Vermillion Motor Co - The companion of your dreams

[Kubboz]

https://i.imgur.com/KJHv9tI.png

The companion of your dreams

This is Vermillion Motor Company, founded in 1938 by Peter Vermillion, an automotive engineer previously working for Hawthorne Cars Incorporated. Ever since our first model, the 1946 Athena, we’re always focused on quality; we aim to create not just cars, but trusty companions for every trip you can imagine.

Historic Vermillion passenger car line-up

Athena Mk1 (1946 - 1952)
1946 model
1949 model
Athena Mk2 (1952 - 1959)
Athena Mk3 (1959 - 1964)
Athena Mk4 (1964 - 1968)
1964 model
Athena Mk5 (1968 - 1975)
Athena Mk6 (1975 - 1981)
Athena Mk7 (1981 - 1988)
Athena Mk8 (1988 - 1994)
Athena Mk9 (1994 - 2002)
Athena Mk10 (2002 - 2008)
Athena Mk11 (2008 - 2015)
Athena Mk12 (2015 - )

Bismarck Mk1 (1951 - 1956)
1951 model
Bismarck Mk2 (1956 - 1960)
Bismarck Mk3 (1960 - 1966)
Bismarck Mk4 (1966 - 1972)
Bismarck Mk5 (1972 - 1976)
Bismarck Mk6 (1976 - 1982)
Bismarck Mk7 (1982 - 1987)
Bismarck Mk8 (1987 - 1995)
Bismarck Mk9 (1995 - 2005)
Bismarck Mk10 (2005 - 2012)
Bismarck Mk11 (2012 - 2018)
Bismarck Mk12 (2018 - )

Vendetta Mk1 (1957 - 1962)
1957 model
Vendetta Mk2 (1962 - 1968)
Vendetta Mk3 (1968 - 1974)
Vendetta Mk4 (1984 - 1989)
Vendetta Mk5 (1989 - 2001)

Arsene Mk1 (1965 - 1969)
Arsene Mk2 (1969 - 1974)
1969 model
Arsene Mk3 (1979 - 1986)
1979 model
Arsene Mk4 (1986 - 1993)
Arsene Mk5 (1993 - 2000)
Arsene Mk6 (2000 - 2007)
Arsene Mk7 (2007 - 2015)
Arsene Mk8 (2015 - )

Igni Mk1 (1973 - 1980)
1973 model
Igni Mk2 (1980 - 1987)
1980 model
Igni Mk3 (1987 - 1994)
Igni Mk4 (1994 - 2001)
Igni Mk5 (2001 - 2008)
Igni Mk6 (2008 - 2014)
Igni Mk7 (2014 - )

Conqueror Mk1 (1986 - 1998)
Conqueror Mk2 (1998 - 2008)
Conqueror Mk3 (2008 - 2016)
Conqueror Mk4 (2016 - )

SpaceStar Mk1 (1989 - 1996)
1993 model
SpaceStar Mk2 (1996 - 2004)
1996 model
2000 model
SpaceStar Mk3 (2004 - 2012)
SpaceStar Mk4 (2012 - 2019)
SpaceStar Mk5 (2019 - )

Predator Mk1 (2019 - )

Historic Vermillion Commercial line-up

V100 Mk1 (1961 - 1973)
1961 model
V100 Mk2 (1973 - 1985)
V100 Mk3 (1985 - 1998)
1985 model
V100 Mk4 (1998 - 2011)
V100 Mk5 (2011 - )

P100 Mk1 (1970 - 1983)
P100 Mk2 (1983 - 1995)
P100 Mk3 (1995 - 2010)
P100 Mk4 (2010 - )

[Kubboz]

1946 Vermillion Athena

Ever since Peter Vermillion left Hawthorne Cars, he had this car in mind. Well, not this exact design. There’s 8 years of difference after all. But what he had in mind slowly evolved into the Athena. You catch my drift, right? Initially, Peter intended to power the car with a licensed engine. See, while he had a lot of experience with car design, his engine design experience was a tad rusty. This first project was almost ready, with Pete buying a production hall in 1941, ready to produce the car in 1943.

World War II was both a set-back and a blessing. The factory Vermillion bought had to switch to war productions. To tank engines to be precise. Slightly bummed by not being able to start producing his first car, he took the time to revise his design, and used the opportunity to learn from the engines used in the tanks, to refresh his engine engineering skills. This led to the abandonment of the licenced engine idea, and led to the development of an in-house engine, known as the Vermillion Straight Six.

The first variant of the Vermillion Straight Six had 3 787 cc of capacity (that’s 231 cubic inches) and developed 77.4 kW (103.8 hp) of power, and in the first Athenas, was coupled to a 3-speed manual gearbox with overdrive.

Because of the limited size of the production hall, Pete Vermillion took extreme measures to ensure production efficiency - the initial version of Athena only had one trim option and one variant of the engine. (Though thankfully, the customers did get a paint choice.)

The car was finally unveiled in 1946, along with the first marketing slogan of the company: “Take a look.”

The Athena was very well received, receiving two awards at 1946 Model Year-In-Review Edition of Motor World Review - one for the Best Engine and one for the Best Sedan. Its success allowed the Vermillion Motor Co. to expand.

[abg7]

In my view, the original Athena is one of the best-looking early postwar cars anyone on these forums has ever made. It’s not very fast, but it was affordable enough to put the masses back on wheels once the fighting has ended.

[Kubboz]

1949 Vermillion Athena Special

1949 Vermillion Athena Super

In 1949, the aging Athena was refreshed. The grille was changed, along with the split bumper being replaced by a non-split one. The taillights were refreshed. Most importantly, with the factory growing, the Athena gained a new, more premium trim, the Super, with the original trim now named Special.

The Vermillion Straight Six, with its design being influenced by tank engines, had tank engine levels of tolerances. This allowed the new variant, used in Super, to have its capacity increased while staying within safe limits of cylinder wall thickness. The capacity has grown from 3.8 liters to 4 246 cc (259 cubic inches). It was also fitted with an additional muffler to ensure the engine was quiet inside.

This new variant had 86.2 kW (115.6 hp) of power, an 11% increase over the original. It was a much needed performance upgrade, since the Super trim, with its plushier seats, more abundant sound insulation, and an AM radio, got heavier.

There also were some minor improvements to the Special trim, which gained an extra horse among other things.

The Athena was replaced by its second generation in 1952.

[Kubboz]

1951 Vermillion Bismarck Special

1951 Vermillion Bismarck V8 Super

1951 Vermillion Bismarck V8 DualMatic Custom

The US economy was not only healing after the war, it was growing faster and faster. Families could afford their cars to be bigger and thirstier. The comfort was more than worth it. This is why Vermillion chose to go bigger and thirstier as well.

The result of this decision was the 1951 Vermillion Bismarck. Offered with 2 engines, 3 interior trims, and the all-new DualMatic transmission which spared the driver the hassle of having to shift gears manually. (The choice of a three speed column shifter and a four-on-the-floor were also available)

The engines available were the 231 CI Vermillion Straight Six which, thanks to advancements in muffling technology, was quieter and less restrictive, allowing it to gain another horse. The star of the show, however was the all new V8. Made by Robert Twiggs, an engine engineer hired specifically for this project, the engine had 4034 cc (246 CI) of capacity, with potential for more, and developed 85.5 kW (114.7 hp) of power

The three trims were:
Special, the base trim with only the straight six and a column shifter available. A radio was only a part of the optional equipment.
Super, which could be gotten with all three transmission options and both engine options. The radio was a part of standard equipment.
Custom, available only with the V8 and either the 4-speed manual or the Dual-Matic. It featured a higher quality radio and a plushier interior, allowing for comfortable cruising through endless American roads.

[Kubboz]

1957 Vermillion Vendetta Special

1957 Vermillion Vendetta Custom

So, six years earlier, the Vermillion Bismarck was blasted for being rather underpowered a slow POS. And there’s only one way to fix the image, and attract the performance seeking clientele - fix the issues first (which was done in 1953 with a 276 CI variant of the engine, fitted into the Bismarck).

However, this was not all that had to be done. Something radical was needed. Something that actually could perform. Enter the Vendetta. Powered by a souped up 276, this thing develops 191 hp, gets up to 213 km/h (132 mph) and gets to 100 km/h in 9.3 seconds (the Special trim that is. The Custom trim is tad heavier and slower. Still under 10 seconds though!)

The first year model was sold in two trims - Special and Custom. Both offered a radio and seated four, however the Custom version was plushier and had higher quality audio equipment.

[Kubboz]

1961 Vermillion V100 I6

1961 Vermillion V100 V8 Heavy Duty

1961 Vermillion V100 V8

The 60’s were a period of relatively large growth of Vermillion. The decade kicked of with the forming of Vermillion Commercial, which, well, was the commercial vehicle division of Vermillion Motor Company. Their first product was the V100, a pickup truck meant to take a market share from Deer and Hunt, and other irrelevant () companies.

The truck was sold in three variants,

The I6, sold with the venerable Vermillion Straight Six, which was slowly being phased out in passenger car applications (in favor of the new Rocket-Glide I6 series of engines), but would continue to be used in commercial vehicles, since it was a proved design. This revision developed 127 hp out of a 259 CI displacement. Unlike the other trims, the I6 trim was not available with a four wheel drive, albeit a locking differential was an option.

The V8 variant was the offroad variant, with some amenities to make it more bearable, such as a decent quality radio, and a practical bench seat of decent comfort, capable of holding three people. The four wheel drive was the standard, along with lockable diffs. It’s powered by another 276 CI variant of the RT V8. This time, instead of being tuned for sport, like it was in the Vendetta, it’s tuned for utility, with power being available in fairly low RPMs. It does make less power (105.9 hp) because of that, but what can you do?

The V8 Heavy Duty variant does not differ much, except it was geared towards businesses doing heavy work. Available with RWD and 4x4, depending on the user’s needs, it came with a three speed Tri-matic auto transmission, had suspension stiffened to sacrifice comfort for load capacity, and radio removed, to sacrifice comfort for a lower price. (You could get it as an option though.)

[Kubboz]

1964 Vermillion Athena Special 138

1964 Vermillion Athena Special 138 Estate

1964 Vermillion Athena 276

The fourth generation of the Athena debuted in 1964, and like the Mk1 Athena (the first Vermillion ever), it brought several firsts to Vermillions history. First off, this compact sedan was the very first Vermillion to be built on a unibody, and, following the example of The 1961’s Best Sedan, was the first Vermillion to adopt the new radial tyre technology.

Not only that, it was the first Vermillion to be offered with an inline 4 engine. Inspired by the success of the Birmingham’s 4-banger three years earlier, the Vermillion Straight Four was derived from the RT V8, had 138 cubic inches of displacement, and a measly 91 hp, which was apparently deemed adequate.

The I4 was only offered with the base variant of the Athena (which was offered both as a sedan and a station wagon), the Special trim.

On the other end of the scale was the performance variant of the Athena, the 276. Powered by the proven V8 design, this time improved to develop 206 HP, it reached 62 mph in less than nine seconds and got the car up to 130 mph. Even though it was a sedan, it nevertheless is considered to be one of the precursors of the pony car.

There are also I6 versions in the lore, but those will have to wait until this body’s engine bay is fixed.

[Kubboz]

1969 Vermillion Arsene 413 GTS

The first generation of the Arsene debuted in 1965 and was one of the early muscle cars. It also introduced a new engine family - the Venture V8s, with up to 413 cubic inches of capacity.

Depicted above is its successor, the 1969 Mk2 Arsene, the first Vermillion to be sold with a 5 speed manual.
It also offered a wide variety of engine variants - it was sold with a modernised 259 Vermillion straight 6, modernised 276 RT V8 and the Venture 347 and 413 V8s. There probably were supercharged variants too, but this car will probably be revamped/retconed out of existence by the time the forced induction revamp comes.

The 413 variant developed 326 hp and 406 foot pounds of torque. This was enough to get the car up into 244 km/h (breaking the 150 mph barrier, if only slightly) and get it up to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds.

[abg7]

I actually like how you named Vermilion’s muscle car after Arsenal FC’s longest-serving and most famous manager - even though he would not assume that position for nearly three decades after his namesake’s introduction. At least I thought it was… But it ought to have as fearsome a reputation as one of its namesakes.

[Kubboz]

I’ve actually named it after Arsène Lupin.

[Kubboz]

1973 Vermillion Igni 138 Notchback Sedan

The worsening economic conditions led Vermillion to developing into the subcompact market, which resulted in the Igni. It was sold with the Vermillion straight 4, which was more than enough for a car this small. It was also offered in a variety of body styles, including a station wagon, a sedan, and a fastback-like hatchback. A liftback, essentially. Of course, those will have to wait for a suitable body that has those variants.

[Kubboz]

1978 Himeisei Approach Joyful Human

Back in Japan, Himeisei, a manufacturer known for their Inline 5 engines (gives you a hint about when I’m gonna flesh this company out), was developing what would become a precursor to their legendary/overrated (your pick) 90s sports coupes.

The Approach boasted independent suspension on all four wheels, and a range of Inline 4 and Inline 5 engines. Offered in both a coupe and convertible variants, it proved popular, mostly thanks to covering many of the cheaper sports-oriented car markets.

You might be asking, why is this Japanese thing in a Vermillion thread? Well, you see, Himeisei actually got quite interlinked with Vermillion back in the 70s. Himeisei wanted to expand into the US. Vermillion struggled after the '73 Oil Crisis, and only functioned somewhat well because of the sales of the Igni and their commercial vehicles. They needed some of the small engines, some of the small cars.

The business partnership was inevitable. The two companies bought some minority shares of each other in 1976, and Vermillion began importing the Approach into the US in 1979. Of course, some changes were made. The car’s styling was changed slightly, to fit the US regulations, and a Vermillion Starpower V6 (derived from the RT V8) became one of the engine options, mostly because the marketing department needed something that was American-designed.

Here’s the end result:

1979 Vermillion Arsene V6 LX

…
The USDM version was a Vermillion, yes.
They’ve used the Arsene nameplate, yes.
The Vermillion fans don’t like to talk about this, no.

[Kubboz]

1980 Vermillion Igni 1900

Time for the second generation of the Igni, isn’t it? Even the Vermillion shitbox got some Himeisei tech inside, such as the 4S19 Inline 4 engine, a full-aluminium design with an overhead camshaft, or the front wheel drive (it became the first Vermillion where the rear wheels were not driven.)

Unfortunately, suspension technology did not quite make it into this car, and so it’s an FWD thing with a solid rear axle. Perfect for handling, just like the drums in the rear and 165s all around.

It performs slightly better than my real life car, so I’d rate the performance at “slightly more than adequate”. It’s also offered in sedan and station wagon body variants.

[Kubboz]

1985 Vermillion V100 TorqueFiend

This is the third generation of the Vermillion Commercial’s pickup truck, it was the first to feature the TorqueFiend engine. Well, not the first. The engine is actually based on the Venture V8, first featured in the '69 Arsene. Like the Arsene 413 GTS, the TorqueFiend is also roughly 6.75 liters in capacity, but has a fuel injection (a single point one) to make its fuel consumption bearable, and to keep it simpler and less likely to break than some carbed setups.

The TorqueFiend, continuing the tradition of the top-tier V100s, is very offroad oriented, featuring a 4x4 drivetrain, as opposed to the new-fangled AWD things, and other useful extras.

The V100 was also sold with an extended cab and a crew cab, and was offered with a 5.7 variant of this V8, as well as a Starpower V6. Beginning in 1986, the Conqueror, an SUV based on the V100s chassis entered sales, sold by the passenger car branch of Vermillion Motors.

[Kubboz]

1993 Vermillion SpaceStar V6 L

Shown above is the facelifted version of the 1989 Vermillion SpaceStar, the first generation of Vermillion’s response to the people mover boom. This particular variant seats 7 people, and houses the 3 liter DFH engine, which first debuted in the 1988 Athena. It’s a full-aluminium V6, derived from the 1982 DHB V8 engine, Vermillion’s first in-house OHC engine.

[Kubboz]

1996 Vermillion SpaceStar V6 L

It takes so little time for cars to change. When it came to design language, Vermillion usually preferred revolution to evolution, which is why SpaceStar went from this boxy thing reeking of late 80s to this blobby thing reeking of 90s.

Mechanically, though, they were not nearly as innovative, which is why the 3 liter DFH engine remained unchanged when the new generation rolled around. Not much has changed conceptually either. It still seats seven, and it still is all about space. Or espace, as the French would call it. Not sure why I’m bringing up the French, but it somehow seemed to be fitting a minivan description.

[Kubboz]

2000 Vermillion SpaceStar V6 GX

After four years of production, the SpaceStar received a face lift, to make it a little bit less of a 90s car. The bumpers got edgier and less blobby. The headlights and taillights got fancier. And… yeah. That was about it. The thing still reeked of the 90s, but now it at least tried to look more modern.

The DFH engine got revised after 12 years of production. Since it was a proven design, the changes were not big, and mostly evolved the engine rather than changing it completely.

The trim depicted above is a GX, the more premium trim of the SpaceStar, with leather seats (with wide range of articulation, too), a CD player, a shitton of little handy storage spaces and a SkyView sunroof arrangement.