Hartge’s Vertical-Grilled E63 BMW 6-Series Was Clearly Ahead Of Its Time

Much has been said about BMW’s current design language, particularly the car manufacturer’s ever-growing front kidney grilles. With the new 4-Series making its official debut today, the subject of its ~~double coffin~~ huge grille is bound to become the main topic of discussion about the new coupe.

Yet, it’s not like we haven’t seen controversial-looking Bimmers before. The E63-generation 6-Series designed by Chris Bangle is widely regarded as one of the most controversial BMW coupes in recent memory. Nevertheless, back when it was on sale in the mid-2000s, German tuning company Hartge set about improving the car’s looks. And this is what their idea of “improving” was.

Read: 2021 BMW 4 Series Coupe Puts A Bold Face To A Dynamic Coupe Body

Ditched were the better proportioned grilles of the E63 6-Series and sitting in their place were a pair of enlarged grilles that stretched down towards the base of the bumper. As if that wasn’t weird enough, Hartge then added small additional grilles next to the headlights while also designing a custom bumper with fog lights.

The example pictured is also riding on a set of Hartge wheels with a chrome finish. This particular car started out life as a 645Ci and received a 5.1-liter V8 engine delivering 420 hp and 384 lb-ft (520 Nm) of torque.

While Hartge did produce some ungainly cars like this 6-Series, the German tuner founded back in 1971 was responsible for some more tastefully-modified BMWs too, including the Hartge H23, based around the E30-generation 3-Series. Hartge also worked on other cars, such as the Mercedes-Benz 300E and a host of Range Rover models.

Now, one may love or loathe the 2021 4-Series Coupe, but clearly Hartge was onto something with their tuning job. Or maybe it’s pure coincidence; in any case, we’ll never know, as the tuning company was liquidated in mid-2019.