Porsche 912 and Alfa GTV6: a Study in Contrasts
Sunday, June 19, 2011 at 10:13AM 
I went on a country drive with my buddy James the other day. He has a gorgeous Porsche 912 in a beautiful shade of Dark Green. His car has been previously featured on Automobiliac, but this time it was out on the open road. I found it fascinating to compare the two cars aesthetically. One is the epitome of prewar low-drag theory (from Dr. Erwin Komenda) taken to its logical and aesthetic conclusion, with a sloping tail and tapering organic curves. The other represents late 1960's aerodynamic thinking (aka "the wedge"), with a kick-up over the trunk lid, and more of a kamm tail. All the contours are folded crisply rather than rounded off, providing more planar surface area for downforce over the hood. While the 912 is undoubtedly more beautiful than the GTV6 they make a fantastic pair when parked together. We drew lots of looks, especially from the local police...
Alfa Romeo, Design, Porsche 912 in Musings
Reader Comments (2)
wish i coulda been there.
well, maybe not for the finale.
Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder...The "911" shape has never been 'beautiful' to me. Organic, yes. Flowing and sculpted, maybe. But not a stop and look at it for several minutes kind of thing. Quite frankly, I've always thought they look like a crouching toad. Especially in green... {and yes, I have owned a 911; in yellow]
The GTV6 is also not a car that can be called "beautiful" , like say a Ferrari 250 GTL most certainly is, but I find it quite pleasant aesthetically. And loads of fun to drive and listen to. I don't know,maybe its a function of age or environment, but if the two are sitting side by side, I will spend more time gazing at the Alfa.
Cheers