Ekhm… Balthazar Kilimanjaro RS? 
######Or, being immodest and aiming at something more expensive… Zavir Avventura Sportivo - yes, it will be a thing, and will have well over 400hp :>
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That’s true and well, I may have in fact already created…Umm I mean ‘tested’ ST-R versions of a certain CUVs. So they are definitely on the cards.
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@ramthecowy @szafirowy01 Interesting! I guess I’ve just become a bit bored of it? They still exist in the old universe though…
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As far as April Fool’s Day jokes go the X-iMOTiOn is up there with the very best; that said, if Erin actually had to enter the crossover market, it would have been exactly what they would build - sharp looking and great to drive (for a crossover, anyway), as Erins have always been.
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#1996 Erin Scarlet (Mk 3)
It’s the big one! The one Erin fans cite as being the best car the company has ever made - the Scarlet Mk 3.
Overview
With the Scarlet now clearly looking like a car that would be one of Erin’s defining marques for all time, the need for a seriously good third iteration of it was great. Erin let nothing get in the way of making this car phenemonal - an all new chassis, the very latest innovations from the X Department and no expense spared in refining this thing into the greatest drivers car ever made by the company.
The result was a premium sports coupe that could rival most supercars in terms of performance, was elegant enough to fit in on the French Riveria and gave any lucky owner one of the best driving experiences you could ask for.
Design and Styling
The Mk 3 was a departure from previous generations, with curvier and narrower front end features, no more pop-up headlights, a shorter bonnet and completely unique tail light design. It was modern, fresh and tasteful, with just enough menace to hint at the power that was under the bonnet but very welcoming too.
Differences between the Lex and X trims were more prominent here than on any other version of the Scarlet, with the latter featuring a bulged bonnet, side vents at the front and rear and flared wheel arches.
Engineering
Specialist steel alloy chassis, composite body panels and even aluminium were used to make up the monocoque chassis. Sadly, increased safety regulations forced the car to be heavier than before, but Erin were able to accommodate for this well. Major advancements were made with the suspension, where semi-active dampers were utilised.
Computers also found there way into the new engine management system, which could adjust performance based on need. The Mk 3 certainly had an edge of advancement to it, but it never got in the way of the car; at the end of the day, Erin had still designed this as a two door performance coupe.
Power and Performance
A brand new version of the 3.8l V8 was designed for the X trim, with adjusted bore and stroke to make a more rounded unit. It now featured independent throttle bodies, race-derived injection system and a bespoke performance exhaust, and knocked out 394 hp, almost 100 more than the previous generation. The Lex trim got a fully reworked 3.3l V6 which produced 270 hp.
Both manual and automatic gearboxes were available, the latter being the first 6 Speed unit that Erin had ever made. On the X trim, 0-60 took just 4.6 seconds and it topped out at 183 mph. While noticeably heavier than the previous generation, this encouraged a slightly softer suspension setup that created a rounded driving experience that was sharp and exciting enough to be pushed to the limit but didn’t twitch quite like the previous generation.
Results
Upon release, the Mk 3 Scarlet received major acclaim and was widely praised as being one the best cars Erin had ever made. Its feel on the road was quickly picked up as being its best feature; although very capable on a track, it was most at home on a B road. Indeed, much of the marketing campaign was filmed in the Yorkshire Dales to reflect this.
The innovations made with this car would find there way on to the Berlose X-AllDrive, also from that year, and the two cars quickly became seen as a ‘power couple’ of the automotive world. Indeed, this connection is believed to have increased sales of both cars, and was hugely influential on future Erin cars.
Where the Mk 3 took really precedence though was on the race track, more specifically in the FIA GT Championship. Here, along with the ErinSport GT95, it embroiled itself in the hotly contested GT1 battle of the 90s, and heightened its fierce rivalry with the 911. Around the world, it would also compete in the GTR Euro Series and various IMSA Series too. And, of course, it raced at Le Mans every year of its production.
Prices and Specs
Lex Trim - Engine: 3.3l V6
$27860
~$45500 today
X Trim - Engine: 3.8l V8
$36450
~$59600 today
End of the Scarlet and its return
But, it would sadly all come to an end. By the end of the 90s, Erin was moving in a new direction, and the highly inefficient Scarlet didn’t quite fit in to the new focus on economy and wider-market cars. Further to this, the new GT01 had become the main focus for Erin[color=turquoise]Sport[/color], reducing the need for another GT racer. So, in 2002, the Scarlet ended production without replacement.
That was where the story ended, until 2013 when it was announced that Erin had a new Scarlet in development. And, in 2016, it finally arrived. Some have speculated that the real reason the company ended the Scarlet in 2002 was because they couldn’t make a follow-up that was as good, though the only people who truly know that are the company executives, more specifically former CEO Marco Erin, none of whom have ever given a definitive answer.
Boom! At last, a proper post for this car. Comments, critique, complaints, constraints, constitutions, constituents, constabularies and Confucianism theories are all welcome! And as before, please post/link any rivals to this car 
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Not quite a true rival, but the 1996 Storm Knight GT-4T could possibly get close enough to give the Scarlet a good scare.
The amount of time between versions has changed it up a bit, but while it’s more expensive now (at $27,160 @40% markup) than it used to be, the stats it boasts have also gone up.
0-60 in 5.3 seconds, 159 MPH top speed. 2.6 liters of MP-EFI driven Inline 4.
As said, not quite true competition, but, much like any of the Erin/Storm rivalry, they compete in different ways.
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Zavir on the other hand obviously has sth competing nearly directly… There’s of course the Nova Volante III, but meh, that would be too obvious (and I don’t even have a prototype of it). Let’s use sth fitting better 
Now I only need to change the engine for something that doesn’t produce about 500 hp 
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Kudos making that body somehow work. I was going to make a Assoluto version of a 456 GT but the body wasn’t co-operative.
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@Madrias Nice! Glad to see you think there is a bit of a Storm/Erin rivalry, and I especially like it that the competitor car in this case has an i4 under the bonnet.
@szafirowy01 Must be big engine for 500 hp in the mid 90s!
@Deskyx Cheers 
did take a fair bit of work but I got there in the end. Also, big up the Ferrari 456, seriously underappreciated!
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It’d be a very light rivalry, granted, but a mild rivalry is still a rivalry. We typically build in opposing circles, with Erin keeping to what they do best, and Storm trying to cover all markets, at least from what I’ve seen.
As for the Knight having an I4, yeah, it’s pretty much never gotten anything else but an I4. If anything, that’s half the defining feature right there of the car, an above-average-sized I4. Sure, the '96 Knight is a 2.6, but it set the precedent, and that’s all that mattered.
Of course, once the Unreal Update happens, well, that’s when the proverbial other shoe will drop, and we’ll see how well I can do with my alternate company and their lore. Though from preliminary testing, Sinistra cars seem competitive with their Storm counterparts, despite being company-lore-forced as RWD only, so if I can refine that, there’s bound to be rivals between Erin and Sinistra.
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I am quite sure that the 2000 Albury Crusader III would have made an excellent rival to the Mk 3 Scarlet. In addition to being lighter than the Scarlet X (thanks to its all-aluminum structure), this 100% Australian-made and developed supercar (still built in Albury, NSW, just like its predecessors) also had more power - its all-new, all-alloy V8 displaced 6.2 litres and cranked out more than 400 horsepower, plus a shedload of torque. Unsurprisingly, its straight-line performance was superior to that of the Scarlet X as a result.
To add insult to injury, a convertible version of the Crusader III was also offered, while the Scarlet was only available as a coupe. And when you factor in a 30% markup, both versions of the Crusader still came in at under $30k, significantly undercutting the Scarlet.
In short, the Crusader III delivered much of the performance and style of a 550 Maranello at a far lower price. In fact, it was so good that a few engineers at Albury were actually disappointed that Erin had thrown in the towel after a long 16-year rivalry, just two years after the Crusader was redesigned.
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Sooooooo, IMP has their own reverse-engineered out-of-a-Race-car chassis that could handle more than the 230hp of its most powerful variant…
…and our Company lore has stated for years that a 3.8L high output V8 was due for Release in 1997.
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@madrias Good to hear that you’re planning for UE4, I really look forward to seeing what it brings for Sinistra (and indeed every other company on here). Great name too, by the way!
@abg7 Aha! Excellent. An Australian Dodge Viper then? That should’ve certainly provide plenty of euro v aussie comparison
@Awildgermanappears Well it’s an honor being in the same league as a the 260R frankly, so
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The Scarlet was such a strong rival to the Crusader that, had it been replaced immediately instead of going on hiatus for 14 years, Albury Motors would have had more pressure on them to produce a legitimate rival. As it was, they had free reign when developing the Crusader MkIV, because when it was launched in 2006, Erin no longer had a direct rival in its lineup, forcing Albury to benchmark it against other brands’ cars instead.
As for the redesigned Crusader MkIV…
It had gained some weight compared to its predecessor, but had a direct-injected engine for sharper throttle response and improved economy. As soon as it came out, its striking, futuristic appearance won it a new legion of fans, and it is very likely that Erin would have been regretting its decision not to replace the Scarlet Mk 3 by then.
As a side note, the original 1985 Crusader had a redesign incorporating retractable headlights and a fastback rear end during the transition from concept to production.
In definitive production spec the Crusader Mk1 had a front end more closely resembling a Testarossa than an NB MX-5, so please let me know whether you like this one better or not.
At any rate, could the original Crusader have been the catalyst for Erin’s introduction of the Scarlet? With so much power under its hood, it seems very likely…
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There’s always the 1996 Adagio Leggiero 
EDIT:
Here are the stats then, I didnt want to post them because they would be too shocking…considering that the car only costs about $35,250 (@ 50%) Oh yeah, did I mention that it comes with luxury interior
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@abg7 It probably would have had an influence over Erin’s introduction of the car, but the main reason was really to return to making sports coupes like Erin had been doing prior to the 1980s. Though considering both cars would have both been competing in the same class, the Crusader would certainly have been an important area of research for Erin in the development stage.
@Dorifto_Dorito Now now, come on, you can’t come in here with a car that looks that good and not give us any specs! 
That front end has an almost 250 GTO-meets-Daytona vibe going on, yet it looks so right for the 1990s. Gorgeous!
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Ive just added the stats btw…theres a reason why i didnt post it initially…
Wow! Very similar price, far more comfortable though, and it seems to be a bit softer with that lower sportiness? Has it got an automatic gearbox?
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Nope manual, but Adagio are more luxury focused than speed focused. But it doesn’t mean they didn’t make a race version of the Leggiero for GT racing…
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