Leviathan Motor Company (LMC) - No longer updated

[Chickenbiscuit]

These first few cars are old. Current company starts here.

1951 LMC Captain

LMC Captain model number #1

Leviathan Motor Company was founded shortly after the war in 1949 with the desire to produce luxury and performance cars. LMC’s first model, the Captain, was released in 1951 amid a saturated market of large premium sedans. Powered by a 128 hp 264 cid V8, the Captain would push 108 mph and go 0-60 mph in just 13 seconds, making it one of the fastest production cars in the US at the time. The next year, a convertible Soft Top model started production. The Soft Top weighed over 500 lbs more and was more of a cruiser than straight line rocket.

1952 Captain Soft Top. Am I the only one who constantly forgets to put on side mirrors?

The Captain was only moderately successful, but it was enough for LMC to get its start. Its hand made interior and all around high-quality ride was praised, but it didn’t quite have the curb appeal to match it. After 4 years and a minor facelift, production ended in 1955.

[Chickenbiscuit]

1955 Spectre Roadster

A red Spectre, at least I think it was red

Following the Captain’s run, LMC expanded it’s lineup by adding a small sports car, the Spectre. It came in two versions, The Coupe, and the Roadster. The Spectre ran with a new inline 6 engine boasting 83 hp. The coupe was a capable track car that could reach 62 mph in 11.8 seconds. However, the low weight and limited tires made it hard to control at high speeds without modifications.

A 1957 Coupe. This one is definitely green.

LMC scaled back on the creature comforts for the Spectre in an effort to save money and weight. Because the company owner was a music fanatic, the high-end radio would be the only feature to carry over from the Captain. It drove like a pure sports car with almost no trace of the comfortable ride the Captain was known for. The Spectre’s first generation lasted until 1959 and would return to LMC’s lineup sporadically through the years.

---

1955 Spectre Coupe Specs:

Power: 83 hp
Torque: 90 ft-lb
Redline: 6000 rpm

Weight: 1983 lb

Fuel Eco: 17 mpg

0-62: 11.8 seconds
Quarter Mile: 18.55 seconds
Top Speed: 105 mph
Airfield Time: 1:44.99

---

---

In Developement…

[squidhead]

I Like this. Americana goodness

[abg7]

That last picture in particular shows how an American land yacht should look like…

[Chickenbiscuit]

1958 Sunspear

The Sunspear, Leviathan’s follow up to the Captain, was the embodiment of American luxury in the late 50’s through the 60’s . Featuring more distinguished styling and more power, this is the car that made Leviathan a household name. The newly developed 236 cid V8 was a test for LMC’s experiments with DOHC engines. It made 168 hp at 5100rpm, which was enough to push the 2-ton car over 115 mph.

The Sunspear also came with a soft top variant. The interior held the same high standard as the Captain and featured a new phonograph. The Sunspear had 2 transmission options which included a 4-speed manual and a 2-speed automatic.

1960 Sunspear Special 300

In 1960, LMC released the Special 300. The release of the highest tier Sunspear was delayed by a long development process caused by the many new technologies added to the car. Significant strides were made in drivability with the introduction of hydraulic power steering and disc brakes. There features also became optional in the base model shortly after the Special 300 rolled off the line. The Sunspear’s looks were updated to stay on the cutting edge of the quickly changing style of cars going into the 60’s.

The biggest difference that sets the Special 300 apart from the rest of it’s class is it’s 480 cid V12. After over 3 years of development, the V12, dubbed “The Behemoth”, made 302 hp (hence the Special “300”) and 429 ft-lbs of torque. This raised the top speed to 137 mph. While not as fast as Europe’s best at the time, it was shocking to see such a large highway cruiser capable of such speeds. The Sunspear Special 300 would serve as a halo car for Leviathan’s Sunspear line until the advent of the muscle car era.

---

1958 Sunspear Specs:

Power: 168 hp
Torque: 216 ft-lb
Redline: 5100 rpm

Weight: 4,035 lb
Fuel Eco: 12.4 mpg

0-62: 12.2 seconds
Quarter Mile: 19.02 seconds
Top Speed: 116.4 mph
Airfield Time: 1:46.44

---

1960 Special 300

Power: 302 hp
Torque: 429 ft-lb
Redline: 4500 rpm

Weight: 4,524 lb
Fuel Eco: 8.6 mpg

0-62: 8.47 seconds
Quarter Mile: 16.39 seconds
Top Speed: 137 mph
Airfield Time: 1:40.69

[Chickenbiscuit]

1958 Halcyon

Leviathan’s Spectre was selling reasonably well in the mid 1950’s, but there wasn’t enough interest in sports cars that small in the U.S. In 1958, the Halcyon was introduced to remake the Spectre in a more American image. Larger, more comfortable (phh…barely), and more power. Utilizing a tuned version of the Sunspear’s 236 cid V8 engine, the Halcyon made 231 hp and revved up to 6,200rpm. The 141 mph top speed and a 0-62 time of 7 seconds flat were the main selling points for this $4,230 car (adjusted for inflation).

Shiny Soft Top

The Halcyon coupes were available with 2+2 seating and an optional phonograph. The Halcyon also had a soft top variant for the first 2 years of production. Despite their increased popularity over the Spectre, the early Halcyons were notoriously hard to drive fast due to the absence of power-steering and inadequate drum brakes. Nearing the release of the GT, numerous improvements were made to remedy its shortcomings.

In 1960-62, the improved Halcyons competed in the SCCA National Sportscar Championship.

1961 Halcyon GT

In 1961, LMC produced 50 examples of the ultimate version of the Halcyon, the GT. It had all of the updates of the standard '61 Halcyon and more with a hand-stitched interior and an exclusive blue steel color. Stuffing a modified “Behemoth” V-12 into its frame, the Halcyon GT now made 325 hp. It became the fastest tested car in the world at 156 mph. A new Halcyon GT in 1961 costs $7,120. Today, the best surviving examples are worth as much as $1,000,000.

…oh right, haven’t seen the back yet…

---

1958 Halcyon

Power: 231 hp
Torque: 225 ft-lb
Redline: 6200 rpm

Weight: 2,744 lb
Fuel Eco: 12 mpg

0-62: 7.03 seconds
Quarter Mile: 15.19seconds
Top Speed: 142 mph
Airfield Time: 1:30.95

---

1961 Halcyon GT

Power: 325 hp
Torque: 375 ft-lb
Redline: 5300 rpm

Weight: 3,295 lb
Fuel Eco: 10.8 mpg

0-62: 7.03 seconds
Quarter Mile: 14.94 seconds
Top Speed: 156 mph
Airfield Time: 1:30.59

[abg7]

This is more like it. Those Euro styling touches seem just about right for the Halcyon.

[ramthecowy]

Looking good. I think you might want to use radial blur in the filter gallery instead of motion blur for the wheels, it doesn’t make much sense.

[Chickenbiscuit]

Ah good eye, I may have rushed it too much there.

[Chickenbiscuit]

1967 Scorpius

Ok, jumping ahead a few years…

In the late 60’s Leviathan wanted to push their performance cars to a new level after seeing what Italy could do with a mid engine design. In 1967, the Scorpius became LMC’s first supercar. For the Scorpius, Leviathan produced it’s first all-aluminum engine, a 225 cid V8 that made 276 hp in it’s first iteration. The first Scorpius was much more nimble than any production car LMC had made so far. It pulled up to 1.14 g’s around corners, about 0.15 g more than the Halcyon. It could go 0-62 mph in just 5.7 seconds thanks to a new 5-speed manual transmission.

Unsure of how well a car like this would sell in the US, scaled back on some of the interior and safety options in the first year. As a result, the car’s weight was brought down to 2,824 lbs, but the interior left something to be desired for anyone wanting more than a track car. The Scorpius would sell at a reduced mark up price of $4421 ($33,000 @ 50%) in 1967.

1970 Scorpius R and GT

The Scorpius R

The Scorpius was very successful in it’s first few years of production and was expanded upon with two new trims, the R and the GT. While little was changed with the exterior, the R and GT had very different features underneath to bring to the table.

The R variant was 60 lbs lighter than the base model. The suspension setup was sportier to bring the cornering g’s up to 1.15g. Finally, the V8 was turned to produce 293 hp and could run on regular unleaded fuel. The result was a faster performance machine capable of a 5.45 second 0-62 mph time yet more practical than the base model.

The GT

The GT was a limited run designed to be the ultimate Scorpius. The performance was nearly identical to original model, but the GT did it with fully loaded with classic LMC handmade seats, a brand new 8-track player, and updated safety features. The the extra 30 hp squeezed out of the V8 brought the top speed up to 155 mph.

1975 Scorpius GTS

Production of the Scorpius ended in 1975 with the final version, the GTS. LMC kept the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach for most of its run, but the GTS saw some major changes. It was a redesigned R variant with a more comfortable interior, updated styling, and an even more powerful engine. With the new 4.5L LMCR V8 producing 345 hp, the 0-62 time was brought down to 4.7 seconds, but the rear wing kept the top speed at 161 mph. The added weight from the engine took its toll on the handling, but it was still much faster around the track than the Scorpius R.

---

Specs:

1967 Scorpius

Power: 276 hp
Torque: 244 ft-lb
Redline: 6600 rpm

Weight: 2,824 lbs
Fuel Eco: 11.4 mpg

0-62: 5.7 seconds
Quarter Mile: 14.10 seconds
Top Speed: 147 mph
Airfield Time: 1:25.83

---

1975 Scorpius GTS

Power: 345 hp
Torque: 244 ft-lb
Redline: 6200 rpm

Weight: 2,997 lbs
Fuel Eco: 12.0 mpg

0-62: 4.7 seconds
Quarter Mile: 13.15 seconds
Top Speed: 161 mph
Airfield Time: 1:23.18

---

I noticed that the market scores were much higher than I usually get, especially for the GT with 193.3 desirability with 80% markup in the super category and 217 for the hyper. Are early 70’s supercars too easy to make in the game? I’ve never gotten close to that high with any other type of car.

[Grimbrand]

I hit some pretty stratospheric numbers with my “Invictus” 1967 supercar too, even with some ‘real life’ design choices and parts thrown in.

(I confess, I did add the record player, just because it was fun seeing the numbers go higher, but the rest was practical and realistic, I swear!)

Marauder Motors if you want to look. It’s the top car on the page, obviously.

Love your idea for ‘red line tires’ btw. Great cars, sir!

[Chickenbiscuit]

Thanks! I tend to go for the fancy audio choices too with being kind of a music buff. Really nice design on the Invictus. I always appreciate cars with that body that don’t look like Datsuns.

[Grimbrand]

The chrome on those wheel arches damn near killed me. It’s hard to be ‘simple’ and still convey elegance and style.

[Chickenbiscuit]

Yeah I noticed that. The chrome bits between the taillights are nice too. Just when I think I’m starting to get crafty with that chrome bar …

[Chickenbiscuit]

Leviathan Epoch GT Concept

This is from CSR65. I’m not as interested in making a realistic company narrative, so I think I’m just gonna post some of the better designs that might fit the Leviathan name.

The Epoch GT is a one of a kind concept car built for the upcoming dieselpunk style spy movie, “The Last Night”. The car would be feature prominently as the main protagonist’s car. LMC took the opportunity as an exercise in creating a more affordable GT car while still retaining the performance of a supercar. The styling was loosely based on the Halcyon of the late 50’s with elements of other concept cars mixed in.

The Epoch GT was something of a velvet-wrapped hammer. It had state of the art safety features, 4 premium seats fully active suspension. Under the hood was a recently developed 4.3L V12 Twinturbo making 477 hp. While the top speed was at a respectable 177 mph, the acceleration was through the roof with a 0-62 mph time in 3.6 seconds. The engine would be used for other high-performance LMC cars in the near future. All of this in a production run would bring the cost to about $50,000.

[Knugcab]

This is nice…really the kind of cars that makes me ignite on all cylinders IRL…even if I prefer to make bland family cars in the game.

Spme lovely design touches on them.

[Chickenbiscuit]

Leviathan Motor Company

Founded in 1949, the Leviathan Motor Company was focused on premium performance and luxury in their cars from the start, but eventually branched out as the times changed.

This company has been restarted for the Generations challenge and beyond. I’ll keep the old cars up, but they will all be redone or thrown out at some point.

[Chickenbiscuit]

1951

Captain Series 6

The Captain Series 6 is the coupe version of Leviathan’s first luxury/GT car. Powered by the 280 Serpent OHV V8, Captain made 158 hp and 234 lb-ft. torque. This power was delivered through a 4-speed manual transmission pushing the large coupe from 0-62 mph in 11 seconds flat. The drum brakes did what they could to bring the Captain to a stop from 62 mph in 410 ft.

As the sportier Captain, the Series 6 wouldn’t sell as well with families as the Series 8 because of it’s 2-door 4-seat layout. It’s interior was high quality with leather seats, woodgrain trim, and am radio. An optional air conditioner was offered, but the lack of controls meant it had to be turned on and off on the unit itself. A complete redesign in 1954 led to it being a much more popular option.

---

Captain Series 8

The Series 8 shared most of it’s components with the Series 6, including the 280 Serpent V8. The suspension was looser and allowed for higher cargo capacity and better offroad capabilities. The sedan comfortably seated up to 5 people. Later in the year, the 280 was updated which brought power output to 165 hp.

The Captain was a major success for the young company and helped LMC gain a foothold in the crowded premium American market. The Series 6 was named “Best Upscale Car” by Motor World Review’s August '51 issue, praised for its pulse-pounding performance and relative affordability.

---

1952

Spectre

LMC’s interest in sports cars was evident early in its history. The early success of the Captains freed LMC to experiment with a new light sports car dubbed the Spectre. Without an engine fit for a car of this size, LMC opted to use an accomplished 1.4L Boxer engine from the more established Rennen Automotive. Although heavy for its size, the motor proved a great fit for the Spectre. A prototype called the RS1400 was constructed for the 1952 Corso di Fruinia using a race tuned version of the snarling Boxer. It produced 129hp and theoretically could reach 119 mph, although it rarely saw over 100 mph in action. The little blue car did surprisingly well barring a minor incident in the first stage.

Production started just a year and a half from its inception in limited numbers. This Spectre was much quieter and safer than its racing counterpart, with the engine downtuned to 102 hp. The interior used many of the same materials as the Captains, helping make up for the rather sporty and uncomfortable suspension setup. These little sports cars are an important landmark in LMC’s history and are highly sought after today because of its rarity.

---

1954

Captain Facelift

The Captains received a major update in 1954 with new styling and a refined engine. The 280 Serpent V8 was now producing 174 hp, which was enough to push the cruiser comfortably over 120 mph. Various improvements were made across the board. Larger all-season tires were now standard along with larger brakes. Reliability, and fit and finish became a major focus to help build on LMC’s reputation as a relatively cheap yet prestigious brand.

[Chickenbiscuit]

1957

Halcyon and Halcyon GT

Price adjusted for inflation @ 40% markup for the GT trim

Note: This Halcyon will be remade …After the relative success of the Captain in the early 50’s, it became clear that the ever improving competition would make it hard for LMC to continue selling a one size fits all high-end car. In 1955, work began on an all new designs influenced by European sports cars. The project turned into a reality in 1957 with the release of the Halcyon. Built as a high-performance GT sports car, the Halcyon had the absolute best of what LMC had to offer at the time.

Eventually I’ll stop using a blue filter, but not today

The quintessential Halcyon of the day was the GT. Powered by the newly developed 384 Seabeast V8, the GT made 259 hp and 362 ft-lb of torque. The engine had a similar basic design as the older 281 Serpent, but on a bigger scale. The result is a 146 mph top speed, a 8.47 second 0-62 mph time, and very expensive tires. While priced out of reach of most families at the time, it was still cheaper than a lot of it’s influences across the ocean.

The base Halcyon

All Halcyons had high quality interior, but the GT was the only trim with full leather seats and leather/wooden dashboard. The base model was more inline with other sports cars in price and performance. It featured a tuned 281 V8 outputting 187 hp. The top speed was a respectable 131 mph and 0-62 was still impressive at 9.5 seconds. Major improvements have been made to braking since the Captain was released, with a 60-0mph stopping distance on all trims near 250 ft down from 400+ ft.

[Chickenbiscuit]

1961

Maladus

Man this hurts to look at, I’ll make a new ad eventually

LMC shot for the moon and missed the mark with the Halcyon. At the beginning of the sixties, a different approach was made to performance cars. Enter the Maladus. A much cheaper, more nimble sports car with bold new styling, the Maladus was an attempt to reach a wider audience with a sports car. Though it still had a roaring V8 under the hood, it was much smaller at 262 ci and wasn’t nearly as intimidating to drive. Boasting 175 hp, the Maladus’ top speed was 116 mph and 0-62 mph was a little over 9 seconds. Though not as quick as some of the elite cars of its time, the handling was substantially better than the Halcyon.

The Maladus sold reasonably well through the early sixties thanks to its accessibility and low price, though it was criticized for being too slow for it’s sporty setup. It’s looks were somewhat controversial which worked in LMC’s favor as it brought more attention to it. The Maladus would receive a facelift in 1965 along with other improvements