Well a quarter century ago a lot of firms had the it seemed like a good idea at the time of asking "is copying the 40 year old Beech 18 really the best way of building aircraft", and produced alternatives.
The Piaggio P.180 was the only one to survive - Natural Selection Rulz.
And while the Starship may have made it into the air a few month ahead of the Avanti, the transitional forms of the Piaggio runs back a half century
P136 Gull 
1957 P166 Albatross
Straighten out the gull wind, give it a T-tail, foreplanes, sex up the aerodynamics, make it out of plastic, and fit turboprops and Avanti! 
It's Evolution!