Cult of Personality - Part 2: The Modern Era [LORE] [Batch 1 Submissions: CLOSED]

[CC9020]

Fuji RRS Targa I (RRT)

In 1989, at the same auto show that would birth another sports car legend, the Fuji RRS was revealed. An extremely affordable sports car with a four cylinder in place of the trunk, the RRS came in several flavors. The Turbo, the 1.7, the Targa I, and the Targa Turbo were the bases of the tree, with all slotting nicely under $9000.

The engines in the RRS were little more than tuned up versions of various blocks and heads picked from across Europe and Japan, but they were punchy. The Targa I and 1.7 made 145 horsepower from their 1.7 liter naturally aspirated engines, and the Turbo made 118 horsepower from its 1.5 liter turbocharged block.

The RRS was released on July 12, 1990, to great reviews about everything except its sudden ‘snap’ oversteer that was prone to throwing drivers off the road. Nevertheless, many Targas, Turbos and 1.7s were sold, likely mainly due to its low price and ‘fake Ferrari’ looks, and the RRS lasted until 2000, when emissions and safety laws killed off the relatively old engines and bodies.

While the RRS would be replaced in 2004 by the RR2, some would ask if it would live up to its namesake. Some might have said that the feeling of the tiny, open top sports car wasn’t replicated by its more expensive, heavier cousin. While the RRS was cheap, it certainly did not lack spirit, no matter its simple suspension. As a result of the RRS’s simple design, it could be found thrashing more expensive, heavier competition on the track, with the turbo kit off of a Coherence TR bolted on, or jumping a dog on your local rally course - because, if you crashed, the front and rear suspension were practically the same, so with some creative tinkering you can carry one spare instead of two.

[Alib]

1998, the 50th anniversary of Bramble, was celebrated somewhat mutely in the company, or so it seemed to the public. Inside the company it was anything but, as a leaked image of Project 50 showed;

This was the Bramble Taron, a very unusual vehicle to celebrate a birthday. Instead of a fire-spitting supercar, a luxury barge, or even a visually stunning concept, what we got was a hatchback based on nothing in the Bramble stable (It turned out the Taron was an early example of the next generation of Bramble, but that is another story), so not exactly profitable.

The stats didn’t really help the Taron out - for quite a bit of money, the buyer got just 147hp out of a fairly heavy transverse 2 litre I5, only four seats, no entertainment and looks that were…divisive at best. A dig into top speed didn’t help matters - the Taron couldn’t even hit 120mph. But this was not the point of the Taron, it was Bramble personified; not much sense on paper, but, in actuality, rather brilliant.

The cost came not from the Bramble 5’s design - it could trace it’s roots all the way back to 1952 - but it’s internals, upgraded for better reliability than the norm, and with a very flat top end, it could give all that power for much longer than usual. The wishbone suspension, was another area where the Taron was ahead of the curve. Not many other cars have both active springs and semi-active dampers, especially not in 1998.

So, we have a proven and reliable engine, with parts readiliy availible, in a car that corners like its on rails at any speed it could reach - no surprise what happened next. Examples of Tarons have been seen in the hands of tuners, bumped and bashed in both rallying and touring cars, and even once or twice in more outlandish places, like the Archanian Trek. An unmolested example is rare, but those that have survived are fondly held onto by owners.

[On3CherryShake]

Up until the early 90’s Hokuto had never produced an SUV. Only commuter cars and fullsize cars, with legendary Japanese build quality and quirkiness. (Think Subaru and Honda!) So when the market started to shift towards SUV’s, Hokuto wanted to be some of the first to pioneer through these changes.

The Kanari compact SUV started development in 1992, and was released in 1996. It gained a reputation for being one of the first “cute-utes” that was actually really solid off-road. Soon after it’s release, the Emira midsize SUV went under development to be released in 2001, to go down as one of the best midsize crossovers to date. And to really solidify the Hokuto name into the hearts of Americans, they developed the Hiro pickup and released it in 2003.

The Hiro, while having a great name to remind people that they could do anything, was also unkillable. They used the knowledge they gained from the Kanari and applied it to a larger scale. Using a light-truck unibody, chassis rigidity was better than competitors, and good off-road. And it was the first mass market USDM pickup to use fully independent suspension on all four corners - using double wishbones in the front and a 5-link rear setup.

The engine that’s in demand is surprisingly the V6, as the first generation UT series V8 had some camshaft issues. But the 3.7L VE series SOHC V6 used a timing chain, and proved to be absolutely bulletproof. Lots of low end torque and good pulling power throughout the midrange and above 5,000 RPMs.

It’s reputation for reliability shows even to this day, as the Hiro has one of the highest resale values of any mass produced car, in the top 5.

[LS-Vehicles]

LSV Trike SSR

A muscle car of sorts was released in 1992 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of LSV in the US market.
Regular LSV Trike pickup was modified by covering the truck bed and adding a spoiler. The car was also fitted with a 261hp 5598cc V8 instead of the regular inline 6.

Like a proper American car this was made to go in a straight line and turning was not suggested.

[SyberRacer]

Week 1 submissions are now CLOSED!

Please do not send me anymore vehicles for week one.

Submissions will open again on Monday 10th December at 12:00 AM GMT for week #2.

[abg7]

In the early 2000s, the DiMarino Imperia 325 was the sports sedan to have, thanks to its agile handling and gutsy straight-six engine. The “R” version shown here boasted a heady 350 horsepower and a dizzying 8000-rpm redline, giving it a harder-edged feel compared to the base model. Both of them were available only with a six-speed manual gearbox, but were offered in multiple body styles; a coupe is shown below, but the 325 could also be ordered as a four-door sedan, two-door convertible or five-door estate. All of them, however, offered comfortable seating for four, a decent amount of boot space and plenty of standard equipment.

Not surprisingly, the Imperia 325 became a common sight at racetracks around the world, thanks to its great tuning potential. As a powerful rear-driver, it also gained a following in the drift scene. However, there are still plenty of unmodified examples left, and considering that such an uncompromising car, with a high-revving naturally-aspirated straight-six, could never be built today, driving one is a highly refreshing experience and a welcome antidote to the quite frankly overused combination of lazy, low-revving downsized turbocharged engines and self-shifting gearboxes.

[BaronvonJobi]

Is week 2 still open?

[SyberRacer]

Sorry, guys. I still haven’t got around to doing week one yet. Been too busy with uni stuff. I should’ve realised I wouldn’t have had as much free time as I thought I would when starting this.

You can still send me week 2 submissions over Christmas and I’ll try and get them all sorted when I am back at Uni, which would be 2nd week in January.

[HybridTronny]

Hoping you can deal those university stuff faster! I know how it feels since i’m an university student too lol.

[VicVictory]

Well, while wait for Rd 1, here’s my Rd 2…

1992-1998 Ardent Hood

Ardent took a turn in the early 90’s, starting to close the gap between their A-series trucks and passenger vehicles. With sales of traditional wagons slowly dropping, it was hoped that this new venture would be successful. Named “Hood” and released in 1992, this Ardent SUV came with a choice of 2.9 or 3.4 liter V8 motors, and 5- or 7-passenger configurations in 2- or 4-wheel drive. 5-passenger versions with the 2.9 liter could be equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission, with the 4WD versions equipped with a manual-shift transfer case as opposed to the automatic version’s permanent 4WD with viscous differential.

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Submitted trim: 1992 Hood SE 4WD 5-passenger, 5-speed manual