I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with the looks of the E86... on the one hand they're stunning, and look so much better than so many other similar cars... on the other (as you AI proves, IMHO) they could have looked so much better.
The render looks like an E86 mated with a 911 and an F87 M2.
I don’t think anything could have been done to make the real E86 any better looking.
It’s a stunner and completely stood the test of time.
Got to say the original looks so much fresher that those excellent renders. They are a bit beefcake for my taste. I do like the way that the hard join has been tempered between the roof shell and the rear wing. I hate that you have lost the Z crease from the front wing. That has always been the best line on the car for me. 8) Generaly the render reminds me of an Nissan 370Z
Nice AI work.
Funny you posted this as I think the only small part of the E86 that would make it nicer (in my opinion) is the shape of those headlights.
I was trying to visualise something similar to E30 style lights in a staggered and more squinty style behind a lens.
That said I prefer the original looks of the top picture for sure.
Its unique shape is arguably the stand out reason I bought my one.
That and the N52 engine is a winner for me. 8)
Just to be clear feel free to say if you hate it...this literally took zero effort on my part. I just uploaded a picture of my old e86 and wrote "make it look like a more modern version". By the time id made a cuppa this is what it had come up with.