Can you Imagin how much mileage DC would get in the press,(including the mainstream non automotive press) and what an overwhelmingly positive response they would get from the public if they actually let the enthusiast have a heavy hand in the design on this car.
Seriously, The Viper has one of the most loyal fan bases on the planet. We care about the car....it's one of DC's image monikers and DC wants to make money. It seems win win all the way around. I never understood why auto companies have never taken this step(not some token ownersgroup to express itself in a limited voice)
You want to make money and pioneer a new trend in the auto industry that you can trade on in the media and your advertisements for years to come.....Stop telling us what the car is going to be, and take us serious as to what we tell you it will be.
Hold a contest, let people submit designs, let owners vote and build it. I hope you guys at DC are noticing that here and ViperALLLey(the other website that actually HAS MORE ACTIVE USERS)the overwhelming majority of people like the photo chops a lot better than that sub par thing you rolled out at VOI. The marketing writes itself for a campeign such as that.
A stunt like this would start chiping away at the Vette loyalty base....the strongest of all automotive cults. As much as we or DC would like to spin, lie or marginalize the Viper/vette fued, that does not change the fact that the Vette is the sportscar of America. We often think that the Viper is not in the Vettes league, while this is true, this is about Branding and the winning of hearts and minds for the title of Americas sportscar. The Car designed by the people for the people would go along way towards catching up to 50 years of corvette having been ingrained in the American automotive landscape.