That new direct-injected V8 engine could not have found a better home! What models will you show to us next?
2002
For those not quite ready to leave their mid-engines behind to go fast, for the V6 purists out there, and for those holding out for the Gunslinger to receive another refresh, Storm Automotive updated the AluStar engine line with the all AlSi constructed AluStar IV. At a smidge over 4.2 liters, the bigger engine was designed first and foremost to fit in the Gunslinger. Specifically, a little snugly.
The Gunslinger was updated in the nicest fashion possible, stepping it up from bare-budget sports-car to a low-budget mid-engine mild super-car. Pushrod suspension found its way into the front and rear of the car, a ShiftTronic sequential cuddled up to the AluStar IV V6, with a SymTrak Super-M output splitter on the end. This was designed to fire 72% of the power into the rear tires, avoiding a lot of the wheel-spin from the 600 horsepower engine.
With a sporty interior finished in matte-black lightweight plastics, and carefully sculpted and padded racing bucket seats as factory standard, with a full racing-grade 5 point safety harness, the Gunslinger arrived both Street Legal and Track Ready all at once. A bare-bones CD player filled in the dash, added as an attempt to appease the not-quite-so-hardcore drivers, while being light enough that the mild track-day crowd could ignore it, and easy enough to uninstall that the hardcore “Track-Day-Warriors” who claimed “Weight reduction, Bro!” could just get rid of it.
Again to save weight, the Gunslinger sticks to progressive rate springs, gas mono-tube dampers, and semi-active swaybars, keeping the weight down, but adding in a ‘track mode’ option with stiffened swaybars and a more aggressive track handling. 17 inch magnesium rims held the 215mm wide front and 285mm wide rear tires, wrapped in a somewhat standard-specification sports tire. Rounding out the underside of the car were the 6 piston calipers up front and 4 piston calipers out back, grabbing vented discs to haul the Gunslinger to a stop in 28.83 meters without fading.
The Gunslinger had a unique performance package, with active aerodynamics, exhaust muffler bypass valves, active cooling flaps, and a fully clad undertray to ensure the Gunslinger stayed on the track, kept its cool, maintained nearly 24 MPG, and sounded awesome. Being the first car with active aerodynamics, you could be forgiven for thinking it was merely a fancy way of adjusting the rear wings on the fly, but it was really a lot more than just that. The flaps in front of the wing could open up, acting as an air-brake, but also could open independantly for enhanced high-speed cornering. The cooling flaps, situated under the lower rear wing, opened up and provided additional downforce at high speeds, taking advantage of the ram-air effect from the intake scoops to shove air through the radiator. Under heavy braking, the upper wing side could tip upward, up to an additional 10 degrees of angle, to aid in braking.
The exhaust was again redirected to the sides, exiting ahead of the rear drive wheels, mostly for stylistic purposes. The exhaust bypass valves would allow for increased exhaust outflow, at the cost of increased noise. A disclaimer was printed and adhered to the driver’s side sun-visor, warning the driver that the valves existed, and that if used irresponsibly, the amount of noise would rather quickly attract unwanted attention.
With a pricetag of $42,560, the Gunslinger maintained the inexpensive price needed to move quickly.
5 Likes
2003
A Truly Global Car
Wanting to capitalize on the success of the Adventure going Global, Storm Automotive moved to create their first true Global Car. The Adventure was eventually sold everywhere in the world except the US, where it was feared the I3 would cripple the car’s chances. However, as many Americans looking at rising gas prices kept shouting for an efficient, safe, and comfortable small car, it was decided that the Storm Breeze would have to have a split trim. Why? Because Luke understood the average American doesn’t know how to drive a manual anymore, and they’d want a little more up-market trim to go with their small car, compared to the rest of the world.
So while Japan, Europe, Australia, and Britain faced the World Trim of the Breeze…
…The United States faced down the US Trim.
People in the US concerned about gas mileage flocked to the I3 powered Breeze, with 37 MPG on tap from the ShiftTronic 6 speed and 137 horsepower at their command.
Outside the US, the 38 MPG from the same 137 horsepower powerplant was delivered through a 6 speed manual transmission.
With gas prices on the rise, the Breeze sold faster than expected. It was hard for Storm Automotive to keep up with the demand, which brought up a good question: Where would Storm Automotive’s new Global Manufacturing Facility be located?
3 Likes
Feeling overly creative, so here’s a little promotional teaser of what I’m working on.
Edit: One more for good measure, I think. Ought to spark interest in what I’m up to. Kinda lightly spoils things a bit, but… At this point, I don’t mind.
5 Likes
Wow nice. Why not use alaska…just be different
2 Likes
2004
With plans to build their new Global Production Facility up in Alaska, Storm Automotive decided they had to offset their less-than-efficient lineup with something golden. Luke had been paying attention to various car news, and realized that while he couldn’t exactly beat the Toyota Prius to market, he could compete with it on a practical basis. Luke set a simple goal: Equal city/highway mileage.
Two engine choices were brought in, the trusty AluStar II inline 3, and the new AluStar V inline 4. Both were tuned for highway economy, getting low-friction cast pistons and a fuel-sipping VVL tune.
But that only got highway economy. So Luke brought in a 60 horsepower AC induction motor, then aimed to have a 288 volt NiMH battery pack assembled into the floor-pan of the car, minimizing cabin intrusion and at the same time minimizing the loss of trunk capacity. Upon finding out that the Prius was designed to be front-wheel-drive only, Luke aimed to keep to the Storm Automotive Primary Design, that the car should be all-wheel-drive. It was also designed to be able to accept being charged externally, by just plugging in the included charging cord to any wall socket capable of providing 110 to 240 volts.
The ShiftTronic 6-speed transmission, typically used in sporty cars, was again modified to provide a more fuel-efficient shifting strategy and to also accept dual-inputs. Either power source could turn the transmission on its own, but at the same time, could both be coupled to the transmission to provide extra assistance or to allow the motor to act as a generator.
Because it was the first Hybrid made by Storm Automotive, it was heavily advertised in advance, more than their usual for cars. Both commercials kept the car highly shadowed, offering little of the car to be seen.
The first had the car sitting still, a quiet click of the ignition, and the lights coming on, with “The future of driving arrives mid year 2004” showing up at the bottom of the screen.
The second had the car in a little less shadow, driving from right to left, stopping in the middle of the screen with no engine noise to be heard. “46 MPG. And that’s just the engine. Go the Distance with the Storm Surge Hybrid Sedan.” would fade in as the car started to drive off screen, offering little of the usual view of the car, other than the dark silhouette of the Surge.
One final bit of promotional material was made, right before the car’s release, just a simple print ad in all the major car magazines.
With six different versions, it was hoped that people would be willing to accept some Hybrid power in a car that looked relatively normal. Only one car was made to run on Regular fuel, though it was accepted as reasonable given the fuel efficiency of the Surge.
Plans were drawn up for 2005, to keep the best selling versions of the Surge as well as to add in two new versions, one gas-only and one Electric only version. There was also talk and rumor of a potential AluStar V6 version of the Surge.
Some of Storm Automotive’s employees were wondering whether it was worth it, to take all of 2004 and use it to build hybrids. Luke thinks it was a great idea, but… I have a better idea…
Which Surge would you buy?
- Storm Surge 4 LE
- Storm Surge 4 PR
- Storm Surge 4 XR
- Storm Surge 3 PR
- Storm Surge 3 LE
- Storm Surge 3 XR
0 voters
Edit: I suppose I’d probably get more accurate votes if I did this, now that I think about it.
Madrias - Storm Surge.zip (88.6 KB)
3 Likes
2005
Power Surge
Looking at the sales records of the Surge through 2004, Luke was able to tell exactly which cars sold best, and which didn’t. It was decided that the best four continued onward, while the two that sold the least would be dropped in favor of some new cars in the lineup. Making the cut as the most popular trim was the Surge 3 XR, unsurprising given the incredibly insane mileage despite sipping on Premium. Next best seller was the Surge 4 LE, the base-model inline 4 with a tank of good ol’ regular fuel and 46 MPG. Again, unsurprisingly, the 4 XR made the cut with brutal efficiency despite premium gas requirements, and tailing the pack of winners was the 4 PR, squeaking by just because the 4 cylinder sold one more car.
So it was decided that, despite the small popularity of the base level I3, it would be dropped, as would the dismal failure of the Surge Lineup, the 3 PR, which sold only about a dozen cars overall, making it almost a commercial failure. The good news, if there was any, is that the abundance of unwanted Surge 3 Premium Edition cars flooded the rental car market once they were marked down as a write-off.
But, we dropped two to add three. Throwing caution to the wind, it was decided to unveil two new V6 Surges, both sacrificing the 46 MPG creed set by the 2004 models in favor of power.
The 6 LE, following the other Limited Edition cars, would serve as the base model, but we listened to the public and made sure that this LE base model would drink Regular Unleaded fuel. Nearly 40 MPG was achieved, and the electric drive unit again matched the city economy to the highway, mostly let down by the heavy engine in the front. The AluStar VI was the true successor to the original AluStar, forming the same almost-three liter displacement, but switching from all aluminum to AlSi for weight and cost savings.
With a mighty 225 horsepower, the 6 LE was capable of 7.5 seconds from 0 to 60, and if given enough road and a sufficient lack of law, capable of hitting 144.6 miles per hour. Again sporting the trusty ShiftTronic sequential transmission, the 2005 Surges packed one feature not present on the 2004 models: The 2005 model-year refresh cars all came standard with the formerly-optional $500 shift paddles installed, allowing the use of manual gear changes in ‘sport’ mode. They also had an upgraded ‘eco’ mode that would attempt to make the most of the electric motor’s torque at low speeds, further boosting city economy.
Unsurprisingly, the heavier and more thirsty engine proved to make the Extended Range trim nearly pointless, but… It was decided that we had to try. Especially because this one was paired with a completely different Electric Drive Unit, swapping the measly 50 horsepower unit for our newest drive unit, packing a whopping (almost) 100 horsepower. With ‘eco’ mode enabled, the EDU would kick in and haul the Surge 6 XR up to speeds of 70 miles per hour for a range of nearly 40 miles in pure electric mode.
Like all other Extended Range trims, the 6 XR requires Premium Unleaded to squeeze the most out of the 238 horsepower V6. It also sheds unnecessary weight by dropping a seat for fuel economy, although the V6, as mentioned, is thirsty.
But, what if you wanted a car for a more civilized age? Something that breaks the reliance on that pesky fuel we all call “Gasoline.” Well, the same Electric Drive Unit used in the 6 XR found a home in the last Surge on the list, but without a companion.
Boasting a mighty 108 mile maximum range, the Surge Electric does away with any onboard engines in favor of an improved power controller designed for constant drive output without overheating, and double the battery capacity. With a battery in the floor pan, and a battery where the gas tank used to be, the Surge Electric gets more than double the electric range of the Surge 6 XR because without the weight of the V6 up front, the whole car weighs slightly less.
Sporting the same 288 volt system, and the very same 6-speed ShiftTronic transmission hooked to the big electric can as every other Surge, the Electric manages to be a little surprising. Maintaining optimal motor RPM is achieved through careful monitoring of all the available sensor data.
Zero to sixty takes 11.5 seconds, and the speed is limited to 120 MPH on the nose, but… Electric cars don’t have to run fast, do they? Plus, for an additional $7500, a “Traveler’s Package” could be installed, sacrificing a little trunk space and motor-bay space in favor of again doubling battery capacity for a maximum of 180 miles of range. Not bad for an affordable electric car, now is it?
Capable of charging on 120 or 240 volt systems, the Surge Electric can top up while you’re parked at work, or parked in your home garage. We’re working on improving relations with businesses like your local mall in an attempt to get some charging stations set up, but… That could take a while. Until then, we recommend charging on 240 volts when possible, but if 120’s all you have, it’ll take about 10 hours for the battery to charge from empty to 80%, and about another 4 hours to reach 100%. But it’s completely fine to drive around on 80% charge if you don’t need the 108 mile range.
So, which of these three would you drive?
- Surge 6 LE
- Surge 6 XR
- Surge Electric
0 voters
1 Like
Hey you can’t vote on your own poll 
1 Like
Also, because for some reason, I can’t seem to add a poll after finalizing the previous one…
Which 2005 Surge would you pick overall?
- Surge 3 XR
- Surge 4 LE
- Surge 4 XR
- Surge 4 PR
- Surge 6 LE
- Surge 6 XR
- Surge Electric
0 voters
I did on the last one. I picked as I would have done. But, I won’t skew the true one with my vote, the overall for 2005.
Anyone want a bit of promotional material for 2006?
Yes, I’m having too much fun with this. I can tease ideas without having to release a car too early.
8 Likes
Saminda makes hybrids for ages. And now here comes Storm and shows them how it should be done 
4 Likes
2006
Hybrid Sneak Attack
With the Surge selling incredibly well, we capitalized on the hybrid boom just like we had with the SUV boom of the 90’s. We found it hard to keep them produced and in stock, but we also listened to our customers. People wanted a bigger car. Others wanted the insanity to return and to give them a thousand horsepower monster.
We split the difference and made a few changes in our lineup of products to make it possible, but then threw ourselves upon the project with full force.
First was a need to develop new versions of old engines, specifically the AluStar III 6 liter V8. We’d need an ‘eco’ trim to pair with 200 horsepower worth of electric drive units, and a 500 horsepower version for our Enthusiast builds.
Then we looked into transmission technology and how to best improve our shift times with the ShiftTronic unit. The solution was to put the even gears on one shaft, the odd gears on another, and make a dual-clutch main box. With shift times of a crisp 70 milliseconds, this early dual-clutch system felt like the car could read your mind. ShiftTronic II was released only in one version, and as a test to make sure the car would hold up to it.
It was decided that this would be the first car since the original Prince to feature so many engines and trim options. We had to.
The first engine/transmission combination was the 6 speed manual gearbox and the 2 liter AluStar V in Hybrid configuration. While it wasn’t the first Hybrid in manual trim, it was marketed more as an ‘enthusiast’ hybrid for the economically minded.
The second combination was a ShiftTronic 6 speed unit coupled to the same 2 liter AluStar V in hybrid configuration. Aimed at the general “Large Hybrid” crowd, we aimed to keep the two I4’s above 40 MPG.
For the non-car-enthusiast looking for something with more guts than the I4, we had the third configuration, the AluStar VI 3-liter V6 paired with the new 7-speed PowerShift Automatic transmission in hybrid configuration.
And the fourth combination swapped the PowerShift in favor of ShiftTronic again, pairing the V6 with 6 gears and flappy paddles, aimed at all V6 hybrid enthusiasts who wanted more control than “Put it in drive.”
Behind door number 5 is the V8 Hybrid combined with the 6 speed stick, a true Enthusiast’s Hybrid. Because who doesn’t need 442 horsepower in their engine with 200 horsepower of electric motors in reserve while they row their own?
The answer is “Those who wanted option #6.” Hybrid V8 with the ShiftTronic 6 speed. For those who don’t like to row their own in busy city streets.
But what if you don’t want a hybrid? Well, fellow enthusiasts, there are two options for you. This one, option package #7, is the 514 horsepower V8 and the 6 speed Manual transmission. This is the very same engine that goes in the Cascabel, just without the snails. 8000 RPM redline, 6 liters of displacement, crossplane V8 burble, and it’ll do 25.7 MPG on the highway. You really don’t want to know what it does in the city.
But, if you wanted the latest and greatest technology, you need this one. 514 HP V8 meets the ShiftTronic II 6 speed dual-clutch sequential transmission. 70ms shift times, DynamIQ shift controller predicting your upshifts and downshifts, so you’re always prepared with the right gear, downright brutal 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. How could you not want to drive this car?
The V8 GT cars were both aimed directly at every car enthusiast begging for the return of the V8, for the death of the Hybrid. Well, we embraced part of it. While eco-cars will be here to stay, we did have a few things in mind for enthusiasts to please them. They’d just take some time to come through.
Still Adventuring
The Storm Adventure was our first ‘global’ car. We’d sent them to Australia, where a few design oversights (like making air conditioning an option instead of standard) caused a few little hiccups in their sales. But, according to a review on the Adventure, they’d be a hit in other countries.
So we did just that. But some of those countries wanted… more. And we were feeling generous enough to offer more. People feared the I3 made it not a proper Storm, they wanted a whopping big V8 or V6. Well, we wanted to show our little tricks with the I3 first. We punched the stock 107 horsepower up to 173, gave the little beast a ShiftTronic II 6 speed for shits and giggles, hit it with our Rapid Red High Gloss, and shoved it out of the door to everywhere. One trim, many colors, but this little monster made its way to every country, even those that’d never heard of Storm before, or those who had claimed they wanted the Adventure.
Sure, the stock ‘export’ trim went with it, but we expected people to want a Storm AWD hot-hatch from hell.
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t quite that sporty, but… We tried.
All up and told, we felt 2006 was a good year, and our account balance proved it. Between pushing out more Surges and cranking out Shadows while piling on the Adventure Sport, our facilities were at their breaking point. Which is why we decided the easiest plant to enlarge would be the Nevada factory. Miles upon miles of desert, after all, and so we built something new there.
Our first fully-automated wing of the factory.
Madrias - Storm Adventure.zip (44.7 KB)
Madrias - Storm Shadow.zip (116.8 KB)
4 Likes
5.24m standard sedan.
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I had to save weight somewhere. Wanted better gas mileage, that was the best way I could think to pull that off.
2007
Moving Swiftly
The Swift was one of our big sellers, and it was time for a refresh. Too small for an SUV, it was decided to take advantage of the Small Crossover movement.
This seemed to have mixed results. Many people liked the small little SUV, with the quirky drop-top, but didn’t particularly like the hatchback-on-stilts nature of crossovers. Others, almost as many, loved the small crossover Swift, finding it easy to drive and enjoying the fun little utility vehicle.
To boost sales, it was decided to enter a Swift in a small little rally race. Luke built up a rally monster, with nearly 500 horsepower.
While the results have been lost to time (Luke personally blames poor record keeping), it’s believed that the Swift did well, and that it helped bolster the sales of the street-legal version.
Full of Hiss and Venom
An upgrade was shipped to the Nevada plant to give us an ability to build with Carbon Fiber. It was decided that with the Cascabel being our budget supercar, there was no need for it to be carbonized, but we needed a supercar.
Meet the Mamba.
The V12 was derived from two AluStar V6’s combined together with a modified I6 crankshaft. A modest 1200 horsepower was coaxed out of the new engine, with bypass valves on the exhaust to let all the noise out at speed. With ValveTronic, the new name for our Valve Control Technology, the engine could be economical as well as powerful.
A 6-speed ShiftTronic II was fitted to give the Mamba some brutal gear changes on demand, while magnesium wheels were installed as standard just to keep the weight down. With Active Aero technology providing control over the rear wing and downforce flaps, and also controlling the cooling vents, the Mamba could manage 20 MPG, although not easily.
Made to order, the Mamba only had one other option, to order it with a 6 speed manual. Both versions would cost exactly the same: $213,800. Expensive, but brutally effective.
Dueling for Honor
The Storm Knight had a good run, but was looking a little sad and sorry lately, needing more than just interior refreshes to keep it going.
Carrying the idea set in stone from the first Knight, the GS-E and GT-4T trims returned, being both the base model and the Turbocharged Terror. Two other trims were put in, spaced in between the two other cars. The LX would offer a more refined ride and comfortable interior, while the RS carried the spirit of the Storm Knight Dakar package from KHT forward, although not quite as stripped down for speed.
The GS-E uses the same exact base 2.6L I4 block from the original Knight, tuned up with all the modern fixings. A 6 speed manual with overdrive gear is installed to give the best fuel efficiency, and a standard quality cloth interior was chosen, with a decent quality CD player.
The LX takes the GS-E, upgrades it to a premium leather interior with SatNav, and swaps the 6-speed stick in favor of a 7-speed PowerShift automatic transmission. It also swaps conventional springs in favor of Storm CloudRider Suspension, our latest innovation for air-suspension. Capable of stiffening up for a more aggressive ride, or softening to give the same ride as an old 60’s land yacht, CloudRider suspension offered the owners of the Knight LX an ability to dial in that perfect ride.
The RS squeezes as much power as it can on Regular Unleaded out of the engine while remaining naturally aspirated, while also arriving Rally Ready. Sporting steel wheels, offroad skidplates and hardened steel underbelly, and a racing-grade 18 gallon fuel cell, as well as integrated interior rollcage, the RS was built to pay respect to Kraft Haus Technik’s tune for the old Knight, without stepping on their toes. In stock form, the RS has the same cloth seats as the GS-E, but it was possible to add an option to swap the 5-seats for 4, and trade cloth for racing buckets.
With that option in place, the Knight RS became a street-legal rally car.
The GT-4T stayed true to its roots, though this time was basically the GS-E with a few body panels swapped and the big 390 horsepower turbocharged engine. This allowed the GT-4T to be much faster than if it’d been bogged down with leather and electronics, instead just giving you the big engine for the extra money.
A Jab at Cheap Sports Cars
Realizing people might want more sporty vehicles than the Knight, but couldn’t afford a Mamba, it was finally decided to put out one more vehicle, the Storm Javelin.
Using the trusty AluStar II inline 3, the Javelin GT A3R proved itself as a good all-around performer. Good gas mileage, easy to drive, but fun to drive, with low weight and good value for money.
With the simple rag-top and the small, but aggressive design, the Javelin was designed to be fun without being over designed. It was kept simple, a basic cheap sports-car with the goodies where it counted.
At less than 1000 kilograms with AWD, and sporting a mighty 170 horsepower I3 mated to the 6-speed gearbox, the Javelin was aimed at the heart of the cheap sportscar market.
All up and told, 2007 was a good year for Storm Automotive. Our little SUV grew up into a crossover, we built a high-power supercar (or low-end hypercar), refreshed the Knight to expand the lineup, and released an all-wheel-drive competitor to the small budget convertible sport market. While we wouldn’t see record profits, it was a good year for us.
Madrias - Storm Javelin.zip (27.2 KB)
Madrias - Storm Mamba.zip (34.7 KB)
Madrias - Storm Swift.zip (50.9 KB)
Madrias - Storm Knight.zip (85.6 KB)
4 Likes
I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE!
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Done with the original Knight, too. I hadn’t even realized it on that one until I said it back to myself, then figured, “heck with it, it’s keeping it.” It was just a designation, GT package, 4 cylinders, Turbo. Kinda like GS-E was GS package, Eco.
Just one of them had a trim name that pays a little homage to, admittedly, one of the few mid-engine cars I like.
BMW lawyers would like to have a word with you 
3 Likes