It’s open until I remember I’m supposed to close it.
…which is right now. It’s closed now.
(thank you)
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This was the inspiration for my entry:
After reminding myself of that concept, I wondered what a Ram Van-based ESS would’ve been, modernized the idea for 2025, and that’s how my entry came to be.
Viperam
By LMJ Design @Knugcab
Starting off with what is, aesthetically, the most dramatically altered build by far. LMJ has managed to make the Ram Van wider than it is tall, squishing it to the floor like that powerup in Mariokart. It also has really aggressive aero kit with clearance low enough to make it struggle going up a slight hill.
This combination gives this “Viperam” a really unique silhouette, making it distinctive even in small or abstract representations, like stickers or pins. And yet it remains distinctively a van in shape, preserving its visual link to what it was. We admit the Viper theme doesn’t grab us very much, since this is supposed to be an advertisement for our college, not the Dodge brand. But visually, this is at least only an inspiration, and the van retains a unique and exciting character overall.
The Viperam swapped its rear suspension and engine, something every entry here’s done. But it’s engine swap is the most dramatic, seeking out an 8L V10 good for 458hp; which surprisingly, isn’t that much compared to its competition. It also has the worst emissions here, at WES 7. It does serve it well in the prestige department though, with it being the loudest and having most cylinders.
Despite its bonkers looks, the Viperam actually has the lowest in-game prestige by far. This is a testament to how fervently it sets out to “simplify and add lightness.” It’s the only entry to use a race interior or tires, for the highest 0-60 (3.9s), cornering g’s (1.20g), and braking distance (31.9m), all of which will look great quoted in advertisements. Yet despite them, somehow it only comes 2nd around the top gear test track. (by a margin of .05 seconds!)
Somehow that large wing doesn’t make positive downforce, meaning it’ll be able to pull off slides at all speeds. But it otherwise seems biased most towards grip racing. It’s ultra-low clearance also poses a challenge in taking banked turns, ramps, or jumps, as well as in just transporting it anywhere. We do appreciate, though, that in their quest for lightness LMJ didn’t skimp on the safety features; it has the highest crash rating here.
You’d think its barebones approach would make it cheap, but actually the Viperam’s service costs are astronomical (almost $5300!). Probably from all the race parts. It is the cheapest to purchase up front, undercutting both other entrants by over 10 grand, although those service costs won’t need long to make up the difference. It’s environmental resistance is also understandably poor, if not as dramatically. It’s reliability is at least pretty fine, being second best but by a close margin.
Rampager
By LVC @abg7
We follow up with what is probably our favorite name here, on ironically the most modest build. The Rampager’s biggest changes are pretty superficial compared to its competitors, including a replaced front bumper, bilngy rims + exhaust tips, and a rooftop Civic Si spoiler. And while we do compliment LVC’s choice of violently-bright red paint, so much of the van is drowned in it that what few details they did include are lost in the blinding red void. It really would have benefited form some livery, stripe, or even just black plastic trim to break up the shape.
Apparently, this design is a reference to a Dodge concept car from the 90’s; unfortunately we expect this reference will be lost on most of our students. Also, perhaps as an extension of this, the Rampager also seems designed to be street-legal; a feature we absolutely do not want. The roads here are full of drunk teenagers and car-eating salt, we never want our build near them! Overall, our first impression is that LVC may have drastically misunderstood the brief.
You might expect, then, that in accommodating for road legality the Rampager would sacrifice some performance. It does, but by a surprisingly small margin. It’s new V8 is good for 450hp, which although technically the lowest is only a hair behind the Viperam; while also being a lot lighter and more responsive, and boasting slightly better emissions.
The Rampager may lack race equipment, but it did swap for a multilink rear suspension and partial-aluminum panels; meaning despite the inclusion of road-tech like ESC, it handles power really well and isn’t much heavier than the Viperam. It accelerates to 60 in 4.8 seconds, and falls back down in 36.3m; a little behind the pack, sure, but overall still very impressive. Same with cornering grip, which is “only” 1.03g.
Also, it’s tiny rear spoiler actually produces the most downforce here. This makes it very understeery at high speeds, but at low speeds, its camber, front-biased brakes, and less-grippy “sport” tires seem poised to make smoke. With its higher clearance, we’d also be more comfortable taking it over the occasional jump, even if it’s safety rating is only 2nd best. (and it makes it easier to load onto a trailer.)
The Rampager’s real ace, however, is its ownership costs. It’s road parts give it by far the lowest service costs here (at $1800), as well as the highest environmental resistance thanks to its aluminum panels… and the highest reliability in the competition. It may be the most expensive upfront, completely maxing out its budget, but it’s long-term value proposition effectively nullifies that issue.
Ram Raid
By @mart1n2005
Unlike the last 2 entries, whose primary references were other Dodge products, the Ram Raid’s black/green livery makes it look like a Monster Energy racecar. We’re actually a bit scared this one’s too on-the-nose; that it might create some work for our lawyers. But the overall shape remains very unique, with its extensive fender and skirt kit making it appear to melt into the ground.
The grill work also gives it a very aggressive, muscle-car look that offers more “character” than the other 2. Unfortunately that only comes across best when viewed up close; it’s silhouette isn’t as distinctive as the Viperam, although it’s oversized aero kit should at least make it recognizable in small or abstract representations. The underglow lighting is also a nice touch, in case we ever bring it out at night.
It’s 6.4L V8 is the smallest here (albeit still over a liter larger than the stock one), but being the only entry with a turbocharger it puts out 830hp, almost double its competitors (and slightly above its own power limit; we’ll get to that later). Despite a similar muffler setup, it isn’t quite as loud as the Viperam; but it does put out the lowest emissions here, at WES 10.
The Ram Raid did generally stay away from race parts, but otherwise it’s kitted out in top-spec; multilink rear suspension, sequential transmission, semi-slick (not race) tires and a semi clad undertray. It is the heaviest entry, perhaps due to including an even nicer interior than the Rampager, but these upgrades put it mid-field in performance with 4.3s to 60, 34.2m to 0, and 1.13g around the turns. It’s also the winner around the top gear test track.
The abundance of power does suggest a propensity towards drifting, which the suspension does support; although it has enough downforce to handle high-speed driving. The clearance is a lot lower than it looks, as its aggressive rear diffuser hangs so much lower than the rest of the body, though still maybe high enough for a carefully planned jump or 2. We are a bit dissapointed on the safety front though, as it carries both the oldest tech and lowest crash rating (even if it is above our target). It also lacks ABS, something even the Viperam has.
Like its performance, it’s service costs are middle-of-the-road ($3400); high, but not a disaster. It’s cost is negligibly below the max, and its environmental resistance is negligibly above the bottom. it’s only stand-out stat, unfortunately, is having the worst reliability here, thanks to its advanced tech, and its engine exceeding it’s own power limit. Even if it’s not exactly terrible, it is concerning to be so far behind its competitors.
RESULTS
3rd Place: Rampager @abg7
This was the right car for the wrong brief, being a really cool street-stock build in a racecar competition; except it managed to be a really competitive build anyway, with performance almost on par with the others and an excellent value proposition. Unfortunately, it did drop the ball in the most important category; a more interesting livery/design and it could’ve been a top contender.
2nd Place: Ram Raid @mart1n2005
I was, and still am, really back and forth on this one. The Ram Raid did so many things so right, both visually and in performance. At the end of the day, the deciding factor ended up being the reliability; even if the Ram Raid was technically cheaper to run, I worry the overstressed engine and complicated tech will risk shortening its overall lifespan.
1st Place: Viperam @Knugcab
This one clearly understood the brief well, making the most all-out racecar of the bunch. That visual shape-work is winning material by itself, making it more than distinct enough to be an icon of its own. But it wouldn’t have won the competition without having the engineering to match.
Really though, I can’t emphasize enough how hard it was to pick a winner. All these entries did really well in their own ways, and it was an honor to get to host them!
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Thanks for the win. In retrospect, it wasn’t all that intuitive so there was some excitement in seeing if I really went for the right decisions. I thought that for a “show” car, a slightly tuned Viper driveline would probably be enough and still keep reliability up. Why I gave it so little downforce? I don’t remember anymore, maybe I was thinking in the same direction that it could be a little more spectacular if you still had a chance to make the tail break loose. Yeah, the service costs, I gave them no thoughts and was like… “damn”… when I saw them TBH, but too late to turn back then.
The thing I question is maybe if I went THAT hard with the Viper theme, the stripes are after all the most obvious thing (since I wanted to keep the van in white, for the heritage, and since white never looks wrong on a race car, but still wanted to spice it up a bit), but well. I shouldn’t complain after taking the throne.
As for hosting, I have already hosted ARM twice this year. A challenge series needs some new influences every now and then to stay fresh, and I want to give people some variety. Hence I have decided to give @mart1n2005 the chance to host, something he has never done it with ARM before AFAIK.
Thanks to him and @abg7 for some nice competition!
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If he declines, I will host the next round instead.
To be fair, though, the Caravan ESS that inspired the Rampager lacked an exterior stripe, so I chose not to give my entry any of those.
And as a pure road car build, the Rampager could serve as a support vehicle carrying parts and supplies for the Viperam when it’s at the track.
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Great well written results there and some good competition.
I definitely went and designed the van first and then wondered what to do with the engineering after the fact. I didnt expect reliability to be the stumbling block though, i just assumed the other vans would be running a bit on the edge of power too lol.
I do have a couple of ideas for what car to run with for ARM so i’ll host the next one. Just have to bear with me a few days to get the rules ironed out
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