Prologue
A surprisingly crisp breeze blew in across the bay, ruffling the umbrellas of the posh café tables populating the terrace in front of L’Opéra de Monte-Carlo. It also tousled the feathers on the sun hats of two ladies sitting at the table closest to the edge of the terrace, overlooking the bay and avenue below. To one of their annoyances, the rather ostentatious plumage flapped down in front of the binoculars they were using. The other lady snickered and sipped her cocktail.
“Really Gwendoyln, is my inconvenience that amusing to you?” The first lady said, lowering her binoculars to stare daggers at her tablemate.
Gwen continued to snicker, hiding most of her mirth behind her glass, “Not exactly, Miette darling. It just serves you right for choosing to sit on that side of the table. Have you seen any of them yet?”
“Not yet, the first drivers should be visible by now.” Miette replied, having repositioned her hat feather so that it wouldn’t be as susceptible to wind displacement, “Oh there’s one of them, just cresting that rise off around the coast.” She pointed off across the bay where a plume of dust was clearly visible.
“I’m still not clear on why you are so enamored with these particular automobiles. Or why you want me to be here to watch them just make a singular corner at high speed,” Gwen said, shielding her eyes as she peered in the direction Miette was pointing.
“Because, as I told you this morning, we need to get you your own set of wheels befitting of a delicate dame like yourself. And what better way to help you sample some of these kinetic art pieces than watching the final leg of the Monte Carlo rally.”
Gwen was about to make a spicy remark about how art is best viewed from a comfortable distance indoors when the lead car finally made it into view. She was rendered speechless as the rather striking black and yellow coupe attacked the hairpin corner on the road below them. With the motor growling and sweeping bodywork diving towards the ground as the car braked and rearing up as it sped away, she couldn’t help but think of the lithe movement of a cat attacking a toy and then running off with it. So graceful, yet aggressive at the same time. More cars attacked the corner and Gwen was enthralled by their motion, their glittering jewel-like paint, and the animalistic growl of their engines.
“Darling, I think I’m beginning to understand your fascination with such machines,” Gwen said breathlessly, “And I do think I would rather like to have one of my own.”
“I knew you’d see the beauty in them,” Miette smiled, " When we’re done with this trip we can start seeing what different brands can craft for you."
Character Descriptions
Lady Miette Lucidoux III
A strong willed, stubborn bit of the French nobility. She’s hot tempered and knows how to throw her status around when she wants to get her way. She can be gentile and demure when she wants to, but that is one of the many ways she throws men off guard and has managed to grow her bit of wealth without actually spending any of it. (Her younger brother, some 15 years her junior, is getting the lion’s share of the inheritance, which she is pretty bitter about.) She is relatively interested in mechanical things and has taken to flying herself around Europe instead of going by train. While at home on her family’s estate, she can be seen racing around in her coachbuilt Aether 17/2 and wearing trousers, which to her are the much more sensible option compared to skirts for such activities. This causes her mother much dismay.
Gwen Harkness
Born and raised in the upper New England area of the US, Gwen is a quiet, bookish girl with a sharp intellect that has gotten her more than a fair share of harsh punishments at the hands of less knowledgeable and worldly peers and teachers. While her family is firmly middleclass, she has always pushed to be perceived as higher than her station, mingling with the high society types of the Newport area and connecting through mutual interests in poetry and history. Her family has been a bit less receptive of her voracious desire for knowledge, saying that she “might make a husband feel lesser with her hoard of knowledge and precocity”. They do, however, approve of her trying to bring herself to a higher station, so in an attempt to round off her shaper edges and mold her into a lady fit for a high society suitor, they saved up to send her to a top ranked finishing school in Europe. This is where she first met Lady Miette and where two rebellious, strong willed, and intelligent girls met, sparks flew immediately.
Lady Miette Lucidoux III is searching for sporty coupe for her “roommate” and best friend Gwen Harkness, inspired by her comments on the beautiful machines they saw while vacationing in the Cote d’Azure region of Europe. This coupe needs to breath excitement into their European tours and can possibly be used for alcohol running in the wake of prohibition.
Cars must be built in Automation LCV4.2 / UE4.27, any 4.24 entries will not work and will automatically not qualify.
Model/Trim and Family/Variant year: 1946(aka the start of the game.)
Lore Model years: 1935-1938 (This is the actual year of your car, not the year in game.)
2 Doors only
Coupe bodies only (no convertibles).
Maximum cost: $50k
Maximum trim ET: 100
Maximum engine ET:120
Leaded 92 RON fuel only
No race parts.
Must have at least 1 muffler
Must have a form of solid axel for rear suspension. (This is for period correctness and advanced trim settings let you make the ride height reasonable).
Body year must be from 1938 or earlier (Yes this is before the game starts so necessitates the use of mods for entry. Mods are free, so use them).
25 points to distribute in sandbox engine tech pool.
45 points to distribute in sandbox trim techpool. (These will allow your brand to specialize in different areas to make it stand out. No techpool values are allowed to be negative and must add up to the total number of points allowed. Any more than that is binworthy)
An interior is required for this challenge. There are plenty of vanilla and mod interior pieces for you to use and it’s a good skill to have for building cohesive cars.
Inspirations
Commentary from Lady Miette and Gwen should give some insight into what they like.
1938 Bentley 4 ¼ Litre Sports Coupé by Park Ward
Gwen: I just love how stately and commanding Bentleys are. The larger size, the huge, bright headlamps, and the way Park Ward finishes their interiors in burled walnut and how posh their seats are is just the height of British quality.
1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Fixed Head Coupe
Miette: The other name in British craftsmanship. A bit more traditional of a style, yet still a beast on the road like the Bentley. Plenty of storage space as well.
Gwen: The two tone here is grand and along with the aggressively low roofline make this Rolls seem miles longer than it actually is. It is more formal, true, but it has that aggression and monstrous quality that makes you feel like you’re looking at a daemon and not a car. I love that.
1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK Trossi Roadster
Gwen: Darling I know this is a roadster and not a coupe like we would both prefer, but don’t you think it would be marvelous as such? The boat tail shaping and sporting heritage make it feel lighter than it really is, and with a roof it would be such a composed design.
Miette: It’s a roadster for a reason. Look at how small the seat area is. That would be almost too cozy if it was enclosed. Though I do see your point about the overall shaping being beautiful.
1938 Jaguar SS100 Fixed Head Coupe
Gwen: See! See what I mean about that Mercedes? This Jaguar is essentially that with a roof and the biggest, brightest lights I’ve ever seen on a car. It is also one of my favorite shades of blue. It reminds me of a winter sky up in the scotish highlands. I do like most shades of blue, from Tiffany to cobalt to these sorts of dusty, satin blues. Not too saturated though. It still needs to be classy.
1936 Delahaye 135 Competition Court Teardrop Coupe par Figoni & Falaschi
Gwen: The way this one is completely enclosed with almost no external features is striking. It might be a bit too streamlined in some places, but is very en vogue right now with its Italian coachwork.
1932 Duesenberg SJ 212/2234 Torpedo Sedanette SWB by Bohman & Schwartz
Miette: This is basically the American version of that Bentley. Powerful, aggressive, and wicked fast. Expensive too, but that’s much less of a concern since I’m paying.
1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Touring Berlinetta
Gwen: A stereotypically italian design with nice proportions and finishing, but it somehow feels a bit passé. The louvered rear wheel covers are a fun detail though. Also red is a bit to ostentatious for my taste. Wine or burgundy sure, but bright red like that is a bit too eye catching. I’d rather the lines of the car do the talking and not the color.
1937 Delage D8 120 S Aero Coupe par Pourtout
Gwen: This one is a bit of an odd duck. The radiator is a bit too far forward in my opinion, but it does have other streamlined qualities that I do prefer. The white wall tyres are a nice touch too.
1934 Voisin C27 Aérosport
Miette: Talk about unusual in a good way. Voisin is such a uniquely geometric and French brand, with avant guarde styling and such a distinct flair.
Gwen: It looks so flat yet dynamic at the same time. It wouldn’t be my first choice, but bravo to them for committing to a unique yet cohesive art deco vision. The interior fabric is very fun.
1938 Phantom Corsair
Miette: A very unique design, based on a front wheel drive Cord chassis. It’s certainly a technical masterpiece.
Gwen: It also looks a bit like a fish. A bit too long and pointy. I would be the talk of the town with such an unusual design though. If someone can make something like this that works a bit better with my tastes, it may just be a contender.
1938 Hispano-Suiza H6C Dubonnet Xenia por Saoutchik
Gwen: Miette, why are you showing me this behemoth?
Miette: I thought you might like it since it has some of the Corsair’s quirks, but with more traditional styling cues. It also has a lot of aviation influences and unique sliding doors.
Gwen: Well you thought wrong. This thing is ungainly at the best of times. While I do like how the glass of the canopy wraps around like that, the proportions just feel somehow off. It’s like one of those aerodynamic trains, but melted into a car shape. This really would get people talking about me, but probably not in the best way.
Listed in descending order.
– Aesthetics/Exterior Design: Lady Miette is after a coach built masterpiece for her partner and that means a detailed, well thought out, and somewhat trendy design. Elegant, flowing bodies of the streamlined era will do well here, though slightly more formal shapes with aggressive racing heritage can as well. The inspiration pictures and comments from the two girls along side them should help you pinpoint their preferred styles.
– Comfort: Fully aware of how a comfortable luxury train ride would be direct competition to their market, car makers of this era certainly understood how to cater to discerning bums and ears of the elite. And while Gwen might be able to handle the glorified lawn chairs and buggy seats of lesser offerings, Lady Miette cannot.
– Sportiness: Only statistics such as top speed & acceleration as well as lateral G-forces will be judged here since the game will not let such old cars realistically score a sportiness value. These values will also probably be a lot slower than you’re used to if you’re being period correct.
– Realism & Lore: Lady Miette won’t think twice about passing over a manufacturer without an appropriate pedigree, so lore is a must. It helps sell the realism of your car and can explain more interesting choices. Realism is key here, since you’re playing with a box of tools roughly 10 years ahead of what engineers in the late '30s would have to play with. If you’re not sure about what is era appropriate, do your research. Places like Carfolio.com, Wikipedia, and both the Audrain Museum network’s and Jay Leno’s YouTube channels are a treasure trove of info.
– Presentation: The most beautiful car with the most bland presentation is likely to be overlooked by the girls in comparison to one with a more eye-catching display. This is the era that coined “a picture is worth a thousand words”, so make sure the ones yours are saying aren’t dull.
– Interior: While neither Lady Miette or Gwen are expecting palace of Versailles levels of opulence, but they don’t want something that’s model t basic either. Wood, leather, polished metal are all in in this era, as well as aviation and art deco influences. Research will be your friend here.
– Smoothness and quietness: Odd values to weight so highly to be sure, but era appropriate ones. One of the big focuses of luxury cars of the era were whisper quiet, ultra smooth engines (think Rolls Royce Wraith and Cadillac 16)
– Drivability: While Lady Miette may be used to jetting about on her private estate with its manicured roads, Gwen isn’t always as lucky. Rough cobblestone roads as well as rutted dirt trails necessitate a car that is easy to pilot as well as pretty.
– Prestige: Having the backing of a prestigious brand known for it’s top quality driver experience and craftsmanship beats having one that doesn’t. Lady Miette knows her stuff when it comes to the finer things in life and can sniff out dodgy quality.
– Reliability: Gwen and Lady Miette do plan on taking extended trips in this car fairly often, so not having to get their hands dirty on the side of the road is a plus.
– Fuel Economy: While Lady Miette may be rich and not even have to think about things such as miles per gallon, Gwen is not as lucky. She also doesn’t like having to stop constantly while she has booze in the trunk.
– Safety: Cars of this era weren’t exactly known for being safe, but when you’re aiming for speeds over 100 mph, it should at least be a consideration.
– Practicality: As long as the trunk can fit two weekend suitcases, the girls will be happy. Space for a full sized spare tyre is a must as well.(The statistic itself will not be judged, it will be based upon cargo & passenger volume, as well as the visual possibility of said items being stowed either in the trunk or other compartments. possible bonus realism and lore points for designing custom luggage.)
– Service Costs: Elite sportscars will always come with exorbitant service requirements, not all of which Gwen can do herself. When she does have to have a professional look at it, She doesn’t want to have to rely on Lady Miette’s coffers to do so.
-Your .car file
-Your forum post/car ad in this thread.
Entries open for submission on October 15th 2022 @ Midnight PST and close on November 15th 2022 @ Midnight PST
Please DM me your .car file through the forums in this format:
Model name: CSR150 - (YourUserName)
Trim name: Year and Name of the car
Engine family name: CSR150 - (YourUserName)
Engine variant: Name of the engine
WARNING : This challenge is being hosted on LCV 4.2 (the open beta branch), which has been going through occasional patches that mess with stats of cars. Keep this in mind when entering. As for all the challenges I host, you are allowed to resubmit as many times as you need to until the deadline of the challenge. After the deadline passes, you can no longer resubmit, so make sure any new patches haven’t screwed you over.
