After finishing the exterior design of the B3 and B1 series, Ye Kai couldn't take a break with great interest, lit a cigarette, and flipped through the information of the BMW 5 Series while sucking. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

The first thing that catches your eye is a car that has been cut diagonally through the front of the car, and the grille on the front of the car is composed of two tridiamond shapes without water chestnuts on the top and bottom, and the left and right are all transparent plastic lampshades. This car was in 1970, in order to compete with the Mercedes-Benz W114 series, BMW commissioned the Italian Broadcom design company to design a new car, the shape of the car was designed by Marcello, and the BMW 2200 model was born.

The exterior of the BMW 2200 model has a very strong Italian sedan style, except for the faintly visible "kidney" grille at the front, it is difficult to associate it with the impression of BMW.

After two years, the first-generation BMW 5 Series (E12), based on BMW's 2,200-space prototype, was officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with a new "5-Series" naming scheme (the fifth model after the BMW NewClass concept), with the "5" in the rear logo representing its model and the last two digits representing engine displacement. It also ushered in a new era of classic BMW design.

BMW's kidney-shaped grille resembles a "pig's nose" in the center of the quad round lights at the front of the car, and the bumper design was relatively thin for a sedan of that era, as was the case with the first-generation 5 Series, whose windshield was wrapped in chrome trim to create the atmosphere of a luxury sedan. Like most European car brands of this era, the BMW 5 Series only has a driver's side mirror.

Compared to the highly recognizable front styling, the rear design of the first-generation BMW 5 Series is too low-key, and if you remove the BMW logo, I am afraid that it can easily be mistaken for a French car. Although the design is more understated, the rear of the car has no shortage of highlights, with the fuel cap near the right-hand taillight being an interesting design. The dimensions of the first-generation BMW 5 Series are 4600mm long, 1690mm wide, 1425mm high, and have a wheelbase of 2600mm. Its large windows, low waistline design and Hofmeister corners on the C-pillar have become indelible and timeless classics.

The interior design of the first-generation BMW 5 Series is very layered, with the air conditioning and radio areas in the center of the center console protruding forward, a clock strategically placed in the center of the two air conditioning knobs, and a large, thin-grip four-spoke steering wheel. As a luxury sedan, the first-generation BMW 5 Series does not seem to have much of a lot of equipment now, but these only configurations symbolize the positioning of luxury cars in that era, even if it was just a clock.

The first-generation BMW 5 Series adopts a MacPherson front and rear half-tow arm independent suspension structure. At first, the vehicles were equipped with manually raised and lowered windows, FM radios, and air conditioning systems, among other things. In 1976, BMW made some improvements to the first generation of the 5 Series sedan, which improved the sound insulation of the whole car, and added electric exterior mirrors, power windows, power steering and front disc brakes. In order to accurately calculate the deformation zone of the vehicle in the event of an accident and ensure the safety of the occupants, BMW engineers used computer technology on a large scale in the vehicle design and development stages for the first time.

With a new look and new features, the BMW 5 Series was launched on the market with a success that exceeded BMW's expectations. And this success has increased BMW's confidence in developing new models.

Seeing this, Ye Kai closed the information, took his eyes back from the antique car-like photos, and began to close his eyes and recall the historical process after BMW.

In August 1981, BMW launched the second-generation 5 Series (E28) sedan. When you first see the second-generation BMW 5 Series, you think, "Are the BMW designers joking?" ”。 It's not so much a new model as it is a "facelift" of the first-generation BMW 5 Series, because they are so similar.

On closer inspection, it is not difficult to find that the second-generation BMW 5 Series is fuller in exterior design than the previous generation model, perhaps because the "four-eyed" headlights at the front are too classic, so that the designer can't bear to give up this highly recognizable family feature design. In order to distinguish it from the previous model, the headlights of the second-generation BMW 5 Series have been designed in a large and small style, the chrome kidney grille has been significantly widened, making it no longer look so dull, and the lower end of the front bumper is also much "fuller". Interestingly, BMW has equipped the second-generation 5 Series with four "little brushes" for its iconic four round eyes at the front of the car, which is its wiper-style headlight washer.

The most significant changes in the second-generation BMW 5 Series come from its rear styling, which changed from the previous generation BMW 5 Series's inclined trunk design to a more elegant hidden design in the C-pillar instead of the slightly rigid black bar grille of the first-generation BMW 5 Series. The tail light style is also more in line with the public's aesthetics, and the design of the exhaust pipe on the right side of the center makes it particularly different. The dimensions of the second-generation BMW 5 Series are 4620mm long, 1700mm wide, 1415mm high, 2628mm wheelbase, and 1370kg.

Compared with the more "lazy" exterior design, the interior design of the second-generation BMW 5 Series has changed significantly. Although the shape of the four-spoke steering wheel is still the same, the feel has been greatly improved, and some models are equipped with a sportier three-spoke steering wheel. The instrument cluster is clearly and legible and has been first seen in BMW's classic traditional style, with a clear and layered layout of the centre console, with the central audio and climate control panels and central air vents tilted towards the driver's side, and the power window buttons around the gear lever.

In the face of the brilliant achievements of the previous two generations of models, BMW also faced a difficult test. In the late '80s, a new era was in the form of automotive design. In the face of the continuous innovation of other brands, BMW's design has been a little tired, but in the face of innovation and strengthening the brand image, BMW has chosen the latter. In 1988, the third-generation BMW 5 Series (E34) was officially unveiled to the public, and it turned out that BMW made the right choice.

When people first see the BMW 5 Series (E34), they can't help but exclaim: "Why is this traditional and overly traditional front design so attractive?" ”。 That's right, the front face shape of the third-generation BMW 5 Series is still the "golden combination" of the four round headlights and the kidney grille, but the designers deliberately enlarged the "kidneys" while reducing the overall grille area and wrapped it in the same color decoration as the body. The turn signals are cleverly integrated with the headlights, creating a classic for the third-generation BMW 5 Series and adding a touch of modernity.

It was this breath of the times, and the fact that there was almost no difference in the appearance of the first and second generations of the BMW 5 Series, that made Ye Kai decide to directly adopt the shape of the third-generation 5 Series.