If anything, underutilization of positive quality in a challenge where its use is highly encouraged is even worse than underutilization of your techpool budget.
But at least I qualified for the next round this time.
If anything, underutilization of positive quality in a challenge where its use is highly encouraged is even worse than underutilization of your techpool budget.
But at least I qualified for the next round this time.
I was going for a lancia stratos restomod honestly but whatever cuh.
nuh uh
I will say the lancia stratos went from 73-78 so even if it was, the stratos is kinda 70’s rally.
Plus that body is that one alfa GTV which is more then a decade older then group b from 1995, group b starting in 82
This is retro modern not resto mod but body style is a big factor with whatever era you are choosing and your body is pretty evidently 90’s style
Half the brief is about your lore and if your lore makes no sense then it doesn’t work
Wait hold on in my lore it says 1978 so why does the judge talk about 1980s? I did not mention 1980s in my ad. I fucked up with the model year but I’m a little confused
Let’s see, you mention two inconsistent years due to poor maths (1979 and 78 as the original year with “46 years ago” mentioned first) and claimed “rally heritage”, implying it went on for a bit, which would naturally be the 80s.
Anyways, you clogging up this thread saying you somehow built a Lancia Stratos when it looks literally nothing one it honestly has me regretting not just saying you broke the rules, end of story.
Even though I see the vision with the build, I have to agree with Kanye, the body doesn’t provide the shape, as I’ve worked with that body in the past and that it’s a hard body to contort to your own desires without any heavy molding. I can understand that you may be frustrated, but at this point there is no point in crying over split milk nor there is reason to start a war of attrition. If you’d like, I go help guide you with car design along with most of the other community members would be willing to do so.
There is no hill to die on, and quite frankly there’s the curve of swallowing pride when stuff like this comes, and this isn’t out of hate, and while I may understand that the statements may not mirror what you think, it still isn’t something to create a war about when it’ll look like this:
Hell, one of my early builds you can find on discord was this(the earliest one I don’t have any pictures of):
Anyways:
Renault Fuego, is that you?
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[CSR 166 - Part 2. Slimming down the choices]
Sitting at the desk of his home office, Stefán glanced over at his leather-clad notebook and flipped to a page. Over the past few months, he had been compiling a list of interesting potential restomods that could warrant a deeper look into. It was a casual thing at first - there was no practical reason for him to get a car like that. But he could get one, and that’s what made them so intriguing. He has his fair share of cars, used, new, modified or kept all original, but there always was that intrigue from the old magazines, features on custom builds and now video reviews that made it so enticing. Scanning down the list, he had crossed out most, but he gave it all a thorough recap just in case.

Looking at the first car on the list, the LVC LS32 Revo, Stefán’s notes on it remarked the following:
While tempting a choice right off the bat to get something relatively obscure and underrated that handles very well, there were a lot of alternatives for cars with that kind of appeal once some research is done, many a lot cheaper. And when you’re looking for that, the competition grows further than just restomods - and for that the LVC LS32 Revo was crossed off the list.
[ELIMINATED]
One thing is certain, you definitely read the engineering portion for this challenge well. The part choices were on point: an extremely communicative steering rack with the bare minimal of mechanical assistance, a driver focused cabin and the sound of a high revving naturally aspirated V8 behind. The tuning is sharp, with a good balance of daily drivability, sporty feel and performance, with just a minor hit to comfort that can be excused with what the rest of the car is capable of.
Where it does fall apart however, is that it is competing with cars that achieve the same or similar prowess in engineering, but with far more interesting lore and stronger design to go with it as well. And because it also competes with them on the higher price bracket as well, it made it hard to have it go any further.

Checking his notes for this movie classic, Stefán had the following written down based off the reviews he had seen:
Stefán pondered for a moment about this one, as it certainly had the pull of being a nostalgic, well known movie car. The looks of it too was excellent, however the tuning issues did give a bit of concern. Eventually however, he decided he had to let this one go.
[ELIMINATED]
If there’s one thing the Shooting Star had done being one of the first submissions, is that it set the bar for every entry that came in as it came in first. And it stayed as the bar for quite a while even, with a great backstory and build story to go with the very well crafted exterior. However, there were two main things that set it back: the electric (non-variable) steering rack, and bits of fine tuning that just weren’t quite there - particularly with the aero (or lack there of), the engine being very understressed and slightly underpowered and a below average comfort. Negative aero and brake quality certainly didn’t help either, though it did help in making this one of the most impressive cars for its price. Even with its negatives this was still in consideration for the finals till the last few entries rolled in.

A restoration from a fashion brand always tend to be more bold than ones from a dedicated shop, but Stefán had given it a look over regardless:
While what NeW SPACE brought was certainly interesting and represented a bold direction, that direction was not the one Stefán wanted based off his personal taste.
[ELIMINATED]
This one was interesting - the lore was cool but it leaned in too much to the lore happening and the car just being there - Yes, knowing it was possibly owned by an ousted royal family, and rebuilt by Shaun “King” Smith, who also had a storied past, is interesting but only relevant to a point of why the car itself is interesting. This extends to the build itself - the car’s originality was left with a paintjob and chassis. Its the fastest accelerating car in the challenge with some great stats, but how it achieved it was replacing the insides with something that has no connection to the original vehicle itself - AWD swap, DCT, turbo Flat-6, a modern touchscreen when the priorities specifically mention its not wanted. Its simply the wrong build for what was wanted unfortunately.
Hoffsman had recently revealed their HSR program and of course, Stefán had to take note of it:
While there were a few minor concerns Stefán had, the Hoffsman Salto HSR looked too good to pass up a closer look.
Additional details in Finals!

The next on Stefán’s list was the Octane Aeron Carbon edition, which interestingly only has a little bit of carbon:
It may lack some of the visual oomph the Hoffsman had, but the Aeron (Carbon Edition) offered a very complete package that warranted a deeper look.
Additional details in Finals!

LMJ Design had their efforts in rebuilding an IP Ocelot 3000 GLT, which Stefán had taken a couple notes on:
Unfortunately, this restomod doesn’t do enough to impress, and was taken off the list.
[ELIMINATED]
The IP Ocelot 3000 GLT worked fine as a base, even if some more lore about it would have definitely helped. It is always going to be boxy, but a bit more changes that isn’t just slightly flared fenders, bigger wheels, LED headlights and de-ambered tail blinkers would do with helping this look more luxury and less aftermarket items off the shelf. The idea behind throwing a supercar engine into it is sound, however it probably could have done with more controllable power with a more driver focused gearbox. As it is, the car wheelspins up to 2nd, struggling to put its power down before showing its blistering acceleration. Outside of that acceleration, it simply isn’t that good to drive, with the suspension too soft for sporty driving, yet still not particularly that comfortable. And the huge spike of power when the boost comes in, while fun, makes for a difficult vehicle to live with.
Rinascita - the rebirth of the Lazzari Confortola. Stefán’s notes on this reborn classic GT car were as follows:
With only one point of contention, Stefán kept the Rinascita Confortola to look into further.
Additional details in Finals!
More reviews to come! As a side note I will not be around a computer for the next week so don’t expect the next part till the second week of July.
Fair enough. Then again, the base body set is now a legacy body in Al-Rilma (where the '86 Rosso replaced it), so I was behind the 8-ball somewhat.
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[CSR 166 - Part 3. Slimming down the choices continued]

Stefán’s notes on the ACZ Concur Arya gathered from reviews were as follows:
Modest looks, modest price tag, modest performance
Not too particularly interesting, but is a solid restore job
Harsh ride
It wasn’t a bad car, but it just wasn’t special. And as Stefán was looking for something special, that was reason enough to take it off the list.
Coming in at the cheapest entry of the challenge, the Concur Arya had quite a bit of going for it by skewing the price to performance to its favour. Were it not for the fact that price is weighted quite low on the list, it probably would have made it further. However, the main things holding it back was that it was simply too normal for this challenge. The lore wasn’t anything standout, the design didn’t stand out, and while the engineering was solid - aside from a quite poor comfort rating - the fact it was so cheap also meant it didn’t have any particular pull that could sway an opinion.
Its a solid car overall, but it’s also the wrong car for this challenge.

Midlands Sports Rebuilds may sound like another brand, but was a company that worked on the Knightwick Kestral restomod. Stefan’s notes were as follows:
A very pure and authentic restoration job, focused on simply modernizing the insides to make it more convenient
Visually quite similar to original, not a bad thing. LEDs, particularly the rear units however look a bit too out of place
While it does drive better than a sports coupe from the 1950s, it falls behind in most areas compared to modern cars and other restomods - particularly in its rough ride and not too engaging drive.
While good in concept, Stefan preferred if Midlands Sports Rebuilds had refined their product a little further.
While the Kestral nailed it with its parts choice, providing excellent authenticity along with its solid lore and visuals, the main issue with it was that it was behind in most metrics everywhere else - aside from cost. And with cost being one of the lowest priorities, the simple fact is that if it had more money spent on comfort and sportiness (and had the engine retuned to be far more responsive), it likely would have displaced one of the finalists.
While the example Stefán found was not fresh from a shop, he still had a look into the DCMW. His notes were as follows:
The DCMW Barrijat Supremacy Twelve adds on to their rather polarizing designs with a rather polarizing design choice in the Kammback. It makes sense with its racing heritage and certainly will be unique, but its always going to get some odd looks.
Pure driving experience with a very impressive V12 that sits as its shining jewel. No driving aids however leads to the car being very rowdy however for daily driving
Interior errs on having a bit too much tech added in for what they’re going for, especially with the lack of it elsewhere (the aforementioned lack of driving aids)
While an interesting prospect, the DCMW Barrijat Supremacy Twelve unfortunately has a few too many flaws and slightly inconsistent engineering philosophies for Stefán personally.
DCMW has a habit of making impressively detailed and perhaps polarizing vehicles, and the Falafel van is no different. The Kammback design certainly has its fans however its certainly a bold choice even with its racing pedigree. So in a way the lore did get a better score out of it, but the design… well, it probably hurt it a bit since I’m personally not the biggest fan of it. The V12 engine is certainly made to be a standout both visually and from an engineering perspective, but the drivability being amongst the worst of the cars submitted (2nd worst, nearly 20 below average) hurt this car a lot in the final standings. Everything else is solid enough however - even if I personally had some reservations regarding the design - so it was mainly one major flaw dragging it down.

Zephorus is always a welcome sight with its history of building performance automobiles, and its Stelvio R is a revamped take on one of its classics:
Despite some of its achievements its a little low on heritage, with cheating scandals always being iffy
Keeps a lot of the classic lines, yet also goes hard into making it a modern take with vastly reworked panels. Looks very impressive.
However it may be dipping a bit too much into modern supercar territory with its drivetrain, even if it does indeed drive and perform very nicely and paired nicely with a manual.
While its looks were mighty tempting, the Stelvio R unfortunately just lacked a little something to entice Stefán from taking further steps.
First things first, I do like the design of this quite a lot - it blends the modern elements and classic elements very well together. It does, however, go a little too hard into becoming a modern supercar for my liking on the engineering end, with a bit too much tech thrown in. However, the main issue of the Stelvio R is the lack of lore - which could have helped it justify some of its engineering choices as well. Yes the achievements it has done in terms of Automation Challenges does count in my eyes but a bit more embellishment would definitely have helped it out quite a bit. Its an entry that falters just slightly off of a few minor issues rather than one major one.

Hatzenbach Restomods comes from a prominent racing background and when they announced to the world their take on the Suisei Tengai Fuji GT-R, Stefán had to take a look:
Excellent mix of race car heritage and tuner notoriety put into one complete package
The new kit fitted on keeps much of the original design while adding in additional performance functionality. Its clean and modern but also harkens to past versions
Very strong driving impressions from reviews - engine is praised heavily
With glowing impressions out in the wild, the HRM R-Evolution was one that definitely needed to be looked into further.
Additional details in Finals!

The Pocono made itself a name in stock car racing, and a near unobtainable version is being brought back by Lonestar Labs:
LL makes it no secret, this isn’t a true Arrowhead. The chassis is from an Archprince and it effectively is a Pocono by its registered name only, but that is definitely a good way of actually getting something that is basically an Arrowhead
It definitely has the presence of a classic with its long overhangs, and not necessarily pretty but its distinctive to those who know why it’s the way it is
Not too surprisingly, it handles and behaves like a muscle car, but its well enough dialed in to be usable - especially with its 600+HP. For its weight and heft however, it handles itself at the limit very well and grips far more than expected
Lonestar Labs has made a strong impression with its Pocono 2GN Revolution, and Stefán wanted a further look into it.
Additional details in Finals!

Reborn was the Milano Sable, and it had reborn to something of a very impressive performer. Stefán’s notes were as follows:
The funky rear window that lets everyone see what you put in the boot remains, as does much of its original lines. Iffy on the new front bumper however.
Much of the internals has been brought over from the newest in Milano’s line-up, perhaps too much even.
Blistering performance and impeccable handling on the road. Perhaps not too surprising with how much of a new car was put in, but regardless its still very well sorted and well tuned
The Milano Sable Reborn offers quite a lot, however for Stefán it leans a bit too much on new tech.
The Milano Sable Reborn shares a lot of the same issues that the Zephorus Stelvio R did - with a bit more scoring tilted towards having more lore to go off of. Its design, while good, has some minor issues such as the gaping huge intake on the new front bumper and the glass rear, a definite quirky addition on both the original and Reborn versions, literally made me think I had additional missing textures on the first and second look arounds. The idea transplant the latest grand tourer drivetrain over along its interior bits does make for a very fast and very good driving car, however it does lose quite a lot of the classic’s character. In a way this does feel like it would benefit in being a retromodern grand tourer rather than a restomod.
Could you please elaborate more on these statements? I’m curious on how the car was “too normal” for the challenge.
It was indeed cheap, but it should’ve had a lot more money sunk into it to at least get closer to the top 5.
You sent in a low priced car, with very average stats and performance, to a challenge that was asking for something that’s amped up. The lore you gave was that it was a low priced mid engine sports car with slightly upgraded performance, and that its defining feature was the sporty didn’t break the bank. What I was looking for was a backstory that goes a bit further than what the car is, further than just affordability (ie, notoriety, motorsports pedigree or iconicness) , and engineering that doesn’t mind going a bit wild, while not relying too much on new tech or at the very least have it be explained.
Basically you aimed too low for what I was looking for. It punched above its weight, but weight (or rather, cost) unfortunately didn’t matter much here.
I see, that makes a lot of sense. Perhaps next time I should add in some more lore. Thanks for clarifying.
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[CSR 166 - Part 4. The Final Five]
Even with his list, with these cars being boutique and bespoke creations, it wasn’t as simple as walking up the a dealership for any of these cars. Regardless however, he was able to contact representatives from all five of the builders and convince each of them of his intent to see their creations, as well as to test a demo car. With several of the builders located in different regions of the world, these weren’t going to be back to back visits - but Stefán was confident that any impressions that will truly stick with him will stand out regardless of the order the cars were tested in. And any finer details? Well, they can go into his notes as per usual.
With his notebook in hand, he put it into his briefcase before setting off to visit the first one on his list…
The first locale that Stefán travelled to was Hoffsman’s HQ, where a representative met with him to speak with him regarding build processes, specifications and the HSR program. This being a bespoke car always meant that the personalization options were near limitless, however Stefán always was here for one thing in particular: to test the demo car. He would get his first in person look at it soon enough as they brought him out to the back, where they had lineups of Hoffsman’s latest models and of course, the Salto HSR Program that he was here for.

First impressions were very good, as Stefán took in the sight of it. It being a based on a late 80s supercar always meant it would look bigger in pictures than in person, but its presence was impressive nonetheless. Of the cars he had shortlisted to try, he did think this probably would be the top - and seeing it in person solidified that opinion for the time being. Simply put, it was just the blend of historic and modern stylings that he wanted. The taillights were also very interesting and cool to see in person - even if it bordered on being a little gimmicky.

Inside the car, it was a slightly different story. While it was certainly nice and of decent quality, the flappy paddles over a stick shift as well as the screens used were a bit of a let down, with Stefán personally preferring a more classic feel. Regardless, initial driving impressions were very strong, the ride being very comfortable and it wasn’t difficult in any way getting around on low speed. The twin turbocharged V8 was fairly responsive and definitely provided a strong kick, with fairly minimal turbo lag. He did note however that the car did tend to roll a bit, which was especially jarring when the Salto was pushed a bit harder - especially considering its limits were fairly high.
It was mentioned before he left that any orders will take just over a year to fulfill, which seemed fairly reasonable. While the exterior was phenomenal, the interior and some of the fine tuning did leave a little to be desired.
Next up on Stefán’s travels was to Modena, to where the Rinascita Confortola was being built. The operation was certainly smaller than Hoffsman, but it was definitely still dedicated to the build as the representative went over their ethos and processes with Stefán. He soon would get a close up look on the Rinascita Confortola, with chassis and panels of Lazzari Confortolas in the background.

Visually it was impressive, especially with its long hood and well proportioned arches to fit the new, modern wheels. The new lighting units were very well incorporated, not taking too much away from the classic lines but also blending in well with the newer elements. It did lack some of the flair the Hoffsman had - but he is comparing a GT to a supercar there. The one part Stefán was conflicted about however - and continues to be conflicted about - was the hood vents and blacked out portions of it.

Within, the Confortola was very impressive. The materials may be ever so slightly lower than the Hoffsman’s, but the revamped classic dash and manual transmission just hit the spot. The V12 was a joy to start up and hear, and sitting within he definitely felt the grand touring experience. It was comfortable, easy to drive and very smooth and predictable. Pushing it a bit further definitely showed that Rinascita had definitely intended it to be more of a Grand Tourer, with it feeling a tinge of understeer and slightly unsettled at higher speeds - proving its limits to be rather low. Not that it was entirely a bad thing, it is a grand tourer after all.
Reviewing the details with the rep, the Rinascita Confortola would take just about a year to fulfill. Stefán left with strong impressions, but still had three more locales to visit before making any decisions.
Travelling over to his next stop at Hatzenbach, he was there to see their Restomods division regarding the R-Evolution. The building clearly also did work on some of their racing projects here as well, with various memorabilia displayed, as well as clearly sectioned off areas to keep any secrets from coming out. What Stefán came for however, was no secret - at least not anymore. The Sonic Blue R-Evolution took amongst parts and chassis for a couple of Susei Tengai Fuji GT-Rs.

Seeing it in person and in detail, there was no doubt that this was extremely high quality. It was a 90s Japanese GT brought to what it could be, clad in a sleek widebody with intricate aero details within the carbon components, a paint scheme that called back to its most famous racing example, and subtle sonic references.The lighting were similarly as well implemented as the Rinascita’s as well. If there was one to rival what the Hoffsman had done, this was it.

The inside of the car was subtly stunning. Visually it was rather straight forward, however everything was extremely well crafted and put together. Nothing seemed out of place on a 90s legend like this, both look and feel being spot on. Starting up the turbocharged Inline-six, Stefán was immediately surprised by just how responsive the engine was - feeling even sharper than most naturally aspirated engines. Driving it about, it had little difficulty on the streets, though it was noticeably firmer than both the Confortola and Salto HSR. It was quickly apparent why however, with it being insanely communicative when pushed. On the streets it was quickly apparent that the full capabilities of this car had an extremely high ceiling - one that Stefán wasn’t about to try with a very expensive demo car.
Unsurprisingly, with the build quality of the HRM R-Evolution, the fulfillment period was by far the longest at just over 16 months - not to mention the most expensive of the bunch. Still, as he left Hatzenbach, the experience lingered on Stefán’s thoughts…
Up next on Stefán’s travels was to MTL Customs & Tuning to check out their Octane Aeron Carbon Edition. Being a tuning shop rather than a dedicated motorsports outfit, Stefán would quickly come to see the Carbon Edition amongst the various donor Aerons and parts within their shop.

Looking over the Aeron, Stefán appreciated the classic 80s, Group B styling of the Aeron, though it did lack a bit of the flair the others he had seen so far had even with its sinister Wolfe Caviar black paint. The panoramic roof was very well implemented, blending into the original’s lines as if it were meant to have it. Its other visual modifications however, were a little less well implemented in Stefán’s opinion, with the new lighting units looking more aftermarket bolt on than the others he had seen so far. Stefán also half suggested maybe going with turbofan wheels instead of the ones they had, which he wasn’t sure if it was a suggestion they will take.

Going within the car, it was very well done with everything redone by hand. It also kept things simple with an updated, but not too updated central unit. It was all very high quality - maybe not to the lengths that Hatzenbach had done - but very nice regardless. The naturally aspirated inline six was also impressive, maybe just a touch less responsive than the R-Evolution’s. It was certainly easy to take on the street, however interestingly despite the cushier seats and softer suspension, the ride was still a bit rough. It also a tad more body roll than Stefán would have liked, much like the Salto HSR - perhaps it was a conscious decision by both given their Group B histories. Still, it performed well when pushed, with easily accessible limits.
As Stefán finished up his test, the rep mentioned that they typically take just about 11 months to finish a build. Stefán thanked them for their time, with one last destination and car left to see before making his decision.
Getting all the way over to Texas, Stefán went to the last stop on his list at Lonestar Labs. They definitely had a slightly different approach, taking not just one but two vehicles to do their restomod. As such, there was plenty of Archprinces about, as well as discarded inner frames of older 303s, Acadias and Poconos. What stood amongst it all however, was their end product: the Pocono Revolution.

Being the only American Muscle on Stefán’s list, it wasn’t surprising that it was the largest of the cars he had looked into. It certainly had a lot of presence, with the streamliner nose only adding to the big muscle car’s character. It looked the part of an Arrowhead, finished classy Alamo red paint and matched with bronze wheels and exhaust tips. The new aero fabrication and lighting were also fitted quite well to the classic lines, even if the steamliner front end and resulting headlamps were undoubtedly a little odd - an understandable consequence of working under the inspiration of an original that was slightly odd in itself.

Entering into the Pocono 2GN Revolution, Stefán did note the new modern interior unit that may have been a bit too modern for his tastes. Regardless of that, it was a rather nice place to be. The 464 cubic inch V8 definitely wasn’t the most refined thing around, but perfectly suited the character of the car. Same thing could be said about the ride also, with the high power and large size making it more of a handful to control. It also had a fairly firm ride, but the reasons for that was evident when pushed - this big muscle car can definitely handle.
As advertised, the build time for a Pocono 2GN Revolution was 10 months, and sat at the lowest end on the cost spectrum. And now, the difficult part of actually choosing one of the five vehicles. Reviewing his final notes on the cars, there were certainly great strengths in each one of the ones he had shortlisted. From pure visual style, to the pull of historic influence, to the engineering done to the vehicle. Yet, amongst them all, there was one that had nearly no faults of its own… And undoubtedly since he had tried it, had been on his mind since.