Few car designers have split public opinion quite like Chris Bangle, but equally few have been so intimately involved in such a wide range of cars.

From his first showing at Opel, to the last car he personally designed every line on - the Fiat Coupe - to his renowned and slightly controversial fllame-surfaced sketches at BMW, Bangle has left a permanent watermark on the industry and those within it.

Even the design chief of Mercedes, Gorden Wagener, said: “Chris is a true visionary and a lateral thinker. He was always ahead of his time and created cars and products that were the same. He is an inspiration for every young designer and so he was for me.”

Bangle himself was able to share some insight into his way of thinking. Speaking to Autocar, he said: "I recall the CEO of BMW asking me if the newly designed E46 3 Series had “too many lines” (I answered by paraphrasing Mozart when the King told him ”Too many notes'' - he asked back “Please tell me which ones to take out.”). 

"There's a role for timeless, classic beauty in cars but like any art form I think the real trick is in creating new concepts that change our idea of what is wonderful and getting our minds to be stretched to fit them. If it turns out such a design ages well, ok, then I suppose that's a good thing too. But every generation has different eyes.” 

This idea draws a parallel with BMWs current design philosophy, given the firm has continued to launch some polarising cars well after Bangle's departure in February of 2009.

But what about his greatest hits? Join us as we look back at some of the cars he either drew himself or presided over.