BMW GINA Light Visionary Model, Gloss Black

Chris Bangle became BMW's first American head of design in 1992 and spent more than sixteen years taking the brand's shapes into new territory, from the Z4 roadster to the much-debated E65 7 Series. The GINA was among the last major projects revealed under his leadership, and in some ways the most radical: having spent years exploring what pressed metal could do, his designers did away with it altogether, wrapping a movable frame in fabric. The car was shown in June 2008; eight months later, in February 2009, Bangle announced he was leaving BMW, handing over to his long-serving deputy Adrian van Hooydonk.

In deep gloss black with a red interior, this is a dramatic pairing: the paint turns every hollow in the body into a pool of reflection and throws the red cabin (seats, door cards, steering-wheel rim) into sharp relief. The silver split-spoke wheels, the paired tailpipes and the open headlamps stand out brightly against the black, and a carbon-weave diffuser fills the tail. The plaque, carrying the BMW roundel, sits on a stitched grey base. Built at 1:18.