Blaire Automotive | EST. 1926 | The Blaire Leo

Alrighty. The engineering has had it’s full update and some design tweaks.

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I like this design! Although I think the front would look better with the lights angled like this:

image

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Thank you for the critique! I’ll try to see what I can do! I was though planning on redoing the lights anyways since the little “cut off” in the middle didn’t really fit to me.

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My five cents:

Traditional luxury is somewhat of a dying breed nowadays. Luxury car buyers are a younger generation nowadays, not looking for a vehicle to be chaffeured around in or the broughams of the 70s. Instead they want a somewhat sporty car that gives a good driving experience and performance while still being comfortable. That’s part of the success for brands like BMW.

Gremlin could redefine their brand, a bit like Cadillac did some years ago, to be a more youthful and sporty brand while still offering luxury and comfort. That would render the Peregrine brand a bit unnecessary, and maybe the entry level models could be replaced by offering “Peregrine” as a performance oriented trim level above the “S” models for the Blaire brand.

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This is a very good idea. Although I was hoping to have Gremlin go for a more Lincoln approach. Seeing your approach has started to shape my mind, and seeing the death of the companies that inspired Peregrine (Pontiac & Corsica) and how that market is sort of dying out. Having Gremlin stay as a Cadillac copy would be a better option. Unless the poles say otherwise this will be on my mind for now.

Announcement


Hello everyone, today the AAUC has announced that they will be discontinuing the Gremlin and AAM brands. Peregrine and Blaire will go on to be their only separate brands (threads), and Peregrine will be rewritten. This isn’t a long post. Just a simple change of events which I’ve been through a lot as I’m still deciding which direction to go through. Thank you all and have a good day.

1988-1992 Blaire Guntra Mk. I



The Guntra first started out as a standard compact family sedan & liftback from 1988-1992 and was a complete sales flop considering there was an oil glut + the early 90s recession. Blaire saw it as their entrance into more higher-end markets, but instead of using their flagships such as the Cahvack, LaFette, or Lynn as starters. They made an entirely new lineup consisting of the Guntra, Walaby, & Albatross SE. This would ultimately fail because their marketability to get a slightly more well-built compact sedan to a younger market failed completely on top with its modest fuel economy and later with the recession that came in the early 90s and cause Blaire to stop production of many models until the late 90s - early/mid-00s. The Guntra came standard with leather seats w/ a standard cassette player and seat belts. Later in 1989, 134 Guntra models were fitted with a driver’s side airbag which was a brand new feature at the time. The downside was that the cable to activate the airbag would typically delay causing the driver to slam into the steering wheel before the airbag expanded and broke a recorded 12 necks. Later in November 89, Blaire recalled the remaining driver’s side airbag Guntra’s and destroyed them as the lawsuits for the deaths and injuries of people caused by this problem were beginning to take a toll on the company. In 1989 a Group A rally version of the Guntra EFI was made and won only one race in its lifetime it came with a 1.7L Turbocharged I4 producing 175hp & 141lb-ft pushing it to a 0-60 time of 6.91s at a weight of 2368lbs.



The Guntra was now performer with the car only being offered with two engine choices. A 1.8L NA I4 producing 90hp & 93lb-ft. It pushed the Guntra to a 0-60 time of 12.4s at a weight of 2382lbs, and a 2.1L NA EFI I4 producing 112hp & 116lb-ft. It pushed the Guntra to a 0-60 time of 11.8s at a weight of 2661lbs. It’s power added with the price left the Guntra to being a sales flop before going off the market in 1992 before coming back as a city hatchback from 2003-2015.


1989-1994 Blaire Rodman Mk. VI



The sixth-generation Rodman was a better re-badged version of the Guntra, but with 2-doors and a V6. It was shown at the 1989 New York Autoshow alongside the Guntra. Its sales did slightly better than the Guntra, but was still the least sold generation of the Rodman apart from 1999-2004. The sixth-generation Rodman was also marketed alongside the Guntra to younger generations, but by that point, the design and performance did not catch the eyes of young families or rich college kids, but in fact, caught the eyes of retired Americans looking to live in Southwestern Florida. When the Rodman came out in 1989 it too came with the driver’s side airbag, but the damage was much worse as they sold more Rodmans with airbags, in turn, causing a total of 24 combined injuries & deaths. A total of 24,598 Rodmans were recalled in 1991, and the Rodman was refitted with improved airbags that actually worked (but got a Poor rating in the IIHS moderate overlap test). The Rodman soon later got it’s seventh generation.



The Rodman came with the same EFI powered 2.1L NA I4 that the Guntra EFI came with producing 112hp & 116lb-ft. It pushed the Rodman to a 0-60 time of 10.5s at a weight of 2456lbs. While the V6 Sport came with an EFI powered 3.0L NA V6 producing 166hp & 167lb-ft. It pushed the Rodman to a 0-60 time of 9.43s at a weight of 2720lbs. While the performance figures were better. The sixth-generation Rodman failed to sell nearly as good as it’s other generations considering it was a rebadged Guntra and just didn’t bring the younger market charm that the previous generations did. The Rodman later got it’s seventh-generation in 1995.


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Blaire Automotive Co. ®️

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2006-2009 Blaire Leo Mk. III (quicky)



The third-gen Leo was unveiled at the 2005 Las Angeles Motor Show and was sold as the “American Taimania”, as it was a rebadged Keizai. It was also popular among first-time drivers and college kids looking for an affordable new car as it was advertised. It was sold in about 5 Southern American countries, Central America, Canada, & the United States. South America was the most popular market. In 2008 the Leo was offered a temporary prototype infotainment system. It was plagued with lag and collected dust, so only 25 2008 models were sold with the proto infotainment system.



The Leo shared the same exact internals as the Keizai with the 1.6L I4 and the 2.0L I5. The third-gen Leo ended up being the least sold generation of Leo (in terms of the North American market) and was later updated in 2010 with a complate restyle with a more functional infotainment system. Check the Taimania Motors website for more details.


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Blaire Automotive Co. ®️

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2019 Blaire Rodman Mk. VII (Current-gen)



Unveiled at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, the 2019 Rodman gained a new face. With a larger grill, more efficient power, new LED headlights, & an overall brand new design. After the departure of the Juniperre & LaCoup line-up in 2015. The Rodman, Ace, & Zoom have remained the last remaining coupes in the Blaire line-up with the Zoom being rumored to replace the Rodman entirely in 2022. This new generation of Rodman introduced the brand new redefined digital gauges that were redone in 2017 and introduced the Blaire Blind Spot System, which is a series of sensors and cameras that give a clear look at the vehicle’s blind spot, and a newly designed Infotainment system which finally adds a touch screen to the car instead of being knob only although a knob as a second form of transport through the infotainment system is also offered.



In this new generation the Touring, Touring S, Sport, Limited, & VST are offered. The Sport, Limited & VST are offered with the Blaire Blind Spot System which was fairly new and different at its time of release. The rear brought in a full mono LED strip with two LED taillights. The plate holder was ideally placed in a strange spot, but it gave the car a European look with a fairly American front. The VST gives a sporty hood scoop with the mini “wing vents” on the side now being moved to the center protruding from the hood scoop, instead of sitting in the bonnet’s corners. It also had a slightly larger side grill with a badge being bolted to both of the bars inside of the vent, with dual oval exhausts that give out a nice purr.



Moving onto the specs of the new Rodman. The Touring & Touring S (Staring: $26,580.00 & $29,895.00) come with the 2.0L Turbocharged I4 producing 226hp & 213lb-ft and doing 0-60 in 6.4 seconds, and a very good MPG rating of 43.4 miles per gallon which compared to its competition is very good, but performance did suffer quite a bit. The Sport & Limited (Starting: $32,458.00 & $36,745.00) comes with the 3.0L Turbocharged V6 producing 310hp & 307lb-ft and doing 0-60 in 5.6-5.2s and an MPG rating of 35.5 miles per gallon, which for this fairly powerful V6 is quite well, and we come to the VST (Starting: $47,845.00) which comes with a 4.2L Turbocharged V8 producing 483hp & 462lb-ft with a 0-60 time of 4.5s and an MPG rating of 27.9 miles per gallon. Which suffers a bit compared to the competition, but is still quite good.


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Blaire Automotive Co. ®️

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2020 Blaire EOY Update - "LaFette nameplate is ending"


After 5 years on the market the 11th and final generation of the LaFette will come to a close on December 25th confirmed by company President Joshua Campbell last Thursday at a press conference in Chicago. "The flagship car of this company has had low sales and has not been updated in 5 years apart from a facelift 3 years ago and that goes for some other models like the Albatross, Tunic, Rodman, and Lynn." He continued "Although we are sad to have to lay the LaFette nameplate to rest, we are optimistic of the future as we have a lot of new projects on our hands. One of which is the revival of the Rocky SUV.". After interviewing LaFette owners, reactions were mixed with the majority expecting the flagship model to go off-sale others were furious and some were glad stating that it was unreliable and "Not worth the cash" according to one owner. Either way, Blaire has pushed their funds onto more projects including the revival of the infamous Rocky SUV from the 80s which is set to replace the LaFette.

The Daily Notpad. ®️
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2015-2020 Blaire LaFette


The eleventh and final generation of the LaFette full-size sedan line was unveiled at the 2014 L.A. Auto Show to great disappointment. It was a facelifted rebadge of the then fifth-generation ESB Stronghold which has been sold since 2012. The LaFette had nothing different about it aside from the facelift and the fake side vent that was accustomed to all Blaire models until 2020-2021. So it was no surprise that in 2018 it got a "facelift" which just modernized the technology and updated the upper grille and headlights. It was..better but it failed to bring back the LaFette spirit that had sold every other generation which was quite obvious considering it was European designed, had European technology, and was already outdated by the time it had released.

image from 2018 facelift.

By the time it had gotten the facelift the LaFette was only selling 10-20k per year and after old reached a measly 15-25k and 2019 was the deal-breaker with a record low sales of the LaFette by 7,466 total sales, and so the Blaire executives went to the meeting room and starting to talk. Since 2020 would be laying off a bunch of nameplates (Albatross, Tunic, Rodman, and Lynn) the LaFette would be expected to go with it and so it did. The designers also had been making new projects the EL-Series of EV vehicles being one of them and the long-awaited Rocky revival to the U.S. market. And so on December 25th, 2020 the LaFette along with the rebadged Mauntley Constellation was officially taken off-sale with the last model rolling off the production line at 12:33 AM December 26th. The last LaFette ever produced came with many goodies like a scrapbook featuring photos of every previous generation of the LaFette with history descriptions of those models and $2,000 as a gift for buying the last LaFette model. The LaFette will be replaced by the EL-1 EV crossover on February 1st, 2021 with its debut to the mass market in California

LaFette Gallery


Blaire Automotive Company. ®️
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2018 Blaire LaFette VST


In 2018 Blaire brought the LaFette to its performance lineup, VST. It was quite a shock considering the posh and granny-filled reputation the car had at the time but it happened. The LaFette VST only ran from 2018-2020 with a total production number of 25,874 VST models produced throughout the 2 years. It had some visual upgrades, like piano black trim around the lower and upper grilles, a rear diffuser, front lip, larger spoiler, 20inch wheels and VST badging.


The numbers of the VST were pretty impressive, powered by a 4.6L Twin-turbocharged V8 producing 554 horsepower and 462 lb-ft of torque while retaining a normal MPG rating of 27.. for an American full-size at least. The VST came with standard AWD and an 8-speed Auto with launch control, and although it was rumored a manual was produced, it was never confirmed by higher-ups. The LaFette VST was the company's last dire attempt to make the nameplate last but at the time performance sedans or sedans, in general, weren't popular as the SUV craze had started to pop off and so in December 2020 the LaFette VST, as well as the LaFette nameplate, was laid to rest for the foreseeable future.

Summary


Blaire Automotive Company. ®️
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Good enough on paper, but 500 horsepower would have been more fitting for their final flagship sedan. After all, it’s not as if that engine can’t take the extra grunt…

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Yea, it would be a nice competitor to the HMS Hs-line with 500hp

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Good enough on paper, but 500 horsepower would have been more fitting for their final flagship sedan. After all, it’s not as if that engine can’t take the extra grunt…

Haha yeah, I was thinking about making it 500 but I settled with a rating around 400 because at the time the company while wanting to save its final flagship sedan, didn’t want to put in a large amount of money into it and even then the LaFette is a very conservative and more premium car so it wasn’t meant to be ultra-fast.


Yea, it would be a nice competitor to the HMS Hs-line with 500hp

Why thank you, having an in-universe competitor to two fictional companies does peak my interest :smile:

2021 Blaire EL-1
Thank you to @titleguy1 for engineering the vehicle and doing the original design (before this design update)
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A SPARK IN INNOVATION HAS ARRIVED
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After 7 years of development, Blaire presents the all-new EL Vehicle lineup with the EL-1. Featuring the latest advances in technology, select sustainable interior materials, and a dynamic driving experience made just for you. The EL-1 midsize is the perfect daily ev commuter for your family.

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OPEN NEW EXPERIENCES IN THE EL-1
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Embodying elegance and excitement, the EL-1 has been carefully and meticulously sculpted into a simply stunning design. Straying away from the typical design cues we are known for, offering a brand new and fresh style providing a new sense of wonder and style in the EL-1.

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REFINED AND RESPONSIVE PERFORMANCE
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Blaire engineers have teamed up with Kimura to provide an entirely advanced EV Drivetrain system with the same single and dual motor EV drivetrains that are presented in the Kimura Ukiyo. Producing a swift 243hp and 241lb-ft of torque, the EL-1 is perfect for Urban and Suburban streets. With a total range (Long Range option included) or 341 miles.

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OPULENCE IN THE INTERIOR
terribly sorry for the horrible photoshop
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The EL-1 brings intricate styling to the interior, with select materials and the latest technology with some technological improvements including automatic start upon entering to create an inviting and inventive interior. Blaire’s new environmental commitment doesn’t stop at just EVs which are present in the EL-1 with recycled cloth seats, recycled plastic trimming, and other sustainable materials.

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Build & Pre-Order EL-1
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Currently, the EL-1 as of May 2021 is only available in California, New York, and certain parts of the UK. But will be available to the mass market in early fall, but you can pre-order now. (Base MSRP $35,000|£25117)

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Blaire Automotive Company. ®️
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