Five pot + AWD + hydro. GIB 
Morning shifts are eating me up so small post today to tease for a bigger post probably this weekend
1981 FAAL Dima Concept - Teasing the long awaited replacement of the Plebia II
By 1981, the Plebia II had been on sale for 26 years. That’s a pretty damn long carreer, even by European popular car standards. Sure, it has gone through two facelifts but stayed on the same platform, desperately lacking modern tech and modern design features. It had the crappiest aerodynamics of any car on the market (that included the 2CV and the Renault 4, which were amongst its only equivalents at the time), and desperately lacked a hatch. A replacement had to happen really soon, or FAAL would lose the cheap popular car market.
A replacement was in the tubes, being developped for a few years. But by the early eighties FAAL was fully focused on rallying and other competitions and was lacking the funds to replace the Plebia, dumping money in the Tetra project and its double wishbone suspension instead.
However, to prove that a replacement was, indeed, in the tubes, and spark the public’s interest, FAAL put every single idea they had so far into a concept car that was going to premiere at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show: The FAAL Dima.
The idea was simple: As much space as possible contained into a car barely 37cm longer than the outgoing Plebia. Abie to seat 5, still carry at least one standard suitcase, while being as aerodynamic as possible. And the result behind this idea looked like a blobby shape wrapped around a square cockpit.
The wheels were as flat as possible for maximum smoothness, the wheel arches were flat for the same purpose. The bonnet though, was swooping from the bumper to the windshield to the point where the link between the two was barely noticeable for a 1980s car.
The front was very bare, simple yet modern headlights and the most bottom breathers of bottom breathers. As few fixtures as possible to ensure as little drag as possible. In fact, the air flow on the front was very clever: The bottom breather grille was meant for the radiator. And there was a hidden grille at the top of what happenned to just be a crevice in between the two headlights where cold air could come in to cool down the rest of the engine bay, before exiting through the two triple vents in front of the windshield. This was supposed to provide cooling with as little resistance as possible, but of course, was still in testing.
The rear was pretty simple. Not much going on in here except for the boot opening to rear surface ratio was amongst the biggest of any car on the market and of course any FAAL ever.
It would take four more years for the actual Plebia III to be production ready and hit the market. Although, it was going to be a bit different from the concept, because of corporate decisions and cost cutting.
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Aw shit it’s that time again where I have a billion things to release. Hmpf.
1985: Taking back the shitbox market - The FAAL Plebia Mk3 Dima
It has been expected.
It has been hoped for.
It has been postponed. Many times. Because FAAL had other priorities, and wanted to up their prestige, mainly. Which is why the idea of creating an entry level car was not really welcome in the design office.
…
However, the idea of finally retiring the prehistoric Mk2 Plebia from the market was definetly welcomed. So, the 1981 FAAL Dima concept has been, four years later, industrialized.
How you see her during date night:
How she looks the morning after:
Now of course, to be production ready, the concept had to be made a little simpler.
Round headlights have been kept as a design cue reminiscing the old Mk2 Plebia. Because, after all, the car had a special place in FAAL’s history, being produced for thirty years, non stop. The upper engine airflow knife has been removed, and so has the bubble shaped hood in the process. Bigger blinkers have been fitted inside the bumper, and only one of the windshield air vents remained, as a HVAC air intake. And despite everything, despite the reminiscing design cues, despite the four years debate between the FAAL executives, the car did not retain the Plebia name. At the last minute, it was renamed Dima, just like the concept it came from.
Not much changed on the rear. The hatch got a little flatter, the taillight bar is now plastic, there’s a keyhole trunk latch, and one of the reverse lights had been turned into a foglight. As for the rest, there’s now only one blinker repeater per side and it’s way smaller. There’s also a bumper bar going from wheel to wheel. The fuel cap is taken from the still selling FAAL Ochlosia, and so are the door handles, to save costs.
Now. It is bigger than the Plebia. Definetly. at 3.41m, almost 40cm longer, not to mention more of that space is allocated to the actual cabin. But, safety rules have changed, and so have the people’s standards. Which is why the standard Dima (three door) is a 4 seater. Four passengers sharing 2.58m³ as compared to five passengers in the mk2 Plebia’s 2.17m³.
… That, of course, turned out to be a bad decision and for the 1986 model year, a 5 seater version was made available, with 5 doors.
The “regular” Dima was available with a three engine range, all from the 133S inline 3 series that moved the base model Mesaia, as well as the outgoing Plebia Mk2. To save costs, gearboxes were reduced to three: A 4 speed manual, a 5 speed manual and a 3 speed automatic.
- 133S9Spi, 900cc, single point injection, 45hp. Only 4 speed. 8l/100, 0-100 in 17.2sec, 125km/h
- 133S11Spi, 1100cc, single point injection, 54hp. 4 speed: 9l/100, 14s, 137km/h. 5 speed: 8.9l/100, 14.3s, 140km/h
- 133S13Mpi, 1300cc, multipoint injection, 65hp. 5 speed: 8.3l/100, 12.9s, 153km/h. 3 speed auto: 9.1l/100, 15.5s, 144km/h
Depending on trim, options and engines, the weight ranged from 715kg to 930kg. Oh yeah, speaking of trims:
- Dima BL. Plastic bumpers. Steel wheels. Three door, four basic seats only. Four speed only, 45hp engine standard, optional 54hp. Optional power steering. Nothing else. Available from 40.800 francs, “full” options 43.500 francs. Was available, but not advertised.
- Dima CL. Plastic bumpers. Hubcaps. 3 door 4 basic seats, optional 5 door 5 basic seats, and/or standard seats. Standard two speaker 8 track radio. Standard power steering. Optional ABS. Optional front foglights. Standard 54hp 4 speed, optional 5 speed, optional 65hp. Available from 45.630 francs. (shown press car 46.590 francs, full option 51.850 francs)
- Dima GL. Painted bumpers with plastic bar. Standard alloy three spoke wheels. 3 door 4 standard seats, optional 5 door 5 standard seats. Standard two speaker 8 track, optional 4 speaker 8 track 4*20w. Optional extra safety features my lack of knowledge on 80s premium shitboxes prevent me to tell you. Clad undertray. Standard 65hp engine, standard 5 speed optional 3 speed automatic. Available from 55.400 francs, Full options 64.000 francs.
But of course, the lineup wouldn’t be complete without not one, but TWO sporty variants.
Now, for the sport offering, the Dima keeps on the “today’s sport engine is tomorrow’s efficient engine” motto started by the Mk2 Mesaia and Foreia. Cue the 133R engine range, which is basicaly a SOHC-4 head slammed onto a 133S block, only available in multipoint injection, and with different internals.
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Dima 1.3S. Sport suspensions. Painted bumpers without front foglights but with functioning lip. Hatch with spoiler and third brake light standard. 14" alloy wheels. Trademark central exhaust. 4 basic seats, two speaker radio. The only option was power steering.
As for the engine, here comes the brand new 133R13MpiS. 1300cc, 93hp, mated to a Dima-sports-trims specific 5 gear short spaced gearbox. The whole thing allowed the featherweight 1.3S (765kg) a 8.9s 0-100km/h, 159km/h top speed and a 16.75s quarter mile, and also lots and lots of fun, for a contained price of 50.150 francs. (optional power steering 1.020 francs)
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Dima Turbo. Yep. If you expected a Plebia GTI with the 1.6L from the Mesaia, you’d be wrong. Anyway. Widened fenders. bigger grille. FAAL Logo moved to the side, just like all the high end FAAL Sport models.15" alloy wheels. Same aero package as the 1.3S. Three door 4 basic seats only. Standard 2 speaker radio, optional 4 speaker. Standard power steering, optional ABS.
The engine, though, wasn’t a turbo’d version of the 1.3S engine. It has been de-stroked to 1176cc and turned into the 133R12MpiT, putting out 105hp stock. Key word, stock. The Dima turbo also had a standard geared diff to put down all of the engine’s torque and potential torque, and the resultant perfs were 7.86s from 0 to 100km/h, a quarter mile of 16 seconds and a top speed of 170km/h, with the same gearbox as the 1.3S. Prices started at 60.280 francs and ended at 64.050 francs with all the options, barely a good restaurant meal over the 1.3GL full op.
Now why downgrading the engine size? Well… for once, because FAAL didn’t want to cast a shadow on their own Mesaia GTI 1.6, which base price was around 69.660 francs without options. But also, that engine size made it fit the Group N3 rallye category, allowing amateur drivers to go after BMW 320is and other 2000cc N/A engines in the mountain passes in a car that barely weighed 777kg when stripped down, and that had factory approved aftermarket kits that could make the power go up to 184hp!
That, though, is for a whole other topic.
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Update on the fly: Diesels
Okay so it turns out with a bit of imagination, you can make pretty decent pseudo-diesels in Automation. And what is a French brand without diesels?
So. It all started in 1964, and the testbed was the very last model year of the first generation Mesaia.
The engine was a new block. They tried to dieselify the existing 154P15 engine, but every attempt ended up a reliability failure, as the head would basically fly the hell off after a few hours of testing. So, a new engine block had to be made.
Introducing the new 194P engine series. A long stroke pushrod 4 cylinder fitted with strong internals made to cope with the bonkers 22.5:1 compression of the diesel engine. It had a newly developed indirect injection system with pre-combustion chambers. And the first iteration of the engine was the 194P19D, making 49hp and a little more than 100nm of torque.
Now, people at that time weren’t used to diesel engines in regular passenger cars, and the Mesaia 19D had a mixed welcome. If diesel fuel was considerably cheaper than petrol, the car itself was noisy and pretty damn shaky. But since performance was about on par with its carburated counterparts (18.9s 0-100, 125kph) with fuel economy being way better, some people were willing to cope with the constant ticking and shaking and the car found its buyer demographic.
FAAL then decided to continue the adventure with the Mk2 Mesaia. From 1965 to 1972, with the same 49hp engine, in the second iteration of the 19D. An updated four speed gearbox and the MK2’s better aerodynamics meant for better perfs despite 20kg more (18.1s, 128kph).
… The problem, though, is when they attempted to sell the same engine in the Foreia. With a car 150kg heavier and the size of the sedan that it was, not to mention the power loss of the FR drivetrain with the little power having to travel through a long, heavy driveshaft, performance was risible. 20.7s 0-100, 130kmh top speed. Thank god the engine was only sold with the base trim.
By 1970, thankfully, this problem was solved with the arrival of a new engine family: The 255P. A 2.5L pushrod five cylinder engine fitted with the same indirect injection system and with the same compression ratio. The all new 255P25D engine was good for 69hp and in the Foreia, a 16.9s 0-100 and 146km/h top speed. once again, performance was on par with its carburated counterparts and fuel economy way better. The balance has been restored.
If this engine was offered on the higher trims, an updated version of the 194P boasting 56hp, the 194P19D2, replaced the 49hp base unit on the base model for the 1972-1974 model years.
The same 56hp unit found its way in the 1972-1975 Mesaia II 19D, before keeping on going in the 1974-1982 base model Foreia III, where the perfs were 18.1s and 137km/h. If that sounds risible, it was about the same perfs as a contemporary Peugeot 504 GLD. Cheaper fuel, bonkers fuel economy, improvement in sound deadening and vibration cancellation over the years and especially the fuel crisis made it a pretty good seller amongst its carburated counterparts.
As for the Mk3 Mesaia, getting smaller and lighter, it got a new derivative of the 194P engine, the 194P15D. A 1.5L unit boasting 49hp and taking the cheap lil’ thing to 100km/h in 18.8s and to a top speed of 130km/h (press car with options base model might be faster :t)
Rich people got an updated 2.5L fiver 255P25D2 with 79hp by 1976 for the Klinos. The same unit found its way in the Ochlosia 2.5D because towing capacity. Even richer people got the very first turbo diesel FAAL engine, because they are better than everyone else. The Klinos GLSdt boasted 97hp out of its 255P25TD, propelling it to 100km/h in 12.1s and to a 175km/h top speed, all while getting 9.8L/100.
For 1982, the brand new Foreia IV got herself the latest update of the 194P, the 194P19D3, getting 65hp for the base model, and yet another turbo engine, the 194P19TD, good for 86hp, 7.5L/100, 11.8s 0-100 and 158km/h. Now the numbers are starting to get interesting, and salesmen feel that. That’s why the turbo engine is available from the CL trim and not just a high end option.
Still in 1982, the same logic applies to the lil’ Mesaia. Updated 194P15D2 53hp N/A engine and yet another turbo unit, the 194P15TD, with 70hp. The turbo engine was also available from the CL trim, and on a new, experimental trim, the GTD. GTI visuals and sporty-ish suspension wrapping the peachy, yet still economical unit that blessed the car with a 154km/h top speed, 12.5s 0-100 and fuel economy of 6.5L/100.
This was a very interesting trim, which is exactly why I’m presenting a CL instead. :t
AAAAAAAND again in 1982 since FAAL oftens update its things by batches, the Klinos II kept the same N/A engine, but the turbo one got an upgrade with the 255P25TD2 and its 116hp. Performance was sensibly the same than the last generation Klinos, though, but the car was also considerably heavier (1460kg).
Okay. Now we’re up to date for the 1987 batch of facelifts and new models that’s gonna come. Sorry for the long post
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Okay we’re back.
1988 - Minivan Boom: The Mk2 Ochlosia
By the second half of the 80s, the Ochlosia was starting to show signs of being outdated. Too boxy. Too small for the evergrowing van market. But what made FAAL take the decision of replacing it was the recently booming minivan market.
Chrysler. Renault. Both of them found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with the Caravan and the Espace, and were rolling on sales. This was unacceptable. FAAL had to do something, and despite attempting to boost the sales of the Ochlosia Camper as one of them, people didn’t buy it. At the end of the day it was a van, and lacked the practicality and comfort of its competitors.
So. A van, to get back on the rails on the utilitarian market? Or a minivan, to try and get a share of magic? Both, my dudes. Both.
By 1985, FAAL decided to take on the development of an actual minivan, all while still producing the Mk1 Ochlosia. And also called for a partnership to build an actual new van, which was gonna end up being the PUCV.
While the PUCV project took five years to get released, the Mk2 Ochlosia saw the light of day, after much teasing, in 1988, arboring the new grille design first adopted on the 1987 Foreia facelift.
…
Oh yeah btw 1987 Foreia Facelift interlude
Trims roughly stayed the same, engines stayed the same. The facelift gets you thicker, one piece bumpers front and rear, and a new, more modern grille. The Klinos also got the same bumpers, although body coloured.
But anyway back to the Mk2 Ochlosia:
Remember the first generation Ochlosia? Well forget completely about it. This may look like a van from afar, but when you get closer, you’re greeted by a sleek, aerodynamic profile, and a flank that has way more design elements than any van would have. The Mk2 Ochosia is fitted with square fenders, and tough plastic wrapping the car from bumper to bumper, meant to give it a tougher look reminiscent of the very popular Ochlosia Camper 4x4 by Steer&Push.
The fact that it looks like a Foreia isn’t completely irrelevant, too: In fact, it’s sitting on Foreia underpinnings, and therefore inherits of its longitudinal engine layout (including TETRA Option), but more than that, of its double wishbone all around suspension, making it extremely comfy and drivable, on par with many cars on the market. Emphasis on cars.
Its party trick though, as a minivan, was its entirely modular interior that was fitted from the factory.
- Two seats on the front with individual armrests, both of them swivel.
- On the back, the entire area from the back of the front seats to the rear hatch is a flat floor fitted with two long rails on which both the second and third row of seats fit. So on those rails you get:
- The second row of seats, a bench with three separately adjustable backrests, that all slides on the rails as one piece
- The third row of seats, an uncomfortable two seat unit that can either be used as seats, be folded up to only take 25cm of the trunk’s height, or be completely removed.
This seat combo has been arranged to be able to make a bed out of the second and third row of seats, the two of them folded flat with the backrests at 180°.
Since it’s on Foreia underpinnings, it’s also using Foreia/Klinos engines:
- Gas 2.0L 115hp 204R20Mpi
- Gas 2.5L 144hp 255R25Mpi
- Turbo Diesel 1.9L 90hp 194P19TD2
- Turbo Diesel 2.5L 116hp 255P25TD2
TETRA AWD was an option on both 2.5L gas and diesel engines, and there were only two trims:
- Base trim, with either the 2.0i or 1.9TD engines. Basic everything, all the goodies were optional, and it was sitting on hubcaps.
- GL Trim with either one of the 2.5L engines. Power everything standard, optional leather seats, optional automatic gearbox
… but you aren’t listening to any of that because it seems like the cat is out of the box already. So I’m gonna talk about the elephant in the room: Yes, it has asymmetric mirrors.
Because of the unusual shape of the minivan, there were two gargantuan front quarter windows that were two third the size of the front door windows. And That gave FAAL an opportunity to cheat a little to get better visibility. Which is why the driver mirror is on the door, in order not to be hidden by the door pillar…
… and the passenger mirror is sitting right on the A pillar, and is fitted with a wide angle glass in order to get better visibility.
Oh yeah and since we’re talking about quirks and features, here’s some retractable roof bars.
The very first retractable roof bars of their kind. Tucked in when not needed, but when you do need them, they can slide wherever you want on the two roof rails, just like the second and third row of seats.
The Mk2 Ochlosia was a very welcomed asset in FAAL’s ever growing lineup. As it turns out, the 1980s were a time when you could create cars that followed a trend, and they’d still turn out to serve an actual purpose other than keeping up with the times not like those GOD DAMN CROSSOVERS AAHGIRJKSEFVOI
… Hem.
Next up, the death of the Coupe and entering the nineties.
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1988 again: Motorsports, Concept cars and sad goodbyes.
And in fact, let’s start with the sad goodbyes.
The FAAL Coupe got its glory days in 1984-1986, 6 years after its release. The 400+hp Group B beasts were tearing the gravel apart along with all the other mean machines, gaining people’s hearts in the process. Rallying was great. Sales of the Coupe were great. In fact, by 1985 they were even better, as the car was now offered with four engines: The 135hp 1.8L mesaia GTI engine which ended up being the only 4 cylinder Coupe, a 160hp updated version of the 2.5L inline 5, plus the 180hp turbo inline 5, and finally the Tetra evo 3 and its individual throttle bodies and 215hp. The more the Tetra won Group B races, the more people bought Coupes and Tetras. Everything was going well…
And then Group B died.
Surer injured, his co-driver dead. Santos dead, killing spectators in the process. Toivonen dead. But it’s the death of their own star driver Jean Taglang, half squished, half drowned down a cliff, that made FAAL pull out of Group B entirely… and, actually, drop the Coupe of any form of competition, period.
As a result, thousands of people who bought Coupes for the image without pushing them ever, suddenly found out what this car was all about, I say with the most sarcastic tone ever. Deemed unstable and dangerous by people who drove it shifting at 3000rpm and driving at the speed limit, the FAAL Coupe saw its sales drop month after month for the entirety of 1987. The car was due for a second and final facelift in 1988 including the new FAAL front fascia, with a final version of the Tetra, the Evo 4, that was meant to keep going until the nineties. After the tragedy, none of this happenned.
…
Almost.
If 1988 was going to be the last model year for the Coupe, FAAL wanted to make it count. The Tetra Evo 4 was going to happen. And it was going to be a limited edition. And it was going to kick some serious ass.
Some cues of what would have been the facelift were still integrated in the car, like those new vents in the front bumper…
… and that bigger wing. Apart from that, it’s the same old Tetra. The engine, of course, was updated, and for the last time of its carreer, the Tetra was the testbed of new tech, as the engine was fitted with a juvenile VVT system, making the 255R21MpiT3 reach 230hp. The car itself weighed 1202kg, which was still light despite the car being the heaviest Coupe made.
As for the perfs, of course, it trumped every other Tetra. 5.47s 0-100, 221km/h top speed, 13.86s quarter mile, as well as the nimble handling the car has always been known for.
What was really striking though is the new, four figures paint option, called Tetra Blue, which is what this press car has. A beautiful blue that seemed to cover the entirety of the blue spectrum depending on how light was shining on it. This color was meant to be the color of future FAAL flagship sportscars. And it deserved it.
There were only going to be one thousand Tetra evo 4s. No more. And only 250 of those were going to be Tetra Blue. Which is why FAAL enthusiasts almost threw a riot when they discovered that the star car featured in The Agile & The Angry (2001) was one of them Tetra Blue evo 4s, and not just a regular Coupe. Granted, it was a salvage title imported illegally in the US… But still.
One emotional goodbye later, the FAAL Coupe left the lineup by november of 1988, without any replacement.
Now the good news: By 1988, FAAL decided to make use of them spare Group B engines in another form of motorsports, to try and boost their sales in the USA: the Trans-Am…
… racing series.
Yup, rules allowed that, apparently. despite everybody at that time using V8s and RWD, FAAL came in strutting around with their 650hp 2.1L turbo inline 5 and AWD, all wrapped in a mean looking facelifted Foreia:
And they kicked some ass. I’m talking “winning every race they finished” kind of ass kicking. In fact, they kicked so much ass than AWD systems were banned from the regulations for the 1989 Trans-Am season, leaving FAAL to have to retire from the competition, wheezing like immature high schoolers after a sex joke.
The deed was done, though, and sales of cars fitted with the TETRA system suddently doubled in the US after 1988. Like, I wonder where that came from. :t
One last thing happenned in 1988, and that is the release of two concept cars at the Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris, the first of them to actually be called Mondial de l’Automobile instead of Salon de l’Automobile.
While the entirety of the FAAL lineup at that time were square bois, the competition was starting to round up in prevision of the Blob Era of the nineties. And here comes FAAL, presenting their brand new production ready Mk2 Ochlosia, which was square… and two blobby concept cars: The Stemma and the Tasia.
Yep, that’s a big change in design alright.
The Tasia was meant to showcase a replacement for the aging Mk3 Mesaia. It was essentially drawn with a compass, every single line being round except for the taillights that had to meet with the hatch and therefore couldn’t be fully round.
The entirety of the roof was covered in a matte, grainy material that was similar to what was used on Mk3 Foreias and Coupes’ plastic trims. The wheels were flat dishes with small holes, reminiscent of those used on the Dima concept car back in 1981. The grille looked like an even more modern interpretation of the new post 1987 grille that just came out. And generally, it was nothing like anything FAAL made at that time, which intrigued people a lot. With lots of ageing models, FAAL proved that they were ready to enter the nineties.
And they proved it twice, too:
Now we’re on the luxury side of things with the Stemma concept car. Yes, it’s a Coupe. No, it’s not meant to replace the FAAL Coupe. In fact, it’s three feet longer than the FAAL Coupe, and it’s fitted with hydropneumatic suspension, and an innovative (and very heavy) panoramic glassed roof.
It’s bringing some innovation to the table too, as it’s fitted with a demo version of the S-Tronic gearbox, an electronically operated 5 speed torque converter gearbox with a regular driving mode, a sport mode, and a manual mode with + and - push buttons on the steering wheel to change gears.
But what really baffled journalists when they started up the car (because yes, this is a drivable concept car) was the sound. The car was motorized by a 4.0L V8 engine made out of two 204R20 engines, making 276hp, or more than any reasonably tuned 255R21 engine could ever make. And apparently, FAAL Told the press that the industrialization of such an engine was in the pipes. The rumour grew bigger and bigger that FAAL was about to unleash a Mercedes SL competitor but were quickly shut down by a statement saying that the Stemma concept car was prefiguring the replacement of the Klinos.
But there’s two more years of dumping money into R&D until you can see that, though. Coming next, the Mk3 Klinos and blobbifying the brand.
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After the accident of Jean Taglang, SBA’s Executive Directors and SBA Motorssports (under overseas operation) Principle Director have send the condelences to FAAL’s team principal.
"Dear, FAAL team principle,
I and my team members, on behalf of South Bangkok Autoworks and SBA Motorsports, would like to give a condelences to your loss of Jean Taglang during the accident. It was a very sad event since the lost of Henri Toivonen back in the Corsica.
During the season, it was a major fight between FAAL, SBA, Peugeot and Lancia, but since the accident in Portugal and Corsica, we knew that the time was closing, then the disaster striked again with a fatal loss of your star driver while he was catching up our star, Azure Giovanni for the fastest stage time in her Gracelet Integral 4.
As our condolences, I and my team members would like to participate his funeral as well.
Sincerely Yours,
Samutsarn Cheampitak, Chief Executive Officer of South Bangkok Autoworks
Walther Grundheim, SBA Motorsports Principle in behalf of team members"
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The Ochlosia looks so good. just enough inspiration from the campervan to match the year, and enough original ideas to distinguish itself from other vans.
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1990 - The roundening Pt 1: The Mk3 Klinos
Over are the years in which the almighty flagship Klinos shared its chassis and most of its body with the lesser Foreia.
The Mk4 Foreia, which had its fascia refreshed in 1987, will stay on sale for two more years, its own replacement not ready yet. The Klinos, however…
Uh oh, it seems like someone at FAAL ordered a big, meaty bucket of
PRESTANCE. Hide yo kids. Hide yo wife. Hide yo Renault 25 Baccara because this is the face of French luxury now.
The FAAL Stemma concept from the 1988 Paris auto show has been honoured with two more doors. Apart from that, very few designs tweaks can be noticed. On the side, we can see some actual door handles, for example.
The headlights and grille are literally the same. The bumper integrates a variation of the concept car’s triangular foglights made into a foglight, a deflector and the blinker, the whole thing being fitted on a meatier front bumper because safety rules are a thing. The headlight mounted blinker disappeared, replaced by smaller parking lights. USDM versions had that parking light be amber, though.
There is, however, a clear change in the rear taillight ensemble design. They have been made smaller in order to maximize the boot opening, and the license plate moved from the rear bumper to said boot. The trunk latch is hidden, right above the license plate, and is actually one of the first electronic trunk latches of the car industry. Not flagship for nothing, eh.
Just like the previous model, the chassis is galvanized, and it’s sitting on a double wishbone all around suspension system. Just like the previous model, it has standard hydropneumatic suspension.
Unlike the previous model, though, aluminium was used in the body panels to reduce weight. Also, TETRA AWD was not standard. Since the Klinos was now its own model, FAAL thought that they could tone it down a bit to broaden its appeal to uppermarket Foreia buyers that were more about image than about comfort and driving experience. That wasn’t all done at the car’s very early release though, because not everything was ready. Indeed, FAAL was working on new ways to cast piston rings in order to make them way more precise, and therefore more efficient that they currently were, for maximizing fuel economy. Unfortunately, that technology wasn’t quite ready yet, so FAAL didn’t release the Klinos with all of its planned engine range yet.
Guess what was ready though. The 408R engine block from the Stemma concept car. The French V8 has arrived! And so has the electronically controlled S-Tronic gearbox, though amputated from one speed, leaving only 4.
Engines available in 1990:
- 2.5L 150hp inline 5 255R25Mpi Euro 1, available with FWD 5 speed manual, TETRA 5 speed manual, TETRA S-Tronic.
- 2.1L 200hp turbo inline 5 255R21MpiT Euro 1, available with TETRA 5 speed manual or S-Tronic
- 4.0L 260hp V8 408R40 Euro 1, only available with TETRA S-Tronic
By 1991, the development of the new piston rings was done, which added two more engines to the lower spectrum of the car, which had a much better fuel consumption than their upper end counterparts:
- 2.1L 130hp inline 5 255R21Mpi Euro 1, available with FWD 5 speed manual, TETRA 5 speed manual.
- 2.5L 120hp Turbo Diesel inline 5 255P25TD3, available with FWD 5 speed manual, TETRA 5 speed manual.
In previsions of the new European Emissions Standards about to be put in place, all engines except diesels were fitted with a catalytic converter.
As for the trims:
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GL: Base trim, body coloured everything. Cloth seats. Power locks. Front power windows, AC, cloth seats. Four speaker cassette radio. Standard 16’ wheels. Optional Climate Control, rear power windows, 8 speaker radio. Available with 2.1L N/A, 2.5L and 2.5L Turbo Diesel engines.
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GLS: Mid trim. Chrome grille. Cloth seats. Power locks. Front and rear power windows. Climate control. 8 speaker radio. Standard 17" wheels. Optional remote locking, subwoofer, leather seats, wood trim. Available with 2.5L, 2.1L Turbo and 2.5L Turbo Diesel engines.
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Kerasion: Exclusive trim. Chrome everything. Leather half bucket seats, black or creme. Climate control. 8 speaker cassette radio + subwoofer. Remote locking. Power everything. Standard 18’ BBW wheels. Standard heated seats, optional heated steering wheel and mirrors. Optional phone. Three different types of wood trim. Available originally only with the V8 engine, but later with the 2.1L Turbo.
The name “Kerasion” comes from the greek κεράσι (kerási), meaning “Cherry.” This car was, just like the Klinos altogether, the cherry on top of the FAAL lineup, all smooth and juicy and appealing.
…
That was before the guys from Derrickson came along and decided to turn the Klinos into the absolute ultimate epitome of French luxury, laughing in the face of the germans. Since they were already making performance parts for the 204R 4 cylinder engine family which the 408R V8 is the offspring of, they decided to slap two of their turbo kits originally meant for said 204R on the V8, making the power rise to 370hp. Great! Now the car is unstable! So they had to enlarge the body in order to fit wider tires on three piece BBW wheels similar to the ones the original car was on. They also had to fit an aero kit (a lip and a wing) in order to keep the car stable at the amazing 263km top speed it was now capable of. But why stop here?
Derrickson also subcontracted a fully hand made leather interior. Seats, door panels, dashboard, everything. As well as a more powerful sound system. There was really nothing left for the car to have… And you could feel that in the bonkers price of 485000 francs! (112000€ adjusted from inflation).
The high price comes from Derrickson having to buy Klinos Kerasions V8 at full price before the conversion. Because of this, very few have been sold, despite the package being a factory approved aftermarket option. An estimation of about 167 Klinos Kerasion Derrickson have been made between 1991 and 1993.
Okay, the flagship’s out. Now for the rest of the nineties. Coming next: Growing up - The 1991 Mesaia
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Damn that’s a good design
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I want one!
Actually I want most FAALs… I am a fan of the consistent tasteful, lore-fitting and detailed designs (and engines).
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The Roundening Pt 2: The Mk4 Mesaia AKA Versatile Boi
If the Mk3 Mesaia was in the middle ground between the B and C segment, with its 3.82m, and went as low as offering trims without any amenities whatsoever just for the sake of offering a modern, cheap enough alternative to the Mk2 Plebia which was getting super old…
that purpose was defeated by the release of the Mk1 FAAL Dima in 1985. And if the small size and the lightness of the car was pure joy for the owners of GTI versions, ultimately, the Mesaia had to grow up into a full fat C segment compact car.
O, 1988 Tasia concept, l hereby baptize you by plunging you in a good ole cup of realistic, reasonable design.
Amen bruh.
Here is the brand new 1991 FAAL Mesaia IV. It’s… very, very round. But it retains all the design cues of contemporary FAALs. The classic vent wrapped license plate, the V-shaped grille…
… and the blacked out taillight bar.
It retains the general shape of the Tasia concept. The taillights are the same shape but a different design, and everything that’s left from the entirely plastic coated roof are the C-pillars.
FAAL made use of its years of research and development from having the Mk4 Foreia / Mk2 Klinos run on double wishbones all around for 9 years before that, determined to make it last and make use of it: The Mk4 Mesaia is fitted with double wishbone rear suspension! The front is still McPherson, though. A very fancy setup for a not-that-small-anymore car.
Yeah, not that small, as it gained 20cm compared to the previous verison, now at 4.02m long. As it is still made full steel it’s also not that light anymore, ranging from 931kg to 1181kg depending on versions and options.
But where it really shines, though, is in its versatility. The Mesaia is now offered in three or five door hatchback…
… sedan (4.24m)…
… wagon (same)…
… and even a small convertible variant!
No van variant, unfortunately, though some third party manufacturers did sell company conversion kits for the wagons, without rear seats and with a flat floor and appropriate drivetrain choices.
AND WHAT A TRANSITION BECAUSE speaking of drivetrains, the Mk4 Mesaia was offered with slightly bigger, and definetly more powerful engines than the outgoing Mk3. Because weight, and because constant improvement of competitors. Also, except the base engine, every single powerplant came from the SOHC-4V engine series. Something something today’s performance is tomorrow’s efficience.
- 1.3L 64hp 133S13Mpi Euro 1, 5 speed manual only
- 1.6L 82hp 204R16Mpi Euro 1, 5 speed manual only
- 1.8L 95hp 204R18Mpi Euro 1, 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic
Three months later, the already ready diesel engines were added to the lineup:
- 1.9L 65hp 194P19D3, 5 speed manual only
- 1.9L 90hp turbo 194P19TD3, 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic
And two months after that, the one every single FAAL enthusiast was waiting for, the GTI exclusive:
- 2.0L 150hp 204R20MpiS Euro 1, 5 speed manual only, of course.
Because of course FAAL wasn’t gonna stop the GTI, after the success of the Mk3 GTI, both 1.6L and 1.8L. Not after the image boost it gave them, and kept giving them after the end of Group B and the fall of the Coupe.
But anyway, the other trims deserve love and exposition too, so:
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BL: two speaker cassette radio. Cloth seats. 175/70R13 steel wheels. Unpainted bumpers. 1.3i or 1.9D engines only. Optional airbag, optional power steering. 3 door or 5 door hatch only.
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CL: two speaker cassette radio. Soft cloth seats. Standard power steering and ABS. 185/60R14 steel wheels. Painted bumpers. 1.3i, 1.6i, 1.9D or TD engines. Optional airbags, four speaker radio, front power windows, AC, central locking, front foglights, 14" alloy wheels. Available in 3/5dr hatch, wagon and sedan (1.9D unavailable on wagon and sedan)
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GL: Four speaker cassette radio. Soft cloth seats. Standard power steering, ABS, airbags, front power windows, AC, central locking. 185/60R14 alloy wheels. Painted bumpers. 1.6i, 1.8i or 1.9TD engines. Optional 8 speaker radio, rear power windows, front foglights, leather seats, heated front seats, power mirrors, sunroof, 15" alloy wheels. Available in 3/5dr hatch, sedan and wagon.
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CAB: Four speaker cassette radio. Soft cloth seats. Standard power steering, airbag, front power windows. 185/60R14 alloy wheels. Painted bumpers. 1.8i engine only. Optional AC, heated front seats, leather, 15" wheels, front foglights. Only trim for the Convertible variant.
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GTI: Two speaker cassette radio. Half bucket seats. Standard power steering, ABS, front foglights. 195/50R15 alloy wheels. Painted bumpers with aero package. 2.0i VVT engine only. Optional 4 speaker or 8 speaker radio, power windows front and rear, power mirrors, central locking, AC, heated seats, sunroof, airbags. 3/5dr hatch only.
Generally, people had no complaints about the Mk4 Mesaia. Its broad appeal made it sell well, and enthusiasts were glad to see the GTI come back with a performance boost (7s 0-100km/h, 215km/h top speed, 15.2s quarter mile) and a still relatively contained weight (1008kg). The general public, though, considered the GTI a scam. Indeed, most brands at that time offered sport hatchbacks with reasonable performance AND amenities that were standard. The FAAL, though, came bare bones, with a ton of extras that cost money. Then again, most brands didn’t offer their sport hatchbacks with a Torsen front diff, a fully clad underside and double wishbone rear suspensions all standard. FAAL’s priorities were starting to differ from the public’s priorities, and they were going to need to find a solution.
And since the main reason they sold the GTI bare boned wasn’t costs, but rather engine limitations and especially weight, FAAL concentrated their future researches on a new, lighter, more powerful engine for the future of their sports cars.
But two more cars before that. Coming next, the roundening Pt 3: The 1992 Foreia.
Extra pictures
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You can write a nice story book with this compainy’s history. Would sure be a best seller!
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That GTI looks like a cool and good speedy boi
Not gonna lie, the concept I love 
Also the sedan’s rear 
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The Klinos Mk3 is one of the best looking cars
I’ve found on these forums. Nicely detailed and very coherent design, perfect as it is. I have troubles designing cars newer than early '80s so I’m amazed when I see such good modern designs.
WOOOOO I really let this place go.
We ain’t done with the Blob Refresh of the brand so here goes:
1992 - The Roundening Pt 3: The Mk5 Foreia
… BUT FIRST
Cigarette break: The 1991 Dima facelift
This placement was totally planned and I absolutely didn’t forget about the car in previous posts. Not. At. All.
Just like they did with the Foreia back in 1988 alongside the release of the Ochlosia, the Dima had to be refreshed as its replacement wouldn’t come for another five or six years.
Not much on the menu as there was no way you could modernize a box that much. On the front, square headlights reminiscent of the concept car, the now traditional FAAL V shaped grille and a rounder sub grille…
On the rear, a smoother taillight bar with rounder fog and reverse lights. The “DIMA” logo also lost its 1980 computer font and was now in the same font as the trim designation.
All the BL, CL and GL trim are back, though the GL is to disappear in 1993.
Engine wise, the 900cc stays the same at 45hp, the 1.1L rounds up to 55hp and the 1.3L is the same as the base engine from the new Mesaia at 65hp.
The S and Turbo, however, didn’t see the facelift. Inexpensive, badly equipped sporty cars were going out of trend, and FAAL had to review their strategy upon them if they still wanted to keep them on the market. Which meant two exclusive engines for one single car were too much.
So anyway back to the
1992 Mk5 Foreia
Disclaimer: For some odd reason, every single sedan version will be shown with ugly ass aftermarket rounded mirrors. Devs plz can you delet them from the C class body :’(
The Mk5 Foreia perfected what the Klinos meekly started and the Mesaia got a little too crazy about. The front end was the perfect mix between the abundance of prestance and square looks of the Klinos, and the blob shitfest of the Mesaia. Everything that had to be round was round, everything that had to be sharp was sharp. It also included the license-plate-wrapped-in-grilles design clue for the very last time, as well as the V-shaped grille.
The rear, though, was definetly inspired from the critically acclaimed Mk3 Klinos released two years ago, retaining the same basic shape. Though the reflector stripe that included the reverse lights remained exclusive to the aforementioned flagship. Also, notice the “make-up” touches connecting the headlights and taillights with the side windows assembly, reminiscent of the same kind of plastic assembly on the 1974 Foreia where it connected the side windows with the liftback.
Engineering wise nothing new (much to the car’s demise), galvanized chassis and regular steel panels to save costs and hammer the nail in 1990s FAAL’s durability reputation. Otherwise the car is sitting on double wishbone rear suspension and regular McPherson front suspension. Since the platform wasnt shared with the Klinos anymore, the downgrade made sense and allowed for the car to fancy up trim wise.
It was offered as a liftback, of course…
But also as a wagon. This one has the factory fancy mirrors that the sedan definetly should have, I mean jesus who gave me a press car with aftermarket headlights, god damn it. Erm.
Unlike the previous generation Foreia, the wagon retained the general design of the rear taillight assembly, cutting the taillights in a half to allow for optimal hatch opening.
And that’s it. Right? Wrong.
See it’s been four years since FAAL lost its beloved sports flagship, the Coupe. And… despite burying it in the grave on account of Group B making it look unsafe, the public missed it. They missed the opportunity of buying a French RWD sports car that sounds nice and has a race pedigree.
So for the pedigree, the Mk5 Foreia entered 
TCC with a version of FAAL’s historic Group B 2.1L 5 cylinder except naturally aspirated and downgraded to 2.0L to fit regulations, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, here’s the race prototype before the Nescovfefe livery:
As for the RWD Coupe version, well…
Due to not being able to justify the costs of completely replacing the Coupe, FAAL went for a two door version of the Foreia. The longitudinal drivetrain allowed for the sedan and wagon to be either FWD or AWD with the TETRA option, and it also allowed the coupe version to be either RWD or TETRA.
Basing the Coupe on the Foreia allowed for much more practicality with the liftback, a much better rear drivetrain… but also the car was way bigger and way heavier, which is why this choice received a mixed welcome from FAAL enthusiasts who wanted the actual Coupe to come back. The general public appreciated the option as a genuine sporty looking car.
Engine wise, we get, regular petrol range:
204R18Mpi Euro 1, 1.8L 4cyl 95hp, which was the top engine option in the Mesaia, here as a base engine.
204R20Mpi Euro 1, 2.0L 4cyl 115hp, same as the previous generation Foreia except with a cat
255R21Mpi Euro 1, 2.1L 5cyl 130hp, base engine from the Klinos
255R25Mpi Euro 1, 2.5L 5cyl 150hp, also seen on the Klinos
Coupe exclusive petrol range:
204R20MpiS Euro 1, 2.0L 4cyl 150hp from the Mesaia GTI
255R25MpiS Euro 1, 2.5L 5cyl 180hp, upgraded version of the 150hp 2.5L with tubular headers
255R21MpiT Euro 1, 2.1L 5cyl turbo 200hp straight from the Klinos
As for diesels:
194P19TD3, 1.9L 4cyl turbo diesel 90hp, as seen in uh, many other FAAL models
255P25TD3, 2.5L 4cyl turbo diesel 120hp as seen in the Klinos and contemporary Ochlosia
Trim wise, available in liftback and wagon:
BL: two speaker cassette radio. Cloth seats. Power steering and ABS standard. 195/65R16 steel wheels. Unpainted bumpers. 1.8L or 1.9 TD engines only. Optional airbags. Optional front power windows, central locking. 1.8L and 1.9L TD engines
CL: four speaker cassette radio. Soft cloth seats. Power steering, ABS, airbags, front power windows and central locking standard. 195/65R16 steel wheels, optional 16’ alloy wheels, AC, front foglights, rear power windows. 1.8L, 2.0L, 1.9 TD engines.
GL: Four speaker cassette radio. Hard plastics covered in soft material. Half bucket soft cloth seats. Power steering. ABS. Airbags, AC, front and rear power windows, central locking and front foglights standard. 205/55R17 alloy wheels. Optional remote locking, climate control, ESC, headlight washers. 2.0L, 2.1L, 2.5L, 1.9 TD, 2.5 TD engines.
And since the Foreia is its own model now it can go a step higher:
GLS: Fully optioned GL + wood trim and specific wheels. 2.5L, 2.5L TD engines.
As for the Coupe exclusive trims, you get:
-the 16V with the 150hp Mesaia GTI engine, which is basically a RWD CL on harder suspensions with standard alloy wheels
-the 20V with the 180hp exclusive 2.5L engine, basically the same as the 16V except GL instead of CL, and with an optional aero package
-the Turbo, with the 200hp engine and aero package standard, which looks like this:
With a weight ranging from 1250 to 1550kgs (1250-1381kgs for the Coupe version) the car was much heavier than its predecessor and quite frankly that changed the way it handled, and the way people were seeing cars in general.
Most cars were getting phat, and 1400kg was not an alien weight for a regular sedan. But this change in trend made people regret 1980s car the same way 1970s people were regretting 1960s car. New Euro norms meant the car scene was going to change whether we like it or not, especially in depollution and safety features. And FAAL hoped for the Foreia to be accepted despite its beer belly. Spoiler alert: it did.
Now FAAL looked back at their lineup and there was only one gap left to be filled in their lineup: the B segment the Mesaia left alone by growing up.
Coming next, the roundening Pt. 4: the Tasia
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1993 - The Roundening Pt 4 - Mk1 Tasia and filling in the gaps
It’s the 1990s, and brands out there are starting to get really serious about being on every single segment of the market and having an actual car lineup, rather than just random cars that sell.
But FAAL already knew that, hence why they made the Mesaia grow up a bit to be a full fledged C segment car, in all forms. As a result, the B segment stayed vacant, up until a brand new nameplate made its appearance in 1993.
Well. “Brand new”. It actually bears the name of the concept car that became the Mk4 Mesaia shortly after. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Tasia.
Yeah it does look familiar, and you absolutely can spot the shared development it had with the Mesaia since it’s based on a variant of the same chassis.
Both cars shared the same front drivetrain (literally interchangable struts and control arms), but where the Mesaia had rear double wishbone suspension, the Tasia had a bendy boi. Apart from that the design was similar but none of the body parts fit in between the two cars. Despite having a similar wheelbase, the Tasia measured 3.76m, 25cm shorter than the Mesaia. And you could see in the design where they cheaped out compared to the Mesaia.
First off the taillights. One foglight on one side, one reverse light on the other. Then, complete lack of extra plastic cladding on body pillars, or any design extra whatsoever. A simpler front bumper. Every trim gets unpainted door handles and mirrors, and every trim except the GL (pictured) gets unpainted bumpers front and rear.
Though, the car is still available in three or five doors because ain’t losing those market shares. Both versions still have 5 seats.
As for engines, it’s one step below the Mesaia and very simplified, with three petrol and one diesel engine:
- 1.1L 3 cylinder 58hp from the 133R11Mpi (euro 1-2), a stroked down version of the defunct Dima S and Turbo engine
- 1.3L 3 cylinder 70hp 133R13Mpi (euro 1-2), same origin as the 1.1L.
- 1.6L 4 cylinder 82hp 204R16Mpi (euro 1), as seen in the Mesaia
- 1.9L 4 cylinder diesel 65hp 194P19D3 as seen in the Mesaia
All engines available in 5 speed manual. 1.6L engine also available with a 4 speed automatic.
Trims, same:
BL: Unpainted bumpers. 175/65R13 steel wheels with no hubcaps and no upgrade possible. All manual cloth seats, no power steering, no ABS, no airbags, no stereo, manual everything. Optional power steering and stereo but that’s it. 1.1i, 1.3i or 1.9D engines.
CL: Unpainted bumpers. 175/65R13 steel wheels with hubcaps. Standard power steering, airbag and two speaker stereo with dashboard speakers. All manual cloth seats. Optional ABS, 14" alloy wheels, power windows, power mirrors, upgraded stereo with door speakers. Available with all engines.
GL: Painted bumpers. 185/55R14 alloy wheels, standard ABS, airbag, power steering and power windows. Upgraded cloth seats with manual lumbar setting. Optional power mirrors, passenger airbag, 14" BBW wheels, front foglights. 1.3i, 1.6i, 1.9D engines.
You’ll notice that there is no GTI. Not that FAAL is completely giving up on inexpensive sports cars. Just that they were currently developing a new architecture of engines that wouldn’t come for another two or three years. In fact, their last “small” sporty engine was the powerplant of the current Mesaia GTI, and it was still running on one single camshaft and was really, really heavy for its size, being all cast.
Those were all key points FAAL was going to change, and starting 1994 they started teasing the future of their engines: Lighter, DOHC, more powerful. The future looked bright… but far.
Coming next: uh, a lot of things actually, the MK2 Dima, a new breed of engines, and facelifts galore.
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I know you had to use the same body for the Mk4 Mesaia and Mk1 Tasia - there simply aren’t as many 90s compact car bodies as we’d hoped by now - but you did a great job differentiating the two models. Matter of fact, the latter reminds me somewhat of a pre-facelift Renault Clio II, but slightly boxier.
And I am relieved to know that even though the Tasia GTI isn’t out yet, it could be added to the range in the future - surely it would receive the lighter twin-cam engines currently under development, if it entered production?