I don't think you're at all alone in this regard. I also like to see the whole car the way it was designed to look. I really don't like to see the underside of a hood, and I try to avoid that as much as possible.

However, sometimes I also like to see a closeup of some unique features. I think a lot of people show these because they can't get a good shot of the car without a lot of people or other cars intruding into the space. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have available.

I don't think you're at all alone in this regard. I also like to see the whole car the way it was designed to look. I really don't like to see the underside of a hood, and I try to avoid that as much as possible.

However, sometimes I also like to see a closeup of some unique features. I think a lot of people show these because they can't get a good shot of the car without a lot of people or other cars intruding into the space. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have available.

For me, a little of each is ok. I don't like to see cars with ends cropped off, when it's supposed to be the whole car, but I will shoot details like grilles, taillights, engines, radiator caps and hood ornaments, and interiors when I think they are interesting in and of themselves.

I go to outdoor car shows exclusively, and have never attended one of those fancy Concours events, so cars lined up next to each other with people milling around, vendors' tents in the background, and all the other distractions are just a part of the experience. I try to make the picture about the car, but sans heavy editing, it is not usually possible to completely isolate a vehicle from its surroundings. I will shoot as many angles as I can, and then include details of any interesting parts or trim that stand out to me. The ideal in this case would probably be to post the whole car along with the details, and try to please as many people as possible.

As for details being artistic, auto design used to be an art form, and the designers of the classic cars have earned a place in the history books. Names like Virgil Exner, Harley Earl, Raymond Loewy and many Europeans concentrated on bringing these details together into designs that will be admired forever, a distinction that is not likely to be earned by today's computer-designed models.