Automation Legacy Challenge (SEE NEW THREAD)

[AMuteCrypt]

So, good news and bad news:

I was able to get a build of Automation from pretty much exactly when the race round happened (build 220728.22192.768.Manual). However, due to updates to mods which have happened since then, the game consistently bugsplats on opening a car, even a brand new one. I had hoped to review the ALC2R cars this way, but no dice - and I really don’t feel like spending all the time that would be needed wading through my workshop subscriptions to find exactly the right combination that allows me to load all the cars without crashing (remember, this is a build before they told you what was missing on import).

I know it’s mod related because that’s what the log files complain about.

[Edsel]

So to check, is there any way for you to blanket-remove all the fixtures from the car and just judge it mechanically, or is the bonus round just done for?

[AMuteCrypt]

Uh… That might actually be doable, and I can visually judge in current build.

The issue is, I can’t even open the cars. There’s no way within the game that allows you to remove all fixtures without opening a car… But I could potentially:

• Note down the position and type of all aero fixtures, plus the wing angles, in the current version.
• Edit the .car files or the database to remove the fixtures.
• Import the cars in the old version.
• Re-add the aero fixtures in the correct location.
• Judge the cars mechanically.

It’ll be a lot of work. I’ll see if it’s doable.

[Vento]

I have no problem opening cars that I’m missing the mods from. The only time I can’t is when it’s a mod body but cars with mod fixture shouldn’t be a. It sounds like a bug or something.

[AMuteCrypt]

Well, due to various issues, I’ll just be doing visual reviews of the racing cars. It’s just too much work. Expect reviews, uh, this weekend?

On a related note, entries are now half-open again. How it works:

• I’ll only be taking oddball entries. Centurion’s Big-Ass Trucks, Betterdeals’s Random Creations, stuff like that. You wanna make a forklift, a barely-legal rat rod, a bus or a train? I wanna judge it.
• Entries need to fit within the time period of one of the rounds, doesn’t matter which. Just be 1964 or earlier.
• Engineering is completely optional. You wanna do the bare minimum to get an export and just focus on design? Go ahead. You wanna actually put in a sensible-ish engine and try getting decent stats? I’ll comment on them, especially if you tell me you’ve done it.
• Techpool… Just make it reasonable if you’re trying with engineering.
• If your oddball is supposed to go on the road (big rigs, hot rods, etc), try and be street legal. I won’t be super strict, but do try. If it’s not for the road (forklift, train, etc), go wild.

Entries will be reviewed as they come in and as I have time. The challenge will be open in this manner until it fully opens for a round.

[Ludvig]

WHITE VAN MAN COMING THROUGH, HONK HONK

Swanson All Utility Vehicle AUV-55R Swanson Works Team

A Mid Engine RWD Van

A Racing Van

…Before it was Cool

Need to haul a race car/parts/spare wheels in a jiffy, all while keeping your feet warm?

The Swanson Works Team, rather than suffering with a T2 or some Scooby Doo slowpoke, helped themselves by taking a regular AUV and upgrading it a little, with better brakes and semi slicks… Sporting a 5,5L Pushrod Boxer 6 pushed well back below the front seats, in some cases (like in the early days of Letara) it was faster than the actual racecar…in a straight line, that is.

“I can do that in a van” RIP Sabine
238 HP - 200 km/h - 0-100 7,9s

Shamelessly setting the low bar for oddballness

6-seat Taxi version available in select markets, including France

[shibusu]

1962 Ilaris Icon

GT Turbo-Cabrio Coach

What do you need in life? Of course! A turbocharged stationary generator doubled-up I3!

(that makes… like 7 cylinders? And apparently 100 hp.)

You may think: What the flip is a cabrio coach? I get turbocharger, those have been in planes and stuff, but what about that weird word? And fact is, it increases your coolness on the road by 200%!*

See those holes? Poke your head out! Or let the dog poke its head out! Or poke your body out if you crash, and subsequently die! The possibilities are endless. Rear seat occupants are not provided with seatbelts to enhance cool factor.

Coolness can only exist if you have a cool engine. Therefore we shoved two generator I3s together to make an I6. And we shoved two turbochargers in it, because fuck it, we own a turbine engine company. Who can stop us? That’s right, nobody.

This car is so space-age that we even put a big wang on it. We don’t believe in those side winga dinga, because we believe in actual wings. This is just an inverted wing, so it makes it better. Planes are fast, and this is too! Infallible logic. Don’t question it.

So what are you waiting for? Become the coolest kid on the block, and get yourself an

Ilaris Icon GT Turbo-Cabrio Coach

Today!

*Coolness not guarranteed. You have the right to feel embarrassed, make others feel embarrassed or smack in to a tree or tunnel and die.

[AMuteCrypt]

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Racing Reviews... In Two Parts!

Racing Reviews will happen in two parts. The first part will be broad looks at each class, at how it went and such. The second will be looking at cars grouped by who submitted them. These reviews will be presented from a bit of an IRL perspective, as a modern publication (which isn’t comparing them to modern racing cars because reasons). Also, as there was only one truck entrant, I will be looking at it in the latter part.

Without further ado…

The General State Of Things

Part One In Our 1960s Racing Retrospective

The 1960s were a wild time for racing, both in Araga and elsewhere. Drivers would get in their cars protected by little more than some safety glass and a lap belt (if they even did it up!), hit a solid 200 km/h and push themselves as far as possible. Races were held everywhere from dedicated tracks to closed-off roads to even open public roads - yep, races were held out in the open back then. Come join us as we meet with collectors and look at a slice of the major racing classes in Araga way back when.

(Left to right: Aileron Automobiles Carcane Rally, Kasivah Vyrada 2641 Rally, Saarland Adjunkt 1.4 Rallye, Colombe RS1400.)
(Originals by @Arn38fr @Madrias @Knugcab and @Maverick74)
(Race versions by @Arn38fr @karhgath @AndiD and @Bbestdu28)

Perhaps the most infamous and controversial was the Rally category. Picture this, you’re just sitting on your porch near the side of the road, minding your cows, watching slow traffic going by when a car blows past you going super fast with no fear, plowing its way off of the tarmac onto a dirt track. No mufflers, so it’s pretty loud too. That is the absolute madness of rally in the 1960s. Sadly, it was a madness that did not last long. The flame burnt so bright, but so short. The cars had a tendency to go off-course - both in terms of navigation and driving. As complaints mounted from farmers, hikers and all sorts, the government had to do something - and with the increasing calls for safety in production cars, the open rallies quickly found themselves banned. However, rallies had something else they could do. If you couldn’t rally on public roads, you could close off a road and race there. Rallies quickly converted, satisfying most concerns.

*(Left to right: BMA Compaq 246 Requin Blanc, Mayster Triumf S1 2.0 Avtosport M, Phénix Nymphe 1.6L Roadster, BumbleBeastie, P&A Sportsman Mk.III Flat 6 Race Spec)
(Originals by @Bbestdu28 @AndiD @karhgath @Knugcab and @lotto77 )
(BumbleBeastie by @Edsel , all others by original creator)

While there was a conflict between organisers and locals in rallying, there was a civil war in the lower of the two tarmac classes, Modified Touring Cars. On one hand, you had what basically amounted to lightly tweaked road cars. Grab something from your local dealer, make a couple of tweaks here and there, Bob’s your uncle. On the other hand, you had cars which were derisively referred to as the “Special Modifieds”, cars with extensive tweaks both under and over the hood. Brash aerodynamics, obvious changes, the sort of thing that take a lot of work - and which really needed factory support to be viable. The war was hotly contested, frequently discussed and waged on through the 60s…

(Left to right: SAETA Montaraz Teberbergring Prototype, Don Hernando Suarez’ #16 Custom CESMA Rossignol, Collis Celer mk2 - Special, Mayster Triumf S1 2.0 Avtosport S, FMC - Sabot S.P.A 12 and L’orange pressée)
(Originals by @Petakabras @Maverick74 @cake_ape @AndiD @Lanson @lotto77 and @Bbestdu28)
(Race versions by @karhgath @Edsel @cake_ape @AndiD @Lanson @lotto77 and @Bbestdu28)

The Special Modifieds, of course, took their derisive nickname from the Special Touring Cars - some of the most beautiful machines to take to the courses. Sleek, elegant grand tourers that decorated many a childhood walls. Here, there was really no conflict like the other categories. A slew of manufacturers and teams entered, honing their cars for both short and long races - whichthey both competed in, thanks to the same rules being shared across the pair. These cars sped through track and (closed) street alike, carried expertly by their drivers. These were a definite, huge success, and really set the standard for racing in Araga.

Previous Post <<<>>> Next Post

[AMuteCrypt]

Two OOC notes first:

I will be putting these up as they come, posting gradually. They’ll come when they come. I’ll generally aim for 3-4 cars per post, looking at the submissions of one or two people.

Phénix Rising

Part Two In Our 1960s Racing Retrospective

(All entries by @karhgath )
(Originals by @Madrias @karhgath and @Petakabras )

Today, we managed to convince Phénix Racing to release three of their classics from their museum. Back in the 60s, Phénix (like many others) had their racing department working on other companys’ cars. For rallies, they adapted the Kasivah Vyrada. For the special class, they worked on the SAETA Montaraz. For the modified class, they used their own Nymphe.

When you think about Endurance in motorsport, you probably think about the big long races, the ones that took six, twelve, even twenty-four hours. But back in the sixties, every race was a matter of endurance. Every element of the car had to be managed by the driver, tracks were frequently bumpy and rough, and many of the cars had rough, uncomfortable interiors. The seats had basically no padding and would leave your rear numb - or worse. So, when you sat in a Phénix, it was a breath of fresh air. Padded seats which were actually shaped to the drivers, the kind of car you could enjoy racing. They weren’t the only team to do this, but all three of these cars (and just about all their race cars) did, making them wonderful to drive.

If you’ve ever seen the Phénix Nymph of the early 60s around in a game, you have probably seen the Number Eight Phénix Racing Nymph, not the regular one. You might ask why… And the front gives one of the biggest clues. The stock Nymph drew criticism for its bumpers which lacked any really interesting shapes. Needing to mount some extra lights, the engineers decided to take a saw to the bumper, cutting out a nice area for them - and in the process making the car look far, far nicer.

The Kasivah Vyrada may as well be the queen of vintage Aragan rally cars. Back in the day, it sold incredibly well to people with plenty of disposable cash. It was reliable, driveable and economical. A new Vyrada was only a few modifications away from being easy to send down the dirt track. Of course, that doesn’t mean that every Kasivah was lightly modified - as is the case for the Phénix Number 42 Vyrada, with extensive weight reduction. It didn’t just find fame on the circuit either - with its snazzy timeless livery, it made for a popular little diecast model.

Really, there’s not much more of an introduction to the spirit of the Special class. The original Montaraz saw a couple of vents towards the back, so Phénix added even more vents on the side plus an absolutely beautiful rear spoiler. Much like the Nymphe, the stock Montaraz had some issues - but Phénix did a pretty good job to fix those, improving on the original. Add in a beautiful French pinstripe and it’s really everything that was good about the class all in one picture. Kudos for such an elegant old beauty.

[AMuteCrypt]

Wish I Mayster, Wish I Might

Part Three In Our 1960s Racing Retrospective

(All entries by @AndiD)
(Mayster Triumf originally by @AndiD , Saarland Adjunkt originally by @Knugcab)

Looking at Mayster’s entries into the touring car category, you might think that they were one of the “Special Modified” entries we mentioned, one of the teams derided for taking it too far - but it was largely the other way around, and this drew approval from many of the locals. The small local Ĉisisto team ran Maysters in the leadup to the 64 season, making a few modifications here and there for the Modified series. In 1964, they were given additional support from the factory, allowing them to make a car for the special category.

Well, there was a little controversy. Mayster wanted to run the S1 Triumf, but they hadn’t put out enough for homologation. So, what did Ĉisisto do? They put a prototype S1 front end on an S0, with a splitter and larger headlights - although there still isn’t quite enough definition around those headlights, it was an improvement. Losing the metal bumper did leave a couple of fans sad, unfortunately. Seeing such a modification in the Modified class did ruffle a few feathers, but that wasn’t too big compared to some others.

In the Special class, well… You get a nice black livery and a wing, but that’s about it on the outside. Here, the Mayster really did little to shake its existing image - that is, an inexpensive but fun little toy to thrash around the track, rather than an especially high-end machine. Not the worst image to have, but a rather solid one.

Of course, Ĉisisto wasn’t just working with Maysters. One of their employees managed to haul a Saarland into their high-performance shed, a bit of a more sensible choice for rally than the Triumf. The Saarland got a reputation for being a slow, cheap little beater, a dependable car that could take it. If the Vyrada is the queen of Aragan rally, the Saarland is the prince. Ĉisisto didn’t particularly capture any hearts in their entry though - a pinstripe, a racing number, some rally lights and that was it. Really, it’s much the same as their Special class car - a cheap car that didn’t do enough to stand out from its stock variant.

[AMuteCrypt]

I AM ERROR

Part Four In Our 1960s Racing Retrospective

(OOC note: You may have noticed it on other cars, but here it’s unavoidable. Those yellow circles are missing fixtures - largely because things have been removed or changed ID. Can’t do much about it, just going to ignore it a bit. Also OOC, these entries don’t have any uniting factor. There will be another round with two people’s entries, those do have something in common.)

(Left entry by @cake_ape, middle and right entries by @lotto77)
(Middle originally by @Lanson, others by racing creator)

We made a trip to a private collector’s mansion to see two of the remaining Specials, and a lovingly-preserved Modified. The Collis Celer mk2 and the FMC - Sabot S.P.A 12 plus the Modified-class P&A Sportsman. The Celer is famous from its time in Letara, where it carved up the track there - but in a way, the Sabot is the more forward-thinking car.

(Note: Raytracing made this car look awful up close, somehow all rusted and worn, so no raytracing.)

The Celer was already an absolute beast. It had few major competitors, sitting at the top of the field - both in performance and cost. It was exceptionally difficult to preserve in its original condition, thanks to the paint being removed before it raced for weight savings - marginal, marginal weight savings. Collis slapped a diffuser on the front and a slight spoiler on the rear, but it was already a full package. Collis decided to just polish it… Polishing it naturally meant doubling up the engine, welding two inline sixes together. They also couldn’t have any needless weight, so if you happened to need a co-driver, you would need a different car - the passenger seat was gone!

S.P.A. was a controversial entry at the start. A group of suspiciously-talented and well-resourced engineers pulling up at the track with a custom V12 and experimental vents copied from a jet fighter? It had to be the work of a car maker, but who? Well, it seems that S.P.A. stood for “Skunkworks P&A” - not that this is a bad thing, really. Once everyone found out, they were welcomed into the fold eagerly, really embodying the spirit of the class. They also prided themselves on being willing to accept additional weight in the name of safety, which really paid off - despite the accidents that littered the class, not a single driver in the car needed so much as a sticking plaster.

In 1964, the P&A Sportsman Mk III was the car to have, it was the most saught-after luxury sedan. If you were driving a Mk III, you were somebody. It was comfortable, it was sleek, and it even managed to be sporty and fun to drive. All of this was well and truly established before they polished it up for the track, adding their racing team’s iconic (and very awesome) side exhausts, pulling it off the line before they added all the expensive heavy luxury parts - but not before they added the safety. Just like the S.P.A. entry in the upper class, P&A’s modified Sportsman kept its drivers safer than any other, attracting a higher calibre of pilot who appreciated the respect for their careers. It didn’t have that many cosmetic modifications, but that is what the Modified class was about.

[AMuteCrypt]

FRENCH KISS

Part Five In Our 1960s Racing Retrospective

(All entries by @Bbestdu28)
(Rear: Centara BHV8, originally by @Edsel)
(Front: L’orange pressée and BMA Compaq 246 Requin Blanc both originally by @Bbestdu28, Colombe RS1400 originally by @Maverick74)

And now we come to some of the oddest entries in the 1960s, hailing from the French madmen over at BMA. We’d like to get a sample of whatever they had back there in France during the time, because they really were madmen. Putting out eccentric, odd cars that didn’t really land that well in the categories… Well, let’s get started.

You might not think a Wagon would be particularly well-suited for the special class, but BMA didn’t. That said, the base car here wasn’t quite an ordinary wagon. Reviewers at the time said the engineering was closer to a sporty coupe, which hurt on the market - but it helped on the racetrack, or it would have if the BMA wasn’t, well… What it is. See, there’s a dirty secret in the heart of motorsport. Sure, people can talk about the purity of racing, the sport, but it exists to sell cars. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. So when your sporty wagon has a label referring to its fuel as “jus d’orange” and a sticker on the front saying that it’s “100% Pur Jus”… Well, you’re making a particular statement. You’re saying that you’re a fun, cute car. Nothing wrong with that, except for when said car is an expensive premium luxury car. Much like the engineering didn’t fit the market needs, the styling didn’t fit the advertising either.

So, if you sat this car and the last one next to their originals and asked which was the special and which was the modified, you’d probably get it wrong. This one is far more extensibly modified, far more aggressively modified, and that sure ruffled some feathers. A big, established manufacturer putting such complicated aero on the rear of the car? Well, it rubbed people the wrong way. It didn’t help that the original 246 had a reputation for being overly expensive both to buy and run, and not offering much in return. Nobody really loved it. The mouth would have been a nice touch, maybe it would have been more popular if people could look past the rear.

Believe it or not, this Cesma actually needed some upgrades over the original which made it more like a regular consumer car! See, even in the 60s, race cars in Araga still needed two-way radios in order to send and receive messages from race control. Usually, that just meant swapping out the stock unit for a better one, but there was no stock unit in the Colombe! They had to get a little creative to mount one, but mount one they did - along with mudlaps, rally lights and a vibrant bright paint job. As eyecatching at the Orange Press, but in the right way this time.

Yes, that is exactly what it looks like - a racing van, in black and gold. Calling it the Widow Storer is a little bit morbid, but it was really a widow. The car was made as there were discussions about making a category of racing for the vans and utes that filled Araga back then, but the category fell to pieces and never ran. This is a prototype and they didn’t get too far with it - a front splitter and a bunch of paint is about as far as it went with the car, emblematic of the category itself. BMA was throwing resources at whatever ideas came their way, some good and some bad.

[AMuteCrypt]

STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM!

The Final Part In Our 1960s Racing Retrospective

(Left: Don Hernando Suarez’ #16 Custom CESMA Rossignol, Centre: BumbleBeastie, Left: Aileron Automobiles Carcane Rally)
(CESMA originally by @Maverick74, BumbleBeastie originally by @Knugcab, both modified by @Edsel)
(Aileron originally and modified by @Arn38fr)

Practically as long as there has been racing, there have been rules. There are certain things you have to do, and certain things you just can’t do. We found a collector with not one but two of these outlaws, and a third perfectly legal car.

The CESMA Rossignol was perhaps not the best sports car in 1964. Owners complained that the diminuitive 1.1L engine was too small to deliver an acceptable amount of power. But like the other famous Don, Don Maria Hernando Suarez Bilbao did not let a dream being unrealistic stand in the way of his dreams of chivalry. Don Suarez’ custom Rossignol swaps out the gutless stock engine for a proper 4.6L V8. No Rocinante would be worthy of the name with an uncomfortable interior, of course, so Don Suarez fitted it out with a single luxurious seat. As quixotic as it may seem to mix green and purple, the Don somehow managed to pull it off.

Now, to a rather controversial car which started quite a few fights. See, there wasn’t really a rule against the BumbleBeastie when it arrived at the track… but it was quickly kicked out and forced to leave, headed back to the garage for modifications its owners refused to make. The organisers found that the stinger on the rear was too dangerous - if someone ran into the rear of it, things could easily get messy. The team argued that it was an essential part of the car. Things ended up in the courts, where the team was not allowed to enter. The aggressive styling of the car won it some fans, but it ultimately got disqualified and kicked out.

(“Binned” for the stinger.)

Finally, we come to Aileron’s attempt at the rally category. Remember how the Colombe needed to be upgraded with a radio to be legal? Well, the unit in the Aileron was a cheap, second-rate unit which caused unacceptable levels of interference for everyone and was barely audible. It’s a shame, really. It was a rather nice car, but it was just too dangerous. What if there was a landslide that forced the route to change? Or what if the crew needed urgent medical assistance?

[AMuteCrypt]

Also, one final announcement:

I will be accepting oddball submissions until 11:59 PM UTC this Friday (June 16th). Across the next weekend, I will post my thoughts on them and…

I WILL ALSO BE POSTING THE BRIEF FOR THE NEXT ROUND

[AMuteCrypt]

Oddball Reviews

No big set dressing here, because uh… I can’t really find one for these two cars tbh. Only two to review, but uh… it is what it is. So, without further ado…

@Ludvig - Swanson AUV-55R

I’ll be honest to you, I have absolutely no idea what this engineering is. Is it for actual racing? Araga had an actual truck racing category. It died a death but uh, you made it too good for the actual racing category in Araga. I didn’t test all 5 tracks, but you did a 2:43.12 around ATT, good for a PR of 1.208 - the minimum for the commercial category is 1.35. Is it intended as an actual van used by a team? I hope not, with 3.4 comfort courtesy of a basic interior, no radio and plenty of other sins. Semi slick tyres won’t help either, on the road. Ok, let’s move past that, to the design and uh… It’s a van, I guess? It’s definitely a looker, make no mistake, but it’s not really an oddball, you know? In 1952, it would have been, well… conventional. You did well, it looks cool, but an oddball? It’s not, really.

@shibusu - Ilaris Icon - Binned for not following naming convention

Nah, just joking. You submitted the original correctly, and I don’t feel like binning you so… Here we go. A car with a turbocharged i6 usually wouldn’t be that odd… but in 1962? The game just barely allows you to do it, with +13 techpool. It turns out that two cars in 1962 actually did it - the Chevrolet Corvair Monza and the Oldsmobile Jetfire. Two cars that, uh… had their fair amount of issues. So, I will allow it now - but I put one single condition on it. It needed to have a bunch of negative quality on the turbo, and needed to suck on that level. Otherwise, I would have considered it to just be a bunch of empty promises at a car show - you know, like the Devel Sixteen.

Okay, so, the actual car. How about we start with the engineering, shall we? The turbo spools up hard at 3600 RPM, but redlines at 5800. It’s paired with a high performance twin-carb setup, a clutched LSD… And honestly, the biggest shortcoming is something with how the game simulates carbs. See, the game is rather significantly retarding timing at full RPMs, but how does the engine do that? What does that actually represent? When asked, shibusu said it was some mechanism keyed off of RPMs which is good enough for me… But this thing really should be knocking (like that Jetfire, which needed Methanol to prevent knock). Looking elsewhere, this really is the kind of car you expect to see experimental tech in. A premium interior, and overall premium design. No real standouts, but no real drawbacks. Overall, the engineering is solid, if heavily centred upon turbo - fair enough, tbh. Overall, customers would be satisfied, if they could get past the turbo lag and other drawbacks.

But it doesn’t stop with engineering - and really, this is where it gets fun. The fixtures. All five hundred and sixteen of them. This car has an inordinate amount of seemingly superfluous detail. It starts at the very front. Is 92 FCK a license plate in the game? Nope. It’s a custom plate. Completely custom, including the logos. I’m not entirely sold - the connection isn’t as great as vanilla ones, and the sharp shape is a bit questionable, but this is just the start of things. In the interior, it’s similar - custom lap belts, because mosty of the fixtures represent more modern ones. I could nitpick a few things but it’s all drowned out by how much detail there is on the headliner, how much you did to custom-model the folded roof… (Side note, having engineering for sunroofs would be nice).

I was flicking on and off the body, looking through everything when I noticed something under the hood. Numerous fluid reservoirs, a fuse box and battery with wires thoroughly modelled, a fan behind the (additional custom) radiator, custom modelled exhaust pipes… Just why though? What was the benefit of all that effort where nobody can see it? It’s very impressive, but that is perhaps the oddest part. Really, it has to be seen to be believed. I would personally urge you to release the file.

[shibusu]

@AMuteCrypt

@shibusu - Ilaris Icon - Binned for not following naming convention

Thanks for the free mini heart attack >:(
(no worries)

@AMuteCrypt

I would personally urge you to release the file.

And so it shall be!
Authentic ‘normal’ version with the 85hp I4:
Ilaris_Icon_-_GT.car (300.2 KB)

Cabrio-coach:
Ilaris_Icon_-_GT_Turbo-Cabrio_Coach.car (314.7 KB)

A few notes about the car:

• Ignore the engineering. The original car was made when I knew about nothing about engineering.
• The wiring was made for the I4, and thus is completely wrong on the I6 turbo.

Many thanks for the review!

[AMuteCrypt]

Previous Post <<<>>> Next Post

ERA 3: '65-'69

Or: The Safety Scare

Almost one entire year after the previous round closed, the next era opens. This era ends in 1969. With recent updates, I can use techpool to manipulate unlocks… But not completely. IRL, 1973 was the next biggest change, but, well, there won’t be a malaise era here. Instead, well… There is what was hinted at in the end of the last era, and something that conveniently allows me to handle some of the recent updates.

Also, entries will close on the 14th of July at 11:59 PM UTC, plenty of time. I am going to aim for a rough cadence of “1 month creating, 1 month writing”, but the second part is really just a goal.

MAJOR RULES CHANGES

Araga may follow a somewhat unrealistic path, wait and see. However, there are four major changes to the core rules of the challenge. The simplest ones are that entrants are no longer forced to stick with a single brand or company, and that (as mentioned before) I am now looking for co-hosts to handle particular segments. Co-hosts will be responsible for a particular market segment, and don’t have to stick around for more than one round, it’s all optional. @Edsel has already offered to handle a segment, ideally I’d want another 2-3 co-hosts, feel free to offer.

In addition, entrants may now submit two versions of the same base. This can mean three things:

• The same car, two trims - potentially with an engine swap (see: C8 Corvette Stingray vs C8 Corvette Z06)
• The same platform under two different brands (see: Chevrolet Cavalier vs Caddilac Cimarron)
• The same car, with a different wheelbase (see: Mercedes’s various LWB/SWB offerings)

You should use the same broad body family (For instance, RB_60s_sports_20, 23, 25 and 27 are all the same broad family). However, everything in the chassis tab (panel material, chassis type and material, engine placement, suspension types) should remain the same.

Finally, I am overhauling how safety will be calculated in Araga. Weight and footprint will no longer boost safety. To clarify what that means, take a look at the below screenshot from the detailed stats pain.

Normally, the 40.2 value is gained by adding together elements from body, weight and footprint. Now, however, the weight and footprint will be excluded - only the body part will matter. 15.9 is multiplied by 0.901 (100% minus 9.9%) to get a final safety value of 14.3.

Wha happun?

At the end of 1964, Aragan road safety was a hotbutton topic. It was a massive matter of debate, and the government acted rather unilaterally, not waiting to allow car makers to lobby against the sweeping new changes. But the massive threat to manufacturers also presented an opportunity. See, Araga was having a massive boom in the economy, enough that the government could bring in a massive sweeping plan: All previous cars would be brought off the road, replaced with newer, safer models evaluated under a new system. Much more stringent requirements, and a new approach to ratings. Customers were forced to start from a clean slate, but there were a lot of cars being bought.

Impact Of Last Round's Spending, And A Lobbying Recap

Last round’s lobbying results were that we would have a modification to the tax equation, and a ban to leaded fuel in new cars.

A lot of you spent money on trains. Like, crazy amounts of money. Goes without saying, then, that y’all are getting trains. A decent amount of money was spent on importing the train network. Coupled with the results of last round where Araga saw a hefty push towards urbanism and satellite cities, well, the results are going to be rather explosive. There was also a push towards air travel, with just about no investment in road transit. So, Aragan cargo transit consists of trains and planes, with vans and medium-sized trucks for that last mile.

Next, to education. We saw a decent amount of investment there, mainly in the arts and in science - less in trades. So, what actual effects does that have? Well, for now, the science effects will manifest as a free +3 to interior, safety and assists quality. You’re gonna need one of those three. The arts have manifested in that tourism boom I mentioned, all using the new rail network to tour Araga… Well, not all. More about that later.

Finally, with motorsport… I messed up my sums and will have to go back around to them, I’ll post when we get to racing again.

Get In The Pool

For this round, we will use the standard 5 point techpool, except you are allowed 8 points in safety, assists and interior. You can copy paste the following:

Techpool
Family,5.0
BottomEnd,5.0
TopEnd,5.0
Aspiration,5.0
FuelSystem,5.0
Exhaust,5.0
Body,5.0
Chassis,5.0
Interior,8.0
DriverAssists,8.0
Safety,8.0
DriveTrain,5.0
Tyres,5.0
Brakes,5.0
Aerodynamics,5.0
Suspension,5.0

Safety Regulations and Fixture Requirements

• Cars must use 70s safety. That’s why you got that sweet, sweet techpool. Yes, that means that you don’t get standard safety for the start of the round. Yes, that means basic safety is not an option. Have fun. (CHANGED FROM PREVIOUS ERA)

• Headlights: at least one pair, round lenses are most common
• Turn signals: must be visible when looking directly at the front and rear of the car; side-mounted ones are not required but can be used in place of front- and rear-mounted ones for this so long as they are visible. Light-based turn signals must be orange. Semaphore-style indicators are allowed.
• Tail lights: at least one pair required. Must be red and must use different bulbs to the brake light.
• Brake lights: at least one pair. Must be red and must use different bulbs to the tail lights.
• Reversing lights: not required.
• All legally mandated lights facing forward or back: At least one set on each side must be visible from the head of the dummy in the Light Visibility Measure-inator, at a distance of 2m from front bumper to rear bumper. The Measure-inator uses the crash dummy mod. If only your driver’s side indicator is visible, you will fail the test.
• Mirrors: now required, may be mounted anywhere but should be fairly visible from the driver’s seat. (CHANGED FROM PREVIOUS ERA)
• Gas cap: must be mounted externally, placement is free but should make sense (CHANGED FROM PREVIOUS ERA)
• Wipers: one wiper required on the front.
• License plate: any (unscaled) plate will be allowed, as there are no standards yet, because I forgot to get opinions.

Other Regulations

• Emissions and efficiency requirements: None yet.
• Fuel availability: Leaded fuel has been banned for new cars. Regular (91 RON) fuel is available.
• Tyres: Over 75% of cars in the previous era used radial tyres. As a result, cross-plies are basically non-existent on the market going into 65. Use radials.
• Name your model and family ALC3C1 - <YourForumName> for your first trim, ALC3C2 - <YourForumName> for your second trim if you submit one.
• Vehicle taxation: Displacement taxes remain in force. The amount of tax is based on the displacement in CC, where Tax=1.6^((displacement-3000)/1000)*506.25. The tax on new cars has been waived for this period. There will still be a 2000CC tax break on cars with dedicated non-passenger spaces around 40% of the length or more, but the tax break for offroad cars has been removed.

Market Sentiment

• You may think that with everyone needing to buy new cars, they’d be looking for cheap ones… But nope, not quite. See, Araga is seeing an absolutely massive economic upturn. Tons and tons of extra money going around, so people are looking to spend, spend, spend. The government giving people rebates will help for that, so yup. Customers are less price sensitive.
• Customers did get good value for money at the both ends of the market last time, so… Good job there. Customers are fine with spending, and want to spend.
• Small engines have often been low on power, making them rather slow. Continuing along this trend may mean that the government re-examines the rules… But if a company makes a small engine that punches above its weight, that might be seen as a marvel of engineering.

Current Events

The safety scare takes up the full era.

Lobbying Opportunities

The following elements may be lobbied on. The next era’s length uh… Has not been decided on yet.

• Companies can lobby for US-sized or Euro-sized license plates.
• Companies can lobby about safety, on a between 1 to 9. 1 represents a substantial weakening of the government’s stance towards safety, 5 represents the stance remaining roughly the same, 9 represents a stronger stance. What does it look like making the current system stronger? Honestly, I don’t know but I kinda wanna find out…
• Taxation and other lobbying will be done after the round, because I want to see what people do.

In-round Bonus!

Yes, there’s more! With the explosion in tourism, the large numbers of cars being pulled off the road and the public transit networks, hire cars are becoming more and more of a big business - to the point where hire car companies are looking to purchase cars to build their fleets.

Cars submitted should be road legal. The target market varies a fair bit - groups of tourists are a large part, but they’re also looking to sell to people who have decided not to buy a car and just occasionally rent one every now and then. Some tourists have plenty of money and some don’t - just like the carless locals. You should submit cars with at least four seats. Name your car ALC3H - <YourForumName>. This car does not have to be the same as your regular car.

The following are considered to be of particular importance:

• Purchase cost and service costs. Money matters a lot, spending a ton of money now or having massive overheads will make it hard to run the cars. This really matters most.
• Reliability. When the car breaks down, it stops making money.
• Drivability. Yes, crashes are covered under insurance and/or billed to the customer, but it’s still a hassle - and some of the customers are infrequent drivers.
• Prestige. You can charge more for a prestigious car, you get higher margins there.

The following will be largely ignored:

• Sportiness. The hire car companies would really prefer it if the cars weren’t driven hard.
• Offroad. Again, this will put extra wear on the car and be hard to clean.
• Fuel economy. That’s for the customers to deal with.

All other stats will be considered roughly as the market normally would.

Previous Post <<<>>> Next Post

[shibusu]

Ilaris of Araga

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Ilaris comes to Araga for 1965, with two of the most advanced cars ever divised. The best part? It’s the safest Ilaris to have been engineered…and it was done solely in Araga.

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For '65: Ilaris Imperial Injection

So, what is different about the Imperial? Well, for one, it’s got fuel injection. Unlike carburetors, fuel injection systems spray a fine atomised mist of fuel, a contrast to primitive bucket-loads of fuel being dumped in to the throttle by a carburetor. Along with that, it’s rear-engined.
You may ask what the purpose of that is. Well:

Safety was our number one priority for the vehicle. Along with its optimised ‘crumple zones’, it also features strengthened passenger cabin, collapsible steering column, strenghtened pillars, and side-impact beams. It also features larger bumpers to prevent damage in case of a minor fender bender.

You may also notice these covers in front of the headlights. In our efforts to extend safety beyond the car’s occupants, we designed these covers to minimise the risk of injury to a pedestrian if they are struck by the vehicle. The covers can be retracted and do not extend further, so in case of failure there is still a guarranteed beam of light. Additionally, unlike pop-up headlights, these headlights can flash the high-beams immediately without delay.

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We also made a performance version. Because we’re Ilaris.

Ilaris Imperial PowerStar Sprint

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It has a V8. 2.8 liter V8. It revs up to 7200rpm. Because we’re insane. And Ilaris.
It makes 200 horsepower. It’s definitely safe. It goes up to 222km/h and gets to a hundred in 5.9 seconds.

Gallery

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(C) 1965 Ilaris Araga PTO - legalese, blah blah blah. ALC speedrun? Sure.

V'Airia Manchi Saratosi

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The following section is entirely a joke. Some text has been omitted. You have been advised.

If you’re dumb enough to rent a new car this weekend, you’re a big enough schmuck to come to Big Bill Hell’s Cars V’Airia Manchi Saratosi! Bad deals! Cars that break down! Thieves! If you think that you’re not gonna find a bargain at V’Airia Manchi Saratosi, you can kiss my ass! It’s our belief that you’ll fall for this BS! Guaranteed! Take a hike to V’Airia Manchi Saratosi! Home of Challenge Piss-fuel! That’s right, challenge piss-fuel! If you can run this shit on coal and water for at least 6 meters and not destroy the car, you get no down payment! Only at V’Airia Manchi Saratosi, The only car company to tell you to piss off! V’Airia Manchi Saratosi! Araga’s shittiest and exclusive home of the worst imports known to man. Guaranteed!

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[shibusu]

Apologies for the double post, but is the bonus round seperate from the 1/2 cars you submit for the main round? I.e. do you have to modify the car you have for the main round or can you throw an entirely different car at it?

(If it’s the former, then I’m screwed)

[AMuteCrypt]

The intent is to allow for unrelated new cars or modified versions of the original - I don’t want to freeze out people who happen to submit 2-seat supercars. I will edit the post to reflect this.