Were 986/996 headlights stylish back in the day?

[fusionist]

I think the original poster is correct. They were stylish when they came out. I remember the first time I saw them I was amazed at the update. You could see the 911 headlights inside them, but everything was smoother. There were design books that picked this for the cover:

[Porsche9]

I remember when the 986 and then the 996 came out I was disappointed about the move away from the traditional round headlights but appreciated the new tech and the design possiblities for the rest of the car due to the new headlight design. From my perspective the design, especially with the amber turn signals, has not aged all to well but I may be influenced by Porsche going back to more traditional headlight shapes for the Boxster and Carrera.