BMW’s kidney grille is inarguably one of the most iconic, eternally-recognizable design motifs throughout automotive history. So much so, that a BMW without a kidney grille is absolutely unthinkable. Not without function, the distinctive shape of the German automakers’ radiator grille is a hallmark of every Bimmer out there.

Nevertheless, as is the case with every piece of technology and throughout automotive history, across the world, the BMW kidney grille, too, has undergone changes in design over the decades, evolving with the times and new steps in car design. Here is how Bayerische Motoren Werke’s kidney grille has evolved through the years.

10 Began With The 1933 BMW 303

BMW 303
via wikipedia

Not only was the 303 BMW's first-ever six-cylinder model, but it was also the first car off the German automaker's assembly line which sported the iconic split-kidney grille design which characterizes the brand's car to this day. Of course, it began as a functional need, owing to the six-cylinder engine needing quite a bit of cooling.

BMW 303 Roadster
via supercars.net

It is no secret that split radiator panels were not new at the time. However, what BMW did was place the logo right between the curving arches of their grille, achieving this beautiful design. Thus, it was the BMW 303 that set in motion the shape followed by every single BMW car, even today, and was one of the most important cars in the company's history.

RELATED: These Are The Most Important Cars In BMW's History

9 Post-War Changes In The 1956 BMW 503

Black 1956 BMW 503 Cabriolet
Via Artebellum

By the 1950s, automotive technology had taken significant steps forward, and gone was the time when the radiator grille needed to single-handedly cool the engine. Thus, as the need for the massive kidney grille went away, so did much of its size.

Red 1956 BMW 503 Cabriolet
Via BMWClasico

The new grille now was of a medium height, with chrome plating all around it. Additionally, this design fit perfectly into the front fascia of the 503. Of course, the new kidney-shaped grille had support from two horizontal slats on either side of the bottom of the front bumper, helping with cooling.

8 A Differently-Designed Sibling: The 1956 BMW 507 Roadster

BMW 507 Roadster
Via Wallup

The 507 Roadster came out just alongside the 503, despite clearly being a step ahead in the design department. The fact that it was the first BMW to feature horizontal air intakes lends to its historical significance. However, this design wouldn't become common on Beemers until the 90s. Go figure.

1958 bmw 507 roadster
Via: carscoops

In fact, the 507's horizontal grille design was actually functionally necessary this time around. After all, the Roadster was housing a V8 engine under its hood, and the radiator needed all the fresh air it could get. Moreover, the BMW 507 also set the trend for the 'sharknose' design which extended the hood for design and aesthetic purposes.

RELATED: 10 Things Gearheads Forgot About The BMW 507

7 1961 BMW 1500: United For The First Time

BMW 1800TI front
Via: Goodwood

The 1960s began what is called the 'New Class' of models by BMW- a landmark time for the Germans where they turned over a new leaf- commercially, technically, and aesthetically. For the first time yet again, a new design emerged, where the two kidneys were joined together with no separation.

BMW 1500, 1961
via Wikimedia Commons

This was certainly the narrowest the iconic grille design had ever been. Moreover, they were placed smack dab in the middle of two more horizontal slats that ran along the width of the car and housed the dual headlights on either side. In fact, this design seemed to work so well for the makers in Munich, that it pretty much ran unchanged until the 80s arrived.

6 1950s through the '70s: If It Ain't Broke...

BMW 1600
via AutoEvolution

BMW decided to run with the dual kidneys in the middle with the bumper-covering horizontal grilles for well over a decade. Thus, the 1500, 1600, and even the 1800 and BMW 2000 models had the same kind of grille design. In fact, it became almost two decades, until the M1 arrived in 1978 to shake things up.

1979-BMW-M1
Via: BMW

Then, the BMW M1 arrived, with an all-new (relatively-speaking) grille. This was BMW's mid-engined sports car, and BMW would have been remiss to leave out the iconic grille design. Clearly, these were among the smallest air slats ever seen on a BMW.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Why The BMW M1 Was Awesome

5 BMW 3 Series: A New Generation

BMW 3 Series 1990
via BMW

The 1990s saw the heralding of an all-new generation at BMW, and with the new technological leaps and bounds, came a new grille, too. This time around, with the 3 series, the radiator grille was halved again, and a lot more rectangular. Moreover, the headlights didn't sit atop another air intake slot, but simply fused with the bumper.

The 3 series, over years of evolution, came to define the grille design for each car on the BMW lineup. Over the years, the grille has become wider, and with the 2011 generation, the grills were clearly horizontal. In fact, the headlights now elongated on the inside to meet the kidney grills on either side, creating one of the most beautiful BMW designs to date. In fact, this is a design that is quite prominent on the 5 series as well, which is clearly influenced on the front fascia by the 3 series, and rightly so.

RELATED: These Are The 8 Best Versions Of The BMW 3-Series Ever

4 Going Electric: 2013 BMW i3

Green BMW i3
Via: BMW

A radiator grille is definitely something that is completely unnecessary on an electric vehicle. However, BMW demonstrated just how ingrained and important the traditional kidney grille design is to them by ensuring that even their electric outing, the BMW i3, came with the same design.

BMW i8 - Front
Via BMW Media

Following that, in 2015, when the i8 sports car came along, it had a similar, traditional split-kidney grille design that everybody knew it would sport. Undoubtedly, the blue accents along with a similar design will be present on all of their electric models that come out of Munich.

RELATED: BMW iX Crossover Looks Electrifying, Except For The Kidney Grilles

3 2018 BMW 8 Series

BMW 8 Series 2018
via BMW

The BMW 8 series built upon the existing grille design language precedent set by the 3 series and followed by the 5 series. Nevertheless, evolution is inevitable and this time around, the grille was distinctively angular. Moreover, it also plunged a little outside, curving downward to show the design's focus on the road.

BMW Z4
BMW media

Then came the BMW Z4, with its wide and pentagonal, non-conjoined kidney grille design. Furthermore, for the BMW Z4, there weren't any vertical slats, per se. Instead, BMW infused the grill with a beautiful tri-arrow design, with all of them pointed downward.

RELATED: How BMW's Early History With Roadsters Inspired The BMW Z4

2 2019 BMW 7 Series

BMW 7 Series 2022
Via BMW

There's a world of difference between the 3 and the 7-series BMW models. Visually, it all begins at the front- the grille could not have been wider on the 7-series, with the BMW X7 and the rest of the 7-series sedans. The split-kidney grille design language is still here, as it was obviously going to be.

BMW 7 series
Via: Hans Johnson, Flickr - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

However, the 7-series came with larger, more significant, and a lot more eye-catching grilles. Additionally, BMW used a similar headlight design as with the 8-series a year prior, and we've seen a similar aesthetic across their models since. Thus, BMW seems to be on the path to having both their grille and now their headlight design become iconic and traditional as well.

1 2021 BMW 4 Series: Polarizing At Best

2022 BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe front view
Via: Press.bmwgroup.com

Ah yes, what many consider a devolution of BMW's iconic kidney-grille design instead of an evolution. The 4-series, on first look, has every single hallmark of every design language the BMW grille has gone through- it is wide and tall like the 303 and X7, it replaces the tri-arrow grille design with horizontal, chrome slats, it's not conjoined, but not completely separate either.

2022 BMW M4 Competition Convertible
Peter Nelson

With the BMW M4, BMW received worldwide backlash for the new design of the grille, which almost everyone mocked. However, as is the case with everything else, people eventually began coming round to it, even though many purists would still prefer a bleach eyewash overlooking at the new M4 front fascia.