Carl, it sure seems with the advent of those hideous looking engine covers, that most of the manufacturers started putting function over form. Seems they're trying to "hide" the engine from view or perhaps they're just trying to hide all the ugly emissions junk.
Thank God the Italians still consider their engines to be artwork - they even put glass over the engine bays for some models so you can enjoy looking at the engine without opening the hood. This is a Ferrari FXX sitting over at Ferrari of Houston.