You know, you could very much still have a shot at this! Engineering is still important, and there are plenty of ways to think outside the box and get more design ideas! I’d suggest looking at furniture or interior design for some more inspiration, since this is more like a house on wheels than your average car and there’s lots of unique stuff out there! Up to you if you want to continue building, but don’t feel discouraged! There are plenty of different ways to win an ARM. 
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Yeah, I’d hate to see people not submit/post because what someone else has posted already. There are many ways to win. I have taken a risky approach by keeping the original engine and the original paint, and using those funds to maximize the engineering. But is it worth it? Who knows… only the client can tell. It could very well pay off to take either of those cost bumps for a better engine, or for better and more unique exterior looks. The beauty of this challenge is that there are so many options and trade-offs to choose from.
TLDR, I hope to see many posts and submissions, because I want to see peoples’ various interpretations of this challenge 
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umm, i have no interior for my van, can i still submit it?
I mean, you can, but…
… so it’s probably a good idea to have one. Also, an interior in this round is not only important for the aesthetics, but also for the perceived practicality. Since we’re working with a 2-seater van, there is only so much that can be done with the practicality statistic. So in lieu of the stat, the judging will take into account the perceived practicality based on what lay-out you build (seats, beds, kitchenettes, TVs… you get the idea. Which was explained here: Automation RestoMod Chapter 8: Revisiting Woodstock (Reviews posted!) - #12 by HelloHi
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but if i’m god-awful at interiors and struggle to make a peel p50 interior look good than wouldn’t it be better to have no interior than a terrible looking one?
The difference is academic unfortunately. If you have no interior then you won’t win, but if your interior is cack, basic or unimaginitive enough you’ll also fail to win. But if you want your car’s engineering to be judged, regardless of your overall result, then it might be worth entering but you’d be at the mercy of the OP; you may get a blurb or two but most hosts only give, at best, a sentence before applying the instabin.
So, my 2c (and my strategy), I’d just sit out this round and wait for one that’s less fixture based if I were you.
Also, maybe you could whip up something for Cult of Personality II; no interior required, your car will be given a decent write-up and you can explore lore building without the hassle of intense competition!
The alternative would be to head to the Official Automation Discord, and see if anyone in the challenges channel would be interested in collaborating with you on an interior.
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No instabins here for a lack of interior! As Cake mentioned, interiors are not required. If your engineering is great, you could still do well, but interiors will be heavily considered as the Bus’ interior is a large part of its’ functionality and the vehicle concept.
Is effectively counteracted by:
Which means that all someone else has to do is make a pretty interior and the entries w/out those interiors are knocked out of the race. In this round this is to be expected since the OP premise is more based on visual form over Automation statistics. As AMuteCrypt has already stated, getting another designer in to model the interior is the best choice for interior-weak entrants who want to win.
Instabins are for cars that break rules, not cars missing optional things. If someone enters an abomination of a vehicle that still is compliant with all the rules, it will get a proper roast, not a one-liner! 
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Got it; I’ll be careful to restrict my usage of that term to rulebreakers from now on, hahaha!
(A bit over) 1 day remains!
If you have a Bus ready to submit, now is the time!As another example of this, we can look all the way back to ARM1. My entry was seriously deficient aesthetically, and scored the minimum there. My interior wasn’t scored much better, and I was exceedingly expensive. Despite all that, I still won the challenge overall, as my other stats were strong enough. It’s still possible to do well with some deficiencies here and there.
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Which is why I’m a little worried right now, you and your engineering skills 
Hope to see a few more entries in the last 24 hours!
god my bus’s exterior looks so good tho. i’ll submit it and upload it to another thing in roughly a year or so when i can make a decent interior
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The all-new Heatwave from Mayori Restomods completely overhauls the T2 camper, from it’s paint to it’s engine, everything on the camper is either brand new or lovingly restored by our expert team of restorers.
We’ve swapped out the old, outdated Flat 4 and replaced it with a smoother, beefier H4 and an all new exhaust system helps ensure that the hippy lifestyle can be maintained. Producing over 163 horsepower, you’re not likely to be outrunning supercars anytime soon but hey, at least you won’t be embarassingly outclassed by some student’s Nissan Sunny anymore.
The Heatwave features an advanced automatic gearbox system allowing for ease of gearchange in any situation, and the 6 gear ratios allow all that beautiful engine’s power to be used.
The AWD system in the Heatwave is really quite unique. It uses AI and smart sensors to work in tandem with the suspension to work out exactly the correct combination of power and torque that should be used in a certain situation to ensure for a smooth, comfortable ride.
The Heatwave features solid disks front and rear, a significant improvement over the drums of the original.
The interior retains the bench seat of the original, but it now has a luxury interior and a HUD equivalent to that of a Tesla, but it is easy to use and simple.
Featuring all the latest safety features the Heatwave is safer than a Ford Pinto… though thats not exactly difficult.
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also its like 5am for me excuse the shite writing
Sparky T’s Customs T2 Transporter
Hello Mr. Richards,
We understand that you are looking to restore your old VW bus. Here is our proposal. We understand that you would like to keep as much of the character of your old van while giving it a bit of an update. So we here at Sparky T’s Customs have tried to give it an old school vibe with a mix of modern convinces.
For the outward appearances, we kept it simple. We shined up the van’s original color, giving it back a bit of it’s luster. We also added a upper white two tone to help give it a little more pop. A roof rack with a couple of surfboards, Crager style five spoke wheels, and a period spare wheel cover all work together to give it that genuine Californian vibe.
Keeping with our mix of old and new, we have given it a bit of a twist mechanically. The tired old boxer four has been replaced with a flat six from a Chevy Corvair. This was a very common swap back in the day so it seems appropriate for this application. But to help it along, we’ve mated it to a modern six speed automatic. The brakes and suspension have also been given a through going through to improve performance and comfort.
As for the interior, that is were the real beauty of this machine is! Up front, we have fitted it with a custom dash in style of modern times. Equipped with a touchscreen infotainment system, dual airbags, power adjustable seats, cup holders and storage compartments, climate and cruise control, it is all one would expect from a modern automobile. But in the back, it’s like taking a trip back in time. There’s blue and red carpeting or wood paneling custom laid on nearly every surface.
A pillow laden bed with mood lighting perches above the engine compartment. Above that, a hand-made headliner with twinkling LEDs give the impression of a star filled twilight. You can keep refreshments in the onboard mini fridge while you watch your favorite old movies on the retro CRT television. A record player allows you to chill out to your favorite LPs. We’ve even included a few for you to enjoy! And of course, what boogie van would be complete without a lava lamp? We hope it is to your liking!
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ARM8 is now closed! Results will be up ASAP!
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