REVIEWS PART TWO: THE PODIUM
And then there were three… Joseph sat at his table, sipping his soda again. Not quite as many useful entries as expected, but at least there were three. He had two El Caminos, and one Coupe - he was slightly crestfallen that the only convertible had been so unsafe.
Subjectivity
His gaze went to the Coupe first, the GTR. Their plan was quite radical, removing all the panels and swapping them out for aluminium. If you ignore the spoiler, the exterior does look very authentic to the original, but… That panel swap just bugged Joseph. Would it really be authentic with brand new panels? Add in a turbocharged V8 with an aluminium block and head, and the authenticity is gone.
Next to one of the utes, the Sunset Garage Chevelcamino. The front fascia has been moved and rearranged - it’s still a classic look, just not the Camino’s classic look. Under the hood, it’s the same - the V8 has been replaced with an absolutely immense V10 that would belong in a Viper. The car reminds Joseph of a certain talking car from the 80s, somehow. The car is certainly unique and aesthetically pleasing. It may not be an authentic Camino, but it’s certainly an authentic slab of muscle. The side-exit exhausts and custom rims add to the uniqueness, but the lack of badging is somewhat odd.
Finally, he looks at the renders of the Mons Racing El Camino. It certainly looks more like an El Camino than the previous one, with a modernised twist on the front fascia. The long side exhausts are brash, and a little impractical, but guaranteed to grab attention. The authentic, original badging is a nice touch as well. The hood window is attention-grabbing, showcasing the original engine. Well, the original-ish engine - it seems that a new valvetrain has been fitted. There is one sticking point to the authenticity, though - where the other two went with a 6-speed stick shift, this build goes with a Dual Clutch transmission.
After looking with his heart, Joseph is still bothered by the aluminium of the GTR. With the coupe lacking the eye-grabbing features of the other two, he ranks it slightly below the utes, so far.
Objective-ish
Time to see how these perform out in the real world, thinks Joseph. The builders have all provided expected some simulations of expected performance.
Let’s start with the drag strip, Joseph’s favourite pastime. The Mons is the immediate standout, getting up to 100km/h in under 4 seconds - half a second in front of the GTR, and almost a whole second in front of the Chevelcamino. Despite its slower acceleration, the Chevel manages to surge ahead over a quarter mile, recording the same 12.19 as the Mons - the GTR is only a tenth behind, however, despite its extra seats.
Comfort, meanwhile, is a lot more lopsided. While GTR and Chevelcamino went with lightweight, race-style seats and high-grade entertainment, the Mons uses a hand-made interior and the best entertainment on the market. This makes the Mons much, much more comfortable than its competitors.
Both utes feel prestigious in their own ways. The coupe feels prestigious too, but… Just a little less. The coupe does make up for it, however - its manufacturers claim that it is sportier around a circuit, giving a better overall driving experience than the two utes. The Mons and Chevelcamino both feel similar, if the transmission is ignored.
Final Results
Coming in third, we have...
@george_m997 - G’s Project Coupe GTR
It was a pretty nice effort, all told. Unfortunately, you sacrificed a lot of authenticity with your massive panel swap - but your exterior was heavily based around looking authentic. The back seats did effect your quarter mile marginally (removing them put you on par with the utes) but the drag strip was so close among the top 3 that it doesn’t matter much. Ultimately, prestige and authenticity mattered more than sportiness and safety, in the top 3.
Coming in second, we have...
@HelloHi - Sunset Garage Chevelcamino
This was a really, really nice build. You win a lot of points for the uniqueness of something so clearly not a Chevrolet, but lose a few for the inauthenticity of something so clearly not a chevrolet. Ultimately, you are second less because of anything you have done, and more because of what the Mons did.
Which means that in first, we have...
@cake_ape - Mons Racing El Camino
So, uh… This is a touch awkward, as Cake hosted the first round. The thing is, he read the build best and delivered the best build in the stats that were listed as important. With a blisteringly fast 0-60 despite the extra weight of a luxurious, hand-made interior, the Mons dominates in the “headline” statistics. It is the most authentic of the top three, and the hood window is a nice touch. It’s about even with the Chevelcamino on the subjective stats, but the 0-60 and Comfort give it an insurmountable lead.
The winner of the challenge is Cake_Ape
However, I believe hosting should be offered to @HelloHi first, for the sake of variety. For hosting’s sake, top 5 ranking, including binned cars, is:
Cake_Ape
HelloHi
george_m997
karhgath (a decent car all around, with a wonderful driving experience and a very unique body)
HighOctaneLove (a very detailed car, let down by its safety and a rather low comfort score)