Generations II: The Full Line Challenge [LORE][FINAL SCORES]

I’ma be the first one to post their ads! Because I can…



(Disclaimer: I was drinking when I made this ad, and went full potato. 33 years, not 43 years.)


Submitted vehicles:
Utility - 1956 Ardent A1 1-ton Pickup, 286 Vela I-6, 3-speed manual
Senior - 1956 Ardent 420 Deluxe Estate, 289 Toledo V8, 2-speed auto
Junior - 1956 Ardent 200 Special Starlight, 99 Cygnus I4, 3-speed manual


@HighOctaneLove … Your move, Konstantin. :wink:


Additional side note, @nicholasrams has withdrawn due to computer issues. May they be resolved quickly… and sorry he can’t compete.

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Well, I was hoping there’d be a market more catered to a more performance car, but nope. So I had to make a new car. Oh well, I like the new car.



Submitted Vehicles.

Jr: 1956 Valence 250 Sedan, Valence 250 i4, 2-speed automatic.
Sr: 1956 Valence 200 Sedan, Valence S2 200 V8, 2-speed Automatic.
Utility: 1956 Valence 100 Utility, Valence S1 100 V8, 3-speed Manual.

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Hmmmm… Are wagons included as utility? Because no way the premium to luxury brands would make a luxury pickup truck.

The Courageux Ambronay berline luxe, the Courageux Croisiere Berline luxe and the Courageux Croisiere utilitaire


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You are welcome to submit one to compete in the Utility category. It will be run up against everyone else’s entries, based on the weighted stats for the round. These are different category-to-category, round-for-round. So what is preferred for a Utility now will not be the same in, say, 30 years.

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(Prelude lore/RP to follow)


Ardent Headquarters

Cincinnati, OH

Tuesday, May 6, 1952

Desmond Wainwright stepped to the threshold of Jack Chancellor’s office. The heavy, darkly-stained oak door stood wide open. A majestic mahogany desk seemed to dominate the space between two large windows, both open to provide ventilation on an unusually warm Spring day. Jack was at his desk, though a copy of the Cincinnati Enquirer unfurled in the CEO’s hands served as a curtain to the outside world. Desmond swallowed and took a deep breath before gently rapping his knuckles on the door jamb.

Jack’s index fingers slid down the page, allowing the paper to slump to where he could see the source of the intrusion. His gray hair was slicked back, his reading glasses perched toward the end of his nose, though he dipped his head so he could see above them.The Ardent CEO sat upright in his chair and folded the paper in front of him, placed his glasses on top, then motioned to a chair on the opposite side of his desk. “Desmond, come in.”

Desmond steeled himself, putting a forced smirk on his face. It felt quite false. Worse yet, it felt that Jack’s piercing blue eyes saw through the facade as easily as one would look through a pane of glass. Nonetheless, he placed himself in one of the chairs opposite Jack.

Jack motioned in the air with his right hand just as Desmond was about to speak. “It’s bad news,” Jack said, his tone eerily calm.

“Y… yes, sir,” Desmond stammered. “There was another setback. This time it was…”

Jack grinned and waved his hand again dismissively. “It’s alright, Desmond. Honestly, it’s not going to matter much.”

“Sir?” Desmond didn’t like where Jack was going with this. Just over eighteen months ago, Desmond had an incident with Jack that ended with the CEO firing him for a week before begging Desmond to come back. At that time, he at least had leverage over Jack that helped. But over a year into Project Taurus, Desmond and his engineers didn’t have much more than a few prototype V8 engines. None of which ran for more than a couple weeks. He had nothing to defend himself now.

Jack reached unto one of his desk drawers, retrieving a cigar, which he trimmed quickly before closing the drawer and reaching for the lighter on his desk. “Consider Project Taurus to be…” Jack leaned back and took a big puff. He exhaled, then gave a slight shrug, smoke wafting gently from the lit cigar. “Practice.”

Desmond scratched at his chin. “I’ve got to be honest, Mr. Chancellor, I’m a little confused. We’re well behind schedule. I know that we were supposed to have a V8 ready for the 400-series right away, but I can’t see us getting a production-ready unit until '54 at the earliest.” The truth of the matter hurt the engineer deeply, but it would do him no good to sugarcoat the situation. Not to the great Jack Chancellor.

Again, to Desmond’s surprise, Jack grinned. “And what would you think about being able to put a V8 in the 400’s this year?”

“You’re crazy,” Desmond blurted, unable to stop himself.

“Damn straight I am,” Jack laughed. “So what would you say? Would you like to see it?”

“I would, but it’s impossible.”

“Bet you ten bucks I can do it,” Jack grinned. “Twenty if I do it before you walk back out the door.” Jack thrust his burning cigar toward his open door.

Desmond shook his head. “The Taurus is broken. It’s not going to happen. But I do like the sound of taking my wife out to dinner on Jack Chancellor’s dime.”

Jack merely laughed and held out his hand.

“You’re serious?” Desmond asked. Jack nodded, so Desmond reached for the CEO’s outstretched hand.

“That’s more like it,” Jack chortled as he shook the hand of his Director of Powertrain Division. He then balanced his cigar on his ash tray and reached for the phone. Jack’s thick fingers jabbed at the dial, ripping the rotary face around with glee as he dialed in each number.

He waited. Desmond crossed his arms. Seconds ticked away, yet Jack’s glee didn’t fade at all. After what must have been close to a minute, he leaned back. Desmond could faintly hear that someone was on the other end of the line, giving an introduction, but he couldn’t tell who."

“Hey Jeff. Yeah, it’s Jack Chancellor,” the CEO chirped cheerfully into the handset. “Yeah, it’s been too long.” There was a short pause. “No, Jeff. I’m not going to waste your time like that, you know me. Listen, I’ve got two things for your. First of all, I’m coming up to Toledo this weekend, thought we might have dinner when I’m in town. Yeah. Yeah, Myrtle will be with me, so you better bring Edith to keep her off my back.”

Desmond could briefly make out the person on the other end of the line laugh before Jack’s own laughter drowned it out. “Yeah, that’s half of if. The other half helps both of us out. Seven hundred and fifty Toledo Eights. I’ll give you wholesale plus ten for each of them, and I’ll pick up the bill for freight. Can you get me that many? Uh huh… no, I understand where you’re at on that. That’s why I’m not asking for a thousand.” Another pause, more muffled speech from the handset. Jack’s smile slowly started to fade. “You know me better than that, Jeff. Uh huh. Now? Hmm. Hold on.” Jack cupped his hand over the handset’s microphone and turned to Desmond. “The ShiftGuard is ready now, right, Desmond?”

Desmond was rendered speechless. The delay must have irritated Jack, because he started snapping his fingers at Desmond. “Uh, they’ll be production ready in about a month. But we don’t have…”

“How long to engineer a bellhousing adapter?” Jack shot back. “Cost isn’t an issue.”

“It would help if I knew what I was…”

“Just ballpark it!” Jack whispered hoarsely.

“Three months?”

Jack grinned and unmuffled the phone. “Ok, that’s fair. Seven fifty Toledos by September, fifteen hundred more over the next twelve months. And I’ll send ShiftGuards your way starting next month, two fifty per month. Yes, it’s a deal, Jeff. I’ll call you Saturday morning to work out the details for this weekend. Yeah… you too, Jeff.” Jack slipped the handset back onto its cradle. “I believe you owe me twenty dollars there, Desmond,” he smirked.

“Now wait, Mr. Chancellor, I don’t even know what I’m deal…”

“Toledo Iron Eight, 289 cubic inch V8 engines. Variable displacement platform. The future of Townsend Coachworks.” Jack patted the newspaper next to him. “A future they can’t afford to have exclusively. See, Jeff Moss is in a pinch. Townsend is bleeding cash, and their cars are selling slowly. But that factory of theirs in Toledo can crank out engines like there’s no tomorrow. He sells us engines, he gets cash flow he can show the bank, and we get the V8 we need. Already production ready, no more setbacks. All you need to do is find a way to adapt the ShiftGuard to its bellhousing.”

Desmond nodded. “Practice program indeed. We’ll need blueprints or an engine to work with before we can start,” he added.

“I’ll get them for you when I’m in Toledo this weekend. To be honest, I’m going for more than just a business dinner.” Jack picked up his cigar and took another puff. “I’m going to try to buy the whole damn company.”

Cincinnati Enquirer

Business Section, Friday, November 14, 1952

Ardent Motors Corporation announced today that it has reached terms of acquisition with Toledo, OH based car manufacturer Townsend Coachworks. Ardent will purchase Townsend for 2.1 million dollars, in an all-cash deal.

There had been much speculation recently regarding the fate of Townsend, which has posted losses for the past nine quarters straight. It was believed that Townsend might be forced to file for bankruptcy, but it now appears that at least two companies made a bid to purchase the struggling automaker instead. Townsend CEO Jeffrey Moss signed the agreement with Ardent last month, and it was approved by the Townsend family estate earlier this week.

Another offer by Bogliq Automotive USA was apparently turned down in favor of Ardent’s terms.

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Hampton Motor Group - Prologue

Warwick, England - 15 February 1955

Toby Hampton had just received word on the previous year’s sales report. The news was very good indeed: ever since its founding, the Hampton Motor Group had recorded steady, sizable profits thanks to increasingly high annual sales. As such, the company had been able to negotiate a purchase of the rights to the third model line intended for the Warwick Motor Car Company - an off-roader called the Nevis. This vehicle would receive its own bespoke overhead-valve straight-six and was originally intended to be sold exclusively to fleets - until Toby’s trip to the United States in the summer of 1953 made him change his mind.

“It seems like those trucks, as they call them, aren’t just for fleet use anymore. Private buyers want them, too.”

“You’re right”, Marketing Director Gary Wells responded. “If we sell the Nevis to civilian customers, it could well be a smashing success!”

“I agree with you wholeheartedly on this one. We will offer the Nevis to civilians at launch, which is scheduled for 1956. Speaking of which, that’s when the rest of our new model range will be out. Any news on that, Chief Engineer Pete Gardner?”

“Everything in our model plan is proceeding according schedule. Replacements for the Voyager and Wayfarer are expected to go on sale later this year as 1956 models - and in a first for this company, both of them, along with the Nevis, will be sold in the United States, marking our official entry into that market. Given how big it is, it’s too lucrative for us not to ignore.”

“Our design studio is working on the exterior and interior design for both of them as we speak - they will be built on our first all-new car platform, designed to underpin a whole range of models in varying sizes and segments”, Lead Designer Nathan Wilson replied.

Toby felt chuffed. “Well, that’s our new model plan set, then. We now feel confident enough to challenge not just our Continental competitors, such as Courageux, but also various American domestic brands, and even those up-and-coming Asian imports. Let’s get to work, boys; I want to make this company deliver on its promises and will never accept anything less.”

And with that, Toby returned to his office and resumed work, confident that his team would deliver all the new product on schedule and on budget. Meanwhile, his colleagues continued the final phase of development for the company’s new model range.

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KATSURO HQ, Nagoya, Japan 1954

January 1, Monday 8 am

Tanashi steps into his office holding a cup of green tea. He walks to his desk and puts the cup down, and rests his jacket on the chair. He undoes the blinds and a sudden burst of sunlight hit his face, so hard that he squints his eyes. His secretary walks in to see him looking through the window at the birds flying above. She asks if he’s ok, he says yes.

“I’ve got our final sales results from last year for you”, she said.
“Bring them over”, he responds enthusiastically.

He takes the report and skims through while a grin slowly develops on his face. “Thank you, Nasuki. That will be all.”

The report shows over 2000 Model As being sold in 1953, numbers that were way more than he expected. A board meeting was called that same day, and Tanashi and his board members decided it was time to go public in order to raise funds to expand on the success of the Model A.

With the economy on a steady growth trend, it was the perfect time to introduce a more premium Midsize model and a workhorse.

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Introducing the All-New 1956 Hampton Model Range.

Now available in America for the first time, our new model range is designed to cater to many different types of buyers.

Our entry-level offering, the Ferret, is powered by a small and efficient inline-four that provides adequate performance for daily driving. If you want a more upmarket experience, check out the larger Valiant, with a smooth straight-six, AM radio and leather upholstery as standard. And for those who want to go off-road and carry plenty of stuff, try the Nevis pick-up, with permanent 4x4 and a load capacity of over 1.5 tons.

Contact your nearest dealer for pricing and option availability.

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How important is realism, versus stats in this challenge? For example, a pickup at this time would have bias ply tires and a front live axle, but those are both bad for stats. How should I balance them?

I will have an eye out for it. While I can’t per se ban anything in particular unless it’s not street legal, I did in the previous competition drop some RR points for people being “too advanced” in their setups.

In other words: play fair, be realistic. For example, all of my cars this round use a solid axle leaf suspension, and pushrod engines.

Design in progress

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The thing is the definition of “too advanced”

i definitly understand a DOHC-4 engine not being practical in any of the given categories, but the european definition of “too advanced” is a much different one than the normal american definition of it.

and i don’t see European companies deliberately using inferior tech in USDM cars, especially on the chassis side of things

im getting a bit confused over the JR category… is it full on base spec cars, as in the cheapest and smallest possible with very small engines like a 2CV or just a default, cheap but not too cheap small car which is good for a nromal family?

My cars are definitely on the sporty euro type of level. All the choices are realistic though. American cars definitely went kind of archaic in the 60’s and 70’s

Even Euro companies wouldn’t be using DOHC4v this early on. Some might… MIGHT… use DOHC2v. SOHC2v or DAOHC would be more plausible. But Pushrods were common on imports even through the early 80’s here.

It is “what would your company’s lore entry-level car for the US market be at this time?”

Not necessarily the smallest car your company makes. Lore-wise, Ardent actually had something smaller than the Starlight (the Wren), but only sold it in Europe and South America. Thus, for the US market, the Starlight is the entry model.

I could have gone two ways with Senior. Ardent’s 400-series was the senior Ardent-branded car, but I could have also gone with the larger Townsend T5/Trinidad. I selected the 400-series.

I will go back to the round rules post and clarify this.

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You still have to actually PM me the .car files, posting them in the thread doesn’t count as a submission. :slight_smile:

Edit: Also, welcome back @nicholasrams774 … fixed his computer. He will rejoin in 1968 with a different company.

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10 days remaining in the round’s submission period. I have submissions from 5 of 16 eligible companies.

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