Rick,
The PT was actually not a bad retro job for the mild car enthusiast who needed space and a low cost looker. Nesbitz (sic) was hot, until he got a big head. I think Detroit designs all suffer from lack of taste and identity.
I've always liked Vettes, just not sure I would buy a new one when I could build something better than GM can, given the funds for a one-off project. Then again, I'm not sure I would buy a new anything. The current Vette looks very good (but for heaven sakes...if anyone buys it, lower the thing! The ride height screws everything up), and the Vette line has always maintained some identity and taste (forgot the early 80's Vettes...no that pretty, but not too bad either, and what was that stupid wagon vette thing?
)
For the amount of money Detroit spends on development, they could shed a 1/4 of it off to get some good engineers and designers (don't be offended you Detroit engineers). It's probably the way Detroit does business/operates that creates the environment which produces what we see coming out of there.
I wanted so badly to work for a big three company when I was in school, but after realizing how I would fit into the place, it wasn't an option for me. I'm not bitter at all, but imagine being a very small cog in a very large machine. When there are so many loose cogs in the large machine, the final product can turn out any which way, and there isn't anything any one person can do about it.