(Yes, I needed another brand because I only have 200 of them this far, and since eastern europe is a bit weird for the sake of realism, and since I lack automationverse brands, I try an Archanan one this time)
ARVA was originally founded in 1927, as the result of a cooperation between Vaughn corporation and the Archanan government. It was seen as a win-win situation back then, Archana got their car production rolling, while Vaughn got a foot into a somewhat restrictive market. The name was originally a short for “ARchanan VAughn”, and the (albeit very limited) production mostly consisted of outgoing models of Vaughn cars and VCV trucks, where the production lines were shipped to Archana when production in the US had ended.
However, with the US joining World War 2, and Vaughn concentrating on military production, ARVA got nationalized, and the ties to Vaughn were cut. Their first “own” car, the Perepelyatnyk was built in very limited amounts between 1946 and 1950, however, it only resembled a suspiciously close copy to a 1939 Vaughn 4 door sedan. Late in 1947, things got a bit different, when the somewhat smaller Nachalnyk was released (WIP, coming soon). Completely cutting the ties to Vaughn, with an engineering and styling completely being ARVA’s own work, this could more or less be seen as where the story starts…
So after severing ties with Vaughn, ARVA finally got to stand on its own two feet - and finally flourish, but what will happen to them when the Cold War ends and the Iron Curtain disintegrates? That, however, is a question that will be answered later.
I don’t really know yet TBH. I have (sort of) a pre 90s timeline in my head, but what comes later is still an open question. One thing I have been toying with is a name change. After all the VA in “ARVA” stands for “Vaughn” and on a more open and free market that could have been a problem I guess. But we’ll see, I will work somewhat chronologically here unless a challenge needs a car quicker than that…
The first model in the P20 series was the 1947 P21 4 door sedan. A somewhat more compact model than the earlier Vaughn based models, this was of course still considered a luxury, for the chosen few that was a little more equal than the others…
That also meant that for an Archanan car, not only was the semi-ponton styling amazingly modern for 1947, they had not spared on ornamentation either, with chrome and whitewalls.
The engine was a 2.4 litre OHV 4 cylinder, that on the low grade archanan fuel managed a modest power output of 56 hp. Rumours said that it was just a Vaughn inline 6 with two cylinders lopped off, but truth is that even though bore and stroke was kept from the earlier Vaughn powered models, there was hardly any parts interchangeability between the engines.
This first year P21 could be had in either black with a green/yellow interior, or grey with a red/grey interior. More alternatives was going to be offered later on.
The P21 is maybe the most important model in the history of ARVA - the first totally independent development, and the first one to gain any production numbers to speak of.
ARVA Nachalnyk is super attractive. I was especially surprised by the filling. You don’t expect such a contrast at all. The super streamlined appearance allows you to conclude that this is a more modern look at the design. Swing doors that open in different directions are generally a luxury that I would not refused. But in our dimmer days, this solution is completely blocked due to the possibility of accidental opening, and reduced lateral stiffness in case of accidents. However, is it worth it?
