Flug Automotive [Hummingbird WRC + Osprey Mk4]

Isn’t MFI too complex and expensive for small engines? :stuck_out_tongue:

Lots of cars used mechanical fuel injection, including examples of sub 1 liter ones. It is also just an inception version of the engine, before switching to EFI somewhere in late 80s’

@Sillyworld Remember Airborne A27? :laughing:

Company’s progress

By the 1980 Flug had a lineup of 3 chassis with a total of 7 car trims available, 3 engines to share among them, and that posed a few options on how to proceed further. Option number one was to concentrate on expanding the lineup, diving even deeper into loans on new factory and equipment, but broadening the market appeal, but producing outdated cars. Option number two was to concentrate on updating and upgrading the factory floor and tech they were producing, and while the market share and the freshness of the cars would diminish, the next step forward would be a huge leap. Viktor, being of Kraft Haus Technik decided that quality would trump quantity, and issued an order on updating the company.

While the designers and engineers were busy re-tooling the factory floors, updating the existing engines and chassis, the marketing department has removed the Glide from the list of cars available in 1982, as it was no longer generating any income. With it, went the KHT based V8, the 5 liter colossus that had all the soul and history a car could ever need, but was so outdated that it was not welcome even in the United States. This naturally dropped the Osprey Phoenix off the board aswell, since it used the v8 to power itself.

Osprey facelift Mk2


The white colour was gaining popularity in the 80s.

The facelift of the Osprey has touched up on the headlights and taillights, introduced a few more colours into the Flug palette, including finally white, which was growing popular, dubbed “Rabbit white”. The suspension received new settings as well as wider tires and alloy wheels as standard. The brake pads were upgraded to work well with the new found grip, and in the rear - an optional LSD differential was helping keep things under control.


The new taillights were introduced in 84

For the purpose of keeping Phoenix trim the E10 engine was updated to 2.2 liters, by use of new pistons (Now hypereutectic cast) and crankshaft (still steel, but with different stroke), and a new set of more aggressive camshafts. The RPM limit was raised to 6600, fueling and timing settings changed to fit the new setup. The exhaust was finished off with new headers (short cast), a new 3 way catalytic converter for better flow and overall a bigger diameter piping. This allowed the power to climb to 150hp and 178nm. Short of the v8’s output, it was still decent enough to propell the car to 100kph in 7.7 seconds, a downgrade from 7.2. In exhange the fuel consumption was only 15 liters / 100 km instead of previous 20. The other plus side that the v6 Osprey Phoenix was noticeably cheaper than it’s v8 predecessor

Hummingbird facelift


Only basic changes were done to the Hummingbird in 84

Keeping the car fresh was not the idea of the Hummingbird facelift, it was rather removing all the unnecessary and expensive technology from the car, so the first to go were the flip open headlights, brainchild of Noto design studio, now replaced by conventional headlights. A few minor changes occured, now that there was no need for extra blinkers and running lights on the bumpers, and the fog lamps were updated. All in all the car did not change much, but did save a bit of money and actually improved on reliability. The engine was not changed in any way, still a 0.9 liter inline 3, producing exactly the same amount of power as when it first saw light. Phoenix team, however saw this opportunity to change out the 1.8 liter v6 from the base Osprey with the new and improved 2.2 liter.


The wider stance of the Phoenx version is an easy giveaway of it’s actual performance

The Phoenix Hummingbird in it’s facelift form was a beastly little car that proved too difficult for a lot of drivers, it was an uncompromising 2 seater with 150 horsepower v6 in the front, designed for only one purpose - giggles and laughs on a b-road. The suspension was firmed up and new antiroll bars were introduced to deal with the heft of the engine on the front axle. While the original 1.8 liter was a sports hatchback, this was a giant killer. Pushing the power through a 4 speed manual transmission and a limited slip diff, the 800 kilo car accelerated to 100 kph in 6.7 seconds, and reached nearly 200 kph flat out. Brakes from the Osprey helped stop the Hummingbird more effectively, replacing the drum rear brakes found in the standard car, this was helped (along with cornering and acceleration) by the enormously wide 215mm tires on 14inch alloy wheels. The car was not very successful, mostly due to the fact that it placed the HOT bit way before the HATCH, and was not usable in day to day life like any of the competitors could be. It did however put Flug on the map, with the reviewers going crazy about the performance.


Addition of the small roof spoiler helped keep the car in check at high speeds.

1985 Venom Concept

In 1985 Flug finally moved into the new territory, presenting the Venom concept. The mid engined small sportscar was powered by the 1.8 v6 just so it could move on it’s own power, and featured a full steel bodywork with steel spaceframe beneath it. There was no interior to speak of and the whole car was little more than a rolling chassis. Flug was just testing the waters for potential clients with the design, and it showed that the market for the futuristic design is there. The car was scheduled to start production in 1987

(B25/S84) 1984 Osprey (Entry level sedan, RWD)
E10V18 85hp / 119nm, 1789cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI. 91 Ron
11.2sec / 155kph / 33.6m / 0.95G / 10.9L 100km
$12,740

(B25S84) 1984 Osprey Phoenix (High performance sports sedan)
E10V22 : 150hp / 178nm, 2204cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI. 91 Ron
7.7 s / 190kph / 32.2m / 1.03g / 14.9 L
$14,980

(C20/H84) 1984 Hummingbird (Economy level 5dr hatchback, FWD)
E05V09 41hp / 57nm, 894cc i3, SOHC 2v, MFI. 91 Ron
20.4 sec / 136kph / 34.4m / 0.87G / 9.8L
$9,900

(C20/H84) 1984 Phoenix Hummingbird (Economy level sports hatchback, FWD)
E10V22 : 150hp / 178nm, 2204cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI. 91 Ron
6.7 sec / 192kph / 30.4m / 1.09g / 14.1L
$12,880

Note : as Flug is my “play to see if the game works / report bugs and missing features” kind of ehm…playthrough, I decided to not wait on more big sedan bodies to be introduced in the 80s, and went with the “updates all round and sportscars for 90’s” kind of thing.

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The Osprey’s taillights are rather appealing to me, looks great :slight_smile:

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1987 Osprey MK2

With the Flug lineup getting stale, and Osprey being nearly 10 years old, sales taking a nosedive for the past few years, Flug started work on the successor. The main goal was to make the car more affordable to the masses, and to upgrade the chassis to the modern standards. Rear wheel drive was dropped in favour of the “better in every way” in the mind of the general population front wheel drive, now having a lot more in common with the Hummingbird, with which it would share the engine design aswell.


the 1.1 liter version of Osprey mk2 in base trim.

The car was fitted with a 5 speed gearbox, and an open differential, available with a manual transmission only, powered by the modified E05 engine, which received similar treatment as the E10, new pistons and a crankshaft, reaching a 1.1 liter capacity. The exhaust manifold was also sourced from the E10, along with the camshaft. The new engine proved good on economy and provided much better results than the 0.9 liter version, allowing the car to drop the consumption to 11.7 liters / 100 km.


The base trim featured unpainted bumpers, which could be painted as an optional extra

The interior was of standard quality, and featured a basic radio with a cassette player, and seated 4 people. 5 person seating layout was sacrificed to allow for more comfortable seating positions for the rear passengers. The car included ABS and a hydraulic steering assist, and was packed with advanced 80’s safety options, which were fitted as standard to every Flug Osprey mk2.


Most of the openings in the front were blocked off in the base trim, but were vents in the Phoenix

Team Phoenix, while mostly busy on the Venom, did have a chance to work on the Osprey mk2, fitting the 2.2 liter v6 into the front of the car. The Phoenix was also different by having flared wheel arches, foglights as standard, as well as a front lip and a spoiler, 16 inch alloys and 215 wide sports tires instead of the 195 on the regular 1.1 liter version. The power was still 150hp, and it allowed the car to accelerate to 100 kph in 7.1 seconds.


Osprey Phoenix Mk2 in phoenix dark burn colour. Phoenix colours were optional extras on 1.1 versions, but came at no cost with the actual Phoenix

With the introduction of the 1987 Osprey, Flug took their sales to Europe, offering the car not only through the dealerships in Poland, but opening offices and dealerships in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, United Kingdom and Greece. The initial reaction was warm, as the cheap sedan found it’s way among the VW Jettas and Honda Accords.


The twin exhaust pipe, spoiler and the phoenix logo on the trunk lid made the car stand out among the regular Ospreys

1987 Venom concept 2
As Osprey mk2 made it’s first appearance, so did the Venom concept 2, a less extreme looking version of the first concept car. Unlike the first concept the near production prototype featured different rear bumper, simpler engine cover, a lot less wheel flare, and a different rear window arrangement, to allow for some room inside the car. The front also now featured indicators, which were necessary for the car to be legal. Sadly, with the work on the Osprey, the team could not meet the deadline, and Flug postponed the launch of the Venom.



(D26/S87) 1987 Osprey (Entry level sedan, FWD)
E05V11 : 75hp / 87nm, 1102cc i3, SOHC 2v, MFI, 91 Ron
12.7 sec / 145kph / 32.9m / 0.94G / 11.7 L
$11,620

(D26/S87P) 1987 Osprey Phoenix (High performance sports sedan, FWD)
E10V22 : 150hp / 178nm, 2204cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI. 91 Ron
7.1 sec / 196kph / 30.6m / 1.1g / 14.6 L
$13,860

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The first two front-drive Flugs clearly don’t disappoint, and the Osprey, in Phoenix trim ought to be a decent affordable performance car… Meanwhile, I am hoping that the production version of the Venom will remain faithful to the futuristic design of the concept… Which looks stunning in bright yellow.

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Osprey or Hummingbird? :smiley: I’m not honestly too keen on making FWD cars, being a raging RWD supporter myself, but it does seem like what the company that does not put sportiness as their sell word would do.

Also, there will be a few changes to the Venom, but I’ll try not to disappoint :wink:

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Venom… What kind of performance figures does it get? I know that in concept they are not that important, but I’m just interested. :smiley:

No performance, it has 40hp at the moment.

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Leaving for work tomorrow, so will post all that I’ve god here.

1990 Osprey Grp. A Coupe

By the 1988, as the Venom was still not finished the job has been given to the new found experimental design studio to finish, with Ragnar Eliassen’s team Phoenix shifted to work on Flug’s official motorsport team. The basis for the car was the fresh Osprey mk2, and however you look at it, it was not any good at being sporty on a rally stage or in a touring car race.


The rally version featured the rally lights

Team Phoenix decided to go with Group A homologation series, concentrating on rallying. The chassis was changed severely, most noticeably the shorter wheelbase and the lack of 2 extra doors. The engineering department have provided the prototype AWD system they were working on, and the engine has received a serious upgrade. The 2.2 liter SOHC v6 with 2 valves per cylinder received new forged pistons and conrods, increasing the CR to astonoshing 12:1, racing profile camshaft, race grade exhaust and intake, hand ported heads, and a remap to run 100 octane.

The suspension remained largely the same, but the springs and shocks, as well as antiroll bars were changed to heavier duty units. The car spotted an off road skidtray, and 215mm tires, aswell as rally lights and turbofan wheels. The interior only saw 2 seats and a stripped out upholstery, bare metal ruling the day, with only minimally required comforts available. The group A rules stated that there had to be 5000 homologation versions produced, so while Team Phoenix got to testing on their car, a dedicated group of engineers got on with civilising the car.


Both rally and street version were noticeably higher than the regular Osprey MK2

The exhausts were back on the rally spec beast to make it somewhat quiet, but that did not help much with the sound still being at over 50 db. The engine was forcibly de-tuned, and none of the street engines received the ported heads, still even with the ignition and fuelling all the way to the safe zones, the lowest octane the engine could survive on was 95. The loss of nearly 60hp was also felt, but the car was still deemed quick for it’s time. Overall the Group A Homologation coupe was not a commercial success, but it is a sought after car for amateur rally enthusiasts.


As a side effect from the rally project, the coupe body became available to all Osprey trims.

1990 Venom
While team phoenix was off to their first rally season, the experimental division has finally finished off the Venom and shaped it into the road legal state. The main differences in the visuals were - the wheel arches were once again flared, the canards made an appearance like in the first concept, the big wing was gone, replaced by a tiny lip, the arrangement of the rear was changed to allow for more air outlets from the engine bay, and more air intakes were introduced to cool the new engine, but most noticeably - popup headlights, because there was absolutely no way the tiny headlights of the prototypes could light the road sufficiently.


The two tone paint scheme stayed with the car in it’s 1st gen version, with no options but black for the roof available

Sadly there was no new engine, Flug already stretching itself thin, and not being able to afford it, so the Venom was paired up with the SOHC 2v V6 from the early 80’s. While the engine out of the Osprey GrpA was considered, the fuel ratio of 12.5:1 and the exclusive demand of running no less than 95 ron quickly put an end to that idea. The engineers knew that the original 1.8 cast iron design was not the best in terms of lightness or precission casting, but what they did know is that they’ve made the block meaty enough to be enlarged for future needs, and this is where it came to it. New crankshaft and pistons were introduced, increasing the size of the v6 to 2598cc, which allowed to improve on the performance figures, reaching 176hp and 207nm, while still allowing the use of the 91 ron.



The flared wheel arches were back on the Venom to house the wide tires

The sports car had decent dynamics, running on 225 wide sports tires in the rear (and 195 in the front) it reached 100kph in 6.6 seconds, and topped out at 226 kph. Priced at $17,360 it had moderate success and helped Flug to enter the market for the sports cars. While the 80’s were not very successful for Flug, and it’s image was shaky at best, the entry into 1990 has shown a lot of promise for the Polish company…


The rear has seen the most changes.

(D26/S90C) 1990 Osprey Grp.A (Homologation version of the rally car, AWD)
AE10V22HM 178hp / 180nm, 2204cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI, 95 Ron
6.9sec / 196kph / 30.3m / 1.12g / 21.8L
$19,040 (Limited run of 5000)

(D26/RALLY) 1990 Osprey Grp.A (Official rally car, AWD)
AE10V22 239hp / 235nm, 2204cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI, 100 Ron
5.5 sec / 220kph / 29.3m / 1.15g / 20.2L
Not commercially available

(E40/MR90) 1990 Venom (Entry level Sportscar, Mid Engined, RWD)
E10V26 : 176hp/ 207nm, 2558cc V6 SOHC 2v, MFI, 91 Ron
6.6sec / 226kph / 30.5m / 1.04g / 11.9L
$17.360

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At 1990 Flug offers

(C20/H84) 1984 Hummingbird (Economy level 5dr hatchback, FWD)
E05V09 41hp / 57nm, 894cc i3, SOHC 2v, MFI. 91 Ron
20.4 sec / 136kph / 34.4m / 0.87G / 9.8L
$9,900

(C20/H84) 1984 Phoenix Hummingbird (Economy level sports hatchback, FWD)
E10V22 : 150hp / 178nm, 2204cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI. 91 Ron
6.7 sec / 192kph / 30.4m / 1.09g / 14.1L
$12,880

(D26/S87) 1987 Osprey (Entry level sedan, FWD)
E05V11 : 75hp / 87nm, 1102cc i3, SOHC 2v, MFI, 91 Ron
12.7 sec / 145kph / 32.9m / 0.94G / 11.7 L
$11,620

(D26/S87P) 1987 Osprey Phoenix (High performance sports sedan, FWD)
E10V22 : 150hp / 178nm, 2204cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI. 91 Ron
7.1 sec / 196kph / 30.6m / 1.1g / 14.6 L
$13,860

(D26/S90C) 1990 Osprey Grp.A (Homologation version of the rally car, AWD)
AE10V22HM 178hp / 180nm, 2204cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI, 95 Ron
6.9sec / 196kph / 30.3m / 1.12g / 21.8L
$19,040 (Limited run of 5000)

(E40/MR90) 1990 Venom (Entry level Sportscar, Mid Engined, RWD)
E10V26 : 176hp/ 207nm, 2558cc V6 SOHC 2v, MFI, 91 Ron
6.6sec / 226kph / 30.5m / 1.04g / 11.9L
$17.360

Engines
E05V09 41hp / 57nm, 894cc i3, SOHC 2v, MFI. 91 Ron
E05V11 : 75hp / 87nm, 1102cc i3, SOHC 2v, MFI, 91 Ron
E10V22 : 150hp / 178nm, 2204cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI. 91 Ron
AE10V22HM 178hp / 180nm, 2204cc v6, SOHC 2v, MFI, 95 Ron
E10V26 : 176hp/ 207nm, 2558cc V6 SOHC 2v, MFI, 91 Ron

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50db??? How did you make it so quiet??? A Rolls Royce will struggle to get below 60db!

The Venom would have been a great affordable sports car for the era. Even with a modest amount of power it would have been competitive against an SW20 MR2, unless the MR2 in question was a turbocharged variant (those cars had at least 200 horsepower, 24 more than the Venom). It still looks period-accurate, though, and definitely has enough presence to make bystanders take notice. But does Flug have any plans to build a turbocharged Venom? I think it deserves even more power…

All the baffled mufflers in the world built lovingly and with great care by Polish professionals. The Anti Kurwa Initiative. No need to shout “Kurwa” at the drivers in the night. [/commercial voice]

There are plans for the Venom, sure… although as of now it’s faster than a Tsukuba S, and it’s in an eco-tune. Most of the changes will come with a facelift, but that could take a LOOOONG time, cause of work.

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BOŻE KURWA JA PIERDOLE CZY TY TO WIDZISZ
@squidhead :laughing:

Like the Venom though, however second concept iteration is by far my favourite

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Yaaaay. more Polska!

1991 Flug Nomad

With Flug aggressively expanding, and working on concepts and prototypes for the upcoming cars, the factory was contacted by the military with a contract. A cheap and reliable offroader was needed, and Flug’s executives saw this as an opportunity. Influx of funds allowed to design the vehicle from the ground up.

Within 2 years a working prototype was finished and sent to extensive testing.
A light truck monocoque steel chassis with solid axles allowed for serious offroad capabilities, which was helped by manual locking differentials. The high profile offroad tires sat on top of steel wheels, which pretty much finished off the suspension part of the car.

Powering the car was the new D6 series 3 liter v6 turbodiesel engine, making 130hp and 300nm of torque. The admittedly sluggish powerplant fed the wheels through a 5 speed manual transmission, and got the heavy offroader to 100 kph in 11.5 seconds, topping out at 174kph. A lot of attention was given to cooling, including extra vents to prevent overheat in desert conditions that the car might have faced.

Flug Nomad saw limited production in military trim, and a civilian version was underway, slated for 1993.

Flug Hummingbird mk2 concept
Meanwhile, the design studio now free from working on the Venom was hard at work at re-imagining the smallest Flug, the hummingbird. The hatchback body was dropped in favour of a subcompact 5 door with a raised roof line for a roomier interior. The design cues from the 80s’ hummingbird still existed on the car, but were updated to fit the new body.

The plans for the car, however required an update of the engine aswell, and a new engine, derived from the 3 cylinder design of the e05 was already underway… The e23 would be a 1.1 liter inline 3 with a DOHC head and 4 valves per cylinder, and would produce about 60hp. The car’s sales were planned to start in 1995.

(MP1) 1991 Flug Nomad Military (Offroad vehicle, not available to public, 4x4)
D6V30T : 130hp/300nm, 2991cc v6 DOHC 4v TurboDiesel
11.5sec / 174kph / 44,1m / 0.7g / 13.2L

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Moar diesel! Yay!

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Dat Nomad. DOHC 4V strikes me as tech Overkill for a 1991 Military spec diesel lol. Also the all important question: is it prechamber, swirl chamber, direct injected, TWO STROKE?

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Pre-chamber, and while it’s military spec, the engine (and the car) are slated to be civilised (Pun? pun pun… pun pun?) for civilian use by civilian engineers, plus these engines should be seen in other models soon enough and be used for quite some time, so I vent with DOHC 4v, so I don’t bottleneck the engine way too soon.

Also I guess it would be much better to just rename the therad to “WOO DIESELS” and no need for explaining which cars have appeared :smiley:

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