BMW is a brand that builds its cars around a single philosophy - to be the ultimate driving machine. That's what the purists want, but lately the Munich-based brand has been experimenting with other facets of car design to remain competitive with its rivals. Thus, the brand has adopted a new design language that has been received in a less than enthusiastic manner, to say the least. The new BMW 4 Series is the latest victim, with massive grilles dominating the front of the recently unveiled coupe. While the next Mercedes S-Class will also have a large front grille, BMW's new styling seems like a bad joke that digital artists like the folks at Other People's Cars have been quick to rectify.

In the single photoshopped image, OPC took the BMW M440i with M performance garb and reimagined what it might look like with a more traditional front end. Gone is the BMW 2000 CS-inspired grille, and in its place, we see a traditional kidney-style grille with a lower air intake integrated into the front bumper. The rest of the front end remains largely unchanged, but the simple adjustment made to the grille has a remarkable effect on the overall appearance. Some may argue that the BMW 507 also had massive grilles and is now one of the most beautiful cars the world has ever seen, but we quite like what this new render shows.

The difference is that the 507 had elongated grilles that added visual width. New BMWs on the other hand, look condensed, skinny, and like they're in desperate need of a set of braces, nowhere near as stylish as the classic BMW 328 Roadster of 1936. Will BMW's new direction grow on us further? Will we one day hail today's Bimmers as design icons? It's tough to imagine, but nothing is impossible. Nevertheless, cars need to sell today, not in 50 years. Here's hoping that the next 3 Series isn't as adversely affected by the big-grille obsession. More than that, let's hope that the next M3 and M4 are so good that nobody cares what they look like.