New photos have come out of the new generation Quattroporte today, and it's a step in the wrong direction. I fear they took what I felt was a very special car --the last true Italian GT sedan-- and turned it into a mix of Mercedes and Hyundai styling dreck. Now the Gen 1 Quattroporte always had a headlight cluster that I found unappealing, but the rest of the car was just sublime enough to forgive that one flaw. With the new generation, the boring, conventional headlights really kill the design. The rear end is even worse, basically using warmed over cues from the Gran Turismo that don't work well on a sleek sedan. The Gen 1 rear end was one of the all-time cleanest, most timeless ass-ends ever. Why did they mess with perfection?
As retaliation, please enjoy my own proposal for the headlight cluster I would like to see on the Quattroporte. First, they reference the compelling "cat eye" shape of the original 1960's Quattroporte's lights. Second, they tie in much more closely with the well executed, and crisp grill treatment going on. I felt that this nicely creased form language should carry into the headlights and front fenders. Right now there is a disconnect between the flush-mounted Hyundai lights and the super crisp grille and hood treatment. Last, I decided to outline the headlight opening in an LED ring so that when the headlights are off, you just see a nice clean ring profile that accentuates the shape of the opening. I think you'll agree the resulting shape is far more exotic, more consistent, and more differentiated than what they actually did.
Click HERE for more photos of the new Quattroporte. Try not to wince when you see the back end!
Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 4:23PM 
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