American car designer Chris Bangle has stirred up a huge amount of controversy over his career, probably more so than any other living designer. At one point, thousands of people even signed a petition to get him sacked from his job as chief designer at BMW, as they thought the cars that Bangle and his team were creating would ruin the company. In fact, the opposite turned out to be true, and Bangle's radical Bimmers were more popular and influential than they'd ever been.

RELATED: 5 Of The Greatest Bertone-Designed Cars Vs 5 From Italdesign

His stint at BMW wasn't his only role in the auto industry, however. He was hired by the Bavarians off the back of a successful stint at Centro Stile Fiat, and he'd previously worked at Opel on top of that. He unexpectedly quit the auto industry in 2009, and now works sporadically with technology and mobility companies including Samsung. There's no doubt that even today, many people continue to hate the work of this most divisive of creators, but equally, Bangle gained a sizeable following throughout his time penning cars. Let's take a look at ten of his greatest and most influential designs.

10 BMW 3 Series (E46)

BMW 330Cd 2004
Via NetCarShow

When Bangle first started at BMW, the brand was very conservative in its styling. The 3, 5, and 7 Series all looked the same but came in different sizes, but Bangle wasn't having any of that. The E46 was his first restyling of the 3 Series, and it's a little more restrained in comparison to some of his other works.

BMW 330Cd 2004
Via NetCarShow

This is largely because Bimmer wouldn't sign off on anything too radical, as the 3 Series had been a bestseller for decades and the company couldn't afford to lose that by letting Bangle go too wild with its looks. Even so, the E46 is today regarded as a modern classic, especially in M3 form.

9 BMW Z3

BMW Z3 M Roadster
Via Bring a Trailer

Joji Nagashima actually penned the design that would become the Z3, but it was the first BMW designed under Chris Bangle's leadership. It was created as a slightly less wild remake of the previous generation Z1 roadster, a car that won praise for its uniqueness but never found much mainstream appeal.

BMW Z3 M Roadster
Via Bring a Trailer

The Z3 however was a commercial success, and no doubt helped prove to the company's executives that their lead designer was worth his salt. The car's design was more evolution than revolution, as its proportions were very similar to that of older BMW roadsters, and it even included vents behind the wheels as a tribute to the classic 507.

8 Rolls-Royce Phantom

Rolls-Royce Phantom
Via NetCarShow

Being the chief designer of BMW also involved overseeing the group's other division, Rolls-Royce. Another brand that was suffering from a chronic lack of innovation, when Bangle took over Rolls-Royces had looked the same for decades. Working under Bangle's leadership, Marek Djordjevic sketched out a new, modern take on the classic Phantom.

RELATED: Our 10 Favorite Features Found On 2021 Rolls-Royce Models

Rolls-Royce Phantom
Via NetCarShow

It looked significantly different from its predecessor, but it was a hit among customers. The success of the Phantom helped Rolls-Royce cement their place at the top of the luxury car game, and even today they continue to use design language rooted in the Bangle era.

7 BMW Z4

BMW Z4
Via NetCarShow

The Z4 was designed to address many of the criticisms leveled at the Z3, refining the design and providing a more elegant look than the previous model. It's also one of the best examples of what's been termed "flame surfacing", a design technique that mixes sharp lines with smoother concave and convex surfaces.

BMW Z4
Via NetCarShow

Bangle was a big proponent of flame surfacing and is even credited with inventing the term in some reports. While it can't be verified that Bangle did indeed create the term, he certainly helped popularise it and, in collaboration with Anders Warming, put the technique to good use on the Z4.

6 BMW X5 (E53)

BMW X5 1999
Via NetCarShow

This one might be more controversial, as many BMW purists even today continue to despite the existence of the company's range of SUVs and crossovers. The E53 X5 was the car that started it all, launching back in 1999 when the segment was still niche and emerging.

BMW X5 1999
Via NetCarShow

BMW actually went to great lengths when the car was first released to market the car as an "SAV" or "Sports Activity Vehicle" rather than an SUV, as the X5 was pretty useless off-road. Whatever anyone wanted to call it, the car was a huge success and its influence helped pave the way for the slew of crossovers on the road today.

5 BMW 5 Series (E60)

BMW 530d E60
Via NetCarShow

One of Bangle's most divisive designs ever is the E60 5 Series. Traditionally, the 5 Series had been very conservatively styled, being essentially just a bigger version of the 3 Series. Bangle decided to take the car in a different direction and produced this, a design that still divides enthusiasts to this day.

BMW 530d E60
Via NetCarShow

Some say that it's hideous, and some absolutely love it. No matter what anyone thinks, it's hard to deny how influential the E60's radical restyling was on the wider German car industry. Rivals took note of the car's strong sales and in turn restyled their own models in an attempt to mirror the E60's success.

4 BMW CS1 Concept

BMW CS1 Concept
Via NetCarShow

Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2002, the CS1 concept previewed a big change that was underway at BMW. The previous two decades had been about securing their place at the top of their core segments, but by the '00s the company wanted to expand into new territory.

BMW CS1 Concept
Via NetCarShow

​​​​​​​The CS1 previewed what would eventually become the 1 Series, BMW's smallest line of cars, and the brand's first entry into the competitive hatchback segment. Even though they had virtually zero experience in the sector, the 1 Series was a huge hit in Europe and around the world, continuing to be one of the best driver's hatchbacks on the market today. For a nearly 20-year-old design, the CS1 still looks remarkably contemporary, its looks no doubt helping contribute to the 1 Series' early success.

3 BMW 6 Series

BMW 645Ci 2004
Via NetCarShow

In addition to launching a line of smaller cars, Bangle and his team were also working on a new two-door coupe design that was based on the executive 5 Series. The result was the 6 Series, first launched in 2003. Like the E60 5 Series, the 6 Series took a stylistically unique approach, looking markedly different from the rest of the brand's lineup.

RELATED: 10 Coolest BMWs You Can Find On The Used Market For Cheap

BMW 645Ci 2004
Via NetCarShow

​​​​​​​It's now been retired to avoid crossover with Bimmer's recently-launched 8 Series flagship model, but not before the 6 received an M version and, confusingly, a four-door Gran Coupe version. Yes, a four-door version of the two-door version of the four-door 5 Series. Confusing? You bet.

2 Fiat Coupe '93

The front of a blue Fiat Coupe
Via FavCars

Much of this list has been spent talking about BMW, but one of the reasons Bangle was appointed to the prestigious Bavarian post in the first place was because of his work at Fiat. His greatest design while working in Turin was the Coupe, which launched in 1993 and ran for seven years, even after Bangle had left the company.

Fiat Coupe Turbo
Via Old Colonel Cars

​​​​​​​During the development phase for the Coupe, two competing designs were put forward, one from Pininfarina and one from Bangle and his team. Bangle's design unexpectedly won Fiat's management over, and Pininfarina was eventually relegated to handling only the interior of the car. The Pininfarina design eventually made it to production as the Peugeot 406 Coupe, an altogether less successful model. It proved Fiat made the right decision in opting for Bangle's design, even despite Pininfarina's legendary back catalog and world-leading reputation.

1 BMW GINA

2008-BMW-GINA
Via WSupercars

Bangle's last project before unexpectedly quitting the auto industry was the GINA concept, which proved that even after ten years at BMW, he was still full of new ideas. The car has no body panels, rather the exterior is all made of weather-resistant fabric. It challenged the traditional idea of how cars are designed and allowed for the car to change its shape simply by adjusting the fabric to a different position.

BMW Gina
Via Top Speed

​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​Its rear spoiler, for example, can "grow" out of the car at high speeds for extra stability, and the hood can open up to reveal the engine. Development of the concept took seven years with the finished design being presented in 2008. Of course, nothing remotely similar ever reached production but Bangle insisted at the time that the fabric was durable and resistant enough to be used on a production car. He abruptly left his post just a year after the GINA debuted, leaving the idea to eventually be relegated to the BMW archives.