As far as looks go, the E39-generation BMW 5 Series is arguably the best. Its simple, handsome looks were great when it first came out and they’re still great looking today. The car has aged incredibly well and it’s especially handsome in an era of very fussy designs. However, what if it received some of the “Flame Surfacing” design language that BMW was actually working on at the time of its release? Not only that, what if it were made into a coupe?
In this new video, we get to see The Sketch Monkey give the E39 5 Series a serious makeover. To be honest, most of the design makeover is just adding some of the Flame Surfacing effect of more modern BMWs to it. It also gets fender flares similar to the ones we’ve seen on the new M5. But the biggest change to the car in this sketch video is to its door count.
Rather than keeping it a four-door sedan, The Sketch Monkey decided to remove the two rear doors and turn the E39 5 Series into a two-door coupe. It’s a radical design change and one that I’ve never even thought of. However, it actually look surprisingly good, when it’s all said and done. Without its rear doors, and with obviously longer front doors, the E39’s design is quite handsome.
What’s interesting is that, after the entire design is done, I see a lot of E46 3 Series Coupe in its design and even hints of the original 8 Series. Though, I’m no design expert, so maybe I’m just nuts. But it’s interesting to think of what could have been with this design idea. A potential BMW 6 Series could have been made from the E39 5 Series chassis with a design similar to this and it would have been cool. It might not have sold well, or been a good car to sell at the time, but it would have been cool nevertheless.
