July 23: What's a nice grille like you.........

What's a nice grille like you doing in a place like this? Common question, eh, although most of us would have dropped the "r". Still, no matter how you phrase it, a car's grille is the main identifier to that vehicle. No matter how novice a car gal/guy is, they can usually id a vehicle based on the grille, even if it is floating alone in space without a car attached. Does anyone not know this one.......

I think that even my blind aunt, who lost her hands while chopping carrots, would know that this is a Rolls-Royce. This grille goes way back to the very beginning of the line and apart from the proportions changing somewhat, it has remained the same (for the purists, yes, I know the logo used to be red). What a grille. Another classic, although not going back quite as far, is this BMW front end......

Again the proportions may change, but this twin kidney shaped grille has remained since the 30's. By the way, what is a kidney shaped like?

A strong brand will try to develop a strong grille, that will carry it thru the years and help it to create brand awareness. There are tons of those BMW twins around, leading folks to think that BMW's sell like hotcakes (well, expensive ones anyway). And they would be correct.

Sometimes designers, in their hunt for individuality, go one or two steps too far. Lexus please take a bow.......

An hour glass figure is great, but this front end has taken some getting used to  -  will it still be around in 2113? Others score highly with their search for brand identity, like the new Mazda's show us........

For some reason this reminds me of a tulip (don't ask), but as it works its way across the Mazda line, it is creating a new Mazda corporate face and in my opinion a very good one. Distinctive without being scary, tacky or just plain awful.

If immitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Aston Martin, must be thrilled........

For those of you who are not fully up to date, the car on the top is the Aston Martin, while the one on the bottom is the Ford Fusion. Sure, Ford once owned Aston, but this front end came out long after their relationship had ended. The result? One of the best looking new front ends out there. This Fusion gets my attention (in a good way) every time I see one (these days a lot). This grille has found it way to the Taurus and is migrating across the Ford line up. What is a nice grille like you doing on a car like that? Happily getting greater exposure, although no one will ever mistake this Fusion for 007's ride of choice.

Getting a distinctive front end, must be like trying to re-invent the wheel. What can they do that hasn't been tried before. Can they make the front end look like a tiger's snout? 

I don't know, can they? Kia calls their grille design a copy of a tiger's face/snout. I can't see it, although my big bro says it is very similar (where are Siegfried and Roy when we need them?). At least they are thinking about the correct end of the tiger, because some designers have copied the wrong end of a horse.

Oh well. Good design and beauty will always be in the eye of the beholder. So what is a nice grille like you doing in a place like this?

Until next time.......