The Giant Chair of Chris Bangle
45sA surprising discovery of a famous car designer's quirky art project in an unexpected setting creates curiosity and relatability.
▶ Play ClipAI Summary
The video recounts a chance encounter with a giant chair created by Chris Bangle, the controversial former BMW designer, and reflects on his legacy, particularly the polarizing E65 7 Series. It argues that despite initial backlash, Bangle's design direction was ultimately vindicated by sales and aging well.
Chapters
[00:00]
Stumbling Upon Bangle's Art
The narrator discovers a giant chair in an Italian alpine field, part of Chris Bangle's 'Big Benches' project, highlighting Bangle's post-BMW artistic endeavors.
[00:38]
Bangle's Career and Impact
Bangle worked at Fiat for seven years before BMW, and his design direction is credited with successfully transitioning BMW into the next generation, better than any other A-to-B generation switch.
[00:52]
Initial Backlash and Vindication
The Bangle 7 Series faced significant pushback initially, but the backlash was proven wrong as the car outsold its predecessor, the E38, and has aged wonderfully.
The video concludes that Chris Bangle's controversial designs, particularly the 7 Series, were ultimately successful and well-regarded, despite initial public resistance.
💡 Key Takeaways
💡
Bangle's Transitional Success
Praises Bangle's ability to evolve BMW's design language better than any other generation switch in car history.
00:38
📊
Backlash Was Wrong
Highlights the irony that the controversial 7 Series outsold its predecessor, proving initial criticism unfounded.
01:04Full Transcript
[00:00] Chris Bangle, the man who controversially changed the entire look of BMW. Many years ago, I'm in Italy. We go off the beaten path. We're like on a little trail in this beautiful alpine setting. And we come across this giant chair.
[00:13] It's in a field facing a beautiful view. And we decide we're going to sit on the giant chair. And there's a plaque. And I look. And the giant chair is part of this project that Chris Bangle is doing called Big Benches.
[00:25] It says this on the plaque. I've just stumbled upon this. Chris Bangle, in retirement from BMW, is creating giant chairs all across Europe. So I swear to God. The Bangle butts need a big chair, you know? These are everywhere all over Europe.
[00:38] I'm just walking. It's completely random. No one's around. I'm thinking, the guy who messed up the 7 Series made this giant chair? He worked at FIA for seven years. In this rural community? I will say Chris Bangle did an amazing job of taking them into the next generation.
[00:52] better than any A to B generation switch I have ever seen in the history of the car. Ferrari's probably arguing that this is the Chris Bangle moment for them. Okay, there's a lot of pushback initially, they'll get used to it, they'll learn to love it.
[01:04] That's the problem with this kind of stuff, is that sometimes there's just an enormous amount of backlash, and guess what? The backlash was wrong. And the Bangle 7 Series outsold the E38, which is the great irony of the whole thing. I actually think that 7 Series has aged wonderfully.
[01:16] Oh, wow.
