Erin and ErinSport - Historical Thread ['62 Erin Ghaleda]

##1996 Erin Berlose X-AllDrive

One of Erin’s greatest cars from their 90’s renaissance. A truly exceptional super saloon that could happily hold a candle to the M5 and still offered a thoroughly unique driving experience.

Combining some excellent performance ingredients; all-wheel drive, Erin’s 3.8l V8, an aluminium body, active sport suspension; and integrating them into the current Berlose chassis, the result was a 372 bhp, 168mph missile that could out compete almost all it’s rivals when it came to 0-60 times and was phenomenal on a track.

Not only that, but at 1726kg, it was noticeably lighter than its rivals, even with its full leather interior and advance safety equipment. A range of driver aids came as standard, while later versions included sat nav, rear seat TVs and 7.1 surround sound.

At £40,000, it was well priced against rival vehicles, and even if the economy left more to desire, it remained an excellent long distance cruiser.

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##2015 Erin Merna XEco 2.4

Many recent hot hatches have been truly crazy and incredible - just look at the new Honda Civic Type R - but often limit their potential customer base with high prices, big running costs and impracticality.

The Merna XEco aims to work around these problems while still providing a sporty driving experience.

Powering it is a tuned Pureron 2.4 Turbo i4 used also on the Tauga and Berlose. However, the above-average displacement means it can get more power - 213 bhp to be precise - with better efficiency.

With prices from just £20800, it’s a lot cheaper than its rivals and not far away from the prices of the top-of-the-range Merna’s. Yet, with a Limited Slip Diff, mounted to a double clutch sequential gearbox, active suspension and vented disc breaks, it’s by no means a lightweight. 0-60 is dealt with in 6.4 seconds and it tops out at 149 mph. Plus it’ll lap the Green Hell in a spritely 9:03.55 seconds.

So, the performance stats won’t alarm your insurer too much, and the economy stats will certainly please them. 41 mpg and super low emissions place this car just a little below average of a normal family hatchback, and better still, it retains the excellent practicality, safety and ease of driving you’d expect from a Merna.

This is the hot-hatch for someone who wants the best of both worlds - performance and usability - without compromising almost anything.

This car competed in [Round 7](viewtopic.php?f=39&t=9081&start=420#p101854](http://www.automationgame.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=9081&start=420#p101854) of the Car Shopping Round.

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[size=150]1976 ErinSport Civera Silhouette BRC76[/size]

Sports car racing had been ErinSport’s domain for some time by 1976, and the Civera Silhouette was the most successful. Having been entered in Group 5 racing since 1968 with a variety of turbocharged prototypes, Erin wanted to expand into Group 4 and also advertise their vehicles a little better. A homologated Civera was the answer.

Debuting in 1971, the Civera Silhouette was a masterpiece of a race car. Well proportioned, well balanced and very versatile, it had seen use with a variety of engines, teams and raced right across the world; certainly a successful career, but 1976 would sadly be the last year for this vehicle. With the Mk 2 Civera on the way, Erin would soon discontinue the chassis…

…but not without a bang. ErinSport decided to make the 1976 BRC season its grand finale, with a tumultuous version of the car that took the new displacement-to-weight ratio limit to a whole new level. Under the bonnet was a 5.7L all-Aluminium V8, made in flat plane configuration in order to shoehorn it into the car. That was, as near as makes no difference, the second biggest engine ErinSport had ever developed, and one of the most powerful too. At 550 bhp, the Civera Silhouette BRC76 was more powerful than some supercars today, meaning back in the mid-70s, it was positively insane.

In return for this huge displacement, the car had to be fitted with a steel body, a change away from the aluminium and Kevlar-composite used on previous versions of the Silhouette. Still, it made it very safe, and the extra weight allowed them to fit a large fuel tank and made the chassis very rigid. Even with all that weight, the vented disc brakes could stop the car in just over 32m.

Style wise, the Civera Silhouette BRC76 had all the bases covered. Big wing, stylised intakes, black plastic, ridiculously flared wheel arches and the twin centre exhausts, a trade mark of ErinSport’s design team.

One special edition of this final edition was made for the 1000km of Hockenheim, the opener of the 1976 season. The engine was configured to run more efficiently and the suspension setup to be kinder on the wheels. Despite this, the car could still maintain the 5.3 second 0-60 time of the final edition and topped out at 180 mph (and 8000 rpm, at which point the engine was so loud, it could start earthquakes halfway across the world).

This car competed in the BRC76 QuER 1000km of Hockenheim: viewtopic.php?f=39&t=10060

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This car has been redesigned. For the original, see here: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7461#p80409

[size=150]2011 Erin Super Aventa[/size]
To lead its new design style, Erin launched a new super saloon, aimed at being one of the fastest 4 door cars in production. This car was the Aventa; a highly advanced, imposing and extremely quick car.

This particular model is the ‘Super Aventa’. Rather than having a sporty X Tuned trim version and a top-of-the-range Vox trim version, Erin decided to combine the two into one ultimate version, creating an ultimate blend of luxury and performance.

The Super Aventa is capable of 199 mph and 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, making it one of the fastest 4 door cars on the planet. Inside, the lavish interior and wealth of features means comfort is guaranteed. As standard, the Super Aventa comes with features such as adaptive cruise control, voice control, 360 degrees viewing cameras, in-car WiFi, moving rear seats, curtains, two champagne coolers (with storage space for champagne flute’s) and an 11" touchscreen infotainment system.

Alongside this, options include mood lighting, shag pile carpet, advanced high-speed collision safety technology, Bang and Olufsen designed sound system and adjustable sound proofing.

Don’t think for a moment that all the focus is on luxury; under the bonnet lurks a 5.8l V12 that knocks out 548 bhp to the rear wheels via an 8 Speed Automatic transmission with LSD. This gives the Super Aventa mountain’s of torque and means that with XMode engaged, the car behaves more like a muscle car than a limousine.

Even with all this luxury, the Super Aventa still keeps the environment in mind with its huge use of recycled materials, a combined cycle of 23.8 mpg and low emissions.

[size=150]AutomationHub Page: automationhub.net/company-ca … rmodel/599[/size]
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Ok, so the forum has switch has slightly ruined all of my previous posts in this thread. I may change some of them, but…well, its effort :stuck_out_tongue:
In the mean time…

1992 ErinSport Merna BTCC92

The arrival of the Mk 5 Merna in 1992 heralded the end of boxy Mk 4, and finally gave ErinSport a new platform to play around with. With Group B long gone and the new Group A rallying rules settling in well, ErinSport were keen to develop a rallying version of the new Merna.

At the same time, they were also keen to return to BTCC, having left the competition a few years prior due the uncompetitiveness of the old Merna chassis. It seemed like they had the chance to hit two birds with one stone.

So, in spring 1991, with the final concept of the Merna Mk 8 ready to be unveiled, ErinSport got access to it and began to develop a racing platform that would allow the Merna to compete in both competitions and more.

Out went the interior, replaced by a role cage and a big fuel tank; the steel body was replaced by an aluminium one with plastic body kit; space was made to allow the chassis to be easily converted to AWD, while a specially made 6 speed gearbox and LSD transmission were built. 6 months later, out came the ErinSport Merna Touring '92, and it was ready to reassert Erin’s motorsport reputation.

This particular model won the BTCC in 1992, against a field of large compact saloons. Thanks to its tiny size, much lower weight and fantastic handling characteristics, this car became the plucky underdog of the season, and actually led to the rules being changed to ensure its lower weight didn’t become too much of an advantage.

Capable of 0-60 in 5.2 seconds and hitting a top speed of 158 mph, this was a nippy little hatchback, whilst its WRC brother would be even quicker with its turbocharged engine.

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Reuploading this car because a) its previous post has been ruined by the forum transition b) i’m updating it for the Buyers Guide and c) it’s one of my favorite cars and I wanted some better photos of it

1982 Erin Nasaro X 3.3

With Erin barely making a profit and in dire need of a car to reinvent the company, they launched the Nasaro, aimed to reinvent their image.

Having been in development since the end of the seventies, the mid-engined coupe was aimed at taking on the low to mid ranged sports car market by offering a vehicle that was quick, well built and drove fantastically.

The Nasaro’s key strength was its chassis; a steel-aluminium monocoque, with reinforcements to improve both rigidity and safety. It was exceptionally light, very well balanced and had a very low centre of gravity.

Then, there were the engines. Erin aimed to cater for everyone with an entry level 2.0 Turbo (that would later be used on the Merna X), a smooth 2.6 V6, and then, there was the Nasaro’s trump card; the brand new XTune 3.3l V6, an engine that would become synonymous with Erin’s performance vehicles. Producing 240 bhp, it gave the Nasaro X a phenomenal power to weight ratio, given that it weighed just under 1.1 tons.

Today, the Nasaro is regarded as one of Erin’s greatest cars, not only saving the company - over 70,000 were built between 1981 and 1990 - but defining Erin’s 80’s period. The styling was very influential on their other sports car, the Scarlet, and the tail lights design was used on every vehicle they made up until 1992. Meanwhile, a modified Group A version of this competed across the world between 1984 and 1989, being so successful at one point that the rules were adjusted to limit its superiority over rival cars. Resale values today are also very high and still rising, with an original Nasaro X worth over £50000 today.

A variant of this car competed in Round 5 of the Car Shopping Round.

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If this car were a song, it’d be Life’s What You Make It by Talk Talk

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That is quite the car for '82, stylewise and in performance! Is it RWD or AWD?
I know the period doesn’t match, but it looks like a it is a legit competitor for the R32 skyline.

RWD. And yeah, looking at it, perhaps it is a little too smooth and not black-plastic-y enough for the period :stuck_out_tongue:

##Erin Tauga (Mk 2)
Two trims of the second generation of the Erin Tauga.

###2007 Erin Tauga Vox 3.0
Building on the success of the Mk 1 Tauga, the Mk 2 adjusted its original vision of “the saloon of the future” to be more of a continuation of the previous. It may have had a similar body, but underneath, this car was totally new. The Mk 2 was the first car of Erin’s mid-noughties wave of new cars, pioneering the new design style, introducing a brand new active suspension system and launching a new version of eDrive, Erin’s infotainment and car setup software.
Subtle hints of chrome, brand new LED headlights and angular body shaping; this was a car that looked truly of its time, and its contemporary nature meanes it still stands up today. There are subtle hints of Erin’s current design style here too.

Inside, the leather interior was improved and introduced a new palet of metallic and soft-touch plastic materials to create a comfortable and classy feel. At its centre was a 6" resitive touch screen; advanced at the time, though dated now.

Driving this thing was the real reason for buying it. While certainly efficient and fairly cheap to run, it was the handling characteristics and smooth power delivery that really distinguish this car from its rivals. Proper mechanical steering, a manual 6 speed gearbox (although a 7 speed auto was also available) and light, responsive suspension that came courtesy of the new active system. This was also one of the first cars to come with Erin’s programmable suspension setup, that allowed for up to 3 user-defined suspension settings.

All in all, this was a tasteful, enjoyable and well designed compact executive saloon.

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###2008 Erin Tauga X-AllDrive
The original Tauga X was a relaxed, comfortable and astute alternative to the usual, more aggressive range of sports saloons. Come 2008, the Tauga X-AllDrive threw that out of the window with an all wheel drive system, updated 3.3l V6 engine and a redesigned active suspension system.

The result was 0-60 in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph (and this thing didn’t come with any silly preconfigured speed limiters either), making it way faster than its rivals. Its light aluminium body was reinforced to add safety and rigidity, while the rear limited slip differential actually improved weight balanced to create a car that could dance through corners and muscle its way round everywhere else.

Turn the traction control off, and 4 wheel drifting was guaranteed. But, it wasn’t a mad car; it certainly proved to be a bit of challenge to handle when you were really gunning it, but it was still a controlled and easy to drive car. Performance with the right amount of restraint.

Perhaps its only let down was the efficiency, which did leave more to be desired. Still, the remarkably low emissions meant this car filled a sweet spot for performance vehicles in that the tax was actually affordable and that the insurance group wasn’t ridiculous. In that way, this car has done very well on the second-hand car market, maintaining its status as the interesting alternative.

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##1995 ErinSport GT95 S1

When the Group C Development Programme ended in 1993, Erin took a hiatus from prototype racing and instead concentrated on developing the GT version of the Scarlet Mk 2, which would become their only Le Mans entrant until 1995.

It wasn’t until that year that a new car for the FIA GT championship would arise, one that followed in the footsteps of the 1994 winner, the Dauer 962 Le Mans. This car famously exploited loopholes in the new regulations for homologated vehicles, leading to Erin to do a similar thing and start a trend that would define the GT1 cars of the 1990s.

Erin designed the ‘road going’ version of the GT95 before the racing version was launched, building just 20 examples, hence allowing them to comply with the rules whilst still being able to build an all new LM racer from the ground up. More than that though, this car had a number of innovations and advanced technology that were ahead of its time.

First was the partially active suspension setup. Fully active systems were not allowed in GT1 racing, so Erin fashioned a limited system that adapted to the forces the car was experiencing. This system would later be used as the basis for the active suspension systems on the Scarlet Mk 3 and Berlose X-AllDrive, two of Erin’s all-time greatest cars. The exterior of the car was based on the Berlose Mk 2 facelift, with very similar lighting fixtures, although the two vehicles shared no parts.

Next was the engine. It was like nothing Erin had built before; a Flat Eight. The reason? It gave the car an excellent low centre of gravity. The twin turbo 3.75l unit sat almost exactly in the middle of the car, and produced some 617 bhp. A 6 speed double clutch sequential transmission attempted to send all that power to the rear wheels with some success, although there’s no denying that this was a hard car to drive. 0-60 was dealt with in just 3 seconds, and it topped out at 210 mph.

The third innovation came as a result of the Flat Eight engine, and it was called the Vacuum Air Intake. Early testing of the car proved that it really did have an excellent low centre of gravity, but that cooling was an issue. The problem was that the engine was so low in the car that no enough air was reaching the block, and its unusual flat design meant only the top half of the engine was being cooled at all.

Enter 27 year old race engineer Georgina Carnin. She suggested cutting a hole out of the flat, downforce-focused undercladding of the car to scoop up air from underneath it. It was in researching this that she had a breakthrough. The hole was surrounded by a large pipe and split into two sub pipes so that one section went directly to the air intakes for the engine, while another went into the engine compartment. At high RPM’s, the huge amount of air being sucked in by the engine would also suck air into the engine compartment, hence improving the cooling effectiveness of the hole. After adjusting the rear air outlets on the back of the car, she and her team designed a system where air in the engine compartment was kept constantly moving - which reduced drag - but also created a suction effect, forming an area of low pressure underneath the car that would pull the car down on to the road.

In short, the Vacuum Air Intake acted like the magnet of a Scarelectrix car, literally forcing it onto the road. This reduced the need for aggressive aero design on the car, as high-speed stability could be achieved with the intake. While this made the car more slippery in the corners, it was noticeably faster than its competitors, who all generated more downforce than was necessary for cornering due to its need at high speeds.

The Vacuum Air Intake was a huge success, as was the powerful and fairly efficient Flat Eight engine, who’s massive 9300 rpm red line earned it the nickname of “The Screamer”. The GT95 S1 went on to finish 1st and 3rd at Le Mans in its debut year, although the Vacuum Air Intake was deemed unfair and banned for the 1996 season. That said, the GT95 continued to compete until 1998, after which it was replaced, and the car is remembered as being one of Erin’s best entrants into Le Mans and endurance racing of all time.

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This car competed in the Late 90s GT Car Challenge.

If this car were a song, it’d be Wake Up by Rage Against The Machine.


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Such an underated body IMO :grin:
Nice history too! (too bad we’ll never get flat 8 engines in automation). But I thought that all forms of “sucking effect” were banned after the Brabham BT46…

Possibly? I honestly can’t remember. Just thought that such a low positioned engine would need some special cooling system and ding! I had the idea.

Let’s say it wasn’t banned in the Automation Universe…:wink:

Nice car! Seems like fair competitor for Airborne Synth GT1, despite fact that my car actually never raced in GT1 category except one qualifying session.

Three Way GT-1… Erin, Airborne, ECV.

FIGHT!

HELL YES.

Give me time to May to fix my PC and we can start this mayhem

Excellent to hear.

##2016 Erin Bino

Introducing the smallest car Erin has ever made, and the first new car from the company for over a decade.

In development for over 6 years, the Bino aims to take on the current crop of city cars, but also to be a brand new mass-export model for Erin. Assembled at brand new facilities in Leicester, UK, the Bino will be sold to markets all over the world, on a scale Erin have never undertaken before. The aim is to market it as both a city car for the rapidly growing world urban population, but also to be an excellent first car for the developing world.

Packed with clever features like a split-folding boot (with miniature tailgate as well!), large cabin space with flat folding seats, a low production cost dashboard that packs plenty of features but still allows for both left and right hand drive configurations and an exclusive range of all-wheel drive trims too, the Bino is certainly one of the most advanced and widely developed city cars of all time.

Yet, it still maintains the expectations of any small car; ease of driving, great economy and brilliant reliability. Though it certainly is by no means that interesting to drive, it’s perfect as an A-to-B car, and is expertly suited to urban driving.

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#A Whole Lotta Tauga!
I’ve decided to expand on the story of the Tauga and redesign the original model I made back in August 2015, mainly because I can’t stand it not being improved. So here it is, the complete story of how one of Erin’s most important cars in recent times came to be.

Overview
The Tauga is Erin’s compact executive saloon, aimed at being a slighty cheaper alternative to the German-dominated luxury part of this market. It’s renowned for its excellent driving characteristics, good practicality and constant focus on innovation. Currently, it is in its 3rd Generation, and has been produced since 1999.

History
The Tauga’s history stretches far further back than the year it was released. When Erin were working on their recovery plan, they did consider launching a compact executive saloon along side the brand new Visto and Berlose, but the costs were deemed too risky, and it was decided that it would be far better to spend the money saved on the new Merna so that all three cars could be released at once.

So, the idea of such a car disappeared for some time, until 1993. Having launched the Calvera, Erin’s first all-aluminium production car, a group of Erin engineers filed a suggestion to CEO Marco Erin for a range of aluminium bodied cars that would be at a fairly affordable price, and would greatly improve fuel efficiency. This came at a particularly important time, as the need for greener cars was beginning to become more and more important. So, after some further consultations, Erin began a secret development project to develop a new, advanced saloon car that would be efficient, affordable and would utilise the use of aluminium.

Come 1995, and Erin filed a number of patents and trademarks for the word ‘Tauga’. It didn’t receive much attention, but various information leaks, sightings of concept cars and finally a reveal in 1997 all began to build hype for an upcoming car from Erin that would take on the likes of the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C Class.

It was that reveal in 1997 that at last saw the Tauga come to some fruition. A concept was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show that year, showcasing a car not of the future, but a car that “we’d all be driving within 5 or 10 years”. Alongside this, Erin also announced the Millenial engine development program, that would dictate the design of Erin’s engines for the next 14 years. These engines would be made to complement the ethos of the Tauga and introduce the advancements learnt in its development to Erin’s wider range.

Finally, in 1999, the Tauga came to market, available as a saloon, estate and a Coupe, a separately developed version that aimed to create a practical 4 seater coupe that actually had some room for rear passengers. It was sportier than the base model, but didn’t cost much more, and provided a rival to similar cars from the German car makers, but also to the low end coupe market.

The Tauga not only led the way for a new era for Erin, with major advancements in technology, build techniques and efficiency, but it also led the way for Erin’s ‘Millenial’ generation of cars, spearheading the new design style.


1999 Erin Tauga (Mk 1)
It’s 1999. The world is braced for the 21st century. Erin needs a new car to lead the company into the future.

The answer is the Tauga, the company’s first compact-executive saloon. A groundbreaking vehicle not just for Erin, but also for the market it was entering into. Fantastic efficiency, a wealth of technology and brilliant driving characteristics.

This was Erin’s first mass-produced car to be made from aluminium, with a specialised reinforced design that maintained chassis rigidity but also made this car very light compared to its rivals.

Inside, a wealth of driver aids had been fitted, and an all-new digital screen-based infotainment system was fitted onto the dash, a first for the market. As optional extras, the car could also be configured with a Bowers & Wilkins sound system, heads-up display and adjustable sound proofing.

However, the most advanced part of this car was its engine. The flagship model, a 2.8l NA i6, launched Erin’s new Millenial engine range, that saw the use of AlSi, VVL and super lean fuel mixtures for the first time on a mass scale. It ensured the Tauga could compete with its German rivals on performance whilst also outshining them on efficiency, and still made room for very low service costs.

All of these features were aimed at making the Tauga not the car of the future, but rather, the car we’d all be driving in 5 or 10 years time. Erin’s subsequent vehicles have often taken inspiration from this car, and it helped to undermine the German dominance of the executive saloon market in the early 2000s.

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1999 Erin Tauga Coupe (Mk 1)
One thing Erin wanted to achieve by developing the Tauga was a proper 4 seater coupe that actually had room for its rear passengers. Rivals like the BMW 3 series coupe often lacked head and leg room, something which Erin wanted to avoid.

Early on in the development stage, it became evident that the best way to do this would be to develop the Coupe version separately to the standard car. They’d be based on the same chassis and share all the same features, but unlike similar cars where the coupe version is essentially the same car but with a sloped roof, the Tauga Coupe would be engineered as an independent vehicle.

In order to create the head and leg room require, the whole cabin was reshaped and put further back. It was also lowered down a fair few centimetres, and a special roof design allowed them to maintain the smooth looks without losing too much passenger space.

The result was fairly good. The car certainly didn’t have the same space as the standard model, but with one less seat and large windows to add plenty of light to the rear of the cabin, the illusion of space was certainly created.

The Tauga Coupe also distinguished itself with its far sportier driving charactersitics, more aggressive suspension setup and a Limited Slip Diff as standard. That made it faster from 0-60 and more fun to drive, but Erin ensured that the pricing did not go out of hand; the Tauga Coupe only ranged from £600 to £1000 more than the base model, and to save time, it was made available with all of the engines found on the base model as well.

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Come 2007, and the new Erin Tauga was launched, along side the new Coupe version.

2007 Erin Tauga Coupe (Mk 2)
The success of the first Tauga Coupe prompted Erin to continue it for the Mk 2 version of the base car. However, the focus of the car was shifted quite significantly.

With active suspension and LSD’s now available on most of the Tauga range, Erin wanted to offer a quieter, more relaxed version of the car. While the old Tauga Coupe was more of a sports car, the new one was far more of a GT car, with plenty of luxury and a focus on comfort. Erin’s new range of automatic gearboxes were used a lot on these cars for that purpose.

The car was also greatly improved when it came to passenger space. While the first model had succeeded in creating a 4 seater coupe that people could actually sit in the back of, the new model vastly improved on that, at the cost of some boot space.

The result was a car that drove incredibly smoothly, lacking the sharp-edged characteristics of the standard car, but still creating a rewarding and versatile experience.

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Well done if you managed to read through all that, I just kinda let my imagination go wild :grin:

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Very nice. I’m planning on doing a similar write up for one of my cars, maybe after the CSR :slight_smile: What’s the MSRP on the 1999 sedan? I’d like to compare.