 Later his proposal for the E46 compact, inspired by the legendary BMW 02 a 3 volume 2 door coupe, would be transformed after his departure from BMW to the basis for the first generation 1 series.The coupe and cabrio versions were very close to Zapatinas proposal that was used as the design basis during the 1 series development.In 1998 he became chief designer at ALFA ROMEO Centro Stile.He directed the following projects