BMW’s Heritage, The Kidney Grilles’ Evolution

Stroll down memory lane with BMW as the company pays homage to their trademark kidney grilles, which has been a stamp of almost every BMW vehicle ever made.

BMW’s exterior design specialist Seungmo Lim said, “We have a strong design history. A hallmark makes a car recognisable and the double kidney is one of our icons. Nevertheless, BMW design has to be reinterpreted and translated into the future again and again.”

Bayerische Motoren Werke’s (BMW) kidney grilles has a heritage of almost 90 years and BMW Group Malaysia, is reminiscing on ten design milestones of their trademark’s evolution throughout the generations.

First on the list is the, 1933, BMW 303. It was the brand's first model with a 6-cylinder engine, and first to feature an air intake through a double kidney grille. The grille has a centre bar-divided radiator mask, rounded at the top and bottom, with the BMW emblem placed between the upper arches.

Next up is the 1956, BMW 507 Roadster. It was the first BMW to appear with two large, horizontally mounted air intakes. The large-format air intakes were a necessary design, as they provided the only source of fresh air for the radiator of the roaring V8 engine under the flat bonnet.

Following in third is the 1961, BMW 1500. This model has inspired the front-end design of the BMW models up to the 1980s, which includes the BMW 3.0 CS, CSi and CSL. The kidney grilles were narrower than all previous BMW models and fitted between two horizontal grilles that spanned the whole car.

Fourth is the, 1978, BMW M1. The first-ever M line independent model and among the smallest trademark to decorate a BMW. Its deep-drawn front-end layout cleverly integrates ultra-flat air inlets, while still brandishing the distinctive double kidney as a defining feature of the brand.

Onto the fifth which is the, 1990, BMW 3 Series. This front-end design has been seen on many BMW models of the 1990s. The flat and horizontally mounted kidneys had a rectangular shape with slightly rounded corners and separated from the headlamps by the surfaces of the car’s body.

Coming in sixth on the list is the, 2013, BMW i3. The flat, wide double kidney, with closed surfaces and blue accents, signifies the identity it dons as both a BMW vehicle and an innovative electric vehicle. Plus, the closed kidney grilles improved the aerodynamics of the BMW i3.

Ranking seventh is the 2018, BMW 8 Series and BMW Z4. The grilles are in a new angular framing, which are connected and horizontally mounted with a wide pentagon shape. The 8 Series has a camera for the driver assistance systems in the middle of the brace connecting the two halves of the kidney.

On the Z4 however, the kidney grilles are unconnected and they serve as secondary air intakes with an active air flap control system that closes as required to reduce air resistance. BMW’s sportiness is emphasised by the kidneys ‘opening downwards’, symbolizing a lower centre of gravity.

Eighth is the, 2018, BMW 3 Series Sedan. Its kidneys are positioned higher than the upper edge of the headlamps, extending up into the bonnet above a bend. The upper edges of the headlamps are connected to each other by the edges in the kidneys. Some familiar features are present like, connected kidneys, directly connected headlamp surfaces and pentagonal frame shape.

At number nine is the, 2020, BMW 4 Series Coupe. It is the latest double kidney design for the company’s series of production vehicles. The focus was on the individual design features, which include the large, upright, and forward-leaning BMW kidney which commands the front of the car.

Lastly are the 2018, BMW Vision iNEXT and 2019, BMW Vision M NEXT. The purely electric BMW Vision iNEXT’s double kidney has a closed surface which houses sophisticated cameras, sensors, and other technologies for assisted and automated driving. This function is called ‘shy-tech’.

As for the hybrid sports car, the BMW Vision M NEXT, a sculpturally strong double kidney enclosed within glass emerges, with engraved surfaces of stylised BMW logos. Illumination of the two kidneys incorporating a spectacular colour gradient projects a mesmerising three-dimensional effect.

“The present design of the vertical double kidney is a bridge to the future. To take this bold step forward, we have looked into our past for the future,” he further commented.