A little less than a week left, really time to get things together now.
Full subs recieved from:
@Edsel
Also, any stats-changing updates from now on will mean a deadline extension by a week.
plz don’t leave me alone is spooky in here D:
1 Like
MONS CUSTOMS
Introducing the
Mercedes 230 “Ghost Hunter”
Dear Paranormal Finland crew,
Please accept this letter as our formal offer to restomod your '70 Mercedes 230 ambulance wagon. You asked for a reliable, capable, and comfortable vehicle that will not only get the job done, but will also represent and advertise your brand and program. It was a challenge we gladly took on - let the proposal speak for itself:
Concept
The basic concept of the restomod is a hearse. The Mercedes ambulance is particularly suited for such a conversion with its raised roof and utility-oriented rear end. The first order of business is to paint the car black of course, and add hearse-like visual elements such as the black-out rear window with the landau bars. But we felt that making the vehicle look like a hearse was only the start - this was not a hearse after all, but the showpiece of a paranormal channel. It needed to be more spooky and memorable, so we added many details to the exterior to reflect this image. But these are the skin-deep changes. Under the hood and on the inside we wanted to make the car a reliable, comfortable, and capable machine that is practical for your particular needs.
Engineering
We opted to keep the original engine of the car, but bored it out to match the original engine’s larger cousin, the M130. We’ve also added a bunch of modern goodies and swapped out some parts, so that the engine is now a lot more reliable, a lot more powerful, but also a lot more fuel efficient! Overall, it is a mighty upgrade from the tired and sleepy original. To make use of the power of the upgraded engine, we also upgraded the entire drive-train. Starting with the gearbox, it is now a modern 7-speed automatic. Power is delivered to the wheels through an advanced AWD system that intelligently distributes power to any of the four wheels according to road and grip conditions. The final piece are the tires, upgraded to wider and grippier ones than the original. And when you encounter adverse conditions and need to swerve or stop, the modern ESC system and upgraded brakes should provide ample stability and stopping power to attack any road conditions with confidence.
Exterior
The exterior is what everyone sees first, so it needs to be the what immediately catches the eye. At first glance the car is recognizably a hearse-replica, but the details indicate that it is so much more. From the angry-eye headlights, to the Mons Customs decal decorating the hearse landau bars, the centre brake lights disguised as light-up red eyes (yes, the lights light up, try them!), the ghost-Mercedes badge on the rear, the small indicator lights build into the mirrors, the upgraded light stack in the rear, the new black and red Mercedes inspired rims, the new tow bar for added utility, the front fog lights - the custom details are too many to mention. We also took extra care to design a tasteful banner to advertise your channel and brand: Paranormal Finland, only on ViewTube.
Interior
The interior received equal attention to detail. As you sit in the car, you immediately notice the high-quality materials used: the leather of the luxury seats, the decorative hardwood finishes, the soft surfaces. We retained the original base for the dashboard, but built a brand new system on top of it. There is a modern steering wheel with all convenience controls built-in, and of course it adheres to modern safety standards. The driver’s dash is a movable glass unit with a completely customizable HUD display. The centre console features an oversized screen where you can control all of the car’s many electronic features, climate, and navigation. You will notice that the starter and gearbox are also all electronically controlled in the center console. The passengers in the rear also have full-size HD screens at their disposal, which can be used for on-the-road productivity such as video editing. In the trunk we provide two special items. The more common one is the full-size spare wheel that matches the new rims on the car. The special item is the coffin-inspired giant equipment box made to fit perfectly into the car, easily slides in and out on custom rails, holds all your filming equipment safely - and of course matches the theme of the car perfectly. To round out the interior, we include fine cloth curtains on the rear window, which round out the theme of the car superbly!
Video
Because this is such a special project, we include a special promotional video to showcase the restomodded Mercedes 230 “Ghost Hunter” for your enjoyment.
In summary, this car is exactly what you need: a reliable and comfortable workhorse under the hood, but with looks befitting the memorable spooky image you desire for your brand.
Paranormal Finland, we hope you find our proposal intriguing, and we at Mons Customs look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Mons Customs
6 Likes
It’s scary. From such mysterious angles with similar ethereal picture, surreal thoughts immediately come to mind, which exist only in subtle spiritual matter, which is difficult to rationally explain, but which seems existing in our world. How interesting that this assignment came up for Halloween.
2 Likes
Yes, that was kind of my thought behind this challenge. 
ONE LAST REMINDER
48 hours until closing for submissions now. Unfinished car? You better get things together now. Finished but not sent in? Time to do it ASAP.
I’ve got full subs from:
@cake_ape
@Edsel
File but no ad from:
@Maverick74
Hello Paranormal Finland team, we here at Sparky T Customs have come up with a proposal for your classic Mercedes ambulance that we feel would look great for your show. As you can see, we have gone for something a little more spooky than what you had originally.
For starters, we have decided to turn it into a hearse by fitting a vinyl landau top. We’ve also modified the lights with modern LEDs, gave it a bit of a body kit, side pipes, and added a few sinister chrome touches to the existing bodywork. It’s also received a classic hot rod inspired paint job, with a little bit of a twist. And we thought that a skeletal arm would be a fun way to advertise your channel.
Inside, we have gone with a modest approach. Since the car’s original dash was in such great shape, we simply integrated a modern touchscreen infotainment setup, added a few power accessories, and gave it a full set of deep burgundy leather and wool interior. (OOC, you did such an amazing job recreated the Merc’s dashboard that I couldn’t bring myself to mess with it much)
But the work on your ride isn’t just skin deep. The original engine received it’s share of attention. The straight six has been bored out to 3 litres and fitted with a new DOHC alloy head featuring a VVT/VVL combination. Combined with direct electronic fuel injection and a variable intake manifold, it creates 267hp and 240 pound feet of torque.
This revised mill is mated to a newer 5 speed ZF automatic transmission. A more comfortable electronic power steering has been added as well as ESC and four wheel vented disc brakes. 215/65R16’s ride on all four corners and a height adjustable airbag suspension round out the mechanicals.
All in all this should make for a ride that will help capture your audience’s eye, as well as what ever paranormal entities you may come across. The cost for this? $46,900 AMU. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Regards, Sparky T Customs
5 Likes
OK, submissions are closed as we write, and it is time to handle the instabins, with only four entries, I had hoped for all of them to pass, but unfortunately…
The MERCEDES 230 ARMORED TRANSPORT by @Edsel is out.
It really hurts to bin such a strong entry for only being $900 over budget. I guess that either you did a miscalculation, or forgot to add $1000 for the head swap, since I guess by some work you could still have squeezed in a good car 900 cheaper. Oh well, rules are rules.
Going further:
@Arianne777
@cake_ape
@Maverick74
6 Likes
Nooo, math fail! I forgot that changing from SOHC to DOHC would count as a head swap. :(
Ironically enough I was originally way more than $900 cheaper, and was spamming quality just to maximize the budget. Must’ve just been like 2-3 points away. Oh well, is what it is. Best luck to the rest of ya’ll!
1 Like
Oh, that’s a shame! I would’ve loved to see how a more rugged offroad build would fare.
2 Likes
Without spoiling too much, if it was about making a good car I feel like i have four winners this time (probably would be true even without exceeding the budget for Edsel), if it is about placement someone would still have had to end up in fourth place, someone will still end up in third, I have no clue about the rankings yet because it is very even, but let’s just say finishing last will not be a shame this time.
Somehow I feel that this part kind of raised the bar for ARM, may be the game update making things possible, may be the long deadline (even if I think I would prefer to go back to somewhat shorter ones now when I think most people have swapped over to OB and it seems to work), but without bashing anyones entries in past ARMs, the quality this time simply has been stunning.
1 Like
PARANORMAL FINLAND GOES LIVE
Sofia: Hello everyone, and welcome to Paranormal Finland, and our very special live broadcasting.
Valteri: Yeah. Because, now, we actually have received all the proposals from the restomod companies about our old ambulance, and I just have to say, that the quality of them are nothing but stunning.
Ville: Right. But because none of us are car people, we will gladly take some input from our viewers, that might give us more to think about. Sure, we know a cool car when we see it, but….
Sofia: …yeah. The technical stuff simply isn’t our thing, even if we have tried to learn a thing or two lately, to not get scammed.
Ville: But considering how professional everything looks, I highly doubt that there is a risk that we will get scammed.
Sofia: Right. The first proposal is the Mercedes 230 portergeist from @Arianne777
Valteri: What strikes me here first is the very creative solution to convert the raised roof into some kind of cargo compartment. Creativity points for that indeed!
Ville: Yeah. After all it is not intended for ambulance use anymore, so it’s not like if we need to be able to stand up in the back.
Sofia: Overall, I think that it is a build that looks fresh and clean, staying rather true to its roots.
Ville: And yet, I think it looks rather modern, while managing to retain its classic heritage.
Valteri: On the other hand, maybe it lacks some of the, I don’t know…scariness we were looking for.
Sofia: Yeah, it looks a bit like Mr Nice Guy, mostly only broken up by the massive push bar up front, and the cross on the doors…
Valteri: …that, if you look close enough is also present as the hood ornament, a cool little detail.
Ville: I just hope that the upside down cross won’t upset anyone too much, leading to sabotage or something.
Sofia: Yes, it is kind of unfortunate that so many people have no clue about the history of the Petrine cross, but that’s something we will talk about in a later episode about symbols.
Ville: What more is it to say? Headlights are now modern LED units, there are black alloy wheels that looks allright on this car, chrome is blacked out, there is a little spoiler and…
“@ Tonikarjalainen872 - Hey, don’t you notice the underglow? Haven’t seen that in years!”
Valteri: Oh, right! Yeah, often underglow can become a bit too much, but here it can give some atmosphere actually.
Sofia: Moving on to the interior…
Valteri: It strikes me that they have gone for a rather sporty look for an old ambulance, with what seems to be a suede sports steering wheel, dashboard plastics painted white like the exterior, and some alacantara upholstery it seems like.
Sofia: Yeah, but while looking fairly much like the original interior with new upholstery, they promise that they will improve everything, with better padding of the seats, better sound insulation, a modern infotainment system, and so on.
Ville: Technically, the chassis seems to be largely untouched, but they have swapped out the 230 engine for a 250 one, and it now has turbo and fuel injection. Well, you don’t have to be a car nut to know that turbo at least sounds good.
Valteri: It now has a power output of 236 hp, and it is actually both the fastest entry, yet the most frugal one on gas.
Ville: Yes, they promise 9.4 litres per 100 km, not too bad for this huge box after all, it will do 0-100 km/h in 7.6 seconds and have a top speed of almost 245 km/h. That’s not bad at all. It might have something to do with this one being the only proposal equipped with a manual transmission, but that’s OK for us.
Valteri: And they have also squeezed in ABS and traction control, which probably makes the beast a little bit easier to handle.
Sofia: And it is still the cheapest entry of them all, at $42800. Not as good is the service costs just under $2000. But we have two more contenders…
Ville: Sure, we have. The next one is the Mercedes 230 Ghost Hunter from Mons Customs… Oh, boy… @cake_ape
Valteri: The attention to detail here is just stunning, no question about it.
Ville: The first thing that strikes you is that they have converted it to a hearse, but not the european style, but rather the american one, that in my opinion is a lot better looking.
Sofia: The thing is, that first we wanted a hearse. Now, the ambulance has kind of grown on me, but I never had the thought about the american style hearses, and yes, I am really a fan of the looks here, I don’t feel sorry for losing the ambulance looks here.
Valteri: It also has a sinister black paintjob with equally blacked out chrome trim, and the mural on the side is really cool.
Sofia: They have also worked a lot with the lighting here, things like the angry eye headlights or the third brake light also resembling angry eyes are neat little touches.
Ville: I am also very impressed by the details, like the Mons Custom badges on the landau irons, they really left out nothing at all here. They even built turn signals into the stock mirrors!
Valteri: Which are moved to the doors, like they were on the previous entry too, that integrates them more smoothly into the body in my opinion, I didn’t like how the fender mirrors stood out like Dumbo’s ears.
“@ JayDeeEmm - NOOOOOO, fender mirrors FTW!!!”
Sofia: OK, thanks for your opinion, we will keep it in mind. But if the outside is good, the interior is equally stunning I must say. It looks like a really cozy place to spend your time.
Ville: Absolutely, it is heavily revamped, yet it seems to keep the best from the original. It still keeps the base of the dashboard stock, but it is now wrapped in leather, and features modern day technology, the doorcards also seems to use the bases from the original with upgrades in design and upholstery. Not only is there a rather big touchscreen in the centre console…
Sofia: …there also are screens in the front headrests, which they say can be useful for working “on the fly”, and that’s something we thank them for!
Ville: The steering wheel seems to be out of a later model Merc, maybe the seats too, I am not sure, but they look really comfy and are upholstered in perforated leather.
Valteri: And there is another fun detail, the coffin storage box where we can keep our equipment.
Sofia: Well, a good thing to be able to hide it there maybe, would be a shame if someone broke into a car this nice.
“@ Psychobarbie666 - Dad joke warning: WhAT iF TheRe iS SoMEOnE iN thERE LoL”
Valteri: Well, I guess we have to see if we can register it for five people then.
Sofia: But I doubt that the coffin has a seatbelt.
Valteri: What good is a seatbelt if you’re already dead?
Ville: Good point. Also, there are curtains for further privacy, seems like they were thinking about everything.
Valteri: Because it even has a fuzzy dice.
Sofia: No way they are including the fuzzy dice for free. I am sure we at least will have to pay extra for THAT.
Ville: That will actually be problematic, since already without having to pay extra for that, one of the drawbacks with this car is that it breaks our whole budget. It is also the thirstiest one on fuel. On the other hand, service costs are not too bloody at only $1277.10.
Sofia: Not only is it the thirstiest, it is also the slowest. It tops out at 200 km/h, not that that’s not enough, and the 0-100 time is 9.66 seconds. Still, better than the original of course.
Valteri: The engine is now enlargened to 2.8 litres. Man, to me it sounds almost like magic when they can make an engine larger.
Sofia: But I think Uncle Teuvo told me something about that once…
Valteri: Yeah because he had probably done it on that Wartburg he drove between Helsinki and Oulu in 3 hours.
Ville: No, don’t forget that the Wartburg you’re talking about probably was stock.
Sofia: Hey, he might be a bit eccentric but he sure knows a thing about cars or two!
Valteri, Ville: We doubt that.
Valteri: Anyway. It has a power output of 190 hp now, and has fuel injection, but unlike the previous proposal, no turbo.
Ville: NOOOO! No turbo! I want a turbo! Haha!
Valteri: It also has a seven speed automatic, and it is now converted to all wheel drive.
Sofia: Might come in handy since some abandoned places have rather abandoned roads too.
Valteri: For further ease of driving, it has ESC and an electric variable power steering. It also has an extensive upgrade of the safety package.
Sofia: A great car on paper, but not without its drawbacks, and we’ll wait and see what we think after it has gone through the simulation. Now, over to the next entry.
Ville: It’s the Mercedes 230 Kauhuvalmentaja by Sparky T’s customs. @Maverick74
Sofia: And immediately we notice that it is just more of the same thing. Another american style hearse conversion.
Valteri: It is not as sharp when it comes to the details as the Mons Customs entry, but on the other hand, the Mons car looks more sinister, while the vinyl top and chrome details on this one feels a bit more classy.
Ville: I noticed the spiderweb grille first of all myself. I had a model kit of Elvira’s Thunderbird as a kid and I thought the spiderweb grille looked so cool. Guess some things will never change.
Valteri: I don’t know if I like the removal of the hood ornament, though. Looks a bit empty without it.
Ville: Yeah, they could have kept it, or made it into something creative, like on the first entry we saw.
Sofia: But there is no lack of creative details otherwise, like the skull bumper guards, or the skeleton arm holding the sticker.
Valteri: Absolutely true. The Mons Customs car just was so good when it came to attention to detail that it can make anything pale in comparison.
Ville: Overall, it seems to take a more classic approach, with steel wheels and whitewalls, as well as sidepipes and a little more simplistic side mural than Mons used. Considering that, it is a bit funny that this one actually swapped out the mirrors for modern ones.
Valteri: Yes, but at least they are chrome, and they aren’t looking too much out of place.
Sofia: On the inside, they pretty much updated the original, says that it now has leather instead of vinyl, and some modern creature comforts. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I felt that it was rather impressive as it was for a car that is over 50 years old.
Valteri: Once again, we get a larger version of the original engine, now 3 litres and 267 hp, so more powerful than the first entry even without a turbo. So don’t whine now, Ville. It also seems to get a heavy revamp of the cylinder head with DOHC and 4 valves, as well as direct injection. I guess that it is as updated as it can be without making a totally new engine.
Sofia: And it is almost as fast as the Portergeist. At 247 km/h, the top speed is more or less identical, while a 7.99 second time to 100 isn’t far behind. It is thirstier on fuel, though, but not as thirsty as the Mons, at 10.2 litres per 100 km.
Valteri: This one also has a computer controlled automatic, though only a 5 speed, and it is kept as rear wheel drive, may be a drawback on the most rotten roads but… There is ESC and electric power steering, but the later one is not variable.
Ville: So, generally a notch behind Mons technology wise, but that also reflects in the purchase price of 46900 which is 1100 cheaper than Mons. At $1503.50 it is a bit more expensive to service, though.
Sofia: So, if there is something we haven’t thought enough of in your opinion, just drop us a comment! In our next regular episode, after we have taken the cars through the simulations and so on, we will reveal the winner.
TO BE CONTINUED…
5 Likes
PARANORMAL FINLAND S08E07
Sofia: OK, here comes what I guess you have been waiting for, after going through simulations, and lots of thinking, it is time for us to reveal who is going to get the honour to bring our ambulance back to its former glory.
Valtteri: Or, rather to a whole new level of glory, since honestly speaking, I don’t know how glorious an old ambulance ever was going to be.
Ville: And it’s really not easy to pick a winner since we had three really strong contenders, on the other hand, it’s a fairly decent amount of money going into this project, so it is important that we get it right.
Sofia: Exactly. And you know which one is the first one to go, then.
Ville: Yeah. The first one to go is the…
Ville:…PORTERGEIST. @Arianne777 Now, we want to point out that it was really nothing wrong with it.
Valtteri: Exactly. And we can start with the positive things. It was the fastest, and yet the one with the very best fuel economy.
Sofia: And it should be said that it was, with good margins, the lowest priced entry.
Valtteri: Exactly. But maybe it is true that you get what you pay for. Because, despite not being a bad entry at all, it was generally a little bit behind the other two entries in more or less everything.
Sofia: So, since we were going to get ruined anyw…eh, sorry, had a rather generous budget, it would probably have been better to use a little bit more of it.
Ville: Also, while still being a good looking car, it didn’t manage to catch the vibe we’re looking for as well as the other two entries.
Sofia: Right. So, the one of the other two entries that we still have to pass on is the…
…Kauhuvalmentaja. @Maverick74 Well, it really wasn’t easy to let this one go.
Valtteri: Absolutely not. It was almost as good performance wise as the Portergeist, seemed to have the most extensive safety upgrade, and I really liked to drive it through the simulation, it was like…agile and sporty. If an old ambulance can be that.
Sofia: Yes. And the aesthetics got the right vibe, no question about it. Yet, the detailwork wasn’t really up to the stunning level of the Ghost hunter, not that many cars in this world would be, and it was playing it a little bit too safe with the interior, compared to the really stunning one in the Ghost hunter.
Ville: Also, interestingly, this was the mid priced entry, and also the mid one when it came to most stats. It is generally behind the Ghost hunter, but above the Portergeist, in most of the key stats.
Sofia: So, maybe using up the whole budget wasn’t a bad idea for our winner…
Sofia: …the Ghost Hunter, by Mons customs. @cake_ape
Ville: As we have stated earlier, this was the slowest entry, the most expensive, and the one with the worst fuel economy.
Valtteri: Exactly. But also the one that seemed to be the most comfortable, the easiest one to drive, the one that tackled bad roads the best with its all wheel drive system, it has the lowest service costs, and it is the one that seems to be the most reliable in the long run.
Sofia: The Kauhuvalmentaja had just a slight edge over it safety wise and was more fun to drive, but that was pretty much it. Also, the stunning detailwork on this proposal is something that can’t be mentioned enough. Both on the outside and the inside.
Ville: So, there it is. Time to send our old ambulance to Mons for a complete overhaul then. But I guess we can be a little bit nice and remove the mouldy plywood sheets from the back first.
Sofia: And burn some sage inside it maybe. After all, this car is probably the place where more than one person have taken the last breath. Who knows, they might end up with a haunted shop.
Valtteri: Well, that’s a reason for a new visit then, I guess.
So, the ranking order is maybe a bit obvious:
- @cake_ape
- @Maverick74
- @Arianne777
- @Edsel (for hosting purpouses since the car was not ranked)
So, maybe I had expected a little more entries when I had this long of a deadline, but on the other hand, the ones that came in almost blew me away, and it was not easy to choose a winner. As I said, it’s like if the entries this time sort of raised the bar for ARM, so I want to thank all the participants!
9 Likes
Yee haw! Thanks for another fun round @Knugcab! There were some really creative builds again - I love to see the tight competition. The spiderweb grille, skeleton arm and the decals on the Kauhuvalmentaja are brilliant. The rooftop box with all the gadgets of the Portergeist are not easy to pull off and is super well done. And the rugged Armored Transport had a completely different approach and I’m sure would’ve done really well too. So proud of the little ARM community
So, next round… I will have to pass on this one on to @Maverick74.
3 Likes
Sure, I think I can host one. Give me some time to sort out a car and the details, and I’ll try to put up the next round when I can.
3 Likes
Will be nice to see what you can cook up. IIRC, in that case it will be the first time you host?
As far as ARM yes, but I did host up one of the PDC years ago.
Yeah, I was mostly thinking about ARM in this case.
New ARM is now live.