THE JUDGEMENT
PRELUDE
On a quiet Saturday night Sami sits on the upper deck of the mansion and slowly sips his hibiscus tea. As he watches the Sun set over the Red Sea, he reflects on how his life has changed in the past months. He has taken on more responsibilities in the family company and his workload has significantly increased... to the detriment of his free time to have some fun.
“I need to find an outlet; some way to get away from all the stress and disconnect, unwind” - he muses. “Even if it is just for a little while.”
Sami is excited by the prospect of getting his Caddy replica rebuilt into something to do just that. He dreams of getting away from the city, away from his cellphone… and just go trek through the desert. He wants to challenge himself in the dunes, do some real off-roading, camp out overnight and totally unwind without the distractions of daily life.
Today is the day… he has all the proposals from the best custom car shops in his inbox.
He pours himself another cup of tea, opens his laptop and starts taking notes of his first impressions. Let’s see what Sami’s notes have to say.
Sparky T's Customs - Vicious V16
@Maverick74
Engine: All-right, let’s see what is under the hood of this beast. This car kept the original V16 engine with the push-rod head, that is a nice touch. The direct injection conversion is nice, but I wonder why it is a twin intake - the engine doesn’t seem to lose anything with a single intake. Ditto the performance intake? The engine doesn’t seem to lose any significant performance with a standard intake, and it’d be much cheaper to maintain… Looks like they added a relatively small and mild-tuned turbo with small intercooler and narrow exhausts. Hmm… speaking of the exhausts, I wonder why the first muffler is reverse flow and the second straight-through? Shouldn’t the second muffler be the main one? Anyway, with the turbo the engine seems a little jerky at 2400 RPM. 614 HP is a decent figure, however, but I wonder if it is maybe too much for what I need? With the mild turbo I’d also expect a better fuel economy than 25 L/100 km. Sure, gasoline is cheap here, but still…
Suspension and drivetrain: The car has double-wishbone front and solid-axle coil rear suspension. It is a little unconventional, but could potentially be OK. Let’s carry on. The car is a true 4x4 with adv. automatic gearbox, which is nice, but I wonder why it has a geared LSD? That doesn’t make much sense for an off-roader. The hydropneumatic suspension with disconnecting sway bars are very nice though, but the ride height of 411 mm is a bit low for the real off-road work. I wonder how much it could be raised with the hydraulics?
Performance: The car promises to scream off the line with a 0-100 in 6.4 s… and literally scream too with 10% wheelspin! This seems a little excessive to me. It is probably partially the result of the off-road tires (which are nice!), but they are very narrow indeed (205F and 245R)! The tire diameter could’ve also been larger for an off-roader (825 mm here with 19" rims)… Braking seems to be on-point though, so there won’t be any problems stopping this beast. The skid-tray adds a good element of off-road protection. In terms of other equipment, the variable hydraulic power steering and standard 10s safety seem very outdated. The nicely put-together two-seat luxury interior with luxury infotainment suits my needs just fine.
Design: The design of the Vicious V16 is top-notch. Both the exterior and interior are exquisitely detailed. As for the exterior, the design nails the retro look, which I commend the designer for. However, it does miss the mark for what I was looking for. The design is clearly a nod to Cruella DeVille’s car. Sure, she’s a Disney villain… but it’s still Disney. I am not a cartoon character. So the car is not really menacing. In terms of practicality, I question the huge sharp spikes on the bumpers. Those might be great in a cartoon, but in the real world they would impale anyone who comes into contact with them, and would likely not be road legal in any way. The rear overhand of the car has been extended, which reduces its departure angle and reduces its off-road capability. The interior of the car is also beautifully made. It features all modern creature-comforts, but disguised in a retro facade, which is just perfect. Yes, the interior is absolutely gorgeous! So, it is a very cool looking car with beautiful detailing, but just misses the mark here in terms of design.
Oxborn Marauder 12-12
@Prium
Engine: The Oxborn Marauder 12-12 has a… 12L V12 under the hood. That is a… huge engine! I now get the 12-12 name. Well, let’s see what this engine has to offer. It’s a naturally aspirated DOHC4 engine also with twin-performance direct injection. Again, I am not sure why, as a single-standard intake would’ve sufficed and would’ve been much cheaper. In any case, the internals are nice too - the billet crank might be overkill here, but it is nice. The exhaust seems very narrow for the car, and with the regular 3-way cat the flow is very restricted. The car promises to put out 800 HP, which seems… quite excessive to me.
Suspension and drivetrain: This car has double-wishbone front and multilink rear suspension. It is probably good for tarmac driving, but not very off-roady. Feels a bit like… a mall-crawler SUV instead. On the other hand, the car does have a true 4x4 drivetrain with manual locker, and 9-speed advanced automatic gearbox, which is fantastic! The air suspension is quite nice with the disconnecting sway bars. Ride height is a bit low at 489 mm, and the positive camber on the rear tires is very questionable…
Performance: I said the gearbox is nice? Yeah, at first glance it was… The 9.4% wheelspin, despite the 0-spaced gearbox, on the other hand, seems less fine. The tires of this car too are rather narrow (215 front and 245 rear) and small (825 mm diameter with 19" rims). The car manages 0-100 in 6.7 s, not that that figure really matters. Brake set-up is a lot more important, and on this car seems a little dodgy. The disks are nowhere near large enough, but have an overabundance of pistons. Definitely could’ve gone with larger disks and fewer pistons to bring down that 6.2% utility brake fade to a more manageable figure. The offroad skid tray is a nice addition, as is the hand-made two-seat interior with premium HUD. In terms of driver aids and safety, this car has enough to satisfy my needs, but nothing extra.
Design: The design of the Oxborn Marauder is superb. The engine block is nicely painted and the header/intakes are beautifully colour-chromed. Very nice work on that. The side exhausts are looking nice and menacing. The overall WW2 fighter aesthetic really works for my taste here and there is plenty of detail everywhere you look… the construction of the headlights and air filters looks fantastic with how they emerge from under the hood. The canopy looks great! I do wonder a little about safety during a roll-over… On the exterior my only two gripes are the checker-board firewall (why?!), and that the rear looks a little… empty. Otherwise, it is simply gorgeous. As for the interior, I have no words. It is drop-dead gorgeous! It is styled as a fighter cock-pit, but still has all the creature comforts of the 21st century. The way it is shaped, it looks like it’ll perfectly envelope my body so that I can become one with the machine.
Cadillac V16 Terrestre Mondaine by Aether
@Portalkat42
Engine: Well, this car had me almost fooled! It has a naturally aspirated 7.4L V16, just like the original, but it is NOT the original block! The bore and stroke are not exactly the same, but very close to the original… I seriously wonder why Aether chose to swap the engine for something that is almost the same as the original? Seems like a large cost item for no real gain… In any case, the strangeness doesn’t quite end there. The OHC 2V head seems pretty outdated, ditto the MPEFI. This car too opted for a twin intake for no significant benefit, but has a standard version keeping maintenance costs in check. The engine promises a reasonable 480 HP and a fairly flat torque curve due to its VVL valvetrain. The exhaust of this car too seems a little too restrictive. So far, despite the outdated mechanicals, it does seem like a promising start.
Suspension and drivetrain: The Terrestre Mondaine opted to keep the solid-axle leaf springs front and rear. This will likely sacrifice comfort and drivability, but will be bomb-proof. I wonder how the leafs will handle articulation though, and I am not sure how they will interact with the hydropneumatic springs… seems like some sort of voo-doo engineering to me to combine them! Once again, the disconnecting sway bars are great touch though. The 542 mm ride height is OK, although it could’ve certainly been higher for more clearance. As for the drivetrain, the car has an AWD system with manual locker - not a true 4x4, but still decent for off-roading, bar the most gnarly stuff.
Performance: The car sprints 0-100 in 6.1 s, not a bad figure achieved due to the grip advantage of the AWD drivetrain that keeps wheelspin at a very acceptable 2.3%. The advanced automatic gearbox has massive overdrive and allows for a top speed of 323 km/h - mind-boggingly fast to me! The brakes are definitely overpowered on in this vehicle - both front and read would do just fine with just 2 pistons rather than 4. The tires are a tad small and narrow (235F and R, with a diameter of 915 mm and 20" rims). The alloys are probably not quite as suited for off-road use as the steelies of the other cars though. This car is also outfitted with a skid tray, which is always a nice touch. The interior features four nicely made luxury seats and luxury infotainment similar to that of the Vicious V16. Although the second row of seats is hard to access on this two-door body, they might come in handy at times - but I do wonder if more storage space would’ve been better instead. The driver aids and safety equipment is all top-notch with variable electric steering, ESC with LC (OK, the LC is probably a bit overkill on this particular car… would’ve fit the 800 HP of the Oxborn Marauder more), and advanced 20s safety gear.
Design: First thing to mention is that this is the only proposal to include a panel swap to treated steel. To me this seems a bit like a wasted effort for this car. It has no weight savings, and protects the garage-kept car from rust during dry desert excursions… Anyway… The Terrestre Mondaine is just as superbly designed as the other two cars. It has a similar old military design as the Oxborn Marauder, but instead of styling cues from a fighter plane, it is more reminiscent of an armoured vehicle. The detail is absolutely stunning on this car from the front to the back. Not a single inch of this car war overlooked and on the exterior fits the theme to a tee. The full-size spare tire is definitely a nice touch and will come in handy for longer desert trips. In short, it is a gorgeous beast. Jumping into the inside, the interior is just as detailed and wonderfully made with stitched leather, wood paneling, and a detailed analogue and digital instrument cluster. It looks like it would be a dream to sit in the plush seats… but at the same time, I feel like the exterior and the interior of the car tell two different stories. The exterior tells the story of the rugged armoured offroading beast, whereas the interior tells the story of the refined and pampered luxury sedan. In their own right both are fantastic and the workmanship cannot be denied, but they just don’t work well together…
Stats comparison
Well, I feel like all of these cars bring something nice to the table, but they all also have their flaws. With the initial glance there is not yet a clear winner and the final decision is going to be difficult... Well, let's compare their predicted statistics and see how they stack up.
Well, first things first, let's talk about money! Looks like that after factoring in all of the swap costs, they are very close in final purchase price, with the Oxborn Marauder slightly cheaper than the other two. The difference between the cars is not huge though. In terms of service cost, the Terrestre Mondaine edges out the other two (probably due to the standard intake on the car as opposed to the performance intake - easily a $100 difference!). Fuel is cheap here, so the difference in fuel consumption between the Oxborn Marauder and Terrestre Mondaine is not that drastic on the wallet - but the Vivious V16 is clearly all on its own. I'm not an environmentalist, but still... Lastly, reliability. The cars are roughly on the same footing here, but it does look like the Terrestre Mondaine will require more frequent servicing and replacement parts than the other two, driving its overall cost up a tad. Factoring in all of the above, in terms of cost, the Oxborn Marauder and Terrestre Mondaine seem to be on roughly equal terms (perhaps the Oxborn a little bit ahead), but the Vicious V16 clearly trails the other two.
In terms of offroad capability, the Terrestre Mondaine clearly sweeps the other two proposals. The car has a more off-road oriented suspension on all four corners, the greatest ride height, and the largest tires of the three. Only let down by the AWD (vs. 4x4) drivetrain, it promises to be a very capable off-roader. I am a little surprised that none of the cars went with solid-axle coils on all corners though, but you can’t have everything in life… I’ll mention reliability again, because that is a key element for off-roading. Nobody wants to get stuck in the middle of nowhere. In this category, the Terrestre Mondaine trails the other two a little with the Oxborn Marauder on top. It is not a huge difference, but it is noticeable.
Drivability for all three cars is decent; here the Terrestre Mondaine tops the chart again with the Vivious V16 in the last place. I must admit to a little surprise seeing the leaf-suspension car in the lead in terms of drivability, but the poorly controlled power of the other two cars and/or their suspension set-ups really seem to kill their drivability.
Comfort is a bit of a mixed bag here too. The hand-made interior of the Oxborn Marauder is tailor made and will fit like a glove to my body. The HUD is also a nice touch, and will allow me to keep my eye on the road (or rather, next obstacle when there is no road). Not only is it safe, but also comfortable. On the other hand, the luxury interiors of the Vicious V16 and Terrestre Mondaine provide much less comfort, as do their infotainment systems. By mo means are they bad, but just not as good as the Oxborn Marauder. For the Terrestre Mondaine the comfort is probably also significantly reduced by the leaf suspension; for the Vicious V16 by the torquey turbo.
Last, but not least, safety. All three cars are closed cockpits, but none offer a built-in rollcage (which would be key for any possible slow-speed roll-overs. I will still have to be uber-careful with any steep dune or rock climbs! However, the advanced 20s safety features of the Terrestre Mondaine do put it ahead of the competition. The Vicious V16, on the other hand, uses rather outdated technology, and I’d feel less safe in it…
Final Deliberation
Sami thinks for a moment about the proposals, and makes the decision to scratch the Vicious V16 off his list. It is the most expensive offering with the lowest stats. Although the car is very well detailed and carefully designed, and would certainly be the pride and joy of many owners - perhaps even winning some awards at car shows, it just doesn't really speak to him.
Now comes the harder task, to choose a winner… Sami has a very hard time deciding between the two remaining cars. On one hand, they are both gorgeous beasts that he’d love to have in his garage. On the other hand, neither really hits the nail on the head in terms of what he really wants… but he has to choose! The Oxborn Marauder tugs on his heart-strings with its design both inside and out, its price is very attractive, it promises to be quite comfortable, but its 800 HP engine and resulting driving characteristics, and mall-crawler suspension do let it down. The Terrestre Mondaine has great design as well, but the synergy between the exterior and interior are quite jarring and hard to reconcile. It is quite capable and the cost isn’t too daunting either, but the lack of comfort would probably mean that long trips would cause a sore back. Also, the reliability is a bit of a concern when out in the desert…
The winner is....
Sami: "I had a truly hard time deciding on a winner. The Oxborn Marauder and the Terrestre Mondaine both pulled me in different directions. I wanted to choose both, and also wanted to choose neither. But in the end there must be one winner. And I choose..."
For real... the winner is....
Congratulations @Prium and the Oxborn Marauder! Your overall coherent design carried you over the threshold. The only major concern with the car is its off-road capability… The 4x4 is nice, but due to the suspension it is really more of a soft-roader rather than a true off-road beast.
2nd place goes to @Portalkat42 with the Terrestre Mondaine. Although in many aspects the Terrestre Mondaine is the superior car, in the end it is still more of a soft-roader with plenty of compromises (namely the leaf suspension and AWD). So if I have to make any compromises to the off-road capabilities, I might as well choose the car with superior comfort, is cheaper, and more reliable. Also, I couldn’t overlook the discrepancy in design language between the exterior and interior, giving it a much lower aesthetic score.
3rd place goes to @Maverick74 with the Vicious V16. This was a truly beautifully designed car, but unfortunately the design language missed the mark for this assignment. Also, its stats indisputably were the lowest of the bunch. I still very much thank you for submitting a great looking car that I know you put a lot of effort into!
Finally, thank you all for participating and reading. These were among the most detailed and best designed cars I’ve ever received. I cannot overstate enough that you all did a fantastic job with a difficult canvas. Well done, and thanks for sharing those works of art with me.
Epilogue to follow.
and 
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