The initial belittlement was from Mauro though, just more concealed.

You’re right, but you can’t use the word ‘scam’ for it. It’s an avenue that should be explored fully and may or may not lead somewhere. A scam would imply it’s a conspiracy where the players already know the unsuccessful end result, but are hiding it and using funding or similar for other end purposes.

Isn’t this true for most cars announced way ahead of their time?

The defaults are great.