Brief
It’s 1968. Jim and Carol have positions at Exxon, and in the last 2 years they have both been promoted. They got married 3 years ago, and have two young children, but they want to enjoy their youth while they can. With the little influx of extra cash, they agree that a fun car for exciting road trips would be great.
As with many fun things in life, they quickly found money to be a limiting factor. It’s not realistic to get a two-seater sports car; whatever they end up with, it will have to pull double duty as a kid carrier for a few years. Fast sedans are few and far between, and very expensive; so, they are looking for coupes that can seat at least four.
The Cast
James “Jimmy” Valentine is a 25-year-old rising star. In his thirties or forties, he’s expected to have a small fortune. The financial success of the Valentines is largely due to his acuity and confidence, but he can be a little high strung and hard to handle.
Carol Valentine is 26, and while she works and brings in extra money, her ability to understand people is second to none. Her sharp emotional intelligence, level head, and top-notch communication skills landed Jimmy his opportunity with Exxon in the first place. When it comes down to brass tacks, she’s the rock supporting Jimmy’s wild storm.
Ebenezer Valentine is 2 years old; Michael Valentine only a few months. They are the children that the Valentines will be taking to school every morning, to the doctor, and to any other place they need to go.
A young couple is seeking an economical way to go fast, have fun, and get to work on time.
Rules
- Variant Year: 1968
- Trim Year: 1968
- Minimum Seats: 2 full in front, 2 compact in back. 5 seats are a bonus.
∘ Rear seats must be folding (as in the compact/small seats). - Body Style: Coupe, hatchback, sedan; 2 doors strongly preferred.
Shooting brakes and utes acceptable wildcards. - Safety: Standard 60s or better.
- Fuel: Leaded Regular or Super.
∘ Super gas will apply a 7% penalty to SVC to simulate elevated cost of living. - Emissions Standard: WES 2
- No Race parts.
∘ DCOE/Weber carburetors do not count as racing parts.
∘ V16 motors banned as I do not have the DLC. - Techpool: Combined techpool cost of 45M. Combine the two underlined numbers in the image below:
∘ Negative techpool is prohibited.
- Realism: To an extent, realism should apply; in other words, if it could reasonably exist given what was understood at the time, you can try it. That does not mean I’m going to be happy if you hand me something right out of the 80s.
- Styling: Styling cues should be taken from the Visual Inspirations tab below.
∘ Lights: You are required to have headlights, taillights, indicators front and rear, and side indicators front and rear of the doors (wraparounds are allowed).
∘ Other Fixtures: You are required to have wipers (hidden is fine, just imply they exist) and at least one wing mirror. Bumpers front and rear were legally required at the time, and are required here (you can pull a GM and put a thin strip of chromed metal, or an integrated stylized bumper; see the inspirations and the Pontiac GTO).
∘ You should have door handles; a fuel filler cap is not technically required as they were sometimes hidden, but if your car is totally smooth with nothing it could hide behind then it’ll be docked.
Priorities
Horsepower: We all know this is a huge selling point. It’s hard to time yourself on the highway, but it’s easy to tell everyone you make two hundred and fifty horses.
Performance: Of course, you have to actually back up those big numbers.
Styling: While looking the part.
Value: And do it all for a low price, naturally.
Comfort: While not a dealbreaker, a cozy interior and soft tune to the suspension make long highway cruises a lot nicer.
Reliability: It’s no good if it throws a rod on the third pull.
Service Costs: And it’s no good if it’s gotta go to a specialist just for an oil change or new brakes.
Drivability: Bad weather is frequent in America, so a capable car in the wet is a big plus.
Safety: It’s not gonna save you in a crash, but try not to have the rep of a Pinto.
Handling: Or a Mustang.
Offroad: Just enough that it’s not getting stuck in a puddle or dirt road; anything above a 5 is enough.
Sportiness: Driving excellence isn’t really what these cars are about, but they should still be fun.
Procedures and Changelog
- Naming: Your Family and Model should be named “BB - [Your Username Here]”
- Schedule: Rules deliberation to end on January 8, at which point submissions open. They will remain open for two weeks, until January 22. Reviews will take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks depending on how many entries I receive.
- Changelog:
∘ 12/31 - Added Sportiness to 1-star.
∘ 01/07 - Banned V16 motors (I do not have the DLC)
