The Sports GT in progressive movement : The BMW 6er F12/F13/F14

It also helps that the BMWs are usually tuned so that you can hear them, unlike a MB...

True. dB levels are sometimes not adequate information.
Sometimes frequency information is much more important. Since some frequencies are much more annoying to human ear than other - at eg. same dB level.
Eg. in F01/F02 7er side mirrors can make some annoying noises / frequencies at certain speeds - although dB levels show noises values are on par or lower than in rival cars.

And true again: some sporty cars are deliberately tuned & set in the way more engine & exhaust noise can be heard in the cabin.

btw missed out on the last thread as some posts were deleted but is the "shock" car supposed to be the new 6er GT or was it really just a clay model?

Definitely not the chosen design. Perhaps one of the final (unchosen) design solutions - in 1:1 scale clay model.

My source has no idea about the car.
Scott says it's the 6er GT design proposal.
Official BMW spokesperson says it's a 5-year-old design study (of an undisclosed model).

IMO the car is too radical to be a part of 6er family.

Perhaps it really was just an early idea of BMW 4dr coupe ... a design study of a MB CLS fighter by BMW.
Something the 6er GT will be in the future.

So, everybody was right: the car is based on the same idea as 6er GT (being a CLS fighter), although not really being a 6er - since it's just an old design study of that particular idea.

Now that's funny!:eusa_doh:

Sure did look like a cross-over concept to these eyes so perhaps the feedback from EnI is spot-on.

What I think is that it is ironic, at least, that the GT6 or the GT7, that would be above the 7er, and would be new BMW flagship would be a 4 door cuope, a segment created by Mercedes. It is like if Mercedes says they are planning a car above the S-Class that would be a SAC, an X6 fighter.

Thank god BMW follows its own path :eusa_doh:.

It's weird ... Since the car is (compared to the people around the car) VERY low. And compared to the people - about 4.5m-4.8m long. Yet the ground clearence seems to be high, and the gray "plastic" parts at the bottom of side skirts & bumpers indicate a cross-over (X-ness) nature of the car. So does the disconnected elements of the rocker panel - which in BMW language definitely indicate AWD. But it definitely looks like a sports car - more in the manner of x-coupe Concept than in later X6 Concept.

As Scott said many times BMW had considered a SAC vehicle to be a rival to the CLS. Not in the shape we know the today's SAC - but more in the form of the design study.

Therefore all the initial reports on very radical SAC design proposals ...
But it seems BMW Board decided to rethink the strategy, and went much conventional way (with E71 SAC -based on X5 platform) ... instead of more radical coupeish sports AWD cross-over car (the design study).

Remember the Huckfeldt's first impression of SAC (same grille as this design study) ... also the radical AMS CGI (red one) had more to do with this radical design study than actual X6 ... and also SCOTT reported about very radical SAC concpet / design proposal.
And the time also makes sense - this study being 5 years old ... from times when they were designing a SAC.

The idea of a true CLS fighter (X6 can't really be labeled as a true CLS rival) was now revived ... with 6er GT (F14). Which won't be as radical as this proposed car though.

I though Scott is also a BMW official?

For some reason I find the 5 year old clay model story a bit difficult to acknowledge. I have a hunch that BMW intentionally took those pics and spread them on the web to create a stir and anticipation for a forthcoming model.

Also, from the little we have seen, it seems a tad too aggressive for a 5 year old design. Could be wrong though, time will tell.

As you can see current BMW design strategy is focused on coherence, consistency & unity.

This car (design study) is just too radical to fit into current generation of BMW cars. It wouldn't fit well in the current BMW family.

It really looks like an old & rejected design proposal.

Too radical for a 5-year-old design study? What about GINA which was made 10 years ago or so. Being much more radical ... Not to mention for that time very radical Z9 GT Concept ... Or x-coupe Concept ...

It's now clear that some very wild ideas were going on @ BMW AG (especially in designs department under Bangle) but rejected by the Board in the end. Decided for a departure from too radical styling.

The thing i don't understand with this 5 years old thing is that according to You guys and to AB, these design elements like the headlights and grill are future trademarks of the BMW style and will be featured on the next 1 series family, so how can this concept be that old ?

It was GINA Concept who initially featured 3D upturned kidney grille - and it was designed about 10 years ago! So were the thin narrow headlights - although back then the LED headlights wasn't available yet in such extent. It all derives from GINA ... including the "duck tail". Flame surfacing. Avant-garde styling. Etc.

As you see many ideas are going on there. And GINA styling elements have been used (with some modifications) since her creation. And will also be used in the future. So, in eg. 2015 BMW designs will still be influenced by a GINA design study from 1998 / 1999. Isn't that amazing?