Alright, so there's been a lot of negative feedback on the final design for the 818R. I have a proposal that may renew excitement for some. What if Dave committed to making the next body style closely based on a contest entry?

We've still got a possible coupe and targa. Perhaps Dave would consider usin Jim's car only for the track version, leaving the roadster open to a different design. I think that the high mpg is out for this because it should be designed by some university with the resources to design for minimal drag.

Dave really has no obligation to the contestants to use a contest design, just to award prizes to the winners. His real obligation is to future customers. If you were once genuinely able and interested in being an 818 kit buyer, but are now saying that you are "out," would such a commitment renew your interest? Outside of the current forum community, could a true crowd sourced design generate more press and therefore more customers?

If such a commitment were made, what is the best candidate?
* Nouphone?
* Xabier?
* Rodney?
* Vman?
* Whetstone?
* Some other long forgotten entry?

Try to judge not just on looks but also on how functional and budget-buildable a design may be and what may need to be changed to bring it to production.

For refresher, where is a link to the entries:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/album.php?albumid=160