Engine Design-Where has it gone?

Beauty is in the function.

The national SHO Owners Association has just recently finished their national meet in Nashua, NH. One of the highlights, for many, was being able to get up-close to the new 2010 SHO from Ford. Most came away very impressed and the comments on the various on-line communities sing it’s praises. The one thing that really bothers me is the engine cover. One of the major joys in the original SHO models was found under the hood. The engine design was an example of functional beauty(see the picture of the SHO V6 above). Today we are finding these covers everywhere, from family sedans to high$$ luxury vehicles. What has happened to our automotive world when engines are hidden under plastic, steel or fiberglass. To me, the design of the engine in my 91’SHO is right up there with the best from Ferrari or Aston Martin.