AEA / RPG [1948-1952 Delux Generation 1 release for UE4]

findRED19 · 22 February 2016 05:44

American Eagle Automotive (AEA) is a company that specializes in push rod V8 design and solid live axle rear suspensions.

ID #1948072

Redhawk Performance Group (RPG) is the performance division of AEA. They also oversee the factory-backed racing teams for any racing series AEA enters.

ID #1955073

Disclaimer: All story line, lore, and general stats subject to change as I create the company story and lore.

American Eagle Automotive was founded in 1948.

Redhawk Performance Group was created in 1955.

Mod Disclaimer

All my automation vehicles and engines are free to use and modify in Automation and Beam NG under this agreement:

By using the provided files in any way you agree to give me credit for the original, and credit to the Automation Devs for a wonderful game
Anything you publicly share will be regarded as freeware, in which there is no need to pay for it, or sign up for anything to get it or use it.
You acknowledge this thread in any public sharing, and link back to it.
You acknowledge @findRED19 (me) of the use either by tagging me in this forum or by sending a dm just to let me know for any public release not listed or hosted on the Official Automation Forums.

I think that should cover everything. My creations will always be free to use under this agreement. The agreement is subject to change without warning.

Special Stories:
Origin Story

Retro Rides: 1956 D-100 Restomod

Archived Articles (1982): RPG Opens Shop for “Special Performance Packages”

Engines:

Oliver Redhawk’s 200ci V8

The 242ci Gen 1 Variation

Cars:

Delux Coupe, Club, and D-100 [1948-1952]

Delux Second Generation Pt.1 [1953-1955]

Delux Second Gen. History Pt 2 and El Govnor Design Phase [1956-1960]

The Eagle Story [1955-1962]

The Story of Franken Monsta [obsolete]

People:
(In order of story appearence)

Edmund Elset [obsolete] - Single-handedly responsible for the Franken Mosta project.

Oliver Redhawk - Founder, Co-owner, Engine Designer, overseer of all things Performance / Engine related.

Andrew Eagleson - Founder, Owner, First CEO

Eric Johnson - Head of Sales and Advertising, Financial Advisor

The Post-2008 RPG Crew

Latest Addition: Added more Corzippa to the Timeline
####Thanks for stopping by my showroom!

findRED19 · 22 February 2016 19:25

Timeline

1946 AEA founded with Oliver Redhawk and Aaron Eagleson
1948 American Eagle Automotive officially a company
1948 Delux Coupe released in Gasmea
1949 Delux Club & D-100 released in Gasmea
1951 Delux lineup refresh
1952 Legendary 242ci variant of Gen 1 V8 created
1953 Delux Gen II released in Gasmea in LS and LX trims
1955 Delux Gen II refresh
1955 Eagle released in Gasmea

Released in a base, Track Ready, and V8 trims, with the base and TR using a new 150 & 171ci inline 4 family.

1955 RPG officially recognized as the performance branch of AEA
1956 Delux D-100 Truck released in Gasmea
1956 First forged engine parts used

First minor recall: Eagle TR models i4 weak bottom end, replaced with new forged parts

1957 Delux Gen II refresh - Best year of sales
1961 El Govnor released in Gasmea
1963 Debut of the new Big Block Cleveland OHV V8 Family. Displacements range from 353ci to 455ci.
1964 Debut of the new Small Block Windsor OHV V8 Family. Displacements range from 283ci(?) to 333ci.
1965 Barracuda released in Gasmea as mid-sized family sedan & first proper muscle car.
1969 Fruinian Barracuda model released. Smaller, lighter, & surprisingly uses larger engine displacements.
1972 El Govnor Mark II released, fullsize and under-powered in attempt to use unleaded fuel across the entire company.
1972 Fruinian Barracuda replaces original Gasmea marketed one.
1976 Barracuda raced in BRC '76 Not very successful, but increases market share.

1982 RPG publicly announces open shop for “Special Performance Packages”
1982 RPG undertakes finishing Eagle contract
1982 RPG get full rights to the AEA Gen 1 SB OHV V8 engine family.
1983(?) Corzippa released in Gasmea

Rear engine, RWD 2-seater, Initially marketed poorly, by 1984 Marketing got their stuff together.
AEA First All Aluminum engine = V6 with SOHC/DOHC
First major recall: Brakes on early Corzippa models have manufacturing flaw, and prone to failing/sloppy performance.

1987 Corzippa refreshed.

More Power, but sales gradually drop

1991/93 Corzippa Completely Redesigned

Now a front engine, front wheel drive 2+2 coupe
Redesigned All Aluminum V6, Displacements from (2.0L to 3.4L?)
Sales pick up considerably
Quality suffers as quantity & cheap price are priortized

1995 Corzippa Refreshed, Gets AWD system (on performance trims) and more power via Turbos, Quality continues to suffer.
1997 Corzippa hits 300hp mark with a special GT2 performance trim
1998 AEA starts developing SOHC 3 valve V8 and DOHC 4 valve I4 with previous experience from Corzippa’s V6 as basis

early 2000s. AEA Starts designing a Modern OHV (pushrod) V8

At some point Gives it all over to RPG, as AEA needs to finish new SOHC/DOHC engines
Modern pushrod V8 becomes the RPG CLS V8

early 2000s AEA releases the Shark [muscle/sports car] to wild reviews.

Major Recalls of the Shark and its brand new V10/12 engine are a huge disaster for the company.
2005 or 6 RPG pulls PR/Marketing stunt: Makes imposter Mustang
Bad press for RPG - also puts AEA in bad light
2008 RPG breaks off as its own company
2008 AEA releases the Orela [cheaper commuter/family car] to save the company finances.

2011 RPG Tunes the DSD Saratoga

3 stages, first two use DSD-sourced turbo I6 engines tuned by RPG
Final stage uses brand new RPG CLS V8 in 7.0L configuration

2011 RPG releases the next generation Eagle

sports coupe designed to be a cheaper competitor to pony cars as well as “corvette-like” sports cars
GT, GTR, GTX trims.
Also uses the RPG CLS V8 with displacements up to 7.0L

2016 RPG rumors of a “brand new classic car”
2017 RPG release refresh of second gen Eagle
2017 RPG releases “new” Barracuda based on old chassis design, updated to meet current standards.

Brand new refresh of the Cleveland Big Block V8 design.
Met with mostly positive reviews, it didn’t sell as well as planned.
Steals the thunder from the new Eagle

2019 RPG - last year for second gen Eagle, due to upcoming strict fuel economy standards
2019 RPG CLS V8 series is slated to end production

findRED19 · 31 March 2016 05:45

The official AEA / RPG forum will be restarted when the new forums are ready.

When they are the link will go here.

Have a Good Day!

And the forums were migrated! This one is still intact, so I will continue posting my company’s content on it.

zeussy · 4 April 2016 04:01

But they are ready, you are using them now.

findRED19 · 28 April 2016 20:13

#ORIGIN STORY

It was late 1946. Oliver Redhawk had started designing a little V8 of his own. He was only 23 years old. He had come home after serving Uncle Sam in the war, and was disappointed at the lack of good cars and engines. Ford had recently gotten 100 hp out of their aging Flathead V8. Oliver wanted to do equal or better with a design of his own. So the project began.

Just out of the war, the young (age 24) Andrew Eagleson came home to find he had inherited a mass production factory. With the good news, and wanting to reconnect with his best friend, he met up with Oliver Redhawk to catch up on life.

They discussed the war, and how it ended with the Atom Bomb. Then Andrew brought up the factory. He had inherited a factory the government had taken over for war-time production. The old car company that used it before had gone bankrupt just prior to the government contract (thus the government took it over). With war-time production closing out, the ownership of the factory had to be transferred to the next heir in line. That, through a series of interesting events, happened to be Andrew Eagleson.

At the same time, Oliver Redhawk had started the per-production process with the first official draft of his 100 hp V8. He had run into a problem though, it was too expensive to make useful. Oliver and Andrew discussed these things over the course of three months until they finally decided the inevitable…
They would go into the automotive business together!

##Thus the early foundation of American Eagle Automotive was born.

Why the name? Well Andrew wanted a name that included his surname at least in part, and because this was a proud American business for the American people! It would have “America” in its name.

The factory was located in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. And as their first factory as American Eagle Automotive (AEA for short), they setup their modest office building there and called the Twin Cities home to AEA Headquarters.

By the time they got everything sorted, it was mid 1947, and their first car, with Oliver’s 100hp 200ci pushrod V8, was underway. Unfortunately not all the paperwork was in order for AEA, so they were not officially known as a car company at this point. They were know as the factory owned by Andrew Eagleson. Thus American Eagle Automotive was not a company on paper until 1948 when the first car rolled off the assembly line.

(and since this post is so short on pics, here’s the 200ci V8 made by Oliver Redhawk that produced 100hp.)

findRED19 · 5 May 2016 03:28

#Oliver Redhawk’s 200ci V8
After discussing with Andrew Eagleson about starting up an automobile manufacturing company, Oliver realized his V8 could be simplified in many ways. Here’s the deal, it made well over 100hp from its 200ci displacement (about 120hp), but required enough money and materials to make it impractical for use as an engine for the newly formed American Eagle Automotive. So, Oliver painstakingly went over every inch of the engine to make it cheaper, but still produce 100hp.

The Prototype

First, the timing was reduced with compression, as this engine would still run on 92 RON gasoline. Secondly, the intake and triple carburetors were swapped for a single 1bbl carburetor, thus why timing and compression needed to be reduced. Next, the hand crafted tubular exhaust Oliver had worked on was dropped in favor of super cheap cast log headers. The single tailpipe was kept, as adding a second did not help the motor and was more expensive. And finally, the cam profile was made milder to keep the engine reliable and easy to drive.

At the end of the day, Oliver was so excited he kept 100hp with all the cost cutting measures that he decided to have every single one of the production 200ci Gen 1 engines to have red painted valve covers and air cleaners.

All these changes combined to create the basic engine family that would drive American Eagle Automotive for years to come!
##This is: The Gen 1 SB OHV Engine Family
Generation 1 Small Block Over Head Valve Engine.

Edit: added Oliver’s exciting red paint

findRED19 · 8 May 2016 01:57

And, in 1948, American Eagle Automotive released its first production automobile to the Gasmea Region…

#The 1948 Delux Coupe

(Yes the spelling is intentional, it is pronounced with a short e sound.)

In 1948 it was released only in coupe trim. Carrying some chrome cues borrowed from other cars of the time, it looked rather average or normal to the common man. But the Delux Coupe was not meant to be super flashy, or eye-catching. It was designed to showcase confidence modestly, as you would want from only the best business man or salesman.

And it was designed to attract the young, but modest, business man or salesman. It came only with a premium vinyl bench seat and a 3 speed manual transmission that limited the car to a top speed of about 70 mph. The paint was the semi-matte “Rover Blue” color, or gloss black only, as American Eagle Automotive did not have the funds to acquire more color choices at the time of production.

As Andrew Eagleson and his salesman-minded friend, Eric Johnson, went around the country to tour the new car in 1947, they started asking people how much they’d spend on this new car if they could buy one. The initial prices were higher than Eagleson or Johnson expected! People really liked the idea of the premium interior, and the optional premium am radio was very popular, so popular that Eagleson made it standard equipment when he got back to the factory! With a standard markup of 20%, the Delux Coupe was reasonably priced at $2,991.67

And It sold well, helping recoup the costs of starting an automobile company faster than anticipated. But that’s not to say they payed all debts back, not yet.

Because in 1949 American Eagle Automotive released two more trims based on the Delux body.

#The 1949 Delux Club

A four door variation of the Coupe, made to target the family categories in the Gasmea Region. After realizing the initial success of the coupe, and noticing how many were bought and used by families, AEA decided to produce a family-oriented trim.

With two cloth bench seats for a total seating of 6, The Club sold well. Still using the standard premium am radio, 100hp 200ci engine, and the same 3 speed manual transmission, it was fairly easy for AEA to produce the Club along side the Coupe. And it came standard in one of this year’s newest colors: “Baby Blue”.

At the same time, AEA was also able to set up a smaller assembly line for the variant Oliver Redhawk felt was needed:

#The 1949 Delux D-100

The truck variant. It was equipped with a spartan interior… That is, as basic as possible. Standard cloth seats, painted floorboards replacing the carpet used in the other trims, less safety features, and the same engine and transmission as the other trims. The D-100 did well in the delivery markets, the biggest complaint being the chrome trim on the bed sides would get damaged easily, and was unnecessary. Many even completely removed the trim from the sides when it first got damaged as a result.

The D-100 was also noted for good off-road manners due to the 4X4 design, and it also came equipped with knobby tires, and manual lockers standard. It was only available in the new “Sand” color, or gloss black.

All three trims did well in 1949, but as 1950 approached American Eagle Automotive was not prepared. Other manufacturers were releasing brand-new models for 1950, eroding some of the success AEA had enjoyed earlier. And that erosion continued into 1951.

##Model Refresh

But the Delux Coupe got a refresh in 1951. In it, the rear chrome strip was deleted, and “Sunburst” became a new color choice, though few opted for it. And sales went up… Slightly. The refreshed trim was not enough. American Eagle Automotive needed to do something more. So the small design team started working on a new body to take over the Delux name, along with minor refreshing to the other two trims.

Oliver Redhawk also got to work designing a new engine variant based on his 200ci Gen 1 V8. This, the Club, and the D-100 refresh came in 1952. Both trims came with an upgraded 3 speed manual transmission capable of 100mph. But even this did not stir the general public in 1952.

###Hopefully Andrew Eagleson and Oliver Redhawk could keep up with the ever-changing automotive landscape with the next body for the Delux, scheduled for release in 1953.

###Technical Data:
1948 Delux Coupe
2 Door, 3 Seat Premium Coupe
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - FR
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2356 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 200ci
7.7:1 Compression
100hp @3600 rpm - Redline @3900 rpm
0-62 mph in 14.1 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 19.98s @72mph
72mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.59 Gs @24.1 mph

Pricing
$10,080 AMU (20% markup)
1948 Price: $2,991.67
(Mid-priced, cheaper than a Lincoln, almost on par with what a Hudson would cost, more expensive than a Ford)

1949 Delux Club
4 Door, 6 Seat Standard Sedan
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - FR
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2454 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 200ci
7.7:1 Compression
100hp @3600 rpm - Redline @3900 rpm
0-62 mph in 13.3 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 19.38s @73mph
73mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.66 Gs @25.4 mph

Pricing
$10,680 AMU (20% markup)
1949 Price: $2,851.04
(Mid-priced, slightly lower than the Chrysler Town and Country)

1949 Delux D-100
2 Door, 3 Seat Basic Truck
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - 4X4
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2326 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 200ci
7.7:1 Compression
100hp @3600 rpm - Redline @3900 rpm
0-62 mph in 13.5 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 19.62s @72mph
72 mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.60 Gs @24.3 mph

Pricing
$8,132 AMU (7% markup)
1949 Price: $2,170.84
(Upper range, more expensive than most Ford, Dodge, and Chevys)

1951 Delux Coupe
2 Door, 3 Seat Premium Coupe
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - FR
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2378 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 200ci
7.7:1 Compression
100hp @3600 rpm - Redline @3900 rpm
0-62 mph in 13.0 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 19.26s @72mph
72mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.66 Gs @25.5 mph

Pricing
$10,320 AMU (20% markup)
1951 Price: $2,857.79
(Mid to Upper-priced, slightly cheaper than a Lincoln, a bit more expensive than a Hudson, more expensive than a Ford)

1952 Delux Club
4 Door, 6 Seat Standard Sedan
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - FR
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2548 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 242ci
7.7:1 Compression
140hp @4000 rpm - Redline @4300 rpm
0-62 mph in 11.0 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 18.30s @82mph
100mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.65 Gs @25.2 mph and 0.63 Gs @87.7

Pricing
$11,160 AMU (20% markup)
1952 Price: $2,936.04
(Mid-priced)

1952 Delux D-100
2 Door, 3 Seat Basic Truck
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - 4X4
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2400 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 242ci
7.7:1 Compression
140hp @4000 rpm - Redline @4300 rpm
0-62 mph in 11.9 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 18.90s @81mph
100 mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.60 Gs @24.2 mph and 0.58 Gs @84.4 mph

Pricing
$8,453 AMU (7% markup)
1952 Price: $2,223.87
(Upper range, more expensive than most Ford, Dodge, and Chevys)

findRED19 · 12 May 2016 01:00

#[1952] 242ci Variant of the Gen 1 V8
As American Eagle Automotive started designing the next generation of Delux in 1951, Oliver Redhawk was tasked with improving the Gen 1 V8 to be produced for it.

So began the task that would excite Oliver Redhawk more than anything else in his work: Designing Engines. By this time, Redhawk had a good understanding of what worked and what flopped with V8 engines (in this time period). So the first improvement he made was increasing the displacement. He opened the bore from the original 3.25" to 3.50". Next, he ground a new cam that was less conservative. Along with the new cam came a new cylinder head design, one that was slightly ahead of its time. To complement the new heads, Oliver Redhawk designed a new intake manifold that could accept a single 2 bbl carburetor, and used short cast headers on the exhaust side. This was the final step in freeing up efficiency and power in the new engine variation. And to top it off, Oliver put the signature 2" exhaust with a baffled to reverse-flow muffler set up on, as this resulted in the aggressive, yet restrained exhaust note all future AEA V8s would feature.

This netted him some good results, but to put icing on the cake, Oliver Redhawk bumped the timing up slightly, while also leaning out the fuel mixture just a touch. This resulted in an engine with decent reliability for the times, and good for 140hp at 4,000 rpm.

Although no one would truly know until 1955, this would signal the start of Oliver Redhawk’s obsession with power and speed. The want to make things go faster than originally designed, and the expensive experiments that would accompany him.

rcracer11m · 12 May 2016 14:43

I may have to see what my 242 from 1942 makes on 92 octane fuel just to compare with this seeing that their the same size

findRED19 · 18 May 2016 05:01

#The Delux Second Generation (Part 1) [1953-1955]
In 1953 American Eagle Automotive released the Delux with a new body. With only two years of development, the Delux was a rushed project, but not in the “bad” sense. It was a body that stole cues from many of the new bodies released by other auto manufacturers. It was designed to be quick to produce, and some shortcuts were used…

LX Trim

Like the overall body shape. That was a quick mashup of the general styles emerging onto the scene. But the chrome and the grill were all American Eagle Automotive designs. Andrew Eagleson wanted the new Delux to look familiar, so AEA used chrome striping at the door handle height again. And the familiar Soaring Eagle Emblem was used on the center of the hood.

The new body also called for a more modern trim naming scheme. So the old Coupe became the LX, and the old Club became the LS. The only trim that was not updated with the new body and chassis was the D-100. While not selling well, Oliver Redhawk insisted on leaving it alone, stating it was not necessary to update the truck body yet as it would cost more money than AEA should really spend. For some, unknown reason Andrew Eagleson agreed.

The new Delux models sold really well. So well, Oliver Redhawk started looking into other areas for American Eagle Automotive to expand into. This included a two week trip to Europe for Oliver. The results of said trip… Well, that’s a story for later. For now, AEA sold their family cars to the public, building up a reputation for good, reliable cars that could keep up with the competition.

LS Trim

And keep up they did, with the 242ci V8 released last year. On top of that was a brand new, high-tech automatic transmission! The new 2 speed automatic transmission was a standard feature on the LX, and was optional on the LS. The LX retained its Leather seats, five of them with the front ones bucket seats, and the LS kept its cloth bench seats so it could hold 6 passengers.

But American Eagle Automotive didn’t stop there.
#The 1955 Refresh
In 1955 AEA refreshed the lineup with a new front grill for both trims.

LX top, LS above

Though it was not too different from the prior, the slight facelift gave the car a more appealing look, and gained more sales than last year’s models. In 1955 the LS trim kept the 242ci engine, but got this year’s new 4spd manual transmission. It also had the 2spd auto as an option.

The LX, on the other hand, got a new engine. The 273ci 2x2bbl V8. Still based on the Gen 1 family of V8 engines, this was the largest displacement possible Oliver Redhawk could muster from the Gen 1 family. It gave the car a nice 0-62 just a hair over 10 seconds (with 4spd Manual), and a theoretical top speed of 115mph. Appearance wise, the LX got a new chrome piece on the quarter panels to help distinguish it a bit.

LX

What about the D-100? Was that truck forgotten about?
Check out part 2 for the rest of the story!
######And because I need to go to sleep!

Sillyworld · 31 May 2016 21:53

Hi, will it be possible for AEA (RPG) to provide Meliora automotive with an engine for an upcoming 1965-1969 muscle car?

findRED19 · 31 May 2016 23:56

Thank You, @Sillyworld, for your interest in American Eagle Automotive’s Engines. I am Oliver Redhawk, head of Redhawk Performance Group, and the lead designer of all AEA’s engines. We would be glad to provide Meliora Automotive with an engine for the 1965 - 1969 muscle car! Let’s take a quick walk around AEA Headquarters.

For 1965 we have two new V8 engine families. The Big Block Cleveland family [BB - 455C V8] which started production in 1963, and the Small Block Windsor family [Windsor V8] which started production in 1964. The big block family is primarily used in our El Govnor sedans and heavy duty trucks, and our small block family is the standard engine in just about all our other cars.

The BB - 455C family ranges from 353ci to over 440ci in size. This engine comes in torque and high performance variants. The Windsor V8 ranges from 283ci to 333ci. It is our primary engine in our lineup.

The Windsor V8 was featured in our 1969 Barracuda FSX in the Big Fruinian Muscle Cars Cup.
That particular 333ci variation was created in 1969 for the Fruinian market.

And if you need a smaller V8, we can supply you with our Gen 1 SB V8. The latest variant was seen in the 1963 El Govnor LX as the standard engine. This car appeared in the Top Gear Challenge.

With these in mind, and don’t worry about the little I4 sitting in the corner, step into my office and we can discuss specifics (PM).

findRED19 · 1 June 2016 04:21

#American Eagle Automotive History [1956-1960]
##The 1956 Delux D-100

A 1956 D-100

When American Eagle Automotive started production the second generation of their Delux series, one variant stayed behind. The Delux D-100. The all-purpose truck Oliver Redhawk insisted AEA needed to produce. It wasn’t much of a seller when 1953 came around, but then again, trucks didn’t go out of style as quickly as cars did. The old chassis D-100 was kept in production in 1953 and 1954. But, by 1954 Oliver Redhawk realized it was looking rather dated. He needed to update the D-100 into the second generation chassis, but time was not on his side. He had some designers look into what it would take to get the new D-100 ready for the 1955 facelift.

"It’s too much to do in too little time!" The designers yelled.

So the D-100 chassis update was pushed back to the 1956 year, and even with the deadline pushed it was a rushed job!

To fit the truck on the second generation chassis the team of engineers at American Eagle Automotive shrunk the front doors of the LS (4-door) trim. But then they ran into a huge problem. The roof relied on the back of the cab connecting to the rear quarter panels just before the rear wheels! So the team, along with Oliver Redhawk, tried moving the rear cab pillars up as close to the door as they could with the tools they had. On top of that, the design team wanted to keep the flared fenders, and those required the structural integrity of the rear doors on the LS, or the rear pillars on the roof in the LX.

"We have to put something here! Otherwise all our trucks will literally fall apart upon loading the bed!" The engineers shouted at the design team.

A compromise was made in the design of the truck, as time was running out. There would be extra cab space behind the bench seat to make the rear fender flairs structurally sound. Space that had no real purpose in the design of the truck. This extra cab space behind the bench seat would stump the marketing team for the entire production of the truck. Sometimes called a space for junk, other times for a tool box or lunch box. It was once advertised as extra head room! (If only the engineering guys would have talked with the marketing team about seating… That space would have been great if only the truck would have came with adjustable bucket seats!)

But what they did get right is the “truck” part of truck! This truck could haul more in its bed than any competitor! It also was very good for off-road use as well. The D-100, however, was by no means the jack of all trucks. It was not the best in towing, as the engine used was a simple 255ci V8 with only 220ft-lbs of torque and 140hp. However, clever folks could special order the truck with the 273ci 2x2bbl engine that produced 260 ft-lbs of torque and 180hp. And yes, 40 ft-lbs of torque and 40hp made quite a difference.

It did not sell as well as AEA had hoped. They sold slightly more per year than the previous generation, but that meant sales dropped gradually and the D-100 was last produced in 1959, in part because the new flagship sedan was slated to replace the Delux series in 1960.
But, as time went on, little did AEA know, they had created a classic truck that would be reveled by many as on of the most iconic and beautiful designs of the 1950s.

##1957 Delux LS and LX Facelift
In 1957 American Eagle Automotive made a bold change to the grills of the LS and the LX. This was the change the general public was waiting for.

LX Trim

A Big, Bold new grill! Filled with Chrome! The people loved it! American Eagle Automotive was finally big enough to become an American Icon! When people talked cars, they talked about AEA’s new Big, Bold Chrome Grill Design! Sales shot up! This prompted a celebration, as AEA had finally broken the 250,000 mark in total year sales!*

Of course this was also the year American Eagle Automotive introduced their first Luxury Sport Convertible, which would become a staple in the lineup for years to come…
##The 1957 Delux Limited

1957 Delux Limited

Luxurious leather bucket seats, a state-of-the-art Phonograph, Leather-wrapped Dash, Wood Accents throughout the cabin, Advanced Safety Features…

And it comes on a finely-tuned suspension that corners like a sports car, but feels like a cloud. It also comes equipped with the exclusive 273ci Special V8 mated to a 4-speed manual transmission.

The 273ci Special V8 is rated at 220hp @4500. It requires Super Leaded fuel for the triple 2bbl carburetors feeding this beast. And comes standard with forged H-beam connecting rods and forged pistons helping it achieve a 10.0:1 compression ratio.

Only available in the standard color of “Pearl White” or optional “Tuxedo Black”, this car was built with the best technology AEA had researched in. And as such a prestigious car as it was, it was only produced in limited numbers.

##1958-1960
As the decade came to a close, Andrew Eagleson was already getting his company geared up to produce the next flagship sedan, and this time, he wanted to knock the competition not just flat off their feet, but also down the hill and into the pond! It was time for AEA to break out of its cocoon and become the butterfly it had always wanted to be! It was time to design the In-Your-Face-But-Modestly sedan Andrew Eagleson had always had his ambitions set for!

It was time to design and produce…
###The El Govnor
Code named Black Suit, the El Govnor was to be the pinnacle of Eagleson’s styling and expression of his company. A formal black suit that was high-end, but subtly so. A middle finger to “class” because we just reinvented it.

The Design for Black Suit was started as early as 1956, but little progress was made until the 1957 facelift for the Delux series was complete. Black Suit reportedly went through only 5 redesigns, of which only 2 actually changed a significant portion of the original design, by the end of 1958. Then Black Suit was slated to begin production for the 1960 model year. Because of that, the current Delux never got a face lift in 1959 like it was originally planned to. But delays and problems struck in late 1959. The dies and stamps for the sheet metal for Black Suit needed reworking! So the Delux line got to live another year, as workers simply changed some vins to make what left-over 1959 models they had into 1960 models. Thus the Delux Production numbers for 1960 are extremely low compared to previous years.

###With 1960 already on their doorstep, American Eagle Automotive geared up to make history with the release of their 1961 model El Govnor sedan line.

#####*Just for reference: Total 1957 model year sales for Ford was 1,522,406. That included all 21 models sold (in the US I assume). That’s about 72,496 cars for each model. Multiply by 3 for my models ( the LS, LX, and count the D-100 with the Limited as they both had lower production numbers) and the result is 217,487 cars. So my 250,000 is a good year by that standard.

findRED19 · 30 June 2016 18:08

#Retro Rides
This is a Special Presentation for showcasing AEA vehicles in the present day (2000s and beyond).

And today we are presenting…
##Restomod 1956 D-100

The owner of this 1956 D-100 has taken a little liberty with the bodywork. It was found in a barn in 2003 by some executive in AEA. This person had the restomod completed in 2005. What really makes it stand out is the slight modifications to the turn signal lights and front grill. Instead of the factory round lights all around, the owner has tastefully crafted in rectangular signal lights throughout. And the front grill is a custom job designed like one of the concept drawings for the Delux series from that era.

The original rear light array was simplified with some slight adjustments including removing the reverse lights. While up front the headlights have been replaced with some fancy aftermarket ones. And as the original 255ci V8 was tired, and in need of a rebuild, the owner instead had an experimental engine from AEA put into it (because there are a few experimental engines just floating around the AEA and Redhawk Performance Group buildings). The only known facts about this engine are that it’s a 327ci V8 with SOHC 3v heads with VVT and a dyno sheet to prove it makes 300hp.

To help make this truck a rear cruiser, the interior was completely reworked to include a leather bench seat with a nice SatNav system that looks factory installed! Round that off with a 4spd w/overdrive automatic trans, viscus LSDs all around, huge disk brakes complimented by 18" Torque Thrust rims, and this is one well sorted cruiser.

Sillyworld · 30 June 2016 19:04

I like how you kept a more simple 4 speed transmission instead of a modern 5 or 6, that gives a more authentic retro feel Awesome grill work, I can’t tell which I like more, the original or the restomod version .

findRED19 · 30 June 2016 19:39

Same here, as that grill was in consideration when designing the second gen Delux series.

About that 4spd though, I think it’s actually a 4+1: 4 speeds + overdrive speed. That’s not uncommon though for the time, as the viper started leading the way with the T56 (6-speed) at the turn of the century and it seemed everyone started swapping 5 and 6 speed overdrive trans into restomods.

findRED19 · 17 July 2016 02:47

#Archive Articles
A section dedicated to preserving the historic articles that cover AEA and RPG.
###RPG Opens Shop for “Special Performance Packages”
New York Times, February 1982.

Today Redhawk Performance Group, the racing division of American Eagle Automotive, released a statement basically stating they were “Open for Buisness” to car companies outside of their parent company, AEA.

“Today we want to open our doors to all manufacturers interested in limited run special performance packages. With over 25 years of experience in building high performance engines and automobiles, we are now extending our services beyond American Eagle Automotive.”

With this official press release, Redhawk Performance Group has finally broken free, it seems, from being just an AEA exclusive. To further prove their expertise, RPG has undertaken the unfinished contract AEA had to produce aluminum-bodied Eagle sports cars from the 1950s. But, there’s a slight twist, as the original Eagle was produced with a solid live-axle rear end. RPG’s Eagle will be produced with an Independent Rear Suspension instead, as they claim it will be sportier and safer to drive.

Will this prove to be the correct corse for Redhawk Performance Group? Only time will tell.

###Historian’s Note:
This signaled RPG’s start at breaking away from AEA, but only in 2008 did RPG finally become completely independent from AEA.

This was RPG taking on the roll of Shelby or Saleen and modifying stock production vehicles to make them faster, corner better, or even just sticking American V8s in them.

Darkshine5 · 17 July 2016 03:23

DSD would like to purchase a shipment of 283ci Windsor v8’s to be used in testing our NASCAR race cars

We would also like to offer RPG one off our SARATOGA cars for tuning

findRED19 · 17 July 2016 03:42

RPG will gladly send over some Windsor V8s, just specify the year and any special features you’d like.

We would love to test and tune the Saratoga cars!

Darkshine5 · 19 July 2016 08:22

Well we did our best with the old Windsor and have decided to pay for the rights to use your design.

We have however made some changes to suit the Griffen that will be it’s new home.

So we decided to use the stock OHV cast heads and block. Luckily there was a little bit of playing room as far as bore/stroke goes so naturally we went with the highest possible at 5452cc, we also 3/4 filled the block with engine grout to give a little more strength and the main caps are now a 6 bolt affair.

We filled the block with our own forged crankshaft with Mahle Rods and Pistons with a static compression of 9.6:1.

Then turning our attention to the heads we first raised the exhaust ports cleaned up the sharp turn radius for the exhaust valve and fitted a lightweight valve. On the intake side the intake manifold was match ported to the cylinder heads, a much larger valve was installed and we added length to the intake port (we had to weld up the old ports and start from scratch. We also modified the manifold to be a dry system with no coolant running through the manifold, also unique to the DSD version is an electric water pump. The ecu is a Holley unit and spark is now provided by a MSD crank wheel trigger coil on plug ignition system.

The camshaft is an off the shelf DSD unit (part no. 28528DSDC) and No fancy VVT was used. The only way that we could make this engine reliable and economical was to use turbocharging with units as always supplied by Precision Turbo’s. The turbo’s are tiny with large A/r ratios a small intercooler and very modest boost pressure. With the use of turbo’s DSD finally decided to invest in DI technology and the mighty Windsor is the first to benefit. What this means is an engine that develops economical effortless power while only requiring 91Oct fuel and in total we raised power by 81HP and torque by a staggering 132NM of torque while using 100% less fuel total power is 300Hp/517Nm
We will be sending some units your way.