[ARM] Automation RestoMod Chapter 42: Octane and overdrive, season two (FINISHED!)

AUTOMATION RESTOMOD CHAPTER 35: OCTANE & OVERDRIVE, SEASON TWO

FIRST ARM
ARM 35 (Needed for context in case you didn’t follow or enter that one)
LATEST ARM
WHAT IS ARM?

OCTANE AND OVERDRIVE, S2E01.

”Hello everyone, and welcome to the second season of the show Octane and Overdrive. I am your host miss Octane, and here we have our second host….”

”…Mister Overdrive, thanks!”

”And probably, some of you viewers thought that we went nuts last season when we did let Sparky T’s customs (OOC: @Maverick74 cameo) restomod, out of all vehicles, a Skoda Felicia pickup, to give away as the grand prize in that season’s big challenge…”

”Yes, but that is nothing compared to what we have now! May I present….the 1993 Lada Niva!”

”And if there ever was a Niva your mother warned you about, it is this one. 1993 model, when Lada quality control did hit rock bottom and the cars combined catalytic converters with carbed engines.”

”Yes. And what we are looking for is a restomodding company willing to change that. This means that we also will follow the work done on the car during the season, and have it as a grand prize in the challenge at the end of the season.”

”But euwh. When I think Lada Niva being modded, I think offroader on a budget, that has been done to death.”

”Yes. We’re not looking for camo wraps and cheap LED lightbars this time, thank you. That does not mean that the car has to be a lowrider, even if we’re absolutely fine with that. We want someone to go a bit bonkers, just like with the Skoda, and do something you usually don’t see being done to a Niva. Of course it could as well keep the ground clearance or even raise it, just as long as the idea is a bit different. We just don’t want an offroader in the traditional sense.”

”So this is a big shoutout to all the restomodding companies out there. Are you the one that can make our Niva into something over the top?”

”Coming up next, will TEMU car acessories transform your vehicle into a rocket ship…or a deathtrap? We’re taking a look at some of the most popular ones…

OOC SUMMARY:

Yes. We’re back at the Octane and overdrive TV show, and to not have to explain everything again, read ARM35 in case you didn’t remember it. We’re just doing the same thing once again.

But yes, the car is a Lada Niva, and I had to compromise a bit since I could not fit the Niva’s original 175/80R16 tires on this body. So, I have made a compromise, went down to 14 inch in size and used ATS to bump up the profile, and it now looks somewhat right, most stats feel OK except for maybe the offroad one. My guess is that most people will change the wheels anyway, and ATS will be allowed, so.

And as I said, this will be another open round. The only thing I beg you is to please not just throw a bull bar, lift kit, LED lightbar and camo wrap to it, because my idea with the round is, what could one make out of the cult classic Soviet offroader without actually going the offroad route? Then if the result is a street racer, minitruck, lowrider, ratlooker, heck maybe even some postapo build still going the offroad route, just not concentrating on it in the traditional way…

PRIORITIES:

:star::star::star::star::star:
CREATIVITY
Go as wild as you want with it. I kind of want to see a re-run of ARM 35 with ideas as wide spread as possible. That doesn’t necessarily mean that a build that are totally bonkers automatically will have an advantage over a “milder” one, a well working concept that is still standing out from the crowd in a good way is what we are looking for.

:star::star::star::star:
APPEAL
Make something that as many people as possible will have an interest in winning. Creativity is good, but if it is used to make something that is just laughable, it won’t take you far. So it may be a good idea to think things over. Will a shed on wheels or a My Little Pony themed car appeal to the general public?

COHESIVENESS
The stats and engineering should match the type of build you are doing, well, at least as good as it can be represented within the limits of the game. If you build an offroad themed build you better bump up the offroad stats, if it’s a racing inspired build you should maybe not keep the engine stock, and so on…

PRICE
No hard limit on price to allow for creativity, but having a high priority means that you should still watch your costs…if it is an expensive build it better has to be worth it!

:star::star::star:
RELIABILITY (trim and engine), DRIVEABILITY, FUEL ECONOMY, SERVICE COSTS
It will maybe matter a bit what kind of car it is how heavy this will be weighted, but winning a prize should be a reward, not a punishment that will ruin you or try to kill you, no matter what kind of build it is.

:star::star:
COMFORT, SAFETY
Once again it might matter what kind of build it is how heavy this will be weighted, but since the goal is to make a car that is actually useable and not expensive garden art, don’t sacrifice too much of it.

:star:
INTERIOR DESIGN
It will be judged separately from the exterior design, and not weighted as heavy. All improvements on it are welcome, but most important here will be cohesiveness. Setting the interior type to “luxury” while putting in racing seats and roll cage, or putting a racing inspired interior in a lowrider is not really good for getting bonus points, but you won’t lose any score no matter how “wrong” or “ugly” your interior will be, compared to an untouched original.

PLEASE REMEMBER - OTHER STATS WILL BE WEIGHTED IN, BUT DEPENDING HEAVILY ON THE TYPE OF BUILD YOU DECIDE TO MAKE!

RULES:

  • Clone both the imported model and engine family before you start modding. Nowadays this can all be done with one button of the Car Designer tab in Automation - the one circled red in the photo below.
  • Set all dates (model year, trim year, engine family/variant year) to 2020. It is highly recommended to exit the game and reopen it after cloning it and before updating the dates.
  • No race parts (race intake, race tubular exhaust, racing tyres). Semi slicks allowed. V16s allowed.
  • Default +5 TP everywhere, as the car was originally made with.
  • A reasonable use of quality. I don’t want to see, for example, +15 on turbos and then -15 on safety. I am not sure that I want to set any hard limits here, but overly cheesy use of it WILL have its consequences in judging.
  • The general rule of ARM is to not make a car worse. Now, a very marginal drop in one single stat if it really bumps up the others will not instabin the car, so this is a very soft rule indeed, but still, try to avoid it if you can. However, there will be a more stretchable limit than in an usual ARM.
  • Unleaded premium or super fuel. Super will give a slight disadvantage. The exception is faux diesels, which we will come to later.
  • The car should appear “street legal” and useable without too much struggle. Once again, I won’t be too harsh here, but at least it should appear driveable and have the required equipment like wipers, lights, mirrors etc. - even if I expect to see some wildcards that maybe would drive the police crazy IRL.
  • The car should be able to pass WES9.
  • ATS is allowed for more or less anything that can’t be done via engineering.

COST PENALTIES

  • Chassis type can be changed for a $6000 cost penalty.
  • Chassis material can be changed for a $2000 cost penalty (included within a chassis type change).
  • Panel material can be changed for a $2000 cost penalty.
  • Changing engine orientation will give a $4000 cost penalty.
  • Changing suspension type will give a $1000 penalty per axle.
  • A complete engine swap will give a $2000 penalty.
  • Only a cylinder head change will give a $800 penalty. The exception is if valvetrain type and head material still is at SOHC 2V alu and the head is only changed from eco to standard or performance, which is only a $500 penalty.
  • A swap of body type, or using morphs/3d/patchwork that radically alters the look of the car will give a $2000 penalty.
  • Changing drive type will give a $4000 penalty.
  • Changing type of gearbox to anything else than another manual will give a $500 penalty.

SUBMISSIONS START

4th of march, 6 PM CET. Until then, everything is preliminary during the rules delib.

SUBMISSIONS END

28th of march, 6 PM CET.

NAMING

Car model/trim: ARM42 - Username / The name of your car

Engine family/variant: ARM42 - Username / The name of your engine.

FILE:

ARM42-Yournamehere-_Lada_Niva.car|attachment (262.9 KB)

8 Likes

This is the first time that a Lada of any kind has been the subject of an ARM, and I’m curious to see what kinds of builds emerge.

2 Likes

Since there were no objections against the rules, the challenge is now open.

Also, I see that I forgot to mirror parts of the rain gutter when looking at the photos, so well…unless you shave it, that could be a good thing to remember to fix :roll_eyes:

1 Like

A reminder that it is now a little under 2 weeks remaining!

3 Likes

1 WEEK REMINDER!

Time to start getting your cars together. :slight_smile:

noone’s submitted yet so… might as well

Do you have a shed containing a Lada Niva and many assorted parts?

Do you want a car that’s about as wide as it is long?

Do you really hate going forwards?

Then I present to you, the Seal Tuning Niva Turbo!

At a first glance, you’ll notice it is pretty damn wide. And short! Indeed, the venerable Niva has been made roughly 25 centimeters wider and a solid 10-15 shorter. The bodykit, inspired by Japanese overfenders seen on cars like the Mazda RX-3, gives the SUV a wide, aggressive stance. Taking shelter in said overfenders are 16-inch, five spoke rims wrapped in semi-slick tires. A new set of headlights was fitted, with LEDs and halo-style DRLs.

Powered by an ethically sourced Volkswagen 1.8T 4-banger, touched up by our finest engineers, it produces just shy of 330 horsepower, ran through a six-speed sequential to the rear axle, put down via a clutched race LSD and 245mm semi slicks. In proper Formula Drift fashion, the radiator, fuel tank, and battery have been moved to where the trunk used to be. For weight distribution, of course. The Niva did get a bit heavier at 1160kg, with 54% of it going to the front axle.

Underneath, the rear solid axle has been traded for a double wishbone set, borrowed from a Mazda Miata and “slightly” widened. Set up for sliding, this Lada can lay down proper smoke at a drift track. editor’s note: because i don’t really know how to set up a drift car (or automation not really letting you set cars up properly) it just has the default race preset

Inside, the luxuries of the stock Niva are… pretty much still there. Well, other than the AC. But you do get bucket seats to keep you attached while sideways, a cage to keep this Soviet shitbox together, and a hydraulic handbrake to rip mid-corner. And a CD player, for your eurobeat of course.

Overall, our finest analysts (see below) predict this project can be built for just under €30,000. Don’t hesitate, call Seal Tuning today!

the analysts in question

6 Likes

(A LITTLE UNDER ok more like a little under 47) 48 HOUR REMINDER!

Full sub from: @Sealboi
Car but no ad from: @Maverick74

Modernized track toy, we’ve retouched the legend but not distracted from its epic glory.
Fitted with a Rover V8 with modern injection, clean touches.

Its anything but uninspired.

Niva 3500

4 Likes

2020 Bovos Nivattack

A Niva build for the Track

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Bovos got their hands on a Niva
and decided to make it a track toy!

                               

The original cast iron I4 block
got refreshed and retuned.
Bored up a little to exactly 1600cc
for some more breathing room.
A dual overhead cam 16v was fitted
with an aluminium performance head.
Forged internals all around to
compliment a mounted supercharger.

                               

The carburetor was replaced with
a multi point EFI injection system
with individual injectors per cylinder
and tuned on 95RON.
High performance manifold,
tubular headers and a highflow cat
with straight through mufflers
complete a solid tune,
good for (a modest but capable) 250hp,
263Nm of torque and revving up to 8000rpm

                               

                               

Some work was done on the chassis,
replacing panels with aluminium.
The rear suspension upgraded
to a double wishbone.
For the drive type was chosen to drop
the 4x4 for a more capable viscous AWD setup.
The body was transformed with a widebody
but keeping true to it’s original appearance.
16" alloys (retro red steely look) were fitted
with sports radials for optimum grip.

                               

                               

For stopping power the car was upgraded
to solid disc brakes front and rear.
The safety got modernized and ABS was fitted.
A 6-speed propels the now
948 kg weighing Nivattack
from 0-100 km/h in 4.1 seconds
and up to a topspeed of 288 km/h


                               

Some adjustments were
made in the interior,
removing the rear seat and
4x4 gearshifters/lock sticks,
replacing front to sport seats and
a shortshift 6speed manual stick.
Added gauges for boost pressure,
AFR, massflow and oil temperature.
A sporty steering wheel and red rollcage
complete the look inside.
For track safety a kill switch and
fire extinguisher were added.

                               

The car is still road worthy,
ánd what is probably the best restored feature
are brand new shiny raingutters :wink:

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Photo Gallery














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Why so serious? Lets have some fun!
Bovos

9 Likes

Lada Niva Super Rallye


The Lada Niva Super Rallye sports numerous upgrades that turn the humble offroader into a rallying monster, fit for both stage and raid. Four-corner independent suspension with portal axles for increased ground clearance, heavy-duty bash plating, a close-ratio six-speed gearbox, limited-slip differentials and an upgraded turbocharged engine are complemented by an aggresive, high-clearance bodykit, and chunky wheels and tyres for both capability and appearance. As a showcase vehicle, it maintains space for four occupants, all protected by the full-body rollcage.


background picture jail![HiResPhoto3722_1,920-1,080|690x388](upload://p4dzZdyvt2pf1OQER9y7FW8B447.jpeg)![HiResPhoto3716_1,920-1,080|690x388](upload://rB3ABNzLlpmZtbRXJnpLwhMuWLg.jpeg)
9 Likes
Sparky T's Krysa Niva 2000

Hello Octane and Overdrive! We here at Sparky T’s Customs are honored to be back on the show! This time around we are here to present out Krysa Niva 2000! We thought we would do something a little different for this one and go for a rat rod inspired build. For starters, we thought it would work better as a roadster, so we ditched the roof, giving it a real chopped down look. The frame was channelled and the four wheel drive setup removed to really help lower the body into the weeds.

The hood and front fenders were also cut to give it that classic 30’s hotrod look. The faded blue and stripes were inspired by a friend’s old Lada, with added pinstriping for that old school vibe. Of course, some tall and skinny bias plys in a nice contrasting orange to complete the style.

For motivation, we decided to keep it in the family, if perhaps a distant cousin. The stock Niva mill has been swapped out for a Fiat Twin Cam Volumex supercharged inline four out of a mid 80’s 124 Spider. Displacing two litres, it’s been a bit breathed upon, putting out 250hp and 190 pound feet of torque. Mated to a five speed manual transmission, the Krysa is capable of a 4.3 second 0-60, 12.73 second quarter mile, and a top speed of 183 mph. Quite the speedy little rat!

The interior has been updated with white leather, a premium infotainment system craftily placed in the factory dash, and of course, a Rat Fink approved tall shifter with a chromed skull shift knob.

All told, these modifications seem to work out to a cost of $37,600 AMU. We feel that’s a fair price for a one of a kind car that will certainly turn a few heads! We look forward to hearing your thoughts and hope you pick the car most worthy for Octane and Overdrive!

11 Likes

i really don’t want to nitpick but how does one channel the frame on a unibody car?

great build regardless

CLOSED FOR SUBMISSIONS!

I have full subs from:
@Sealboi
@Maverick74
@HyperMud
@the-chowi
and @Ultimate_Billy

Expect judging to be up soon ™

3 Likes

PART 0: INSTABINS

Unfortunately, there is one. A shame, since it was a very promising entry.

LADA NIVA SUPER RALLYE @the-chowi

To start with, car was not cloned properly. An easy thing to do to save the host annoying headaches. Now, since there weren’t a lot of entries, I was close to say “eh, let it go” since manually adjusting just one entry to import properly wasn’t that much of a struggle. But it uses race headers too. Felt like it broke too many rules of a ruleset of really few ones to let it slide. Not fun to do though since it is obvious how much work that has been put into it, and I like the build myself…

So, if you’re not in here, prepare for the finals…

6 Likes

…WE’RE BACK AFTER THE COMMERCIAL BREAK…

“Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Octane & Overdrive. I am miss Octane, and here we have our second host…”

“…Mr. Overdrive. Thanks!”

"Yes. And now it is time to reveal what we all have been waiting for, which tuning shop is going to be the one that will rebuild our Lada.

“The Lada that maybe you will be the winner of later on! Well, maybe “winning a Lada” does not sound all that tempting, but the fact is that we have four different proposals that all look rather interesting.”

“Right. But there will only be one winner, and unfortunately our first elimination is the…”

NIVA TURBO by SEAL TUNING @Sealboi

“To start with, it is by no means a bad looking proposal, it really looks the part.”

“It is really a racing inspired build. And it absolutely makes no compromises to work like one either.”

“Right. 327 hp in a Lada Niva. Wow. And the chassis tuning is really living up to that.”

“Meaning that will just be too much for the streets unfortunately. As a trackday toy for sure, but we wanted something with a wider appeal to all of our viewers.”

“Yes. It won’t be the most reliable, will be a struggle to drive on a daily basis, has high service costs, and a bone shaking ride.”

“But it should be said that it is a nicely designed proposal from the inside and out, and that gives lots of bang for the buck.”

“Right. Onto our next elimination then…”

THE NIVA 3500 by HYPERMUD @HyperMud

“To start with, it is not bad looking but maybe a little bit on the mild side.”

“Yes, we asked for entries going a bit bonkers. This is not really bonkers, but still a nice proposal.”

“Right. Even mechanically it is rather mildly updated, spare for the Rover V8 now, does that mean that it is not any better than the original, either?”

“Well, actually not. It is better than the original at some things, like safety and comfort, where this one does shine. It is also offered us at a decent price. Though we question the reliability, it gulps a lot of gas, and has high service costs, without offering a drive any better than the original.”

“A nice try then, but it does not reach all the way.”

“So, time for one that almost did.”

THE NIVATTACK by BOVOS TUNING @Ultimate_Billy

“Another race inspired build, and I must say that aesthetically I prefer the entry from Seal Tuning.”

“Yes, this one has some funny looks to its bodykit from some angles. Also I question the wheel choice…”

“But it is not an ugly proposal, and as opposed to the Seal Tuning entry, it has decent streetability while still working as a track weapon…”

“Absolutely. Funny enough, this is keeping the stock engine, but modified so no russian would recognize it anymore. 4 valve head and supercharger, now cranking out 250 hp.”

“Which is actually more than enough for a Niva, and it has very sporty driving characteristics overall.”

“And it also seems to be decent in most of the stats.”

“It really is. However, it comes at a high price and the comfort is still a bit low for that ultimate streetability, but still OK.”

“Yes. So, now it is time to reveal the proposal that will make it…”

THE KRYSA NIVA by SPARKY T’S CUSTOMS @Maverick74

“Oh boy, you can see that they have been drinking lots of creativity juice here.”

“Yes. Making a hot rod out of a Lada Niva is a bold move indeed, but it works better than anyone would have thought.”

“Yet, it is by all means a serious build under the shell with its supercharged Fiat Twin Cam engine, that gives it performance that I doubt anyone would dare to use all of anyway.”

“Well yeah, with the open top and a barely updated safety package, it’s better to keep it at the right side of the limits.”

“But that will be easy to do in this one, that is the most driveable of all the proposals. It is also actually the most comfortable, has the lowest service costs, and decent fuel economy.”

“Despite its wild looks, the most useable one and also one of the more creative entries, means that Sparky T’s will once again be the restomodding company we will hire for our makeover. Congratulations!”

“So, don’t miss the upcoming episodes if you want to see more of the Lada build, and also have a chance to win it.”


So, this is the standings.

  1. @Maverick74 - The best or second best car in almost all of the important stats. Safety is low, but I actually respect the realistic decision to be tempted to not update it since I would probably not like to flip this thing over, which the game does not understand. Other than that it is the best update of them all, and it is absolutely respectable to get stats this good at crossply tires (well, with that profile and width I guess they are supposed to be “belted” ones, the kind of in between thing mostly used by performance US cars in the late 60s and early 70s). Also, I like the creativity with the aesthetics both on the inside and outside.

  2. @Ultimate_Billy - a decent proposal overall. Stats are good overall without being top notch at anything, spare for the fuel economy where it excels. However, it also is the most expensive of them all. I also prefer the Seal Tuning entry on a similar theme when it comes to aesthetics, but that does not mean that your car is badly built. Excellent work with the interior.

  3. @HyperMud - I think this was a bit “tame” but still the ideas aren’t bad. However, it was not all that much of an update overall, meaning that it wasn’t enough to reach the top. A nice attempt though for what I think was your first ARM entry. Just keep it going!

  4. @Sealboi - Great looking car and equally great looking interior, and yes, I can’t deny that it was hardcore dedication to the theme, but that also means that it has a bit too limited streetability to be a sane choice as a finalist here.

I must say one thing though, the quality of the builds were generally very good, that includes the entry by @the-chowi that I unfortunately had to instabin, all cars had stats and engineering choices matching their personality equally well, none of the cars had any questionable or cheesy approach to this, so nobody should feel any disappointment after this challenge, and I liked all of the entries, still, congratulations to @Maverick74 for a canon win in the second Octane & Overdrive edition of ARM!

8 Likes

Thx for hosting knugcab!
I had allot of fun on thisone, and am happy with second place!
Congratz to Maverick74

GGs y’all

Far out, I wasn’t sure if such a radical idea was going to work out for this or not.
I will be declining hosting ARM43, passing the duties to @Ultimate_Billy

you say limited streetability, i say it filters out drivers who aren’t dedicated to the car

jokes aside, thanks for hosting and GG everyone

1 Like

You got to have nice wording on TV :wink:

Having barely time to participate let alone host,
I’ll be pasing on to @HyperMud to host ARM43