Side exhaust is easier, but rear exhaust looks cooler. [8D]

I went against the grain some years ago and mounted a RE Rossi .61 into the nose of a Tiporare. What a pain it was to shoehorn the engine into that narrow nose. But I did it, and it sure looked cool with the pipe slung under the wing centerline (I modified the plane with a removable half-bellypan and semi-pipe trough with appropriate reinforcement in the wing). If I had it to do again, I'd go with a side exhaust engine. The Curare might be a tough one to find that weird Magic/Curare RE header for, unless you have it already.
Any .61 engine that runs strong should make it a bullet.

Rick