Susan Sontag, in her essay On Photography, called cameras "fantasy machines whose use is addictive." Just like cars. Therefore, taking photos of cars should be exponentially more fantastic and addictive. This makes us wonder: what's the most photogenic car?
The premise of this question is that there's a difference between being beautiful and photogenic. We believe the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione is one of the most beautiful cars in existence, but this is a fact not easy to prove merely in photos — especially press photos. In person, it's breathtaking, but this doesn't always translate to photography. Subtle, curvaceous bodywork is wonderful in the flesh, where you can appreciate it. The lens favors sharper angles, numerous levels, recessions.
This is why the Audi R8 manages to be the most photogenic car in our eyes. It's both an extremely attractive vehicle and one with the appropriate amount of ornamentation to look great portrayed either in pixels of red, green, and blue, or in a matrix of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. One look at those cat eyes, taken in the dark, and it's clear this was a car built by the eyes not by the hand.
(QOTD is your chance to answer the day's most pressing automotive questions and experience the opinions of the insightful insiders, practicing pundits and gleeful gearheads that make up the Jalopnik commentariat. If you've got a suggestion for a good "Question Of The Day" send an email to tips at jalopnik dot com.)