OK, calm down there, Chevy. 
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Originally released in 1973 the ACA 300 was a badge engineered model of the 1967 Merciel 300. This license copy of the Merciel 300 was done to prepare the groundwork between the ACA-Merciel partnership, which would be later known as the Chevron Alliance.
The ACA 300 would sell from 1973-1976.
Early models of the ACA 300 were imported directly from France with later models being produced in ACA factories using parts imported from Merciel Brazil.
Though the ACA 300s production run was short lived, around 10-15,000 ACA 300s were sold before ACA replaced them with the brand new ACA Traveller, which was based on the Merciel 300s replacement, the Merciel 310.
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The 1986 LHE Satalite X4RS, transforming your normal Satalite, into a regular sports car! With smooth power delivery, this hot piece of race car homologation can be yours for a steal! Don’t wait, see your LHE Dealer now, because when their gone, their gone!
The LHE Satalite Mk I was introduced in 1970 as an option to fill the gap between the compact Comstar, and the Fullsize Orbital. The Satalite was LHE’s first FWD platform, but continued to use the longitudinal layout, originally equipped with the AM4 Gen I engine found in the Comstar, initial sales were hung up by the vehicles lack of power, and low economy.
Thankfully these issues were ironed out in the 2nd generation introduced in 1976, when the lineup received LHE’s new enlarged 3v OHC BM-Series power-plants. The Satalite now enjoyed adequate power, and improved economy over the larger Orbital, and a roomier interior over the smaller Comstar. In 1982 the Satalite would enter its 3rd generation, sporting a reduced wheelbase, and more refined, fully independent suspension at all four corners. At this point seeing the success of marketing a car as a ‘rally’ car, the Satalite platform was put through rigorous changed with a mid generation face-lift in '84 and the introduction of an AWD option.
Out of necessity, the Satalite X4RS was birthed, a homolgation special which was built, and sold only in the numbers required to enter the vehicle into production car classes. From '85-'87 only 1,057 examples were produced, and with a non treated steel chassis and body, even fewer are expected to have survived out side of enthusiast owners.
(Let me know if I went too info heavy for ya @VicVictory)
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1982 CMV M48 R
What happens when you take a luxury performance sedan, strip it down to a bare bones interior, and slap a more powerful engine in it?
You get the rare CMV M48 R. A car that, in the early 80’s was a high profile race-bred sedan with a bit of a killer streak in it.
We’re not just talking about it killing the competition in IMSA racing. The high power and razor thin margin for error at the edge of handling took the lives of more than a few people, including separate incidents in which young heartthrob actor Wall Parker and rock and roller C.C. Queen passed on.
The negative publicity from these high profile accidents soured the reputation of the M48 R, and it has taken a long time to recover. But its 401 horsepower (in stock form; IMSA models ran MUCH higher) and modest 3000 pounds of weight made it very formidable indeed. Perhaps the tuning of the suspension was a bit off, or tires of the time just weren’t good enough to keep them planted well enough.
Nowadays, the few survivors still tear it up at tracks, mostly in the hands of vintage enthusiasts and club racers. We recently got the opportunity to watch one do a lapping day at Laguna Seca, and it was a thing of absolute beauty.
M48 R’s do still exist out in the wild, so if you’re looking for an absolute scorching bit of automotive history, keep your eyes peeled. Just remember: they’ll cost a pretty penny, and they are not for the faint of heart. And if you want the killer looks without the deadly setup, try a much more sedate non-R version.
Scoring:
Mainstream Culture - Muscle: Low (Currently in 2nd)
Mainstream Culture - Retro Motorsports: Very high (Currently in 1st)
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@VicVictory love the review 
If anyone’s interested here’s the .car: CMV 1M - M48 R.car (24.4 KB)
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1969 Rado Communt 67 Standard
Let’s talk about bad for a moment. No, not like “my alternator went bad” or “I picked a bad color.” We’re talking flat-out bad. The kind that smells like roadkill and leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth just for getting near it.
That’s what the Rado Communt 67 is for us. “A what?” you may ask. No surprise there, as the model lasted just a handful of years before the NHTSA mercifully stepped in and banned their sale due to dismal crash safety scores.
Yet before the “intrusion into our lives” (ask your grandparents) of the government getting into our business and telling us what you can and can’t buy, the Eastern Bloc foisted thousands of these onto us. Why would we have ever bought them to begin with? And does this mean that Ralph Nader really is our savior?
To the second question, the answer is most unfortunate. “Yes.”
But to the first, well… there were a lot of drugs in the late 60’s. I mean, a LOT. Mind altering and psychedelic. That might explain why so many people would elect to spend nearly $800 buying a brand new Rado instead of, say, an 8 year old Ardent Starlight.
By all measure, said out-of-date Ardent would have been the wiser pick. Even if it had almost a hundred thousand miles on it, it was sure to be at LEAST as reliable as the Rado. And more comfortable, quicker, and so on and so forth.
Take a look at some of these test specifications from back in the day that we found locked in the dark archives of the library. The Communt 67’s wheezing 1.1 liter engine managed to squeeze out just 32 horsepower, last seen as “acceptable” in the states when actual horses were used for transportation. 7.7 miles per gallon. We’ve seen Alameda Vegas with better fuel economy. Oh, stopping distance. This is a fun one. From 60 miles per hour, it took 119 meters to come to a stop. Yeah, that’s right. Longer than a football field, including BOTH end zones. Speaking of 60 miles per hour, the Communt 67 WAS able to get up to that speed in just under a minute (not a typo), and had a top speed of 65 miles per hour (also not a typo).
We figured that it would just be high-as-a-kite hippies that would buy these, but not one of our parents or their friends knew anyone who owned one back in the day. Amazingly enough, the largest concentration of these old heaps that we’ve found for sale in the States seem to be concentrated around Albuquerque. No one can seemingly explain why.
We can, however, explain why they keep showing up at cruise-ins now and then. It’s as a simple, straight up, “screw you” to the entire automotive world. At least according to forum user pinkosrock6769, who seems to own a pair of them. One to show off, and the other to serve as a parts car (and hold all the parts from all the other parts cars he’s cannibalized over the years).
All we have to say is: Egads.
Scoring:
Counter Culture - Classics: Very Low (Currently in 3rd)
More reviews to come. I need a nap.
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OK, many of us were wondering how bad it had to be to be banned back in “generations”, now we know.
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The actual safety score is 0.0, I shit you not.
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Lagau Autoroute et la Piste Gagnant (APG) (1987- 1989)
(GT Trim shown)
The Lagau APG is a sports car that was introduced with trackdays in mind and it shows just in the design itself.
It’s looks are very aggresive and edgy, it looks like something that would kill. And perhaps it can kill if in
the wrong hands, because this car is purely a driver’s car.
The APG comes with three trims,
The "N" model, which is the base car,
The "S", a turbocharged beast that came in it's last year of production,
and the "GT" model, which is a car with a V12 and a more luxury-biased interior.
The APG was designed to be cheap. whilist using advanced materials and techniques, it was because it doesn’t have to be mass produced and it was somehow poorly made in a sense that it doesnt feel like quality.The engine was lifted from 1987 Lagau Merveille and was restroked to its original size which is 3.9L, 3.5L in the “S” trim.
However, The APG is a good track car, especially in “N” and “S” trims because they have less weight to lug around and it has nearly no driver aids and power steering, with the exception with the ABS (This is only true for N trim, S trim has power steering and traction control.)
Meanwhile on the GT trim, it’s a serious competitor for the Ferrari Testarossa, being more luxurious, lighter and equaling style with the Testarossa meant that it was a alternative choice for those who are not rich enough to buy a Ferrari Testarossa.
Many APGs have landed on owners who liked to take it for a drive in B-roads and their local race circuit, And because of its appealing performance, private race teams started to take notice.
We even had a look of a private race team, which it wishes not to disclose the name, where we have the chance to photograph
at a prototype for the IMSA GTP Series.
5 Likes
I see only one use for those early Communts: as static targets on a firing range to be destroyed by hand-held weapons, from handguns and assault rifles to bazookas and grenade launchers.
3 Likes
1975-1981 Jager Mirage SE
So let’s talk about the South for a bit. Big country, big mud, big gators, big heart, and big food. They have such a storied and colorful history, with a modern people just as colorful and welcoming. They also have a love-affair with just about everything super-sized, especially cars.
With that in mind, it would seem a little unusual to see so many Jager Mirages down there. You have to dig a little deeper into the history of the car and what it means to the people there now to understand.
The particular generation we’re dealing with today ran from 1975 to 1981, with several engine changes in the middle. For argument’s sake, let’s concentrate on the 1976 year, with the AAB 335 FCR V8 motor, putting out a still-quite-respectable 193 horsepower. While not nearly as powerful as cars of the previous generation, the kick put out by this motor was enough to propel the Mirage to 60 in HiPo Pony car territory of 8 seconds flat. This is partly thanks to a hydraulic 4 speed automatic overdrive installed by Jager, rather advanced for its day. Unfortunately, “advanced” and “1976” usually meant “mechanical disaster”, which does also describe the Mirage SE 335.
Much of that was forgiven by the locals thanks to standard premium velour seating with split-bench front, and a quadrophonic 8-track entertainment system. While air conditioning was not technically standard, it was an incredibly popular option on the Mirage. Jager’s engineers also put a lot of time and thought into structural integrity, giving the passenger cabin extra rigidity and the front and rear quarters semi-modular collapsable design. Not only was this good for passenger safety, but it lead to the Jager Mirage being utilized in a most unexpected way.
Demo derbies. That’s right, good old mud-slinging, steel-bashing fun. The Mirage’s safety, combined with generally good driving dynamics in mud, made for a wonderful car for the demolition derby. These are a staple all across the South.
Meanwhile, there’s a modest contingent of Northerners who scoff and clutch the keys to their Grandma’s Jager, muttering the words “never, ever.” Well, they can go get their coffee and bagels in them and then head off to the cruise-in, I suppose. To each their own.
Scoring:
Counter Culture - Motorsport: High (Currently in 1st)
Mainstream Culture - Classics: Low (Currently in 1st)
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off topic ofc
Heh damn it you, every time I scroll past this challenge this song starts playing in my head
Not complaining though, hella good choon
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Maybe the only vehicle that you will drive straight through with a Subaru 360 van then…
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1955 Athena SL2
The SL2 represents Athena’s 2nd generation of their large sedan. Since they had realized, how large the luxury car market was in America, compared to Europe, they went with a much larger body this time.
They put a revised version of the Thebes I6 into it and the resulting performance of the SL236 was fine with an acceleration of 11.3 seconds from 0-100km/h. But especially in the US, the horsepower war had already begun, and with just 140hp the Inline 6 was lagging behind some of the competition a little bit.
That is why they had spent the last few years developing a second engine as well. They called it the Olympus V12, a 6.4L machine with Dual Overhead cams and 24 valves. The result was 275hp and 480Nm of torque. This engine was powerful and smooth, it had great torque and was also quiet, thanks to the two reverse-flow mufflers.
However, with great power comes great responsibility, which is why the SL264 got 225mm sports tyres as opposed to the 205mm medium compound tyres that the SL236 came with. It got bigger rims to accomodate larger brakes, too.
All of this meant that the SL264 weighed 1700kg, but with this much power and good tyres, it was able to do 0-100km/h in a jawdropping 7.6 seconds (6.7 seconds in BeamNG), and achieving a phenomenal top speed of 233km/h, putting Athena right up there with the very best in the segment.
The price was also right up there, though. In 1955, you would pay 3.300$ for a SL236, and the SL264 would set you back a whopping 4.850$. However, few could compete in terms of elegance, comfort and performance. And the ones that could were no cheaper.
6 Likes
MY82 Bogliq Celestial LT2000
Bogliq Japan was forced, like every other Japanese car manufacturer, to export their products. But, unlike Sakura etc., Bogliq USA existed which meant that BoJ (Bogliq of Japan) had to get permission from Bogliq USA to dump excess product there.
Bogliq USA took advantage of this peculiarity by importing niche cars from Japan and exporting popular US cars back to Japan. The Celestial was, on paper, a competitor with the Coyote base models, but the B-USA brass wanted to see if a cheap import would create space to push the Coyote upmarket. So, starting in 1982, the USA sports coupe market would bear witness to the Celestial “Lifestyle Sports” experiment…
RRP: $3,955 USD (1983 Coyote $5,860 USD)
8 Likes
1968 Jaffil Hercules 5.8L
I strongly recommend you to play this music while watching it!
If you tought Jaffil only makes Boring and mediocre cars, you’re so wrong! The Jaffil Hercules is the first muscle car to be produced by the Fruinian brand: Jaffil Automobile.
It is your typical gas guzling straight line performing land yatch. With the new Zeus 5.8L OHV V8, that is just our same old 5.1L V8 with 150HP. But Bored and Stroked to 5800cc (353 cui), Making 280 Horsepower (208kw), and 447Nm (329 ft lbs) of torque to the rear wheels through a 4 speed manual gearbox.
Constructed on a Steel monocoque chassis with Corrosion Resistant Steel panels on top. Suspended on a Heavy Duty Double wishbone and Solid axle leaf suspension.
Introducing all-around disc brakes for more stopping power!
(For more information, go to your local Jaffil Dealership.)
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If it’s 6.7 on regular tarmac, I’d love to see a 50’s luxobarge pull under 5 on the drag strip. (As you may or may not know, the tarmac at the beginning of the East Coast USA drag strip is much grippier than regular tarmac. My 69 Chevelle replica can get to 60 in 3.9 with that kind of grip!)
it’s 6.7s on the drag strip in BeamNG. Still extremely fast for a 1955 luxury sedan
1 Like
What if one was to make a Group B Homologation special, whereby the requirements was to only produce 200 cars? Would that mean we would be allowed to use stuff with “no mass production” flags?
“We’re not making exotics here” or something like that was written in the original post. I would say that most group B specials probably would fall under that category too…
1 Like