Okay I have to jump on a couple things here.
Remember in 1975 Cadillac was making an 8.2L V8 that made a 190 hp so. And sure the Cadillac 500 is an easy target but lest we forget it was simply the worst of many badly underperforming engines:
- Ford’s 351 (5.8L) V8s were wheezing out just 150 or so horsepowers
- And Ford’s 460 (7.5L) V8 was struggling to produce 220 horsepowers
- The Buick 3.8L V6 (aka Dauntless V6 when produced by AMC) was producing an even (and miserable) 100 horsepowers.
- And a whole bunch of other massive Murican engines were producing figures I don’t know off the top of my head but they were garbage all the same.
Point is that from my perspective I am having a hard time understanding which countries you might be referring to because the engine you’ve produced is a miracle for its size and its size is typical, if even a bit large compared to other European cars of the era. I mean heck is the BMW M30 even a thing yet in 1975? looks up real quick …okay yes it is and its not far off of what your boxer-6 is doing.
Pay no mind to them. Comparing your car to them is like comparing the tube-based UNIVAC (first digital computer) to some theoretical transistor-based computer that magically coexisted in 1949, nevermind transistors having only been invented 2 years earlier in 1947 and not having been meaningfully applied commercially yet.
Furthermore, I appreciate the faithfulness to reality and history. And I have found others agree; the cars that I’ve built which others have liked most are ironically the ones that are barely ranking in schport, if at all. There is not need to be apologetic and qualifying.
I would agree. I would go a step further and say a lot of people shouldn’t be trusted with more than 200 hp. They don’t ever seem to use it anyways – just brag about it.
*rages at Dodge Charger Hemi in front on the STRAIGHT SHOT highway ramp trying to merge at 80 km/hr*.
Oh and that wasn’t an joke. That happened the other day 
. And on another day besides that one. And… [ list of idiots utilizing not even an iota of the potential of their car goes here ]
Well, you (plural) are right. After comparing it more closely to real life cars of the time, the Trapèzes’ engines have been nerfed.
Changelog
- Decreased schport
- Increased schmooth
- Slight fuel economy improvements
- Slight gearing adjustment
- Specs set in stone, working on a table right now
Also, smol car I made:
Boulanger Grenouillette (1958)
This time actually meant to be schport. Berlinette time
Model overview
France’s tax horsepower laws meant that engines had to remain small and usually undersquare to be able to remain in the lower tax categories. It didn’t make affordable sporty cars impossible though, it just meant they had to be small and light to overcome the small displacement engines.
So around this time a lot of “Berlinettes” started appearing, small coupés generally with a 2+2 seating arrangement. Many of them had an RR layout to reduce weight, but Boulanger kept their bets on forward wheel drive, as they had been always using it as a marketing point for their cars and believed its advantages offset the cost.
So Boulanger’s answer for this market segment was the 2.2m wheelbase Grenouillette, originally offered with a 900cc inline 4 re-utilized from other cars that placed it on the 4CV tax category. Boulanger’s experience with monocoque cars also allowed it to remain fairly light, 761kg on the original version.
Later, a cabriolet convertible version was added to the lineup, and both the coupé and convertible started having a 1046cc engine option that still remained in the same tax category.
Trims
900 and 1046 Berlinette (1958 and 1960)
A coupé body style, with a 2+2 seating arrangement. The back seats were less than comfortable of course, but such was the price to pay to have 4 seats in such a small car.
The 900 Berlinette version was the only one when the car came out and had a reasonable cloth seats interior. The 1046 came later, with leather seats and wood details in the panels, and 7 more horsepower. Both came with an AM radio.
900 and 1046 Cabriolet (1960)
Due to popular demand, a convertible version of the car was made, and its launch coincided with the new 1046cc engine option. However, to make space for the roof’s mechanism, the rear seats had to be removed, and the car ended up being heavier as a result (around 70kg more)
The interior was otherwise identical to the respective Berlinettes, cloth seats for the 900 and leather for the 1046, both with an AM radio.
Specs
WIP
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