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HomeBavarian Motor Works

Bavarian Motor Works

2025 BMW XM front left
Links

How long will automotive styling be dominated by brutalism?

March 18, 2025 Steve 15

Question-of-the-day features tend to be vapid, so I usually ignore them. However, I must admit to getting drawn into a Jalopnik query about what are the ugliest cars on the market today (Bellwood, 2025). The […]

1982 DeLorean
History

1981-82 DeLorean illustrates Detroit’s failure to understand the rise of imports

January 20, 2025 Steve 21

(UPDATED FROM 9/23/2022) The easiest way to sum up the spectacular failure of the DeLorean Motor Company is to say that its founder was exceptionally unlucky. I am hard pressed to think of a worse […]

Satire

Auto blinders (or peepers): How they improve the human condition

December 19, 2024 Steve 5

(EXPANDED FROM 5/26/2021) Automotive blinders, also known as auto peepers, are the narrowing of windows between the C- and D-pillars of vehicles. This design feature blocks a driver’s rearward vision, which assists in human population […]

1968ish Mercedes-Benz 280SL rear quarter
Current Events

Is the decline in distinctive national approaches to car design a bad thing?

October 14, 2024 Steve 4

(EXPANDED FROM 5/18/2022) Karl Ludvigsen has a website called Why Cars Are So Bad. A few years ago he posted on it the text of a speech he delivered back in 1989. Included in his […]

2001 BMW 745
Design Notes

BMW’s 7 Series ‘Bangle butt’ helped legitimize weird styling

March 6, 2024 Steve 9

(EXPANDED FROM 3/5/2021) In the comments we’ve recently talked about Chris Bangle, so I thought I would expand a story I had written a few years ago about one of the most controversial designs that […]

Parody ads about the auto industry and media
Our Sponsors

Automotive Views: Forthcoming BMW sports controversial innovation

January 20, 2022 Steve 0
Quotes

Sir Alex Moulton blasted the BMW Mini as too big and heavy

December 14, 2021 Steve 1

“It’s enormous. The (original] Mini was the best-packaged car of all time(; the BMW Mini) is an example of how not to do it. The interior space is not much bigger than the old Mini, […]

1966 Chevrolet Corvair
Fake Design

1965-69 Chevrolet Corvair: What if it had a front-engined companion?

September 3, 2021 Steve 16

(UPDATED ON 10/14/22) The second-generation Chevrolet Corvair was one of the best cars General Motors has ever built. Its styling was exceptionally clean for the mid-60s, which were dominated by fussy gingerbread designs. Meanwhile, the […]

BMW i3
Design Notes

BMW’s i3 tried entirely too hard to be cute

November 27, 2020 Steve 0

It’s too bad that BMW will not develop a successor to its i3. The electric hatchback showed promise as a city car that is relatively lightweight, roomy and fun to drive. Done right, the i3 […]

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Our Sponsors

Automotive Views: Judge sends BMW back to drawing board

November 13, 2020 Steve 0

Posts pagination

1 2 »
  • 2006-7 Dodge Charger
    2006-2010 Dodge Charger: A cartoonish attempt at rip-roaring nostalgia
    June 5, 2026 6
  • 1950 Nash Rambler hood ornament
    Speedreaders.info is a rare source of book reviews, but quality varies
    June 3, 2026 0
  • 1958 Lincoln
    1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
    June 2, 2026 16
  • 1957 Nash Ambassador
    Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash
    May 29, 2026 6
  • 1963 Mercury Marauder
    1963 Mercury Marauder: Ford tries to do a premium-priced car on the cheap
    May 27, 2026 11
  • Did 1964 Ramblers share more parts between size classes than competitors?
    May 26, 2026 1
  • Patrick Foster shows how International Harvester failed to adapt
    May 13, 2026 5
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
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