An observation
Jun. 21st, 2005 05:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thepeopleseasonAbout two years ago, I had BMW send me the BMW Films on DVD--the series of short film/commercials starring Clive Owen as "The Driver," a sort of mercenary-behind-the-wheel-for-hire. The set includes shorts by Guy Ritchie, Wong Kar-Wai, John Frankenheimer, and John Woo, all about a different job for The Driver.
I mention this because it was in these films that I first saw the BMW Z4 Roadster. I've ridden in the earlier incarnation, and I always thought the styling of the Z3 left much to be desired. In my opinion the Z4 has a better look--more streamlined, less clumsy. So imagine some two years later that I finally see what's one of the neatest style choices on the Z4.
Pictured at the right, you can see the Z4's side marker. On just about every other car, the side marker is just a simple reflector lens, generally that safety yellow/orange color, stuck on the side of the car, blinking in unison with the turn signals. Most car manufacturers will try to make the side marker unobtrusive. The Z4, however, incorporates the side marker into the design of the car--surrounding the BMW emblem is a concave circle, and when the turn signal turns on, it backlights the emblem. Way cool.
So why did it take me two years to discover this? Why do all the "car people" I tell this to not already know about it? I guess average BMW drivers (in Atlanta, no less) tend to eschew the use of their turn signals...
I mention this because it was in these films that I first saw the BMW Z4 Roadster. I've ridden in the earlier incarnation, and I always thought the styling of the Z3 left much to be desired. In my opinion the Z4 has a better look--more streamlined, less clumsy. So imagine some two years later that I finally see what's one of the neatest style choices on the Z4.
Pictured at the right, you can see the Z4's side marker. On just about every other car, the side marker is just a simple reflector lens, generally that safety yellow/orange color, stuck on the side of the car, blinking in unison with the turn signals. Most car manufacturers will try to make the side marker unobtrusive. The Z4, however, incorporates the side marker into the design of the car--surrounding the BMW emblem is a concave circle, and when the turn signal turns on, it backlights the emblem. Way cool. So why did it take me two years to discover this? Why do all the "car people" I tell this to not already know about it? I guess average BMW drivers (in Atlanta, no less) tend to eschew the use of their turn signals...
