CSR154 - Midsize Mania [DONE]

[Mad_Cat]

I am definitely happy with tenth place considering I’m still very out of touch with techpool and that I haven’t participated in a CSR in ages

Very cool round btw, enjoyed reading it

[abg7]

@Texaslav

Thank you all for taking part in this challenge, and congratulations to @Ludvig on the victory!

With hindsight, I can easily see how the Swanson won - it ticked all the boxes on Tony’s wishlist (with a healthy dose of sportiness for good measure), and fittingly, he saved the best option for last.

@Texaslav

Inside the stubby little slugger lies a decently-sized interior - courtesy of the taller roof - with its centerpiece being a bold gated five-on-deck shifter. It also features a well-made 8-track - not as intricate as the masterwork buried inside the Caplan, but pleasant nonetheless. The overall impression the insides of the Swanson leave is: solid and reassuring. Tony wouldn’t want to be the one changing the plugs on the Swanson, but supposedly it won’t need to be a common occurrence. Driving the Swanson (after the hassle of getting it off the lot courtesy of the surprisingly fast, thus tight, manual rack) Tony finds himself having fun. The engine is revvy, the shifter is silky (and, of course, features an ever-appreciated long fifth for cruising) and despite the car only matching the power of the Europeans, it’s so much lighter that it flies in comparison. Rounding out the driving experience are a slightly too-sporty suspension and a feel that’s slightly too oversteery for Tony due to the hatch’s notably wide-for-size tires.

The Swanson’s a different beast, Tony concludes, but even discounting all the fun it is, the hatch does everything he’d want it to: Carries five in dignity, has some trunk space, runs good, has comfy seats. One thing that actually blows Tony’s mind is the window sticker’s economy claim: Almost 30 mpg, head and shoulders around the rest of the field. And, also importantly, while Swansons are not very prestigious, this one looks spicy and special with the sassy stripe and the carved-out headlight housings.

@Texaslav

here’s a car whose practical strengths are good enough to elevate it to this level on their own - all while having the best looks and the most fun factor on top of that already competitive bundle.

@Texaslav

PROS: On a hunger strike; Top-notch dynamics; Looks great; Quiet on highways.

CONS: Not comfortable; Not prestigious; Boxer in a tight space is concerning.

Looking back at the Swanson, it somewhat reminds me of an Alfa Romeo Alfasud or Alfetta - it was blessed with their vivacious Italian feel (complete with dual round front headlights on each side and a front-mounted boxer engine, albeit one with six cylinders instead of the Alfasud’s four), but without their (at best) questionable reliability and build quality. Funny how I should say that, given that Swanson is a Canadian manufacturer (which I didn’t realize until recently). Nor did I expect this sportiness-focused wildcard to even reach the finals:

@Texaslav

(Here’s an outlier hero. The Swanson scored well despite trading all of its comfort for basically-unjudged sportiness. Seriously - this car would have been objectively better from a judging standpoint if it had a power rack. That said, its absurd 29.6mpg of economy, its good looks and its great reliability are enough to be a finals pick.)

BTW, what body set is the Swanson built on? And what does this acronym stand for?

@Ludvig

SEOPS

Finally, what does this mean?

@Ludvig

Right wheel drive.

I’m assuming it’s front-wheel-drive, like the Alfasud (but not the Alfetta/GTV6, which was rear-wheel-drive).

[Ludvig]

Holy hell I won the legendary CSR
And it was a real good one, well written, and with finalists I figured would keep me off the podium.

Incidentally I’m hosting a cocktail party tonight (way less fancy than it reads) and need to have a look at my calendar, whether I have a workable idea etc. Hosting is daunting and doubly so for CSR, yo. I’ll know tomorrow.

@abg7
The mod is French family car 70s by matt, the IRL car would be the Citroen GS.
The suspension was a touch harder than ideal for the trim level due to the mod body’s tendency to roll, on the other hand the swoopy but tallish roofline fits the Swanson brand perfectly.

Yes, inspired by Alfa, Citroen (both of which used FWD longitudinal boxer about this time) Saab, and Subaru (with better head gaskets)
The mk2 200-series was late in a long production run (66-82) at this point. Refined, and given new life with 3-valve engines, but lacking in tech.
(I actually worked on some more far more malaisey cars before asking the important question of “which car would a fitter late 70s version of me want?”)

Right Wheel Drive = RWD
SEOPS = Single-Engine Operations
I’m not a pilot or involved in aircraft at all, just another nerdy interest and in this context a nod to the brands origins building engines for smaller aircraft.
Based in Windsor, Canada, a call I made for the Letara challenge as “somewhere in the anglosphere” was too vague, and in the context of 30s/40s logistics made some sense.

[Happyhungryhippo]

Swansons seem to be great cars that fall over being to …expressionist … Glad to see one make it this time

[Ludvig]

Passing on to @donutsnail
Sorry for flaking out again but I don’t trust my plans for june not to interfere.

[donutsnail]

Unfortunately, I am not interested in hosting CSR at this time. The hot potato passes to @LS_Swapped_Rx-7

[LS_Swapped_Rx-7]

i’m up for another go of this
time to get cooking

[Knugcab]

Woho, return of fire bin container then!

[shibusu]

Oh god

I watched CSR152 with great laughter, can’t wait to see what he cooks up now

[Texaslav]

Don’t give us like 90 TP again bruh

[stayin_loud]

give us 100

[ldub0775]

gimme another opportunity to submit the super retro shitbox

[DrDoomD1scord]

Oh my god

BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL
BIN HELL

[stayin_loud]

bin hell? Isnt that just a London Alleyway?

[LS_Swapped_Rx-7]

CSR155 - Swanky Set of Wheels (COMPLETE)

CSR 155 - Swanky Set of Wheels Previous Round [Los-Angeles-1954-700x445] Los Angeles, 1959 The post-war era has ushered in a new wave of consumerism, and Raymond has been riding this wave high, becoming a multi-millionaire at the age of just 33. He is the owner of a company specializing in home appliances such as washing machines and fridges, which has recently earned it’s highest profit in history. To celebrate this newfound success, he took his top employees for a wild night…

WINGA DINGA DINGA DINGA DINGA DINGA DINGA DINGA DINGA