Recently, we had the privilege of getting an early look at two volumes from the captivating three-book series, authored by Steve Saxty. The titles we explored were “BMW by Design” and “BMW’s Hidden Gems.” Seizing this unique opportunity, we invited Saxty onto our podcast to dive deep into the narratives behind some unknown BMW projects and designs. A standout chat was about the BMW i16 Supercar, a project shrouded in mystery and ultimately shelved in 2020.
Saxty didn’t stop there; he shares with us tales of BMW’s innovative design endeavors, such as the BMW 2K2—a conceptual forerunner to the 1 Series—and the 2002 Turbo Hommage, among others. His insights provided a rare glimpse into the intricate world of BMW’s design philosophy and the uncharted paths the company has navigated over the years.
Over the course of a few years, he had unrestricted access within the BMW design studio in Munich where he had a chance to chat with designers, engineers and board members. He also interviewed former BMW designers, like Chris Bangle and Karim Habib who provided more insights into the design history of BMW. There are a lot of great stories in the book, so as you expect, the narrative behind them is quite interesting as well.