The E39-generation BMW 5 Series, which spanned the 1996-2003 model years in the U.S., is for many one of the best-looking, if not the best, BMW models ever designed.
- Base Trim Engine
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2.0L Turbo Inline-4 Gas
- Base Trim Transmission
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8-Speed Automatic
- Base Trim Drivetrain
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Rear-Wheel Drive
It’s now been 30 years since the E39 5 Series made its debut, and BMW has marked the milestone by releasing some of the original design sketches penned by Joji Nagashima, the designer of the E39, during the car’s development. They were posted to the official Instagram page of the BMW Classic department and show that the car could have taken a very different, substantially uglier turn if some of the alternative designs were approved.
The E39 Could Have Looked A Lot More American
The first shows a design that looks like it may have come out of a Chrysler design studio in the 1990s, as it appears to share some resemblance to the last Dodge Intrepid – and not in a good way. The proportions are very un-BMW-like, with the nose drooping too much and the body looking very stretched and unathletic.
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The second design is closer to what the final design for the E39 5 Series ended up like, but with what appears to be a softer, more rounded look. Some of the elements that carried over to the production model include the smaller nostrils of the grille and the sculpting of the hood.
Both sketches were completed in 1989, meaning they would have been among Nagashima’s first projects at BMW, as he had only joined the automaker in November of the previous year. The final design would not be selected until 1992, under then-new design chief Chris Bangle.
A Return To Elegant Designs At BMW May Be On The Horizon
BMW may now be planning a return to the cleaner forms in the near future. Early concepts and camouflaged prototypes of the upcoming Neue Klasse electric vehicles, the first of which arrives in September as the new iX3, suggest that BMW may be steering back toward a cleaner, more restrained design language – one that echoes the timeless appeal of the E39.
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Further evidence is the hiring last year of Maximilian Missoni as the designer responsible for future BMWs in the large-vehicle segments, as well as models developed under the Alpina sub-brand. Missoni was previously the design chief at Polestar, where elegant, almost minimalist design was very much in play.
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