"Body War" is too strong, but it sounds good. There's no sniping between the camps and people are keeping things mature which is great. But there are definitely camps formed here on the forums.
I am firmly in the RodneyO camp. I'll get that out of the way.
I think a lot of this comes down to what people consider a HoF design. To some, myself included, a brash, shocking design is what sets our hair on fire. We want something bold that grabs attention forcefully. HoF means grabbing the eye and making it bounce around from one design element to another, each one eliciting a reaction while forming a whole that the eye just can't look away from. When our hair ignites, we want an explosion and nothing less will do.
To others, hair ignition is about a sweeping fire; like igniting gas along a concrete floor and watching it smoothly slide along the surface until everything is in blue and yellow flame. They want a car that coaxes the eye, leading it over smooth curves and design elements that flow gracefully from nose to tail; classic curves that might have graced the drawing board of some of the Italian masters. The reaction to the design should be a swelling crescendo that leaves the viewer speechless.
Both opinions are valid. But they are mutually exclusive. Even the Aston Martin DBS, one of the most successful designs at trying to appeal to both, ends up being a compromise. (Granted it's an incredible looking compromise, but it's still a compromise.) So ultimately, there is no one design that will win the hearts of everyone. I don't think the chosen design will win the hearts of much more than half.
That is the mountain that Dave has made for himself. And I don't envy him this decision.
Now if only we could get an 818 template in front of Adrian Newey... *head explodes*