“Hofmeister Kink” is one of the most common used words when describing the details of a BMW exterior design. But how many of us do really know what it means or the history behind it?
Let’s shed some light on this.
The kink was first time seen on the 1961 BMW 1500 and was later named after then-BMW director of design, Wilhelm Hofmeister.
Image Source NewMediaCampaigns
The kink describes the bend at the C-Pillar, representing a turn in the window lines that separates the rear side windows from the rear glass. The Hofmeister Kink design cue was carried through the BMW lineup and it soon became associated with the brand.
The latest 2009 BMW 7 Series models are still “carrying” the Kink, but re-interpreted in a more modern style.
There has always been a debate on the Hofmeister Kin whether was born out of necessity in the first auto designs or it simply represents a sign of luxury.
According to the fellows at NewMediaCampaigns, different auto brands use the Hofmeister Kink to distinguish between similar models of different marques, setting different levels of luxury.
The Hofmeister kink is said by BMW to subtly highlight the fact that all BMW models have rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive with a rear-wheel bias.
If the next generation BMW 1 Series renderings are accurate, then we might be seeing the first modern BMW without the Hofmeister Kink.
[Source: NewMediaCampaigns ]
13 Responses to “What is the Hofmeister Kink?”
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It’s “Hofmeister Knick”
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofmeister-Knick
@PeterB,
from what I know, it goes by 3 names: Kick, Kink, Knick, I believe the last one is the German version.
“If the next generation BMW 1 Series renderings are accurate, then we might be seeing the first modern BMW without the Hofmeister Kink.”
Oh, what a sad day that would be. But I wouldn’t put any money on renderings. They’ve never been close to being accurate.
Thxn for this i didn’t have any idea of this
That’s an interesting observation about the other car companies and the Hofmeister Kink.
@Gord: Very interesting, but I don’t take credit for that. The NewMediaCampaigns guys put that photo together.
nice compilation. big fan of these random interesting stuffs that come up in this blog.
VERY interesting indeed. But that’s not an E90 in your photo. It’s an E93.
First modern BMW without a Hofmeister Kink? I don’t think so. Even if we ignore the convertibles: What about the E34 touring? Z3 coupe?
…the x3.new x1 i dont think theres hofmeister there either…good notice for e34 touring i didnt have that model on my mind cos its very rare in serbia…and ofcourse z3 ,but it was beautiful even so..the x1 is good but x3 is discussable…they should design better alternative for such a suv models…and new one series will have hoffmeister kink,i can bet on it…this theme should be better discussed….
E36 tourer did not have one either.
I doubt the new 1 series or other BMWs for that matter will not feature the kink, which is pure BMW
The Hoffmeister Kink is actually not original to BMW, it is predated by a number of cars that had it in the ’50s, and should properly be named “the Loewry Kink”. The most prolific user was Studebaker.