Quote:
Originally Posted by thebmw
Agree. But doesn't the rear look like the second gen Chrysler 200? The rear spoiler is virtually exactly the same. The rear shoulders are the same. The rear quarter windows are similar. The rear fastback slope is the same. Taillights are upside down but very similar. That's not all that bad as the 200 was actually a well designed car, but the 8 series should not look like a 200 or a Mustang!
Getting rid of the Hofmeister Kink is just dumb. Totally goes against BMW tradition and doesn't look good or aggressive. Looks like a Lexus now from the side.
While the 8 looks more modern, the 6GC will endure the test of time. By far, the BEST sedan design in modern car history. |
You're absolutely right.
Everything you've pointed out is accurate, and I feel the same way - Lexus, Chrysler, Ford Mustang... not the influences I'd expect or want for the 8GC.
If you put these pics side by side with a 6GC, there's no comparison - the 6GC is just a much more elegant and fluid looking design. I really don't like the rear window, shoulder, and deck lid on the 8GC - partly for the reasons you called out, and partly because these were some of the best looking areas on the 6GC, making them harder to swallow here.
But this does sometimes happen - not all redesigns are successful, especially where the original design was SO good. I feel the same with my R8. I absolutely fell in love with the Gen-1 when it came on the market, and I pulled the trigger to finally order one in 2014 for the final model year when I saw the Gen-2 redesign - it just lost so much of what made the original a beautiful looking car to me. Very much like the 8 vs. 6, the Gen-2 R8 got more aggressive looking, but it lost a lot of the cohesiveness, curves, and beauty.
A good design often doesn't need a lot of lines, creases, vents, folds, etc. The best designs are often very simple and purposeful. I think the 6GC is one of BMW's most beautiful of the last 20 years... part of the reason I feel like I have a real dilemma on my hands in terms of what I'd replace it with! Had they made the 8 coupe close to the actual concept, that would have been a real contender. But the watered down version they gave us with that mustang fastback roof just doesn't do it for me.