#1 but with black wheels. Have you tried the rendering with black wheels like you did with the purple schemes?. I think the black top to red to black again at the wheels would look awesome.
The black top to body color below reminds me of some of the old T/A cars having body color on the sides and either black or white on the top, so I kinda dig that retro racer paint scheme. It also separates the black tires from the black sides - makes both the tires and wheels seem like a tied-in accessory having black on top v. next to them.
BTW, that car looks awesome period - dig the renderings.
Thanks guys for all the comments on Ned's project. Ned, it was nice meeting you at SEMA. Someone actually took the promo page that you dropped off! Ned's cuda will be awesome. He has some great ideas and vision for the final product. The final paint scheme is my favorite and I think everyone will like it.