Grille (car)

Gravel shield installed on 1930 Packard Eight Roadster
1930 Packard Standard Eight roadster without gravel shield
1952 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV with the emblematic Parthenon style radiator grille. Top and front surfaces look dead flat but are actually a few thousandths convex, so they will look flat in accordance with design principles learned from the ancient Greeks.[1]
Crown Victoria Police Interceptor black honeycomb grille
Stylized "crown" grille on a Toyota Crown
The front design of this Tesla, Inc electric vehicle lacks any functional or cosmetic grille

In automotive engineering, a grille covers an opening in the body of a vehicle to allow air to enter or exit. Most vehicles feature a grille at the front of the vehicle to protect the radiator and engine. Merriam-Webster describes grilles as "a grating forming a barrier or screen; especially: an ornamental one at the front end of an automobile."[2] The word 'grille' is commonly misspelled as 'grill' which instead refers to the cooking method. Other common grille locations include below the front bumper, in front of the wheels (to cool the brakes), in the cowl for cabin ventilation, or on the rear deck lid (in rear engine vehicles). Grilles evolved from previously installed gravel shields that were designed to protect exposed radiators typically used on cars until the early 1930s.

  1. ^ David Scott, "World's Fussiest Car Factory", Popular Science, p. 97, (May 1960)
  2. ^ "Definition of "grille"". Merriam-Webster online. Retrieved 19 August 2014.