CSR147 - Out and In the Open

CSR147 - Out and In the Open

San Francisco, 1987.

Mary and Caitlin, 26, are old friends and “long-term roommates” who just moved from a conservative small town in the deep south to San Francisco, where their Sapphic lifestyle does not need to be kept a secret any longer… Feeling free from judgment and free to be themselves, they have decided they want to make a rather symbolic purchase: a brand-new convertible.

Aside from it being a convertible and seating 4, the girls are not dead-set on any kind of car, and their budget is open to all but the top end of the convertible market. The vehicles they are looking at range from cheap and cheerful little runabouts to larger options that range from prestigious to sporty and everything in between. You have the freedom to make the kind of convertible you want.


Criteria:

Style: Since the purchase is an emotional and symbolic one, the car needs to pull at the heartstrings, and that starts with appearance. They are looking at vehicles that range widely in price and market segment, and they want a car with a styling flair that matches the car’s intention: A cheaper car should look cute, a sporty car should look sporty, and luxurious car should look luxurious, and something that strikes a balance should, well, strike a handsome balance. They aren’t snobs, so it doesn’t need to look expensive, but if it is expensive, it shouldn’t look cheap. Above all else, make a car they want to see, and want to be seen in.

Value for Money: They are looking at vehicles that range widely in price and market segment. They obviously will lean towards more affordable options if the more expensive options don’t seem to be worth the extra cash. The girls enjoy cars, but are not experts: for example, they are more impressed by features you can physically see and feel than fancy engineering under the skin; they are more impressed by acceleration than ultimate handling at ten tenths. Consider these things when making your choices and spending your budget. Service costs and fuel economy will be considered in this as well, but to a lesser extent than purchase price. I’ll add though, the girls are not robots and value for money isn’t perfectly quantifiable. Don’t expect an algebra equation for this.

The Stats: The car should be competent based on what it seems like it is meant to do. Since there is a wide variety of possible options, stats will be viewed in the context of the type of car it is. The girls will care about sportiness more if it is a sporty car, they will care more about prestige if it is an expensive car, etc. Nothing wrong with aiming for an all-arounder either, nor sacrificing stats for a cheaper car. This ties back a bit to value for money; do what you can with the budget you choose. With that in mind, stats they won’t really care about, regardless of car: Offroad and Utility. Not the type of car they want.

Inspirations (sorted roughly by price order, not necessarily desirability)

1987-AMC-Renault-Alliance-Convertible-1-640x480
Renault Alliance

CAB2
VW Cabriolet


Dodge Shadow

1987-Mustang-LX
Ford Mustang


Chrysler LeBaron


GM J-bodies


3rd Gen Toyota Celica


4th Gen Toyota Celica


GM F-bodies


S13 Nissan Silvia


F31 Nissan Leopard/Infiniti M30


Saab 900


6th Gen Buick Riviera


E30 BMW 3 Series


Rules:

  • Trim and Variant year: 1987 or older. If you do go older, please keep it new enough to that it would reasonably still be sold new in 1987.
  • Must be a Soft Top convertible
Must be 2+2 seating: unfortunately some bodies can get full rear seats and some can't, and there isn't much rhyme or reason to it. For the sake of fairness, use this seat layout.

image

  • Max trim ET: 125
  • Max engine ET: 120 base, up to 130 for mixed-material engines (ie iron block, aluminum head)
  • Max price: $45,000
  • Max cylinder count: 8
  • Fuel Type: Premium 95 RON or Regular 91 RON. High performance engines would be expected to use Premium, more normal engines would use Regular. Please think when choosing the fuel type for your engine.
  • Must have a Catalytic Converter
  • Standard CSR Realism rules apply: if you aren’t sure if something is realistic and you can’t find evidence online of it being a realistic choice, be wary. However, I’m gonna give some leeway here if an usual choice is within reason and seems to made for the sake of quirk rather than minmax.
  • Standard naming convention for model and family. CSR147 - yourusername
  • The challenge is being run on 4.2 Open Alpha

Notes: I’m trying to give a lot of freedom with this CSR; I think some of the best CSRs have been challenges where the entries varied greatly, and with this, no one should feel pigeonholed into a specific type of build. Basically, aside from that it must be a 4 seat convertible, reasonably realistic, and not ultra-expensive, you can build what you’d like. I’m hoping to see a wide variety of approaches. Some of the inspirations are slightly newer or slightly older than 1987 to hopefully give a good sense of the wide range of possibilities.


Submissions close June 21st, 0400 UTC.

30 Likes

Does this mean we have to actually select a body with a soft-top convertible body style, then select any of the soft-top convertible type options (detachable, manual, automatic, or hidden auto) for our builds?

Anyway, our entries should run on 91 RON regular unleaded and be fitted with catalytic converters (preferably those of the 3-way kind) - this round is set in (late) '80s America, after all.

2 Likes

Yes, body variants with Soft Top convertible options must be used. A section on octane and cats I will add momentarily.

2 Likes

As an amendment to my suggestion: are fully detailed interiors mandatory, or are they optional?

And as for the difference between a regular automatic soft top and a hidden one, I think the latter is stowed under a hard cover when it’s retracted.

1 Like

Interiors are optional. I personally think they are a pain to make so if anyone doesn’t want to make one I totally get it

2 Likes

Is there a preference for automatics or manual?

With that in mind, a manual transmission would be a more fitting choice for a sportier car than it would be for a less sporty one.

With the et rules it stops someone making a Ferrari 328 GTS or Porsche 911 cabrio but how cheap is too cheap? Is something like a Yugo cabriolet going to be laughed away or is that a genuine idea?

A sub-$20k car may just be too cheap for our clients, given the $45k price cap. In addition, the requirement for 2+2 seating makes most (all?) mid-engined bodies totally unusable. But given that some of the inspirations had turbocharged engines, will Mary & Caitlin prefer a turbo over an NA engine? I don’t think they would want to cope with excess turbo lag, though.

The Yugo could be made to work. On paper, it isn’t too far off the cheap end of the inspirations like the VW and Renault. Anything outside of the bounds of the inspirations would be a bit of a wildcard, but that is near enough as to be not completely off mark.

Do keep in mind that Value for Money is very important. The price cap is not a target to aim for, it is simply an upper bound where you will receive an instabin if you exceed.

No particular preference.

2 Likes


IN A WORLD FULL OF COPIES, BE AN ORIGINAL!



Vaughn Silverbird. The legend lives on.

16 Likes

I just realized that although the '79 C4 body can only have one row of seats (and is therefore ineligible for use in this round), all three sizes of the '83 Bean body have room for a +2 rear row in both front- and rear-engined (but not mid-engined) configurations.

Yes, but this is the 1969 body that in its coupé version looks a bit like a Manta B.

I didn’t realize that the Manta B-esque body (not the older Manta A body) now has a proper soft-top convertible variant in addition to having its unlock year changed to 1969, along with a few other useful improvements. Still, you deserve kudos for making a body that old wedge fit right in with a late-80s aesthetic.

1 Like

1987 Chevillic Marina 3.2 SE

Bring one home today for just $9,900*.

Gallery


definitely cool and definitely not a dying model from '84


how the mighty have fallen

* $25,200 w/ inflation

37 Likes

Nice car!

2 Likes

wow that car is just unbelieveably handsome and also realistic-looking

good job

3 Likes

I’ve come up with a few ideas for an entry - the first one is a low-budget build, the second one is high-end and sporty, and the third is at the top of the budget with all the luxury trimmings. All of them seem very promising - I just need to decide which one works best for me before the deadline.

1 Like

Cabrera Lizara V6

Mediterranean flair


Extra
  • 2.5L V6

  • Excellent driving dynamics

  • Unique character

  • For only 28.100$


19 Likes

1987 Bazard Cayote

This new generation of Cayote is the perfect little Pony car for all your needs, featuring a spritely 200hp V6 on an all new light-and-tossable monocoque chassis!

The convertible variant shown features the the premium package, which includes full-leather seats, a top-quality automatic transmission, an electronic motor to operate the convertible top, and best of all: A.B.S., the new revolution in automotive safety and control! Stop in your nearest Bazard Dealership to learn more!

4 Likes