CSR149: Take Me Away (Complete)

The use of semi-space frame is not really too questionable because of things like a Lamborghini or Lotus using them, but mac strut + semi trailing is quite dated compared to a basically new 2000s chassis setup in my mind.

Service cost was 2,277.60 in game also, making it easily the highest of all entries, about double compared to 90% of the grid in fact, so that would have held you back big time. I think it was due to tyre profile being small: major contributor at over 4000 Automation currency into the price! Also variable intake and the top speed being 200mph+.

The braking had a low pad type for a sporty car at 35, and the braking at max was not really ideal for a sports car, plus also having 5.1% front & 4.2% rear for sportiness fading which could have been sorted from more brake airflow or and re-adjusting of the brakes using more pistons.

As far as quality there was +3 on Turbo, -2 on Body quality (I guess I’d have been more fine with if it was a kit car or something fibreglass) and +2 on safety which isn’t actually bad (safety will get to later). The whole min-max-y was more towards it being a really weird car to gauge.

I couldn’t really figure out what it was trying to be: It has an open differential & the old school mac & STA suspension but has lightweight mag wheels, sport compound, vented disks, ABS+TC+ESC and could just over hit 200mph: I don’t really see why to settle for an open differential when basically any sports car would have utilised one by the 00s, then the mac & STA when a DW & DW/Multilink approach would have been more suitable IMO. Then I got confused on why have basic 90s with +2 opposed to standard or advanced, I figure it’s for weight saving but was just strange to me.

Exterior wasn’t the strongest suit either. I will try to be nice and constructive, when analysing I can get critical quickly. I’ll try my best:

It is quite basic in aesthetics, didn’t really strike me as a normal production car with the widebody front arches, I’d compare it more to the likes of Saleen or Hennessey (Viper Venom, Snakebite? Guess that helped too haha) with the vibe it gave, more of a “tuner” brand car, colour, chrome light internals and quirk kind of landed me there.

The soft top material is quite matte and flat textured from a distance, it’s only when get up close you can see the texture. The leather scale is at .5, but when I adjusted to .85 to 1.0 it looked a bit more soft-top material fitting. I don’t have anything to add with the midnight purple, felt that suited the car well, was a good factor.

I had an attempt at redesigning the facia with the original design’s motivation in mind:

I tried my best to clean it up but stick to the elements you had on the original, I also looked at the Honda S2000 for a bit of shape inspiration to work on. I realise you’re quite new to the forums/game, and the design part can be quite hard to get into, hopefully I did my best to try give pointers all around for next time! :ok_hand: (I’d ask on anyone else on the forums to help out if they would too)

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Well damn @Aruna, that was nice of you to give that wonderful explanation to the question asked of you.

I asked a question to a host about my car and got crickets recently :neutral_face:.

And you still got HELLA work to do, I applaud you…real shit.

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Now this is a shining example of positive interaction between participant and host. Kudos to both of you @Aruna and @captin_stiffie ! :slight_smile:

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Didn’t the BMW 3 series coupes/convertibles use macpherson/semi trailing arm set up well until the late 2000s?

Great write up and explanation for the bin though!

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The Z3 and Compact had the E30 STA rear suspension but I don’t think the regular coupés/convertibles had. From the looks of the car it hardly seems to be a 3 series competitor though.

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Oh, agreed. Sorry, I should have mentioned that as an aside, I’m not contesting the bin in the slightest.

It’s quite hard getting the information online about what specific suspension is used on cars most times, but I think most standalone sports cars like to use double wishbone & or multi-link?

I’m not an expert when it comes to what suspension types cars use though, it’s just an observation from a few! :smile:

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That’s fair. I just double checked for my own sanity, and it seems I misremembered anyway! They used Macpherson fronts and 5 point multi link on the rears. :slight_smile:

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McStrut/STA would probably not be a first choice for a pure sports car, that’s right.

McStruts are more typically used in production cars for safety and simplicity - and as such, many production-derived sports cars like the current Supra, Camarostang, M-cars use it too.

It’s the same with semi-trailing. It was the go-to production car IRS until replaced by multilinks - so pretty much all fast BMWs, Mercs, and the Sierra/Escort Cozza all used those. The one pure sports car that used STA that I can think of is the Porsche 911.

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STAs are a good compromise for a daily driver. It’s a cheap and simple form of IRS, that during normal conditions are giving good grip reserves and nice comfort. They also eliminated the danger of the swing axle suspension (the type that caused the criticism of the early Corvair, even if they were far from alone in using it), the risk of one wheel tucking under, in worst cause causing a rollover when the edge of the rim digs into the pavement.

However, it has some drawbacks for inspired driving. With a multilink or DW you have much better control over the movement of the wheel that you can’t get with a STA that honestly speaking ain’t much more advanced in its construction than a hinge. One typical example is that cars with STA are a bit prone to lift off oversteer since toe angles tend to change during acceleration and retardation. The shorter the wheelbase, the worser it is. Not so noticeable in a BMW 7-series, very noticeable in a 3-series.

So, that’s probably why it has never really been the to go choice for sports cars.

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These posts have been very informative, thanks!

Every 911 before the 993 had semi-trailing arms - the 993 was the first to use a multi-link rear end.

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That’s correct - and it should be said that the STA on the 911 was a big improvement over the swing axles used on the 356, and that many sports cars were still using a solid axle when the original 911 arrived (of course not possible on Porsches due to the rear engine).

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Wow, that actually helps me understand a bit of how to design better. Appreciate the info from everyone. Now if I could just understand brakes and the actual setup I might have a chance…

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Solid lines somewhat above their dashed counterparts, more above in the front, less so in the rear, esp. without ABS. Drivablity fade zero, the other two fades zero if you care about sportiness or utility (or the challenge host is totally allergic to fade)

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Here are two more examples of cars with semi-trailing arm rear suspension:

The Holden Commodore (and its various derivatives) got STA rear suspension (something the GM F-body never had, even in its later years) with the VP (as an option on most trims, and as standard on SS and Calais), and retained it until the Zeta-based VE debuted in 2006.

The Rolls-Royce/Bentley SZ platform (which underpinned many of their models from the 1980s right up until the early 2000s) also used an STA rear end, but as far as I am aware, the Arnage (which used an all-new platform) did not.

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Judging Round 2.1: 1970s


A pub, somewhere in Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

Some days later from pondering the web gathering ideas on which cars he might like: Chad was by himself at the pub with a pint in one hand and phone in the other, ready to search for the car of his dreams.

He decided to browse through a bunch of classic car sales website first, nothing better than the old guard right…?


@GassTiresandOil - Armor Hurricane S/C 1970

Chad: Hell yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. Armor Hurricane S/C, a proper American muscle car built for that 0-60 and drag strip time. It’s able to do 0-60mph in 6.18s which was really impressive in it’s own time for an almost half-ton swell of 'merican steel.

The aesthetics on this one are sweet, you wouldn’t miss this car coming a mile away from colour and presence alone! The hard and aggressive looks are really stunning. The era correctness of it being full stock and untouched is radical. It’s got a load of space inside and in the boot too, perfect! Even though it’s from 1970… I’m certain that Iron lump would save me in a head on, no doubt. Now onto the things that matter…

It’s advertised at £11,100. Not bad at all! I’ll have to convert it to unleaded though, so about £222 on top of that, yeah not bad at all. Fuel economy wise… It’s a 5 litre V8 from 1970, I might just be able to pull 17mpg if I drive sanely. Thankfully it’s a hydraulic power steering model so I won’t have to bulk up at the gym if I want it.


:star: Pros: Price, Aesthetics, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Performance, Service Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality and Offroad.

:warning: Cons: Sportiness, Comfort, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Yearly Costs, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

OOC notes: This entry is awesome! I really appreciate going for classic muscle, considering it’s the only old school muscle car entered despite 8 of 12 American inspirations being from that time.

Beyond that, it’s really solid all over, I only have really small nit-picks personally: The tyre wall writing was clipping a tiny bit, it was running quite tall suspension but it fit the era by the looks of it, rear fog-light wasn’t necessarily needed since it’s exempt from MOT/Older than 1979, and the rear badging fonts clashed.

I’m not 100% sure how I feel about the clash because of it being a trim type of font (S/C 303 versus Hurricane badge) it’s really just down to opinion, I would have had one or the other.


@S_U_C_C_U_L_E_N_T - Hinode Garuda 3000GT 1970

Chad: Woah damn. A Hinode Garuda 3000GT, fancy Japanese 2+2 GT from way back, it was truly a revolutionary car for the brand back then. It’s also hella rare, only 380 made?! Even a specialised one modified for the UK plates done back when it was made, sweet. I’d expect this to be going for way out of my budget, let’s see…

Swoopy lines and sleek flow, it’s absolutely lovely to look at, belongs in a car museum no doubt!.. Or my ownership heh. Yearly running & service costs wise it seems really solid, plus unlike other Japanese brands at the time it has Aluminium panels and even galvanised chassis, that’ll be better for the UK climate for sure.

It’s advertised at £18,050. Yikes, plus it needs converting to unleaded so that’s about £361 on top. I’d really have to dive deep into my pockets for it, but the cheaper running costs make up for that long term. I’ve seem through online forums they have reliability issues on odd occasion though so it could be one to look into. I’d need to be careful driving it too, lightweight classics can get real nasty in accidents…


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Reliability, Sportiness, Performance, Service & Yearly costs, Prestige, Practicality, Environmental Resistance, Offroad.

:warning: Cons: Price, Comfort, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Safety, Drivability.

OOC notes: I really love the wood trim interior, proper classy and cool! It’s really well-made too, same can be said for the exterior: It’s super refined and elegant looking but with the hint of sportiness from big grille and vents along the sides: It almost makes me think Mercedes 300SL but Japanese and a lot later on!

There is annoyingly exhaust clipping on the back seat, but I didn’t take that into the scores as for any of the other entries.

I cannot really question anything else, it’s a properly solid build!


@AndiD - Mayster Triumf 2.0 Roadster 1971

Chad: Oooh, a real shed-built machine! I watched a 1st Gear video on this brand a few days back, gave a real insight to them. It’s essentially a lightweight roadster, it’s not as cracking performance compared to the previous two, but there is something about it…

It’s quite overwhelming how much backstory there is on the Mayster Triumf Roadster: From the one guy with a vision of a lightweight sportster, which could only be sold on exports due to no market in home country, then winning in endurance races in 1960s, then in the 70’s the Triumf ended up being axed due to stagnating sales, before being bought out in 1990 by Mara, becoming a performance division. The yearly running costs would be exceptionally low, and to service not that bad either.

It’s amazingly cheap: Only £11,700! Though runs on leaded, so would need around £234 to get it upgraded. Being built from a shed the exterior quality isn’t up to scratch of most cars, it is quite basic to say the least, but it is perhaps the brand might have been focused on more things than design and not put as much into it. I wouldn’t really say it’s a looker… Though the yellow is not helping either. The brand isn’t exactly prestigious but is quite niche and cool all the same. I wouldn’t want to imagine how fragile and unsafe it may be on Britain’s roads though. I’ve known Triumph Spitfires suspensions to go on our potholes so I’d need to be careful driving it!


:star: Pros: Price, Performance, Sportiness, (Most definitely) Lore & Presentation, Interior, Service and Yearly costs, Drivability, Offroad.

:warning: Cons: Aesthetics, Comfort, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Prestige (Score), Safety, Practicality, Environmental Resistance.

OOC notes: My goodness, the faux Jeremy Clarkson voice style Top Gear video is top notch, put a goofy smile on my face right away, top marks for that, brilliant!

As for the exterior design I have quite a few issues: The wheels definitely look like they’re from 2010+ being extremely thin and sharp in design, making it look quite out of place. I feel like iconic minilite wheels would have fit this car perfectly, or a different kind of older alloy wheel. “1970s alloy wheels” in any search engine comes back with good ideas if you’re struggling! :ok_hand:

The design is quite on the barren side for exterior, whilst I do appreciate it is an old car, and a shed-built car on low budget, I feel like more could have been added to improve the aesthetic in total, because the interior and hood (convertible top) seem to be where the detail has gone to, as well as most obviously the lore & presentation. I’m not sure why the paint is a half-matte looking with 0.10 shininess. It’s a shame it’s not really the sort of yellow Chad is into as well as that. Also the mirrors are quite small from exterior viewing, but seem fine from a first-person side.

Being a shed-built actually reminded me of something similarly built but with quite a bit more going on for design:

TVR's Tuscan

image

The brake fade could have been sorted with airflow to brakes, and perhaps more adjustment to the force for extra optimisation.

I hope this helps for further designs! I do not intend to offend with my feedback but to help out.


@lotto77 - Planar Astraea EX-S 1971

Chad: Oh wow, a Planar Astraea EX-S! A very quirky Australian sports car aimed at being an entry level luxury sports car. I’m surprised there is even one in the UK, they’re supposedly rare anywhere but down under. Let’s check it out a bit more…

The flashy and truly beautiful exterior is something to be worked up over. The very futuristic facia with hidden pop-ups and low-planted lights make a very menacing impactful front, whilst at the rear: red-lined trim works around to side (albeit not aligned entirely but no biggy) from those very quirky shaped taillights. I’m a huge fan of the aesthetics, truly desirable to me!

Let’s see, the price is £16,400. Not too steep, not too lean either. £328 for the unleaded conversion too. It might be hard to get Aussie specific parts over here, costly for shipping too, and reliability wise they don’t seem too great…


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Performance, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Prestige, Practicality, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Price, Comfort, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Service & Yearly Costs, Safety, Offroad.

OOC notes: I really love the exterior and interior on this, great work! The stylish sleek lines on the outside are accented well with the fenders trim and decals, as well as enough chrome for a lifetime. The interior looks like it took a lot of patience and it has came out really great!

I don’t really have any feedbacks other than the mirrors I think are a tad small, though from interior positioning they look fine.


@Ludvig - Swanson 725 SPO 1974

Chad: Interesting. Swanson 725 SPO! It’s a quirky design, and has a 2.5L flat 6. Also a better soft-top mechanism, nice!

The interior looks really great, and colour scheme is definitely up my alley! The deep red contrasted by beige is quite distinct but all-together a good blend, not being overly glaring. Because of the fuel economy better than those I checked out earlier, yearly costs is quite down in this one too!

Price of £16,200 and about £324 on top for leaded conversion isn’t that bad, not great either. The exterior is quite defined in its self, distinctive but I wouldn’t really say too attractive on the front, the rear is a little better though. Service costs are high if I needed to get an MOT, parts might be expensive. Being galvanised and aluminium it’s ideal for UK roads though.


:star: Pros: Price, Sportiness, Performance, Realism & Lore, Interior, Fuel Economy, Yearly Costs, Prestige, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Aesthetics, Comfort, Reliability, Service Costs, Safety, Practicality, Offroad.

OOC notes: The front end reminds me of the wet owl meme in a way lol. Overall the exterior is super quirky and has that space age feel to the rear. I’m a fan of the dark-red/maroon colours on the inside! Interior is nicely done as well, it’s a shame the gauges are inverted due to it being flipped to RHD but nothing can be done about that really.

Only one bad point is the rear plate is white, when UK rear plates are yellow unless old style black & silver all around.


Gosh that took me a while to write out! Hopefully this is a good amount of detail & feedback for everyone. I felt like I’ve tried my hardest to achieve a good standard of judging!

I will leave choosing the entries that make it into the favourites round 3 (ones with the better stats per star rating hierarchy wise & personal wise) until every car is fairly judged to avoid bias towards earlier judged entries.

So the entries that make it through will be officially decided once round 2.3 is written and uploaded.

I’ll try work up the strength and energy within me to write up a little bit every day this week!


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Judging Round 2.2: 1980s


Another day, another pub, somewhere in Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

Lounging around, Chad moves onto checking out what’s within budget from the 1980s.

From kit cars to Group B homologated cars and all other sorts of sports cars between…


@inf2 - Lance KTG4 Targa-EA 1981

Chad: Let’s see… A kit car? Quirky. Lance KTG4 Targa-EA, 1 of 507 so it’s quite rare too. A neat little find, think I’ll investigate further.

I really love the styling going on here, it looks like an old Le Mans racer, but costs nowhere near the prices those go for! According to the specs online it’s no slouch when it comes to the track, though the anaemic motor doesn’t do it anything for the straightaways. It does great fuel economy and costs barely anything each year if I were to run it due to being tax and MOT exempt, neat!

It’s being sold for £12,750, cheap as chips, just what I like heh. According to the specs online it’s no slouch when it comes to the track, though the anaemic motor doesn’t do it anything for the straightaways. Besides that, I’m not quite sure it’ll be a fun experience inside if I can even cram myself in that cabin!


:star: Pros: Cost, Aesthetics, Sportiness, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Fuel Economy, Yearly Costs, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Performance, Comfort, Reliability, Service Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality.

OOC notes: I’m a fan of the visual flat floor being that it is fully clad, kudos for the detailing there! The interior is basic looking at first but there is quite a lot to it: From the staggered gauges, roll cage & seatbelts, as well as quirky race-car style window openings, a very rad package!

The exterior reminiscent of 60s race cars like the Ferrari 330 P4 and Porsche 910 is super cool, and despite it being simple, there is a details which helps add to it visually such as the straps, exposed front radiator, sculpted in rear boot-space and undertray.

Sadly it’s one of the slower entries top speed & 0-60 wise, but the great 1.11g cornering ability helps make up for that. I definitely feel like with a slightly more powerful motor it would be more competitive as well as more up Chad’s alley.


@Xepy - Kaufmann Viera Turbo 1981

Chad: Oh my gosh, an iconic Kaufmann Viera Turbo! I remember these from playing Auto Turismo. Super neat homologated rally cars for Group B.

That colour combo and blocky yet striking lines just oozes style, I can really dig it! It’s no slouch too, 0-60 in sub 6-seconds and 1.15g in cornering… What a machine. Looks to have enough room inside the boot for what I’m after. Rally cars are usually hauling their spare parts around after all. Pre 1982 as well, so no Tax or MOT needed, definitely has it’s perks this one. I can vision myself scooting up and around roads in the Alps now, with all my snowboarding gear and all…

Cost wise, it’s for sale at £16,350. Not really ideal, but not bad either for what the offering is! It’s got real bad fuel economy but everything else is absolutely cool.


:star: Pros: Price, Aesthetics, Sportiness, Performance, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Service & Yearly Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Reliability and Fuel Economy.

OOC notes: Minor clipping/gaps in the footwells for interior but it’s not a big issue just thought I’d bring it up.

I’m not so in the loop on speed limiters but after a little research it seems 155mph is most common European type, 112mph for Japanese domestic cars (87mph for Kei cars). As well as this according to comments on articles & forums via google (totally reliable source, but better than nothing) 113mph & 124mph limits on a Mustangs, and Mini Coopers in the US limited to 124mph too. So at first I thought it was odd to have a certain speed limiter, but now I see it can be quite common. ((This info-digging was all from the 124mph limiter the Viera Turbo has.))

Super radical style inside and out nonetheless though! I am a fan of the two-tone on interior, the blue and gold exterior too are super sweet.


@Maverick74 - Markley Palomino SST 1981

Chad: Damn, I was playing that Absolute Revolution game a while back and one of the AI had this exact car too. Huh, I’m curious about this Markley Palomino SST now…

This is peak late 70’s-early 80’s American hot hatch, something that would be a commuter except it’s packing a giant 4.5L V8 lump able to hit 60 in 6.4s! What a crazy car, the flashy decals are cool, but those thick US bumpers really detract from the cool factor, rear louvers, front splitter, and wide arches make up for it! Apparently Palominos in good condition in America can do over 500,000 miles easy with little to no fixing-up, damn! Plus, another 1981 car: No tax, no MOT needed, sweet money saved always gives me a smile.

It’s up for £12,500, heck yeah, nice price to bargain with! Though since with it being old it may not be as cosy as my Bass, but eh. Fuel economy of the big V8 isn’t cracking, but it’s a V8 after all. It is quite hard to find info on the car online, but it can be prone to rusting of course.


:star: Pros: Price, Aesthetics, Performance, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Reliability, Service & Yearly Costs, Safety, Practicality, Offroad.

:warning: Cons: Sportiness, Comfort, Fuel Economy, Prestige, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

OOC notes: Interior clips on the rear seats, but no issue. It’s a shame the interior gauges have no markings! I like the inside otherwise, though the body colour door handles are a bit weird unsure if it’s a bug or intentional?

The exterior is super cool and nice, I recall judging the Turbo version for AGC22, and I’m still a fan of the design, it rocks!


@karhgath - Régal Aeron SuperSport (Octane 3500 Edition) 1981

Chad: Wow, a second Group B homologation car! The Régal Aeron SuperSport Octane 3500 Edition… It’s got the 1980’s stylish flair all over it.

I really adore the aesthetic going on with the Aeron SuperSport. The striking hard lines, white-out rally wheels and subtle aero going on make it super sweet and totally ready for a hard drive on a dirt stage. It has performance to boot too, 5.5s to 60 and goes all the way to 151mph! 1.09gs on the skidpad makes it one all around rally monster! Again being a 1981 car, no Tax or MOT needed, very nice. It has loads of boot space for tyres, or even my bike if I took the front wheel off I bet!

Now then, the price is £18,800, oof, the most expensive so far, damn. It’s not that bad when it comes to reliability as others, but being an older car isn’t great either, although what really brings it down is the rarity, parts are gonna be expensive if it comes to that…


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Performance, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Price, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Service & Yearly Costs.

OOC notes: Very clean and slick design! Reminiscent of Quattro and Delta of course, but unique enough on it’s own. The interior colours and textures are very well done, and accent the interior’s design well, it’s super neat! Not quite sure why the half-matte paint (Shininess of 0.45) though? It makes the red look quite flat.

Find it slightly weird there is a clock where the RPM gauge might be and no RPM gauge anywhere else, but otherwise nice job!


@oppositelock - GSI Jackal 1985

Chad: Hm, a GSI Jackal? I haven’t heard of this car before, and there isn’t too much information about it beyond specs…

I do like that deep red colour quite a lot, though I am on the fence styling wise. I like the centre mount exhausts, the front upper facia is quite nice too, and the foglights at the front bring it together. It’s fast too, 5.6s to 60 and just about hits 150mph, plus 1.10g skidpad… Hmm.

How much? It is up for £14,100! That’s quite reasonable. Although, it is a V6… I’ll have to look it up on viewtube to see how it sounds I suppose. According to what the internet says about it, parts are somewhat expensive, not bad, but it does have tendency to breakdown, yikes.


:star: Pros: Price, Aesthetics, Sportiness, Performance, Comfort, Presentation, Interior, Fuel Economy, Yearly Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Lore, Reliability, Service Costs.

OOC notes: The interior is super neat, I appreciate the effort of doing a boot-area too, but the colour really lets it down badly: It’s kind of a dreary dark-yellow-beige to my eye more than a Tan as colour is called.

The design is nice, but I feel like it could be improved upon: The lower vents on the front being overly curvy at the sides doesn’t seem to fit for 1985, as pretty much every sports car in that period only really used squares and rectangles on their wedge shaped bodies, I feel like the choice of body might not have helped there (really unsure as to why it unlocks so early, it really looks more like a late 80’s shape being so smooth, I feel it should be late unlock than early or mid, maybe even 1987 or 1988 rather than 1980.)

The taillights look a bit out of place being completely flat to the rear, maybe having the cluster curve around to the side might have helped. Another more personal thing, but the boot-lid spoiler I would have definitely done it all the way across the entire rear than just the boot, it just looks quite odd having it be only there, the shape of the rear would have done it well going all the way width wise.


@ChemaTheMexican - Bravo Inispirato 16v Evo 1985

Chad: Damn! A third Group B homologated ride: The Bravo Inispirato 16v Evo. A 2 litre 222hp AWD hot hatch. I’m not really invested in a hatchback but it’s something sporty and stylish. Let’s see if it’s viable…

Now this is a cracking yellow, on top of that the styling is peak 80’s, super tight lines flowing from front to back, the turbofan wheels are sweet as they come as well. It fits snug in-between the Kaufmann & Régal for 0-60 at 5.7s, and able to hit 148mph with cornering max Gs at 1.12. Quite ideal performance there!

As for the price, it’s a whopping £18,800! Expensive as I’d expect a Group B road car to be now-a-days sadly. According to online, the suspension setup really lets the car down, as the brand kept the race-tuned setup on the road car, doesn’t sound quite as comfy as I’d like. They are also quite unreliable too sadly.


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Performance, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Prestige, Practicality, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Cost, Comfort, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Service & Yearly Costs, Safety, Offroad.

OOC notes: Although it is a 5 door hatchback, I’m willing to let it slide because it’s in the spirit of the brief.

Real sweet design all over! It’s a shame the comfort, reliability and offroad are real low along with the costs being high. Still very strong in some areas but pricey.

Besides that, the exterior is cool, albeit it’s pretty much 90% Lancia Delta, though I appreciate the differences. However there is clipping from the interior on the sides that is noticeable, as well as one trim piece is disconnected, I won’t take it away from the scores like any other entry either, just to bring to attention:

I would next time sacrifice more sportiness for comfort because at 11.7 this is the lowest comfort score of all entries which is a big OOF considering the fibreglass kit cars had better scores.


@BannedByAndroid - Svensson SV280 turbo X 1986

Chad: Interesting, a Svensson turbo X, looks to be a sporty model of a more basic personal coupe. I wonder if they rallied these? I can’t see much info on them online.

That yellow is quite something. The brick slab aesthetic is okay I suppose, looks solid. Bet I’d come off well if I got into an accident in that, hehe. It can do 0-60 in 6s, pretty impressive, and a 150mph top speed is more than enough! The AWD will help if I offroad it, and in daily driving too, hm…

It’d be £15,900 to buy, not bad really. Though surprisingly it’s said to not be as solid on reliability as it is on that brick-like rugged exterior. Rather costly upkeep due to poor fuel economy too, and the tax and MOT won’t make that any prettier, ouch.


:star: Pros: Price, Aesthetics, Performance, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Service Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad.

:warning: Cons: Sportiness, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Yearly Costs, Environmental Resistance.

OOC notes: Definitely not the type of yellow Chad is into, a hue of 36 vs 27 of the Bravo Inispirato, it’s quite too far a sort of acid yellow versus a more orange-yellow/solar yellow.

There is some clipping from the interior which makes it look to have a full width mudflap on the undertray, I assume unintentional but it looks pretty cool lol. No seatbelts & speakers on the interior, and a confusing seat height/headrest area is things I’d improve upon next time.

Exterior wise it’s good although basic, I would have experimented more with the front shape and sizings for headlights, and the lower grille definitely. Maybe on the rear, custom louvers could have been used to fit the car a bit better than it clipping into the boot lid on the bottom part.


@desperatedonut5 - Escudo Portio Spyder V6 1987

Chad: Hmm, another car with not much info about it online, Escudo Portio Spyder… V6. Hm… It’s quirky, let’s check it out anyways. The exhaust note might be up to scratch? Not sure about Portuguese V6s, never heard them.

Well, the looks are quite something. It has quite a big nose bulge looking facia, and the rear is stacked like a skyscraper. It’s not really that bad, definitely maximum quirkiness. That tall boot has gotta have loads of room I bet, and with it being a spyder and 2+2 there is room for spare wheel & tyres, my mountain bike and snowboard easily.

£16,450. Not a bad price, but there again I don’t think it’s really low enough for me to enjoy. These things have bad record for reliability on forums, and mega expensive to run + parts cost, It’s not exactly good on MPG either, the V6 doesn’t really help with my dream car in mind too.


:star: Pros: Price, Aesthetics, Sportiness, Presentation, Practicality, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Comfort, Performance, Lore, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Service & Yearly Costs, Prestige, Safety, Offroad.

OOC notes: Missing front seatbelts but has rear? Rather confusing, there is the belt plug on front but no belts anywhere.

I wouldn’t say this is the most attractive car ever, it certainly isn’t much to Chad’s style either, but I appreciate the effort it has upon inspection. The badging with the blue waves are very cool little details, though on the side one I think you forgot to mirror it.

Not quite sure what’s up with the tan-colour bolted on strap on the front right of the front bumper?

Also lol, engine is called “3.0L Namco N/A 6-cyl” Namco moment!


@DuceTheTruth100 - Axxus Sabre GTC 1987

Chad: Hmm… What is this quirky machine? An Axxus Sabre GTC? I’m unfamiliar with it, and the posting doesn’t have much extra info on it either. I guess I’ll take a look anyway…

I don’t think it’s really my type of dream car, maybe someone else’s but the styling is quite basic and even non-car people wouldn’t take a second look I bet. Maybe it has something to back it up? According to online they’re quite safe and easy to handle behind the wheel aaand that’s about it…

For sale at £15,850, I don’t think I’ll consider this once let alone twice, It’s not really a looker at all, has a slugish old-style automatic slushbox, not much ad info to go on, was unsure if it was an advert to begin with, or just from the brand? Reliability is questionable as much as I can find online, fuel economy and yearly costs aren’t looking too great either.


:star: Pros: Price, Comfort, Service Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Performance, Lore & Presentation, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Yearly Costs.

OOC notes: Literally the only automatic submitted, and oddly not an adv. auto either despite it being an option, rather questionable considering it’s late 80’s.

The interior trim looks to be almost vantablack on the inner seats which isn’t great, plus the contrast of the gray interior and body colour centre trim really gives the appearance of a cheap quality interior. It is a premium/premium but really, I’m not seeing it sadly. No seatbelts or speakers too. Definitely would advise to use inspirational pictures of interiors next time to help get a nice mixture of realism and originality. The rear seats also look way too small, and the centre leg-room divider thing above transmission tunnel just looks strange.

The wire wheels look rather out of place on the car. As for the exterior styling, it’s quite basic and questionable in areas. The front number plate is really low, I’m not sure of any car that has a plate that low and angled slightly towards the road too. The headlights have double-up indicators but are also flat texture which doesn’t really add depth to the design, helping it become quite bland. Rear also has the “painted on” taillight going on, and again a really low plate positioning. The boot-lid spoiler is barely existing, it feels like it gave up wanting to be a sports car and settled as a basic coupe with some weird flair? I cannot quite gauge it looks sporty enough really other than the reverse bonnet scoop, front bumper-side vent and side vents, other than those it looks like an economy car with a hint of foxbody Mustang & a Camaro/Firebird rear. The wiper default positioning is rather high, obscuring the driver’s view slightly too. Overall impression is it’s like the Chevrolet Impala that could be mistaken for a Nissan Skyline from far away.

The transmission could have been adjusted (as well as use an Adv. Automatic for a massive bolstering to stats), as it redlines at max speed, so it could have been pushed further and had spacing re-adjusted for better economy, then maybe a limited for better service costs at the expense of some drivability, sportiness and prestige.

It really doesn’t really need staggered tyres (205/225), could have been adjusted in tuning for even better service costs as well as performance and comfort from a little tweaking I tried.

Hopefully my excessive questioning/rambling hasn’t offended you, as I only wish to help improve your build for the future, I would definitely try and experiment with styling and engineering more, using inspirational reference from real world cars to help gauge what works and what doesn’t.


@HybridTronny - Steurmann 8GT 1988

Chad: A Steurmann 8GT, wow a proper V8 GT car, looks cracking too! I gotta check this one out.

I love the frog-eye looks of the front, it’s cute when pop-up, but super sleek when down. The swoopy smooth styling and two-tone trim are very nice looking together. I’d maybe have chose a more unusual colour like purple or bright blue if they did them. The performance on this one is superb, 0-60 in almost 5 seconds, limited to 155mph and 1.03g on skidpad.

Surprisingly the car is up for only £14,800! It’s quite a bit cheaper than others I’ve seen today. Though looking at online reviews, apparently it’s not as cosy as it looks due to the quite hard suspension, it is a sports car more than a GT by sounds of it. Steurmann are a prestigious brand which comes with prestigious service and yearly costs too…


:star: Pros: Price, Aesthetics, Sportiness, Lore & Presentation, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Prestige, Practicality, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Comfort, Service & Yearly Costs, Safety, Offroad.

OOC notes: Real solid all over, unique enough to not be directly like a Porsche 928 as well, sort of on a GTA level in a way. Shame the some stats are lacking in comparison to others though.


Alright, and that’s the third part done, coming up next is the 1990s and 2000s. which is the final 16 to receive preliminary reviews before the favourites round, then test drive/finals. I’ll try my best to keep up the work.


24 Likes

the seatbelts, mirrored wave, and tan-colored tow hitch were human error. I forgot to do those things and must’ve never gone back to fix it, my apologies :sweat_smile:

2 Likes

Judging Round 2.3: 1990s


Another day, another pub, somewhere in Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

Finally it was onto the 1990s. Chad was still not 100% sure, maybe a bunch more will help…


@Knugcab - Saarland Origo Aerocoupé ET4 1993

Chad: Hm… Saarland Origo Aerocoupé, the sporty ET4 version to be exact. AWD and a turbo I4? Could be cool maybe, I’ll have a peek.

Oof, the looks department don’t have it going on here, though the deep red isn’t bad, it looks rather boring and not too eye-catching… Performance wise it can do 161mph, but 0-60 in 6.3s makes it slower than others I’ve seen right now. It does look rather spacious and with that room might be a bit safer too.

It is priced at… A reasonable £13,850! Quite desirable on the low cost but really it doesn’t go much further than that. It’s neither really sporty or comfortable according to online. Don’t think this is really one for me.


:star: Pros: Price, Performance, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Service Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad.

:warning: Cons: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Comfort, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Yearly Costs, Environmental Resistance.

OOC notes: The top speed is at redline, so could have been pushed further then had spacing adjusted for some minimal gains to stats.

Not sure why the use of a detuned 2.1L to 2.0L engine, the rules clearly stated it’d count as the base family which added to the insurance costs.

There is chrome trim on reverse light but plastic elsewhere which was quite weird. Interior has a clock where the RPM gauge would normally be which is rather odd, a previous car did this too, still find it weird for a performance car to not have an RPM gauge.

The exterior design is quite basic and invokes a Peugeot 406 coupe with Vauxhall Calibra taillights, not exactly dream car material to Chad. I wouldn’t really say the car is too interesting from it not having much going on but at least the colour is alright.


@Falling_Comet - Suisei Koyo GT 1994

Chad: Hot damn, this is what I’m talking about, a true 90’s icon. Faster than an NSX around the 'Nurb, that’s impressive. Potent 4 litre V8 with over 300hp, niceee…

The aggressive but rounded front is radical, followed around to a more neat rear oddly, but it flows nice. Not sure about chrome door handles, might be an aftermarket thing? As with the white wheels? Either way this blows the other cars out in performance so far: 176mph & 5s to 60 with 1.06g skidpad! That’s one hell of a combo. The interior looks hella cosy, and has plenty of room front and back. Overall package is very, very good

This is going to hurt me: £19,350! For the quality of the car and all it holds, it might just be worth that splurge of cash. Though in the long run it could be expensive for me to run, it’s not too bad on fuel, but it has lots of equipment that could fail…


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Fuel Economy, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Cost, Reliability, Service & Yearly Costs, Offroad.

OOC notes: KPH without MPH on the gauge too might be hard getting used to, but otherwise it’s super sweet on the interior. There is a bit on the centre dash that indicates it can be switched to MPH though? Not sure if it is or not. The only real downfall here is the costs!


@ldub0775 - Apex TwinSport R-Spec Coupe 1994

Chad: Erm, Apex TwinSport R-Spec Coupe… It’s one heck of a colourful tuner mess, look at that interior! Why the red/beige combo? Who even picked that from factory, why!? -Out of pure curiosity to the chaos of the car, Chad checked it out anyway-

The exterior looks truly like it’s from the 00’s tuning period, over the top bodykit style that doesn’t suit me at all, it’s got too much going on at the front to look good, and the back isn’t any better. The overuse of black on inners and wheels looks like some chav had done it to gain maximum street cred yo! Eh, other than this ramble about style, these things are apparently dead cheap to own and maintain thanks to a lively tuning scene.

Priced at £17,300, I don’t think I’d even consider it at less than 10, if it had more refined lines and less weird bubbling with an interior that doesn’t send me into shock from the contrast, maybe I’d be more inclined…


:star: Pros: Sportiness, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior (In terms of design only), Fuel Economy, Service & Yearly Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Price, Aesthetics, Performance, Reliability.

OOC notes: I don’t really appreciate the profanity over lore, having literally as little as a sentence saying something other than plain statistics gives me stuff to write about hence why I even included it in the competition. It is just one factor of many in this competition, so of course the aim is to try your best on all bases… But you delivered minimum of what I asked so well done there!

The exterior is a bit of a 2000’s messy nightmare: It’s not overly attractive and has weird reflections and blobbiness going all over it which stops at the rear somewhat. The deepest black wheels look straight up tacky I find personally along with the black-out everywhere else, adding to the aftermarket tuner look more than OEM.

Interior wise too, the colour scheme is whack: Red and beige-cream do not meld well together to my eyes, I really wouldn’t find myself comfortable in an interior of those tones, it’s not a great contrast at all.

Otherwise surprisingly low service costs and better low priority stats opposed to higher ones.

I’m not a fan of it at all really, I can see there has been effort put into it, though it feels the direction was complete other way, but I guess it’s more opinion at the end.


@abg7 - SVP Hellblazer GT 4.2 1995

Chad: What’s this one? SVP Hellblazer GT 4.2? It’s a rare 1 of 1,000 RHD UK model, with a whopping 345hp! It seems interesting, I’ll check it out further.

The looks are quite basic but the strong azure pearlescent colour is very tasteful, not sure how I feel about blue on blue callipers, maybe if they were black or a contrasting solar yellow it might be nice. The performance is off the chart on the Hellblazer, suiting it’s namesake well: It does 176mph, 4.7s to 60 and 1.13gs on skidpad, amazing! Surprisingly good fuel economy too, likely from the aerodynamic sleek slippy shape.

The ad is up for… £20,000?! Sheesh, performance with a price, that’s the maximum I’m prepared to spend, this could be too much really. From afar I can appreciate the looks but get closer and it has quite skewed positioning and placement on front and rear facias. The overall costs to run this beast are way beyond what I’d be happy paying too.


:star: Pros: Sportiness, Comfort, Interior, Lore & Presentation, Fuel Economy, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Cost, Aesthetics, Reliability, Service & Yearly Costs, Offroad.

OOC notes: The exterior is quite plain and simplistic but the placement and proportions are a bit awry, somewhat goofy. It’s lightning quick performance and good high-star statistics is brought down by the fact it is max price, 4th highest service costs, and has not great exterior and interior aesthetics.

I can see the influence of Dodge Viper & Jaguar XK at front, and more Firebird-y but unique on back, I would analyse these designs closely next time to gauge good proportions and placement into the design.

I don’t think it is by any means a bad design, it just could do with a bit more improving to look more realistic and become stronger and impactful visually. Definitely high marks with the colour though, nice job!


@Lanson - FMC Goshawk RC490 1995

Chad: FMC Goshawk RC490… 370hp, 0-60 in sub 5 seconds, and almost 170mph top speed, what a rocketship, I gotta check this super-muscle car out.

Well damn, this thing moves like nothing else in comparison to what I’ve seen so far. It is a literal SRAAM (Short-range air-to-air missile) in car form lol. It’s looks are quite questionable though I can’t deny that iridescent is killer! Supposedly it manages almost 28mpg which is extremely good for a SOHC 4.9 V8 I’d say, it’s fairly reliable on forums so to say, and definitely has room for my stuff, though the roof targa means no roof rack, can use that boot maybe.

Damn, it’s up for £19,200. That’s a punch to the kitty. I’m not really sold on the looks of it beyond the colour and t-top. Being a bulky V8 muscle car with extreme performance, low running costs don’t look promising…


:star: Pros: Sportiness, Performance, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Price, Aesthetics, Service & Yearly Costs, Offroad.

OOC notes: A nice package overall, the most powerful engine of the entire lot at 370hp (Though the variant name says 390hp? lol) Similarly to abg7’s I can appreciate the design from a far but when up close it gets a bit basic. I think it’s better proportioned, and I really like the side & roof t-top implementation.

The rear taillights look way too modern on it for '95 though, I would have used a different fixture/s there, the headlights look a bit too 1980s, I feel they could have been more in-flow with the body shape rather than a square on a soap-shape flowing coupe. (I realise the early generation 90s Firebird has square pop-ups on a facelift, but the base shape is much more dated and linier compared to the GTO body the Goshawk is based on.)

The colour is the only iridescent/colour-shift entry, I love these paints and it suits the car well. The black & alloy lip wheels look extremely aftermarket alike to ldub’s entry, but I appreciate in your writing it is noted to be a factory upgrade (I suppose similar to the likes of Rays wheels used on Nissan’s 350Z/370Zs). Though at the least the deepest of blacks is accented with a nice silver lip, another personal opinion/taste thing really.


@Texaslav - Winchester Warrior 1995

Chad: Daaaamn, an American legend: The Winchester Warrior. 5.7L V8, 300hp, 0-60 in 5 seconds and 165mph top speed, whooey. What a beast! I gotta look at this ad.

The Ruby Red paint works real well on this sleek and swoopy sports coupe, a growling V8 soundtrack and fantastic performance to boot, what’s not to love about that? Apparently these engines aren’t bad other than the water pump & distributer faults, can go for half a million miles and more if treated right… Looks to have enough boot space for wheels, and can fit a roof rack on it too. Although fibreglass body, this thing has state-of-the-art safety for the 90s which is fair enough.

There isn’t much to dislike on this other than the big £19,100 price it holds perhaps maybe the fuel economy and running costs… Maybe if I stretched I could live with that.


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Performance, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Reliability, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Price, Fuel Economy, Service & Yearly Costs.

OOC notes: The third taillight for some reason acts as indicator which is weird.

The interior is super impressive, it’s essentially a C4 replica, though I couldn’t find interior speakers sadly, either way it’s top notch, scored on par with one other exceptional interior because of the effort and detail you’ve gone to.

Though it being basically a Chevrolet Corvette C4 replica, it isn’t really a bad thing it’s just a little uninspiring but a great car non-the-less!


@Executive - Huwonja Magnica GS5 1996

Chad: Huwonja Magnica GS5 huh, haven’t really heard of this before. It’s a 2.5L I6 powered GT car by looks of the ad. It’s got quirky styling, but let’s check it out anyway.

The styling is quite strange and unique on this one, I like some areas of it more than others, the upper facia and rear facia aren’t really doing it for me, but the interior is super sweet looking. These are quite economical for a premium GT car it says online, and somewhat reliable too with good service and yearly costs too…

The price is £18,450. Quite steep… But the only real downside is I’m not 100% on the looks and it’s not quite as sporty compared to the other cars I’ve seen.


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Performance, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Service & Yearly Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Price, Sportiness.

OOC notes: No front seat belts despite the rear having them, and no interior speakers to be found. Would be good for next time!

I’m not sure about the paint, it’s got low shininess and looks half-matte because of it. I’m not really too keen on the front facia, with the squared pop-ups it is similar to what I said in Lanson’s car, it doesn’t really flow too well with the rest of the body. The wide and short lights below the pop-ups aren’t really vibing with me either. I feel as though the rear taillights might have worked better if slimmer, they look very large and tall. It’s very neat otherwise! I like the detailing on this one.


@Portalkat42 - Midlands Io Sprint 1996

Chad: Oh wow, Midlands Io Sprint! Lightweight and effective, they’re basically the best track car one could want. I’ll take a closer look on this one for sure!

The mystical dark purple is very nice, it works well on the car, and with the beige/black & wood interior it’s a fantastic combination. The front end looks cute and a little funny/goofy like the car is smiling at you, it’s likely the use of circles that does that hehe. The back end is more boxed off which isn’t really too much to my liking, it’s not bad at all though. After looking on the internet, apparently driven well they can do upwards of 50mpg! That’s on par with my Bass basically, wow. Running costs aren’t bad either as parts are cheap and with so much less fuel needed it really helps the yearly total.

It’s hefty priced at £17,750, but I’m slightly concerned about boot space, and the reliability from the internet seems somewhat questionable although not as bad as some of the other cars I’ve seen. Beyond the price this one is definitely a real superstar!


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Performance, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Fuel Economy, Service & Yearly Costs, Prestige, Safety, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Price, Reliability, Practicality.

OOC notes:

Totally outstanding entry, only things I would question are the rear-view mirror inside being on the glass, unsure as to why it’s there and not on the dash instead maybe? I’ve never came across it being slap in middle so it’s confusing. The lore says about the CAD developed undertray, it could have been interesting to see it implemented visually as well along the underneath of car model.


@nightwave - Ibis Red Tail GT8 1997

Chad: The Ibis Red Tail GT8? Not heard of it before. It’s quite… Ugly looking? Let’s give it a see anyway.

It’s quite good in terms of performance I suppose, with 149mph top speed, 5.2s to 60 and 1.05g skidpan rating. It has a “mix of comfort and performance” as noted online by review sites, spacious and reliable too.

I’m not quite sure why I looked at this car, it’s up for £19,450 and I don’t like it one bit, the style really doesn’t vibe with what I like, it has really expensive running costs and an interior that looks out of an economy car.


:star: Pros: Sportiness, Performance, Comfort, Reliability, Service Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Price, Aesthetics, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Fuel Economy, Yearly Costs.

OOC notes: The brake balance on this is rather messed up, it could be sorted with more force on the front & maybe larger disks on rear or brake cooling for the fade.

Visually this really needs a major overhaul, the splitter at the front is actually offset to the right side, it has plastic door trim but nowhere else on the car, as well as the door handles being tiny, the wing mirrors are attached to the bonnet? Windscreen wipers are mounted high and obscure driver’s lower view. The rear is really chunky and tall looking with not a lot going on at all.

The bonnet being matte grey/black makes it look more like a beater than a performance muscle car, it was more a thing of the 70’s when bonnets were not sloping, as it was done to avoid sun glare.

Overall I don’t really find the car visually appealing at all, it needs more style and “oompf” because it’s somewhat comparable to an 8th generation Impala with a bit more aero, which is totally not dream car territory. The colour isn’t doing any favours, it’s too dark and doesn’t accent the car well. The interior is okay but again colours are not working in it’s favour I feel like just a few shades of black would have been fine.

Again, hopefully I have not been to offensive with my thoughts and opinion to the build, as I only wish to aid improvement by marking out flaws.


@Riley - Zephorus RS260 1997

Chad: A Zephorus RS260, no real info on this one at all beyond the specs, I’ll have a look on the ad and hopefully find something…

What little I could find online suggests it does 0-60 in 5.2s and limited to 155mph top speed, but does a crazy 1.17g on skidpad. It generates 107kg of downforce on the rear and 65.4kg of lift at the front, I wonder if it pulls wheelies into backflips like that one GT1 car did at Le Mans… It’s got to be the sportiest of all I’ve seen today though.

Yikes, price is at £17,975 with the rust-proofing on top, apparently they are extremely susceptible to rust, so I’d need be uber cautious if I inspected it. It might be hard to fit extra tyres for the track inside unless I want to get the passenger seat dirty, though could fit a roof rack. Service cost of these is high due to not a lot of people know about them it seems.


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Performance, Comfort, Presentation, Interior, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Yearly Costs, Prestige, Safety, Drivability.

:warning: Cons: Price, Lore, Service Costs, Practicality, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

OOC notes: Lore is not direct specifications of the car, with it being a 4 star priority (and me forgetting to actually add a rule of requiring a standard of flavour text/lore to avoid this), having nothing has impacted the entry in that segment direly.

Lore doesn’t have to be much as I said when reviewing ldub’s entry, literally just a basic sentence would have been enough such as: Here is the Zephorus RS260, produced in 1997 to compete worldwide with other mid-class sports GT cars, and race against them in JGTC and even in Le Mans one year. The old saying of something is better than nothing applies here indefinitely.

Literally all entries minus bins, bar yourself and oppositelock managed to write some lore (29 entries able to write something) so maybe next time you could at least try.

Interior has some clipping, but no note to change chassis visibility or anything as other people have been able to do which is a shame cause otherwise it’s pretty good, although no penalties for that will be added as I have not for any other entry. Not sure why the diamond effect stops on the doors and isn’t anywhere else like the seats or lower dash.

Exterior looks okay too, it’s no improvement over the obvious inspiration though; I’m not much a fan of the “chubby cheek” bulges between the grille and vents though, the rear side ventilation has a split in it yet the side vent one doesn’t, it would have been nicer to have that visual cohesion as it it solely the rear side vent that has a split. The taillight area has a kind of mass monobrow going on, if the cluster was same height as it, it might have looked better. As far as originality it’s essentially a Mazda RX-7 which is neat although a little uninspiring similar to Texaslav.


@Tsundere-kun - Cascina Lavandula 1997

(Not sure why the paint turned out this way in my shots, I think it might be the PBR+ material freaking out)

Chad: Oh wow, Cascina Lavandula! This used a half-V10 block I5 after running with a boring and lacking power I4 unit, and has crazy computer-controlled aero flaps to adjust drag and improve the economy depending on driving!

Looking further into the Lavandula I’m glad I did, 0-60 in 5.5s, 168mph top speed and 1.13gs, it’s rather rapid indeed. I’m not usually one to go for inline 5, but half a V10 sound note and sheesh I’m in. Supposedly it’s quite comfortable for a sports car it says due to optimised suspension and improved build quality, there is a lot of neat info on it, and I’m interested to hear the “Banshee’s” note in person…

It is priced at £18,100 which is a big whack to the wallet. Though it makes up for that, it’s only really bad in spare parts cost, otherwise it’s quite well built for a sports car, it’s a real good all arounder!


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Performance, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Yearly Costs, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Cost, Service Costs.

OOC notes: No front forward-facing indicators, I’m unsure if it’s a non EU thing or not.

The funny “engrish” auto-translated Japanese is absolutely hilarious, best lore score alongside AndiD’s video, it cracked me up big time lol.

I really love the front, it’s extreme and well-shaped, but into the sides and rear the design sort of breaks away into something different entirely. Which is a bit of a shame cause I feel like using the front’s wildness into the rest of the design could have made a masterpiece of it. The front’s little fangs in the centre grille and the low-slung pop-ups make it super rad.

On the interior the door cards seem a little short, and the centre transmission tunnel has the windows controls flipped the wrong way, unsure if intentional? It’s quite basic otherwise, but I quite like the red and grey-black tones.


From this point onwards the new update rolled out, so I am no longer able to gauge the car’s performance statistic due to engines being altered, though pre-update I had kept the judged statistics on spreadsheet. So there will be a lacking of exact figures brought up.

@EnCR - AMB C160C Convertible 1998

Chad: Next listing is an AMB C160C Convertible. A perky spyder with somehow a 2+2 configuration. Interesting… I’ll check it out.

The front facia looks kinda smug forward-facing on which is kinda funny yet cute, and the rear looks smiley as well with the plate surround. The seating for rear passengers with the soft top up is just not going to work for anyone taller than a baby lol, maybe it was done for tax purposes like other cars did… Apparently they’re very cheap to maintain and good for reliability too.

It is being sold for an amazing £11,150! Wow that’s cracking compared to the rest of this era. There isn’t much downfall to it other than it lacking performance and comfort which is what I’d like really…


:star: Pros: Price, Aesthetics, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Service & Yearly Costs, Practicality, Drivability, Offroad, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Sportiness, Performance, Comfort, Prestige, Safety.

OOC notes: No rear indicators? At least when tried to activate they aren’t assigned. Assuming they’re taillight/indicator type.

The exterior is nice, though the interior clips on the bonnet slightly, the colour is a bit too yellow-y than it is between yellow & orange like Lotus’ Solar Yellow. Interior clips, but no indication of turning it off in submission. LHD and KPH might be hard for Chad to adjust to if he were to choose it.


@LS_Swapped_Rx-7 - Kamaka Destiny XS-R (CE54) 1998

Chad: Ooooh, Kamaka Destiny XS-R, wow, I thought all these sky-rocketed in price… I must be the first to stumble upon it, else it’d be scalped already, lol.

It just oozes the pinnacle of Japanese late 90’s, and the special “Sunset Purple” is a real nice pearlescent, it suits the car and makes it stand out really. I also was a fan of the special “Champ Blue” the earlier model came in. It’s definitely fast enough, but has enough comfort to match my Yamada Bass too it looks like.

Price is… £19,650. Hey at least it’s no an extra zero on the end like most of these seem to be, maybe it’s actually a fake “XS-T” model to look like an XS-R? Eh… Anyway, according to some sources online it’s somewhat expensive to run, but not too extreme as the cost of inflation on these badass machines…


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Comfort, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Reliability, Fuel Economy, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Price, Service & Yearly Costs, Offroad.

OOC notes: KPH might be hard to get into like some other entries, or change it to MPH, but nothing bad.

Looks are quite sweet and the colour is very rad, the Skyline inspiration is quite clear, but it’s somewhat original too which I admire! (Also annoyingly the morphs broke, hence floating rear badge)


@mart1n2005 - Valiant Talon LT-ram package 1999

Chad: Ooh yes, a Valiant Talon LT-ram package… American muscle with a beefy V8 as well as sleek and flowing flair! I’ll certainly check it out.

The solid orange tangy colour is super rad, I love muscle cars with exotic colours like this one! The styling is on point, performance too, and supposedly the Talon is not overly bad when it comes to reliability, it’s great in fact! There looks to be plenty of room in the boot too, though I’m not sure when it comes to roof racks how safe they are over glass-roof panels…

Price? £18,500. Another very high end one… The fuel economy and overall costs in ownership weigh heavily against it, and apparently the interior isn’t too cracking.


:star: Pros: Aesthetics, Sportiness, Lore & Presentation, Interior, Reliability, Prestige, Safety, Practicality, Drivability, Environmental Resistance.

:warning: Cons: Price, Comfort, Fuel Economy, Service & Yearly Costs, Offroad.

OOC notes: Brake balance on the front is rather low (About a half square below the dashed line), and the rear is slightly under too.

I like the styling, it’s very much a Firebird WS6, but different enough to make it original in it’s own, sort of in a “GTA car” way? I dig it! I like the rear especially, the whaletail and the unique taillights with the subtle dip to the outside of them is nice, as well as the layering between them where the badge sits. As well as the licence plate lights, glass roof panel are sweet little details that help add a cool level of detail to it.



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