BMW has been making cars since 1929, which has given it time to produce plenty of epic models. While the automaker's recent design trends are a divisive subject, especially when it comes to the kidney grille, a newly-unveiled, highly-exclusive BMW model may have solved the design crisis behind the Bavarian models’ highly controversial front-end styling. BMW recently revealed a solution that comes in the form of a spiritual successor to the BMW 3.0 CSL, which is based on the G82 M4, and it may give us an insight to what future interpretations of the kidney grille design will be like…hopefully.
BMW’s Idea Of Retro-Futuristic Design Is The Solution
The limited-edition, 2023 BMW 3.0 CSL is not just an M4 dialed up to 11. Each of the body panels has been redesigned in order to pay homage to the 1973 BMW E9 3.0 CSL. This includes the front fascia, which features, not the twisted, stretched, or widened interpretations of the kidney grille, but a much simpler design, reminiscent of the old days.
By all accounts, it seems like BMW is attempting to redesign its iconic kidney-grille design, by looking into the past. The elongated pieces we see on the current M3 and M4 models was said to be a throwback to the 1936 BMW 328. The new interpretation of the classic design did not bold well with enthusiasts from the start, but occasionally, the premium badge does let you get away with controversial decisions.
Not Just Homage, But A Proper Successor
The 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL, based on the E9, was a homologation special for the European Touring Car Championship. With 1,265 units made, it certainly isn’t a common sight on the road, especially after 50 years of its first introduction back in May 1972. The G82-based 3.0 CSL may not be a homologation special, even though there is the BMW M4 GT4, introduced a few months back, but it follows the same principle of high exclusivity, motorsport know-how, and radical styling. It was the latter that earned the original 3.0 CSL one of the coolest automotive nicknames – the Batmobile.
BMW’s “Pig Nose” Grille, Necessary For Cooling?
A video by Donut Media explains how the so-called, pig nose grille, is limited to the M3 and M4 models. They can feature up to seven radiators that cool anything from brakes to engine coolant, engine oil, and transmission fluid. Function over form, then. But if that is indeed the case, it really begs the question; why doesn’t the more track-focused, more powerful 3.0 CSL have the controversial kidney grilles? It’s hardly BMW’s way to choose form over function, especially on a car like this, which means they must have found a way to get ample cooling without making their cars look like sin.
The Most Powerful BMW Inline-Six Engine Doesn't Need A Big Kidney Grille
To add to the previous paragraph, the B58 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six has been beefed up for the 3.0 CSL, so it’s now rated at 560 horsepower. More power naturally generates more heat, and BMW engines are known to typically run a bit hotter than most other road-going models, in pursuit of getting maximum energy yield from the fuel.
Given BMW’s recent proof of downplaying their output figures and the fact that the M4 CSL was measured at close to 600 horsepower, suggests that the neo-retro model will likely be in the same ballpark. The G82 3.0 CSL is also strictly for the purists as it comes exclusively with a six-speed manual. The point is, if the classic kidney grilles provide ample cooling for the high-performance 3.0 CSL, they are going to work on all other BMW M models.
Is The Classic Kidney Grille Making A Comeback?
Over the past century, BMW’s most distinctive feature, the kidney grille, has been redesigned numerous times to fit various models as well as to cope with the evolution of automotive design over the decades. The simplest kidney grille design seems to be coming from the 1970s with models like the BMW E9 and E21.
The nickname “kidney grilles” came with the 1933 BMW 303, which featured long kidney grilles, so technically, the 2020 BMW M3 and M4 may have gotten the idea right. The execution of it is another thing altogether, but given that the upcoming, 2024 BMW 5 Series has adopted a more retro-futuristic design, it’s safe to say that there’s still hope for a more conventional kidney grille design to appear in the near future. We also know that BMW has a mid-cycle refresh in store for the current M3 and M4, so we'll just have to wait and see if it takes some inspiration from the 3.0 CSL.