by The history of BMW design is a mix of style icons and questionable decisions, and the 5-Series line illustrates this best. It has been elegant, unusual, and sometimes even resembled a creation made in the dark. While tastes differ, some generations looked more successful than others.
For example, the E60 model from the Chris Bangle era and, possibly, the E65, received a lot of criticism for their appearance. On the other hand, the E39 is deservedly considered a fan favorite. Its balanced proportions and restrained elegance made this model the pinnacle of BMW’s design heritage. However, it could have looked completely different.
The E39 was designed by Joji Nagashima in 1992, but early sketches show how much the concept changed before the launch into production. One of the very first drafts, a white sedan from 1989, has little in common with the E39 we know today.
In fact, it looks much more like the original E31 8-Series (which we will talk about later), which is quite logical, considering the debut of the 8-Series that same year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Some even believe it was a sedan version of the E31 in every detail.
A Completely Different Appearance
Like the production model, this sedan had relatively small kidney grilles, but they were slightly wider than those on the final E39. The Japanese designer also created unusual headlights with rounded outer edges and sharp inner angles. Triangular turn signals were placed in the lower part of the bumper, giving the car a non-standard look.
The sides and rear also differed significantly from the E39 we know. Sharp lines stretched from the front to the rear, and the B-pillars were very thin. At the rear, triangular taillights were connected by a thick red reflective strip, making it resemble a concept car rather than a business sedan.
All these design elements vividly reflect the BMW style of the late 80s and early 90s, which can be seen in production models like the E36 and E38, as well as in experimental concepts like the Z1 Coupe and E1.
A second early sketch by Nagashima was also published. It is unknown exactly when it was created, but it is much closer to the final design. The headlights and chrome kidney grilles are similar to the production version. The basis of the E39’s front bumper and the characteristic black plastic insert can also be seen.
E31 8-Series Coupe Design
As part of this design archaeology, Domagoj Dukec, the current head of design at Rolls-Royce, recently showed sketches from 1984. They display five different variants of the original luxury coupe. Most of them look better than modern BMW models. Each offered a unique vision of a grand tourer, making the current massive grilles and clumsy proportions even more disappointing.
