Did BMW start the headlight eye candy craze?

Im seeing a lot of talk on Jalopnik about the wave of "headlight eye candy" thats just recently sweeping the automotive industry. That meaning instead of just making a headlight just for functionality, extra lights are added for accents, and well just to make the car look cooler. More specifically about the use of LED's to make cool designs in the lights. I know audi started the whole LED craze, and now you see Merc, and many more car companies doing it, but correct me if im wrong, but isnt the audi LED "teardrop" a direct response to the iconic BMW corona ring "angel eye" that appeared on the E39 in 01? If so, then BMW has the right to say it started the whole designer headlight thing. Everyone seems to think Audi is responsible. I could be wrong though. I just dont ever remember seeing a cooler headlight assembly before the debute of the Angel Eye.

Angel Eyes have become trite: I saw some today on an earlier Camaro, done with a ring of LEDs!

I hate seeing Angel eyes on other cars. It just doesn't look right. I can deal with them on some motorcycles but on other cars it's just blasphemous!!!!

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well technically Audi started the LED running lights theme since original AEs were CFFL. but yes, BMW started the modern trend of using actual lights instead of just the housing as styling elements

Every time someone says look how everyone is copying audis headlights i tell them that Bmw started this whole thing with the e39 in 2001. and audi didnt come up with those untill around 2006 if i remember correctly.

I have seen the angel eyes on new mustangs, camros, and dodge pickups around here. Not sure if all are aftermarket or not. I remember five years ago my friend was putting them on his accord. Deaf alot of wannabe's. The e39 is the most aestetically perfect car ever built.

... except for Angel Eyes. As I said above, they are trite.

Originally Posted by MikesE39

Every time someone says look how everyone is copying audis headlights i tell them that Bmw started this whole thing with the e39 in 2001. and audi didnt come up with those untill around 2006 if i remember correctly.

Thats what I thought. I guess Audi gets all the credit, because their lights were brighter, and noticed first i guess. The AE's on my E60 were so dim, even with the LED backlights, could only be seen at Dusk/night, and by then, you need your headlights on. That was before I went with the orion V2s. And I agree, BMW is the only one that can pull the look off so flawlessly. Any other car, and well . And its funny, becuase BMW started somthing that grew into a trend phenomenon, its bigger than they probably ever imagined. Everytime I hear somone say they want aftermarket headlights, they just have to have the Halos on them. I have a friend who has a late challenger R/T, and we go back and forth talking crap about each others cars(he rags on my E60) but when he told me he wanted to get AE's for his car, I laughed and said "then it will actually start looking good, it will start to look like a BMW" After that he asked me how it would look like a BMW, and I told him that the Halo design is a BMW look, BMW started it. He really diddnt know that. I think BMW started somthing that got bigger than they thought, and no one gives them credit, because no one knows they started it

BMW started it, Audi improved it. The rest copied it.

^ Well said.

Bmw made celis > mecury stole it > lexus did a horrible attempt at it > merc had a bit if celis on a GL i think.

Audi made their version, and i kinda feel bmw copied it on the F01 on.

As far as angel eyes go, bmw was the first to kick it up a notch!

To be technical, let's just say the Germans started it. Not sure who supplied the headlights for Audi initially, but they switched to Hella in 2008.