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Hi, I studied car design at Art Center, and got to shake Giorgetto Giugiaro's hand on my way across the stage to accept my diploma. Didn't wash my right hand for a week. And went out and bought my first Alfetta Coupe just a few weeks later. No real connection, BTW. Just coincidence.
Since the added-on hood bulge was a necessity for the larger V6, and was done in-house... someone lost the thread to the fabric that Giugiaro had started weaving. Look at the GTV6 from the side: all curves. Now, look at it from the front view: all crisp creases. The hood bulge follows the theme in front view, but totally disregards it in the side view... by including a crisp fold where the bulge dives back down to the base plane of the hood.
In addition, they added the 'tea tray'... and painted it a contrasting color... on a contrasting textured surface... then added 5 grooves down the tea tray... then decided those grooves should be asymmetrically offset... and then decided the bulge also required that non-functional recess just behind the tea tray! Any one, or even two, of these accents should have been more than enough. In design school, they taught us to be aware of when it's time to put your pencil down.
Or perhaps better expressed, by a friend: "Know when it's time to declare victory, and just walk away."
Regardless, it's still a beautiful shape. And I've even become numb to my complaints above, over the years. The way a GTV6 makes me giggle like a little girl in the corners, more than makes up for any criticisms I might have on the hood detailing !!
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