 The "split" grille design first appeared in 1923 on the Alfa Romeo sports car.In the 1930s and 1940s, automobile manufacturers became creative with their grille designs.Some of these designs were bell-shaped (Buick, Chevrolet, and Pontiac), split and slightly folded (Silver Arrow, Mercury, 1946 Oldsmobile), cross-shaped (pre-war Studebaker Champion models, 1941 Cadillac, 1942 Ford), while some including Packard, Rolls-Royce, and MG-TC models still followed the older arch-shaped design.