The Spider entered production a few months before the GVT, but I don't know which model was designed first.
My comments on the basic design can be found at the link above. Here I focus on the design of the passenger compartment greenhouse and how it relates to the rest of the car.
Gallery
A for-sale 1996 Alfa Romeo Spider showing the character line that wraps from the sides around the convertible top's cover. Note that its side angle is echoed by the side cut line of the rear bumper assembly.
Side view.
Side view of a for-sale 1996 GTV. The passenger compartment greenhouse extends as far as the aft edge of the rear tires. This alters the side character line found on the Spider, better blending with the crease defining the rear fender. The effect is to make the GTV more graceful, less chunky-looking than the Spider.
High view of the rear, factory image. The wraparound character line of the Spider is retained, but at the lower edge of the backlight window.
Two dramatic factory views of the GTV. Below are photos of a for-sale 1996 GTV that offer a more realistic sense of the design.
Front quarter view. The strong character line give the impression that the upper part of the car was grafted on the lower part. As I noted in the Spider post, the convex rear fender shaping makes the aft part of the car seem fat, though the rear fender line fold (hard to see here) slightly lessens that effect.
Rear quarter view. That character line is distinctive, but its effect is unsettling to me. Those angled lines somehow do not seem appropriate for a speedy, sporty car. Makes it appear somewhat static.
My comments on the basic design can be found at the link above. Here I focus on the design of the passenger compartment greenhouse and how it relates to the rest of the car.
A for-sale 1996 Alfa Romeo Spider showing the character line that wraps from the sides around the convertible top's cover. Note that its side angle is echoed by the side cut line of the rear bumper assembly.
Side view.
Side view of a for-sale 1996 GTV. The passenger compartment greenhouse extends as far as the aft edge of the rear tires. This alters the side character line found on the Spider, better blending with the crease defining the rear fender. The effect is to make the GTV more graceful, less chunky-looking than the Spider.
High view of the rear, factory image. The wraparound character line of the Spider is retained, but at the lower edge of the backlight window.
Two dramatic factory views of the GTV. Below are photos of a for-sale 1996 GTV that offer a more realistic sense of the design.
Front quarter view. The strong character line give the impression that the upper part of the car was grafted on the lower part. As I noted in the Spider post, the convex rear fender shaping makes the aft part of the car seem fat, though the rear fender line fold (hard to see here) slightly lessens that effect.
Rear quarter view. That character line is distinctive, but its effect is unsettling to me. Those angled lines somehow do not seem appropriate for a speedy, sporty car. Makes it appear somewhat static.
A good article. Love to read more related topics.
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