[Brookside]

Good thoughts Spud, but you take my words on grotesque too literally.
Automobiles that now are regarded as classics such as the Cord boattail, Bugatti Atlantic Coupe,
all had elements of the grotesque in their design in the sense of going against what was then regarded as the norm
by over emphasizing a design characteristic and then blending it into an overall pleasing shape.
And, I think it's worth noting that what many people think of as the golden decade of automobile design (1929-1939) occurred during vast social and political upheaval.
So grotesque slips into being a metaphor for distortion- an ecquivalency of the times.


Ralph Lauren's Bugatti Atlantic Coupe


Your point about California custom cars is well taken- but I think we all need to be reminded that California was and is a hotbed of car culture.
Most car companies, including BMW have design studios in the Los Angeles area.
De-badging, chopped tops, lowered suspension...all of these treatments have filtered into contemporary car design from California car enthusiasts.


1949 Mercury Coupe. Chopped, lowered, debadged.

Too often, in my opinion, automobile design has looked for balance, proportion and come up with something that is bland...banal.
Something that is the visual ecquation of a concensus opinion ends up satisfying only those who don't really care for the visual world.

My own hope is that BMW will begin releasing (again) chance taking design
throughout the range of models...maybe not in everything, but the trend of late seems to be more conservative than I've come to expect from Bangle & Co.