They can afford pretty much anything that they want. In the past, they've not been very moved by the community moaning; it shouldn't be different this time around.
Personally, I'd tend to assume that the legal problems explanation for the delay is the most probable hypothesis. Indeed, if they felt the car could be released back then in December, what could have gone so wrong with the physical or graphical development of the car that would make it non-patch worthy? We've got the model in the viewer, and it seems correct, at least there are no blatant bugs to be seen. So it has to be something much deeper, something that the devs can't work around very easily.
I don't think Scawen would release the patch without the Sirocco in it. Didn't he say that the patch containing the Sirocco would basically have nothing else in it? Maybe it's not true anymore, but if it still is, that means there's nothing else to be released for the time being.
Personally, I'd tend to assume that the legal problems explanation for the delay is the most probable hypothesis. Indeed, if they felt the car could be released back then in December, what could have gone so wrong with the physical or graphical development of the car that would make it non-patch worthy? We've got the model in the viewer, and it seems correct, at least there are no blatant bugs to be seen. So it has to be something much deeper, something that the devs can't work around very easily.
I don't think Scawen would release the patch without the Sirocco in it. Didn't he say that the patch containing the Sirocco would basically have nothing else in it? Maybe it's not true anymore, but if it still is, that means there's nothing else to be released for the time being.