An extra $100 for sail panels isn't going to set anyone back to the point where they quit racing, cost should be a non factor. They require no more work than a set of windows, in fact if they get bent up, they are a lot easier to straighten out than a window, a lot less work.
It really has nothing to do with trying to make them look different, especially at a track that only has one modified class. It's more of a functionality deal. The thought of doing something different than the same boring bs we do year after year makes the thought interesting to me. I don't have any issues with the current bodies, it would just be nice to mix it up.