I can already see my car burning in hell lmfao you guys are too good at this
4 Likes
the power of german engineering
Thanks to Portalkat42 and DoesStuff for the formatting help
The foreshadowing of the modern luxury sedan
1993 Sora S6 Typhoon
Introduction and some specifications
Sora is a Japanese mid-sized manufacturer that specializes in high-performance variants of Kaizen models. Distinguished by their recognized status as an auto manufacturer with their own unique VIN identifier, they are well-integrated into Kaizenâs design, engineering, and manufacturing processes, and are the only company whose products are officially supported by Kaizen themselves. In addition, it is possible to custom-order a Sora from any Kaizen dealer.
Originally founded in 1950 as a repair shop and race car constructor by former aeronautical engineers, Kaizen models and engines were used as they were judged to have the best potential for motorsports applications. Using their expertise, engineers were able to apply a mechanical fuel-injection system derived from WWII aircraft engines to Kaizenâs single overhead-cam 3.0L inline 6, which would be their first breakthrough. Soraâs through engineering efforts impressed Kaizen leaders so much that the fuel-injection system became OEM equipment on select Kaizen models. Furthermore, the two manufacturers developed a very close relationship, with the result that any Kaizen rebuilt with only Sora parts would be supported by the full Kaizen warranty and could be serviced at any Kaizen dealer.
Over the years, Sora would gain a reputation as being Kaizenâs de-facto âadvanced R&Dâ department. Many Kaizen innovations that had their origins in Sora included fuel injection, single and dual multivalve overhead-cam systems, turbocharging, continuously variable timing and lift, and emissions controls.
The main characteristic is a no-cost approach of balancing outright performance and daily usability. A good point of contrast is Kaizenâs in-house Victoria performance division, which emphasizes on-the-limit handling and a sporting, race-inspired driving feel. Sora models tend to be much more relaxed, prioritizing composure, comfort, and ease of use. For example, while a Kaizen Victoria model would use a high-revving naturally aspirated engine with very high specific output, a Sora would use a larger displacement, forced induction engine with greater flexibility in the rev range and torque at lower RPMs.
A Sora is built from a new, complete Kaizen that is shipped directly from the Kaizen assembly line. In a dedicated facility, it is stripped down and then rebuilt with Sora-specific components, including the powertrain. A significant part of this process, including engine building and interior work, is done by hand.
This means Soras are exponentially more exclusive than equivalent Kaizen models.
The Sora S6 Typhoon was the ultimate evolution of the K609 generation Kaizen Class Six executive sedan.
Based off the Kaizen SC24, the 240 hp 3.0L inline 6 would be tuned and then bored to 3.6L, and two IHI ball-bearing turbos with a controller that could vary boost pressure depending on engine and driving conditions were installed. At full boost, it churns out 420hp and 595 Nm of torque. A reinforced 5-speed manual with limited-slip differential was used, driving the rear wheels.
The self-leveling rear suspension, also used on high-end trims of the the Class Six, were used. Furthermore, the suspension was thoroughly retuned to ensure maximum control while balancing comfort.
On the exterior, Sora specific bumpers, badging, and the iconic âlucky 3â pinstriping were installed. Specific to this model were detailing on the front bumper signaling its twin-turbo powertrain.
Developed with cost-no-object R&D, it still became a top seller for the company despite itâs extraordinarily high purchase price and limited production, with 331 units produced over 3 years. More important, it debuted two engineering concepts which have proved to be critical in the modern day: continuously variable valve timing and turbocharging. In 1996, the Continuous Valve Control system debuted for the first time on a Kaizen. An evolution of the Sora system, it could also continuously vary valve lift. And in 2005, Soraâs expertise proved invaluable in the debut of a long-running series of turbocharged engines that have become legends in their own right.
In short, it can be argued that the Sora S6 Typhoon was the origin of the modern Kaizen, versatile, fast engineering masterpieces that can just about conquer any road with ease.
VEHICLE TYPE
Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE (NEW)
$90,000
ENGINE TYPE
Auxilium 36S4R0 Sora
Turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve I6, ALSI block and head, direct fuel injection, 90 AKI
Displacement
3.6L, 3595cc
Power
420 hp @ 5700 rpm
Torque
370 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
PERFORMANCE
Zero to 62 mph: 4.8 sec
Top speed: 205 mph
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined: 24 US mpg
Specific car
This is a European-spec car, built in 1993. Originally going to Michelin as a test car for ultra high performance tires, it was recently retired. Asking price is around $20000.
This explains itâs mileage of 205551 km (around 127723 miles). Regardless, it has minor body damage (normal for a constantly driven car), and a good reliability record (though things can get frustrating as things break from time to time).
The vast majority of the production went to Japan, followed by Europe. Due to their extreme understatement, they were relatively attainable for such an exclusive, high-end car. That said, while they are durable and donât shy away from being driven hard, they require owners to aggressively follow maintenance and repairs, which means they take a ton of effort and resources to keep on the road.
However, due to its historical significant, brand prestige, and a generally increasing appreciation for older cars and the unique driving experiences they bring, values skyrocketed heavily starting around 2018.
24 Likes
The most boring and weird car at the same time!
You remember the Primus Persua CL?
This car was so boring, that kids fell asleep with posters of it at the wallâŚoh, wait, it´s a myth, because posters were never printed - the people working in poster factories fell asleep before successful creating them.
But the Persua in 1994 had some qualities - it was cheap and practical, and they were sufficiently solid. But the average buyer age was⌠like 65.
Primus also wanted to attract young buyers. But, conservative as that brand is, they tried to address the target audience with⌠a bearable stereo (works), flashy colors and weird fabrics that would be a crime if it wasn´t the 90s (risky, but could work) and ABS and dual airbags (yaaaawn!).
Who bought the âyoungâ models then? Well⌠the grandparents gifting their grandchildren their first car. This must have been a girls, then.
Today, most of the Persua are junked, and the âyoungâ models were also rare even when new. To find one now, especially with a color this absurd, is like a win in the lottery⌠if you didn´t fall asleep already at this point. Of course, it is perfect for daily use. No hightech, practical five-door shape, thrifty engine, easy service, spare parts are available because Primus is one of the brands that try to keep their old cars alive. Not to forget that it´s easy to handle as an FWD car with limited power, but assisted steering and ABS. The interior doesn´t give you headache, everything is highly designed towards functionality.
We sell this 1997 Persua 1.2 young as an example of 1990s weirdness, and also as a brands icon for Primus since⌠which would describe an ultra-conservative brand trying to be cool better than this?
LOOK AT THESE FANCY TINTED TAILLIGHTS! AND AT THâŚzZZZZZzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzzzzâŚ
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This is a Sisten Pacific, also available as the Corsica Solar GTS. Big, slow, pretty boring, pretty successful, never as successful as the esteemed âSisten Motor Companyâ had hoped it would be. Sure, they were relatively early on the scene in offering a minivan, but a lack of interest is a lack of customers.
Come 1990, and the funds have been allocated to develop the second generation Pacific. This time around though, Corsica isnât getting the same minivan with funkier colors, but instead an all-new family vehicle targeting younger, hipper, radder, cooler families who wouldnât be caught dead riding in something called a âvanâ. The new Sisten would get sliding doors, the new Corsica would be styled like a muscle car. A 90s muscle car.
The Corsica Spica, with daring looks from front to back, was otherwise a car. 3.4 liter V6, 4-speed automatic and front-wheel drive. It looks like a sports car, it doesnât have to drive like one.
Sales were projected to reach 20,000 units in its first full year of sales. A total of 7467 were produced before Sisten pulled the plug in 1997.
1995 CORSICA SPICA - $7,399
Starts up and drives
Radio work s
AC is real cold
Power locks and windows
No overheating
No Oil leaking , Only 112200 miles , Clean title , pink slip on Hand. Bought the new car need sale this one.
Please call or Email me for appointment , Scammer save you time .find some where some else.
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WOULD DRIVE
I donât need a large car at all, even less a minivan, but WOULD DRIVE
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1959 Knightwick Pixi Goodwood & 2015 Knightwick Goodwood Speedster
The Pixi GoodWood was built in 1959 to enter the FIA world sportscar championship, based upon the road car it had a larger 1.5l engine and more aerodynamic front end design.
for 2015 to commemorate this car Knightwick motors created a series of 25 lightweight speedsters
Each car had a fully aluminium body hand built in Italy, which was then fitted with the running gear of the C-Sport.
In this case it means a state of the art turbocharged 2.0 engine making 215bhp@5800rpm and a 6 speed dual clutch gearbox.
Careful design consideration was taken to keep the classic design of the 1959 original but also making a modern sportscar.
Like the exterior, the interior keeps a modern retro design with a large central screen and superfluous controls kept to a minimum.
This particular British racing green example with a removable canvas âget me homeâ roof is available for $15,985
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I can see that while the original Pixi was built on the smallest of the '56 Swinger body sets, the new Speedster is most likely based on the smallest of the '05 Mercy body sets (the closest modern equivalent).
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TODAY ON THE CLUNKOVIC WEBSITE - GREAT DEAL OR DEATH KNELL?
AT $6464, IS THIS 1991 PALUTHENA SEDAN LANDAU WORTH BRINGING BACK FROM THE PAST ONE MORE TIME?
Todayâs âGreat deal or death knellâ that we found on Craigslist (pretendthatalinkishere) is probably rare enough for most people to either have forgotten it, or simply never heard of it. Because, what is even a âPaluthena Sedan Landauâ?
When a new generation of IPâs Icarus luxury sedan (their competitor to cars like the Toyota Crown, Nissan Gloria or Mitsubishi Debonair) was released in 1987, the automobile design house âLMJ Designâ teamed up with the kit car company âFutura Fiberglassâ based in Sunnyvale, California, to make this limited edition special build.
The Paluthena was not a kit car, though, but sold as a finished vehicle. It used the centre section of the body from the 4 door hardtop version of the IP Icarus, but had the front and rear ends replaced with fiberglass parts trying to resemble the luxury cars of the 1930s. To get a more 30s-esque styling, the front subframe was lengthened to allow for a long hood and short overhang - although it was hardly needed considering that there was still the V6 from the Icarus under the hood.
Also, changes were made to the rear part of the roof, quite sketchy ones it was said, that now was hidden under a padded canvas roof featuring landau trim and a smaller rear window.
However, spare for a few parts like the steering wheel, gear lever and HVAC controls, not much on the inside was left from the Icarus, where the car got aâŚeh, somewhat kitschy handtailored interior.
Most of the things are left intact in this car, the minibar is still there, as well as the curtains.
TV and air conditioning for the back seat passengers? You bet. Unfortunately, the car phone is missing but on the other hand that one is hardly useful with the technology we have today anyway.
This car is built on the 3 litre turbo version of the Icarus, featuring a 4 speed computer controlled automatic, and from the last model year, 1991. It may look good on the outside, but the seller seems to be honest - the door bottoms are mostly made of filler (the doors are more or less standard IP ones, though), there is some worrying rust in the somewhat sketchy lengthening of the front end, and the fiberglass parts have started developing cracks, also a new canvas roof could be needed (and who knows what that could hide). Mechanically, the flaws seems to be limited to the engine belching out some blue smoke (a junkyard turbo seems to be included in price but can you be sure that one is any better, and why havenât they changed it already), and a flickering SRS light (standard IP parts in that system, that still should be possible to get, at least used).
So, for $6464, will this neoclassic be the perfect way of getting a flashback to the good old days, or will you only rehearse the great depression with it?
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Great Deal? Im sure you mean a Better Deal.
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Absolutely horrible. I love it, great job 
Also Iâm impressed by the amount of tedious work it mustâve taken.
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Itâs barely recognizable from the donor car - the only concessions to modernity on the outside are the door mirrors. So what body set is it based on exactly? Considering its age, the '87 Boat and '89 Ice Cream are the most likely candidates.
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The 2.8 metre 1980 E90 body (that unlocks a bit too early IMO).
I didnât even know it was from there damn
Whatâs this? Poor design and engineering choices? Is that the song of my peoples I hear?
I may have to throw something together and see where it landsâŚ
There are actually two versions of it in that size, but one has a longer dash-to-axle ratio than the other, and thus lends itself better to longitudinally engined builds - I think you used that one for yours.
2001 ARMOR A-20 BRUTE
$4,049
Yes itâs a 2001. Mexican military spec A-20. I bought this sight unseen from a surplus yard. Dropped a battery in and it started right up. Bought it to make a rock crawler out of, but itâs actually an amphibious model. 4 wheel low engages a propeller driven from the transfer case. Engine is fully boxed to keep it dry. Pontoons underneath, intake and exhaust have been rerouted to function above water line.
Starts up, runs, lot drives. Everything works but should be gone through before itâs a daily. Donât have the top for it but itâs an A-20 and you can find one anywhere. Selling cuz Iâm still looking for a rock crawler. Donât really want to tear this one up because the water stuff is pretty cool (itâd be a lot of work too). Never knew they made an amphibious version⌠donât know why Mexico needed them. There are some dents on the quarter panel, looks kinda like hippo bite marks?
HAS NOT BEEN WATER TESTED. Please donât drive this into a lake without checking the seals first⌠or go ahead and do it, just donât blame me if it sinks. Like I said, everything is there, just check it first.
If the post is up itâs available.
Lore
The Armor Brute was also known by the chassis moniker A-20. The only difference was that the A-20 was made for industrial/military purposes and Brute was the name given to the civilian version.
Entering the market in 1965, the Armor Brute was sold in the United States until 1986 when it was replaced by the A-30 Mojave. The A-20, however, continued production for other markets (namely Mexico along with South America) up until 2003.
The A-20 was direct competition to the Jeep CJ. Itâs longer wheelbase lent itself to more spacious 4-seat capacity as well as a pickup truck chassis.
The A-20 H (amphibious) version was designed specifically for the Mexican government in an attempt to wrangle a population of Hippos from Pablo Escobarâs former ranch. It featured pickup truck floorboards to offer more room underneath. It also added a shaft-driven propeller underneath, activated by a modified 4-wheel drive transfer case (shifting to 4-wheel low activated the propeller). The engine bay was boxed in, pontoons were added underneath, and intake and exhaust were rerouted. Seals were all upgraded to keep water out of the passenger compartment.
Ultimately, the attempt was not successful. A-20 H Brutes are very rare, with about 15 ever being made. Most people donât even know they exist, and many are no longer in service and have unknown whereabouts.
(The stats for this one suck pretty hard, but I was watching a particular episode of Top Gear and got inspired lol).
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Hm, is that true for the 2.8 metre version? Oh well, there was pretty much ATS to move the axle forward on this one, so does not matter anyway.
Correction: the 2.84m wheelbase variant only comes with the longer dash-to-axle ratio. The 2.47m and 2.64m wheelbase variants have both, but the 2.3m wheelbase variant only has the shorter dash-to-axle ratio instead.
One of my pet peeves with the largest of the E90 Corolla body sets is that the Flyer (a 2-door notchback coupe) is limited to the same +2 rear seating as the Super (which has a fastback rear glasshouse), but this could (and should) be fixed in a future update, where the former can finally get a full-sized pair of rear seats.
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1995 Empire Medallion SS by Speedy Customs
Who would be on so much crack that they would buy a full-size grandpa car and get it converted into a single-seater speedster with a V10?
Turns out, quite a few people.
In 1996-1999, over 50 Empire Medallion SXR Coupes were sent by customers to convert into single seater sports cars, with the 6.5L Skyhawk V10, upgraded brakes and suspension to keep up with the power boost. Not too many survived, but there are still a few that are rolling around like its 1999.
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