from the main body, unlike at the front.

Chrysler's New 1976 "Compacts" Look A Lot Like The Previous Ones

This post deals with yet another seeming instance of a new design retaining elements of the superseded design, Chrysler Corporation's 1976 compact entries, the Plymouth Volaré and Dodge Aspen (Wikipedia entry here).

Setting the scene, Chrysler was in marketing and financial trouble as the 1970s got underway.  The hemmings.com article "What In The Heck Was Going On With Chrysler in the 1970s?" covers many aspects of Chrysler's trouble during that time.  Regarding the Aspen and Volaré:

"Designed to replace the A-body line and to entice B-body buyers who were ready to downsize, the F-body Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré lines were introduced in mid-1976 as the A-bodies took their final bow.  Chrysler had been busy since the “Aspen/Vail” project was green-lit in 1971 and the company had put in large efforts to ensure that their compact replacements would be winners.  The company wind-tunnel tested the F-car extensively for many reasons, including crosswind stability and wind noise reduction as well as for fuel economy purposes.  The glass area was increased to leave interiors feeling vibrant.  A new front suspension system using transverse-mounted torsion bars, was employed.  Weight was shed.  Chrysler made a genuine effort making the F-bodies as good as they could be and when early cars hit the market, it initially seemed like the company scored a hit."

Sales were good in model years 1976 and 1977.  But during that period a number of quality issues developed, resulting in extra expenses and a down turn in sales as the quality problem word spread.

"By early 1978, Chrysler had spent nearly $200 million recalling and fixing Aspens and Volarés.  The durable, economical and fun compact reputation that the A-body (Dart/Duster) had was lost as irritated customers found themselves in the unenviable position as Chrysler’s beta testers."

Interesting, all that engineering effort.  But what about styling effort?  I can't think of a strong reason to design replacement models that look pretty similar to what was being replaced.  Were I in management, I would have opted for a fresh design with only a few hints of continuity with the previous models.

In the Gallery below, pre- and post- redesign four-door Plymouth sedans and sporty coupes are compared via side views.  Dodge equivalents would have been similar, so are omitted.

Gallery

1968 Plymouth Valiant 4-door sedan - car-for sale photo
This is an example of the third-generation (1967-1973) Valiant design.

1974 Plymouth Valiant 4-foor sedan - car-for sale photo
The fourth generation (1974-1976) mainly had a longer (by 3 inches, 76mm) wheelbase.  Note the relationship of the rear door's aft cutline and the rear wheel opening on each design.  The lower side character line sculpting and rear wheel opening's profile are different.  The C-pillar is a bit wider here, and its aft edge straightened.  Otherwise, these side views seem essentially the same.

1976 Plymouth Volaré 4-door sedan - Raleigh Classic Car Auctions photo
The redesign.  Sedan wheelbase is 1.7 inches (43 mm) longer.  Fenderline and passenger compartment greenhouse nearly match.  Wheel openings and side sculpting/decoration differ, but these are less noticeable than the features just mentioned.

1971 Plymouth Duster - car-for sale photo
The sporty Duster coupe first appeared for the 1970 model year.

1976 Plymouth Volaré Road Runner Coupe - car-for sale photo
Duster's replacement.  Wheelbase grew only 0.7 inches (18mm).  Greater styling difference from the earlier coupe, but the proportions are similar.  The sense of the fenderline is preserved, which is okay.  The bold B-pillar is due to government rollover safety regulation.  This car's design is closer than the sedan's to being fresh, along with those carryover details.

The Redesigned 1942 Cadillac Sixty Special

Cadillac introduced its Sixty Special model for the 1938 model year.  Styling was by the young Bill Mitchell, who later became General Motors' Design Vice President.  It was a sporty sedan based on Cadillac's entry-level Series 60, but with a 2-inch (50.8 mm) longer wheelbase.

For 1938, it was Cadillac's best-selling model.  And again for 1939 and 1940.  Model year 1941 saw the addition of Series 61 to the line as the entry series.  It was basically a merger of Cadillac's now-defunct LaSalle companion brand.  Some of its models and the Deluxe Series 62 sedan out-sold the Sixty Special.  I posted about 1938-1942 Sixty Specials here.

Because Sixty Specials were priced higher than any Cadillac series 61, 62 and 63 cars and because it still sold well, the model was continued for 1942 (and for decades beyond that).

Today's post ccompares the 1942 Sixty Special to its 1941 forerunner that I wrote about here in a Walkaround post.  The 1942 design was a variation of the heavily facelifted C-body Series 62 sedan with a 4-inch (101.6  mm) longer wheelbase.  Its price remained higher than series 61, 62 and 63 Cadillac models.

Images of the 1942 Sixty Special are via RM Sotheby's, as are the quarter views of the 1941 version.  The 1941 side view is from the Driehaus Collection web site.

Gallery

1941 Cadillac Sixty Special
The basic body is from 1938.  It never used the original 1940-41 C-body, so the 1942 Sixty Special featured here is nearly two body generations removed from the original.  The 1941 car shown here has a different frontal design than the earlier versions.  Unlike all other 1941 Cadillacs, its front fenders extended onto the front passenger door -- a feature then used on many 1942 GM cars.

1942 Cadillac Sixty Special
Based on the facelifted C-body.  Its grille is the standard '42 Cadillac design.

Side view.  From the start, Sixty Specials featured windows with rounded profiles at the B-pillar.

That rounding was more pronounced for the 1942 version, which was based on a more rounded body than before.  The longer wheelbase is manifested in the longer hood / forward body.  Otherwise, the Sixty Special identity is in all those chrome hash marks on the fenders and C-pillar.

1942 Cadillac 62 - BaT Auctions photo
The Series 62 sedan that was the Sixty Special's basis.  Note the B-pillar profile and the lack of hash marks.

From this perspective, the '41 Sixty Special has sort of a formal, British look.

The main carryover is the three-segment backlight window, a 1934-1952 Cadillac feature that I wrote about here.

Volvo 144 and 244: Same Body for 27 Model Years

Long gone are the late 1930s and circa-1950s, along with the occasional Detroit practice in those times of keeping a design in production for only two model years.  European carmakers tended to keep models in production a lot longer.  And Volkswagen's Beetle success in the USA helped influence American firms to retain designs beyond even the typical four-year span.

All the while, European carmakers have continued long production runs.  Today's subject is an example.  It's Volvos's 140 and slightly facelifted 240 series, specifically 144 and 244 four-door sedans.  Those models were marketed model years 1967-1993: 27 years.

I selected these Volvos because my mother bought a '67 144 and I bought a '68 142 (the two-door version).  The sudden, high demand for 140 series Volvos seems to have forced the firm to push production levels to the point where quality control slipped.  My Mom's car was okay (so far as I know; she lived in Seattle, and I was in grad school in Philadelphia).  The Volvo I had twice broke down due to a loosened part of its distributer rotor.  But that was Bosch's fault, not Volvo's.  Two of my grad school buddies also bought 1968 Volvos.  The Volvo 122 Amazon owner had to have its engine replaced.  I was riding in Philly's Main Line one day with the guy who also had a '68 142.  Its engine compartment started smoking, but he switched off the motor before it actually caught fire.  Sweet days, those.

The images in the Gallery reveal little change in the main body over all those years.  There were interior changes and mechanical changes, but this styling blog focuses on exterior design.

Volvo 244s were slightly longer, having a wheelbase of 104.3 inches (2649 mm), compared to 102.5 inches (2604 mm) on 144s.

Styling was by Jan Wilsgaard.
Gallery

1967 Volvo 144 - Bilweb Auctions photos
A simple design, decent proportions.  In those days Volvos were more lower-midlevel.  My 142's floor mats were rubber, not fabric.  Its gearshift lever was floor-mounted, hence tall.  The grille seen here is inexpensively stamped metal, not really sculpted.  Those fender-mounted mirrors are not standard, so far as I know.

1990 Volvo 244 - Bilweb photos
The design as it appeared near the end of the long production run.  The front face and hood are what's changed.  The grille is more expensive to make, and Volvos had moved higher up the price/prestige ladder.

Only a single chrome strip for side decoration.

The added length is between the firewall and front wheel opening.  Passenger compartment greenhouse seems unchanged, the side chrome strip nearly so.  A non-metal rocker panel has been added.

Rear quarter view.

Revised trunk and rear end.  The gradual rear facelifting process began in the late 1960s and eventually evolved to what is seen here.

1973 Volvo 144 - unknown photo source
An intermediate frontal design.  The characteristic Volvo diagonal slash has been added.

1979 Volvo 244 - unknown photo source
The grille shape is narrower, more classical, and the hood altered to match it.  Headlight fixtures varied over time, influenced partly by fashion and mostly by regulation of various governments.