Auto Corporation of America

Dorifto_Dorito · 3 July 2017 19:37

_{EST. 1931}

Keeping America Moving

Company Overview

Founded in 1931, ACA was formed when Lansing Motor Company acquired Montpelier Luxury Motor Works and Barnhart Tractor Company, both of which had gone into liquidation following the Great Depression.

Based in Lansing, Michigan, ACA is one of the largest US auto companies with over 190,000 employees around the world. Within ACA are four divisions, Montpelier Luxury Division, ACA Light Truck Division, ACA STO Performance as well as Auto Corporation of Australia.

Detailed Company Lore (TBF)

Detailed Company Lore

Important Companies

Lansing Motor Company

Founded in 1900 by Landen Stevenson. Stevenson would use the money he made from his father's bicycle shop to expand into the automotive industry. By 1925, Lansing Motor Company was one of the largest automotive companies in America and in 1931, Lansing Motor Company would purchase both Montpelier Luxury Motors and Barnhart Tractor Company forming Auto Corporation of America, or ACA.

Montpelier Luxury Motor Works

Founded in 1878, Montpelier Luxury Motor Works were originally luxury coach builders who would eventually diversify into manufacturing luxury automobiles. By 1910, Montpelier were famous in the US for making quality cars as well as modifying chassis. However by the 1920s, the company started running into financial trouble and in 1931 would be bought out by Lansing Motor Company to form ACA.

Barnhart Tractor Company

Founded in 1842, Barnhart Tractor Company initially began manufacturing farm equipment such as steam traction engines. By the turn of the century, Barnhart Tractor Company would begin manufacturing tractors and crawler tractors powered by the internal combustion engine, during WW1 they would help manufacture French FT17 tanks for use with the US and French armies. However, by 1929, Barnhart would suffer badly and in 1931, Lansing Motor Company would purchase the company.

Auto Corporation of Australia

Originally called the Darwin Automotive Group, Auto Corporation of Australia would be founded in 1926 as an Australian Division of the Lansing Motor Company. The company would eventually be renamed Auto Corporation of Australia (ACA Australia) in 1945.

Caliban Motor Company

TBF

Merciel S.A

TBF

Nishima Motor Company

TBF

MEN Nutfahrzeug AG

TBF

Important People

Bailey Read

The last CEO of Lansing Motor Company and the first CEO of ACA, Bailey Read oversaw the merger between Lansing, Montpelier and Barnhart in 1931. Born and raised in Detroit in 1873, Read would become CEO of Lansing Motor Company in 1924 and would retire in 1938.

Kingston Conway

The second CEO of ACA, Kingston Conway was born on July 10th 1902 in Cape Town. He would become the CEO of ACA in 1938 and would remain in that position until 1966. He created the partnership between ACA and Caliban and would remain good friends with Lord Mach I until his death in 1977.

Lord Mach I

TBF

John Emery

Lead designer for Montpelier Luxury Motor Works, John Emery was born in Lansing 1904. He would start working for Montpelier in 1924 as a designer before being promoted to lead designer in 1927. In 1931, he would join ACA as the lead designer until his death in 1950 due to polio.

Denver Andrews

TBF

Lord Mach II

TBF

Samuel Salazar

TBF

Benjamin Whittingmore

TBF

Audie Whittingmore

TBF

Aleichem Ackermann

TBF

Early Beginnings

WW2

Post War

70s Fuel Crisis

80s Optimism

90s

2000s

2008 Financial Crisis

2010 Onwards

Previous Logos

Previous Company Logos

1940’s

1970’s

Montpelier Logo

Automobile Timeline

For those interested in looking at the ACA Group’s automobile timeline click here.

Important Cars (TBF)

1951-56 ACA Corona/ ACA Rio Grande/ Montpelier Crown Cavalry

1956-60 ACA Corona/ ACA Rio Grande/ Montpelier Crown Cavalry

1955 ACA Apache GT/Roadster

1965-1975 ACA RoadCruiser/ ACA Rio Grande/ Montpelier Cavalry

Dorifto_Dorito · 5 July 2017 01:29

Note: No longer canon

#OAM Chevalier 1966

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An original 1966 poster for the OAM Chevalier in Laguna Green

In 1966 OAM revealed their first mass produced car, the OAM Chevalier at the Detroit Motor Show. At the time, OAM were know to produce primarily kit cars, such as the OAM Cavalier Mk1 and Mk 2. With the release of the Chevalier, perception of OAM would shift from a garage company to a fully fledged automotive manufacturer.

However, this wasn’t to say that the Chevalier fared well in the first few months of production. With setbacks and delays on manufacture, the market the Chevalier was aiming for was swamped by other larger manufacturers, leading to poor sales for the Chevalier. It would almost take a miracle for Chevalier to even sell more than 1000 units. But in 1967, there was one…

#The Vice

In August 1966, 6 months following the production of the Chevalier, thousands of unsold cars littered the car park on OAM’s main Indianapolis factory. With nothing to do there but rust, OAM CEO Benjamin Whittingmore attempted to shift at least 800 cars by the end of the month. However, with noone coming to the OAM factory to place an order, the situation was quickly becoming dire.
However, a film director and entrepreneur Nicholas Spencer needed cheap and reliable cars to perform stunts in his latest film, “The Vice”. After being rejected by other manufacturers due to the low prices Spencer wanted, he turned to OAM. Benjamin, desperate to shift cars quickly made a deal with Spencer to provide him with 5 cars as long as the car featured in the film.
Initially, Spencer refused to feature the car, opting to use the chassis to make replica cars, however, Spencer quickly fell in love with the comfort and driveability of the Chevalier, that he decided to give the car a prominent role in the movie, as the antagonist’s car.

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The movie was a massive hit which boosted the sales of the Chevalier and the rest is history.

##Technical Details

CHASSIS
Chassis Type: Ladder Frame
Chassis Material: Steel
Panel Material: Steel
Engine Placement: Front Longitudinal
Front Suspension: Double Wishbone
Rear Suspension: Double Wishbone

ENGINE
Engine: UAC DS Medium Block OHC V8 (90°)
Displacement: 5106 cc
Block Material: Cast Iron
Header Material: Cast Iron
Fuel System: 4 Barrel Twin Carburetor
Fuel Type: 92 RON Leaded
Redline: 5200 RPM
Power: 233 hp @ 4700 RPM
Torque: 387Nm @ 2900 RPM
Weight: 298 kg
Size: 228.1L

TRIM
Drive Type: RWD
Gearbox: 4 Speed Manual
Differential: Open
Tyre Dimensions: F 185/75/15 | R 185/75/15
Brake Type: F: 275/2 Piston Disc | R: 295/1 Piston Disc
Undertray: Semi Clad
Number of Seats: 2+2
Power Steering Type: Hydraulic
Safety: Advanced 60’s
Springs: Progressive
Dampers: Gas Mono-Tube
Sway Bars: Passive
Weight: 1633kg
Fuel Economy: 16mpg (UK)

PERFORMANCE
Top Speed: 136mph
0-100kph Time: 8.47s
80-120kph Time: 5.04s
Quarter Mile Time: 16.39s
Standing km Time: 29.1s
Stopping Distance: 40.5m

#PRICE

$16,770 @ 30% Markup

##More Photos

http://imgur.com/97GUinJ
http://imgur.com/3OQFbeU
http://imgur.com/OTBsyDZ
http://imgur.com/fF3lNHw
http://imgur.com/SxQhtKW

ramthecowy · 5 July 2017 07:26

I have to say, it’s such a good looking car with unique underpinnings and a great story behind it. Love it

Oskiinus · 5 July 2017 08:36

A muscle car that actually turns?
Nice

DeusExMackia · 5 July 2017 09:25

The style has carried over really well in EU4. Back looks really good now.

abg7 · 5 July 2017 15:48

If ever I needed proof that the Chevalier was worth remaking in the UE4 release, this is it. It looks even better than it did previously!

Dorifto_Dorito · 3 August 2017 13:31

Note: No longer canon

OAM Chevalier Gen 2

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_{1982 OAM Chevalier Gen 2 Poster}

Backstory

The 1970’s weren’t a good time for OAM. The 70’s fuel crises and the rising Japanese automotive industry led to poor sales figures. This and the catastrophic failures of the OAM Cavalry and the RoadCruiser showed that the industry was changing. With a new CEO, Audie Whittingmore, OAM had to act fast to change their image and rebrand themselves to keep with the times.

While the 70’s were a commercial trainwreck for OAM, they was a silver lining. Two cars stood out from the rest as a success, the OAM Traveller and Apache. What the two cars had in common with each other was that both were small, both equipped with smaller displacement engines and both were very affordable and easy to maintain. Their success was vital to keeping OAM running and most importantly, was vital in influencing the upcoming designs.

Using those cars design philosophy as a base, a new design team from Japan, led by Yuuichi Tomeo and new technology such as computers and wind tunnel testing, the next generation OAM cars were set to be sleek, aerodynamic and most importantly, fuel efficient.

What would come from this were two cars, both released in 1981, the OAM Chevalier Gen 2 and the OAM Phoenix.

Generation 2 Chevalier

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_{1981 OAM Chevalier Gen 2 V8 in Laguna Green}

Unlike the previous generation, the new “Gen 2” as it was known, was more of a family oriented car. While it retained key elements such as the independent rear double wishbone suspension, the Gen 2 was more sedate, designed with daily use in mind. However, this did not detract from the car’s capability of being sporty. While the 5L V8 was replaced with a 3.5L i6 in the standard model, the more sporty trims retained the V8 in the form of the 3.9L UAC Small Block, found in the Apache. This combined with the new aerodynamic styling and new electronic fuel injection, the Gen 2 was much faster and more manoeuvrable than its predecessor, whilst being larger and heavier.

Gen 2 Chevalier GTi

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_{1985 OAM Chevalier Gen 2 GTi in Midnight Blue}

In 1985, much like the Phoenix, the Gen 2 Chevalier received its a facelift in the form of the GTi series. The chassis was overhauled by ex-Erin engineers who were initial hired to improve the performance of the Phoenix, and were eventually hired by OAM to help design new cars.

First modification made to the Chevalier was the introduction of the new OAM designed “EG170DAT” i6 engine. The all aluminium construction, 4 valve DOHC turbocharged engine was originally developed to be fitted to the Phoenix GTi, was also fitted to the new 1985 Gen 2 GTi. This improved fuel economy and made the Gen 2 GTi as fast as the 1981 Gen 2 ‘Indiana’ with the 3.9L V8.
The next modification came in the form of remolding and redesigning the exterior to be more aerodynamically efficient. With new, more sophisticated computing and wind tunnel testing, the GTi was 20cm shorter and had much better aerodynamic efficiency compared to the 1981 models.

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_{Comparison between 1981 Chevalier Gen 2 (Top) and 1985 Chevalier Gen 2 GTi (Bottom)}

Stats

1981 Standard Model

Price: $17,680 (@ 30% Markup)

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1981 “Indiana V8” Sport Model

Price: $19,370 (@ 30% Markup)

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1981 “Monte Carlo” Premium Model

Price: $22,490 (@ 30% Markup)

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1985 Standard GTi

Price: $19,890 (@ 30% Markup)

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1985 “OverDrive” GTi

Price: $22,490 (@ 30% Markup)

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Dorifto_Dorito · 20 September 2017 21:38

Well since UE4 is now more playable, Ive decided to completely overhaul OAM lore to the point that anything before this post (except the OP) is no longer canon.

bastormonger · 30 September 2017 11:18

Very nice car - the coolest thing about it is the movie poster, though.

abg7 · 30 September 2017 12:56

The Chevalier now looks a lot better… I reckon it would be a real rival to the Maine Imperator on looks alone!

Dorifto_Dorito · 5 October 2017 00:57

Dorifto_Dorito · 5 November 2017 20:54

Note: No longer canon

Several quick Photoshops later…

1938 ACA Corona

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Brief History

Before we get to the car, here’s a brief history lesson on ACA, the Auto Corporation of America.

Founded in 1932 following the Great Depression, ACA was formed from the remnants of three companies, the Lansing Motor Company, Montpelier Luxury Motor Works and Barnhart Tractor Company, all of which filed for bankruptcy during the start of the Great Depression in 1929.

Initially ACA struggled to gain much traction in the market, being beaten by the other major US manufacturers. However, their first majorly successful design would come in 1938. This would be the ACA Corona.

The Car

Originally based of old sketches found in files in the Lansing Motor Company, the Corona was a full-size luxury car made by ACA. The lead designer was John Emery, who previously worked for Montpelier Motor Works and designed some of their best looking cars. With this expertise behind him, Emery completely redesigned the old sketches forming the iconic design of the 1938 ACA Corona.

Underneath the bonnet, was a large block 440CI Short Angle V8. This produced a maximum of 200hp, which was more than enough to move the car in a straight line. Mated to a three speed manual gearbox with a column shifter, the car could reach 0-60 in about 10 seconds, making it the perfect car for mobsters and get away drivers, something the car was notable for.

The interior was plush and filled with places to store wine and cigars. Some models were even fitted with a phonograph. To top it all off, the price for this car was only $18,450 or about $272,683.27 in today’s money.