Cult of Personality ][ : The Boogaloo [LORE][RD 5 FINAL RESULTS]

[Madrias]

1988 Rowlari Empress

Trim: Grand Royale

Designed in 1980, the Rowlari Empress was intended to be a new breed of luxury car. The 1970’s era Diamondback had been designed with three trims: Classique, Grand Royale, and Fully Loaded, each one progressively adding in more options. The 1980’s Empress brought those trim levels back, but gave them more meaning.

The Classique was offered with the 353ci and 464ci inline six engines, the Grand Royale could be picked up with the 497ci inline six, or after 1985, the new Bricksley-Rowlari 441ci V10. The Fully Loaded trim came with the massive Bricksley-Rowlari 588ci V10, or the brutal 927ci Rowlari V12, now outfitted with fuel injection and emissions equipment.

The new V10 engines were a joint project between the two divisions under Bricksley’s banner, aiming to create an engine to improve the fuel efficiency of their fleet while still remaining smooth and prestigious for Rowlari, the luxury division. These V10 engines ended up in everything from small sedans, luxury cruisers, pickup trucks, and even the occasional van. Variants of the 441ci V10 were used in the 1987 Bricksley Grand Sorcerer Police Interceptor when police departments demanded faster police cruisers to deal with the onslaught of fast, turbocharged mayhem spilling out of the early 80’s.

The Empress was offered in colors such as Ruby Red High-Metallic, Diamond Black High-Metallic, Sapphire Blue High-Metallic, Emerald Green High-Metallic, and Quartz White High-Metallic, as well as several Bricksley standard metallic paints, plus the $4,200 “Custom Color” option. These could be ordered with the leather interior being complimentary colored, plain white, plain black, or optionally left in “True Leather” with no dyes used.

[Frostquake]

Can this be considered as both side and front indicators? Or do I need to add another pair?

[thecarlover]

I can’t speak for Vic’s judgement, but usually that sort of thing would be stretched for the US market to act as a side marker. They tend to wrap around the side a little more.

[interior]

Schnell LX35 LSi MY1989 (T53)
After success of the original LX20 LSi, Sales have dwindled a lot in the late 80’s for the MK1 to the point they lost money selling the car and its associated trim levels. They desperately needed a replacement to avoid losing thousands of dollars per car they made so they cut the plug on the MK1 production entirely and its platform sharing cars like the X20 Convertible which were recalled because the cars were not rigid and prone to snapping in half.

It has a new sporty interior, and new casette deck and a V6 Engine with 260HP. The LSi trim was heavily improved with Progressive suspension, Variable Hydraulic power steering and traction control with ABS, and a more comfortable ride and better packaging.
For the first time, the car had dual exhausts because of the 24V DOHC V6 rather than its SOHC 2.0L I4 predecessor. It was a lot sleeker than its boxier MK1 model.

0-62MPH was in an astounding groundbreaking 6.1 seconds, rivaling with the sports car segment while only weighing in at 1279KG. or 2819lbs and the top speed of 162MPH.

A V8 LSi was planned but the lack of time and a deadline of May 8th 1989, the car’s release. Of course it had normal trims with less powerful engines.

How to spot a fake model to a genuine one

The LSi was the only model to have a 3.5 V6, All the others had smaller displacement V6’s or inline-4’s.
It’s a widened version.
Two spoilers, Normal trims usually have one.
Sold as a 5MT model.

[BannedByAndroid]

I designed the coupe version to be an European-exclusive model by lore.
As I mentioned in these paragraphs:

This white unit shown here is a German market 16v coupe with the RennSport Package, which both the engine, package and the body style are not available for sale in America.

Sadly, the American market only gets the 3-door hatchback with the original 1.6 liter engine, and for worse it was downtuned to 115 hp due to regulations and what not.

[abg7]

1992 Madison Ballista 500 GT

The second-generation Madison Ballista hit the market in 1992, and traded its predecessor’s angular styling for a more curvaceous shape. Underneath the hood was a 345-bhp 5.0L all-alloy DOHC V8 - a clean-sheet design incorporating variable intake and exhaust valve timing. This engine was mated to a close-ratio five-speed manual gearbox, yielding a top speed of 183 mph and a 0-60 mph time of exactly 5 seconds.

In a first for the company, a multilink rear suspension was fitted, yielding significant improvements in ride and handling compared to the earlier Ballista. In addition to this, ABS, traction control, and front airbags for the driver and passenger were all standard. To minimize weight gain compared to its predecessor, some panels (doors, hood, and trunk lid) were now made out of aluminum instead of steel.

The reason for the redesign was clear - by 1990, imports had caught up to the Ballista in many criteria, and so an all-new design was required imminently. Thankfully, it did not disappoint, especially at its base price of $42900 AMU, which included leather seats, a premium sound system, 17-inch alloy wheels, and variable-ratio power steering.

Even with all the premium trimmings included as standard, the Ballista was a more competitive performer than ever before, thanks to its all-new mechanicals - and was more civilized than its predecessor to boot.

Interior

[BannedByAndroid]

1991 Hessenburg F-4 1.6T

IAA 1991 press release image, European model shown

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Its the year 1991. The Cold War has ended, Germany was unified, and Hessenburg had a great year for its products and their profits.

The high sales volumes of the 2000 and its other models in its existing markets, as well as the firm’s newfound success in markets like China, led Hessenburg to think different with their next model, which was previewed in 1988 as the Hessenburg Y2K concept, which is a carbon fibre-bodied quad coupe with an 1.0 liter L3 twin turbo and an electric motor hybrid setup.

Of course, carbon fiber and hybrids were just too advanced for its time, and to set the vehicle for production, some modifications were done to make sure its viable for production. But technical issues lead the car missed its original 1990 release date, only to be seen in IAA in 1991 as one of the stars on the show.

The car was officially released in fall 1991 in Europe and America, with sales in Japan started in 1992. Other than the required modifications to the car to make it production-viable, the whole vehicle does looks a smidge like the concept vehicle, as its aerodynamic, rounded edges and a 4-door design (with suicide doors) of the concept still being kept in the vehicle.

Inside the vehicle is a all-aluminum 1.6 liter turbo four, generating 212 horsepower in its peak. Coupled with a lightweight design and a 5-speed manual meant that 0-100 km/h times are in a competent 5.6 seconds and a limited 250 km/h top speed.

A 2+2 seating configuration, 7-speaker sound system by Bose, automatic sunroof and a quirky dash meant that the F-4 is just as striking inside, with specially designed seating for the front occupants for the best comfort in a low weight, as well as a load of safety features which include some parts that were pretty rare on a vehicle like this.

The vehicle was only produced in Hessenburg’s then-new factory in Mannheim, which meant waiting times were long, and the fact that only specialized mechanics can repair the vehicle, which meant repair prices were higher than average.

However, this doesn’t stop owners of the vehicle buying the vehicle, and sales continued until the limited number of 15,000 units were finished in 1995. The amount of surviving vehicles are obviously, lower, but collectors are more than ever to obtain it as a part of its collection to remind of the quirkiness of the vehicles.

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END

[Knugcab]

Oops, missed that.

[Edsel]

The 1990 Bazard Dakar

Is lore time

The year is 1984, and the car community witnesses one of the most interesting new cars in a long time: The Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. A car with the space of a cargo van that could fit in a standard garage. one which could comfortably hold 8 people, yet which drove like a sedan. It could pretty much do anything! With fold-up seats and sliding doors, it was truly new. And different. And awesome.

Bazard loved it. They wanted this. They wanted to make this. They wondered why they hadn’t thought of this sooner. It was brilliant. And perfect. And right up their alley, considering like 2/5 of their lineup was vans anyway. And then they saw Chrysler’s sales figures…

So, what did Bazard do to make a van that would stand out from Chrysler’s (and later, the Astro and Aerostar)? They went to Senegal. In an earlier round, I mentioned that they were expanding operations into Africa and South America. As it turns out, this had gone quite well; they now had several African and South American subsidiaries in various countries. designing and building cars for their own nations (and regions). Teams of people, hired and trained from their own country, designing cars to be built in factories in said country. And it was a resounding success; even though the cars weren’t always the most unique, they were still pretty good; and the pride of having a car designed and built right at home sits well with people of any nation.

Bazard wondered if any of these subsidiaries could do something about this; and as it turns out, a designer in Bazard Senegal had already been thinking of a design. Bazard Senegal was already beginning work on a new truck/van design, and one designer had already been looking for a way to merge the hardcore utility of this chassis into something that might work as a family car.

A minivan…with the chassis of a truck. A family car…that can take an offroad trail. The most versatile car known to man made even more versatile. Bazard, about as excited as a kid on Christmas, merged that Senegal team with one of Bazard’s American teams, doubled their budgets, and gave them all the time they needed to create what would later become the next generation B-series.

Bazard used the fact that the Dakar was made in Senegal to boost marketing in the US, using this to symbolize the toughness and reliability in the car’s blood. However, the American marketing was usually created exclusively by Americans…who, though well meaning, didn’t always know as much about Sengal as they thought they did.

This generation of the B-series lineup, released in 1988 in Senegal and 1990 in the US, comprised of a van, truck, and the Dakar Minivan. Unlike the truck and van, the minivan was given a name, rather than a string of letters, and was marketed to civilians as well as to companies.

Yet because it was based on a truck chassis, it came with all the advantages of a truck. The Dakar was available in the same 4 trim levels as the commercial trucks, from premium-level appointments for long-distance cruising, to really cheap, stripped down budget models. It also came with all 3 transverse-mounted engine choices available on this platform, with the efficient I4, reliable V6, or (available only upon preorder) a monstrous <200hp V8 engine, usually built for top-level C-series trucks and higher.

Alongside a traditional FWD, Bazard also offered it with an optional Four-Wheel-Drive system- which, because they couldn’t make 4WD work with a transverse engine, was actually a modified AWD system sourced from Centara’s Tormenta- Centara’s only mark on the car. They also offered offroad and/or snow tires as an optional extra (pre-installed, or separate), as well as a manual locking differential.

Bazard exaggerated the difficulty of this trail a bit, but it was still pretty impressive that a minivan managed to scale it.

It was a sort of precursor to the SUV craze, where 15 years later the first crossovers would be trying to combine exactly the same traits. Bazard, with Bazard Senegal, had built a minivan that really could work on-and-off road; they thought they had come up with the most versatile car design ever made, and for a low fair price too. Who wouldn’t want a car that could do everything, they thought?

The version provided is a mid-trim Dakar, with the trim callsign being “BMH6” (B for B-series, M for Minivan, H for “high” trim (second highest), and 6 for 6-cylinder). It comes with the V6, the Four-Wheel-Drive system, an 8-track and cassette player (base models only had the 8 track), and ABS. Not quite the highest trim, but a pretty good show of what it could do.

From left to right: A Dakar van (BMM6), a BTF8 truck, and a BVL4 van.

[Frostquake]

1990 KOLT COYOTE V6

When 90’s came, car technology was getting better day after day. Computers started to take a big place in the industry, and most of the things were done by mere codes. It was time for Kolt Coyote to shine again. In 88, Kolt decided to continue the series and started building the Mk.3 with the help of computers and again, Mitsubishi engineers. This time Kolt made a deal to use the 3000GT chassis for their new vehicle. They also wanted to make an efficient and powerful engine, thus they made the Eco-Six V6 series. It was 213cu(3.5L) and made 260HP/304Nm with 7K peak RPM limit. When the news came out, fans were disappointed as Coyote came with a V6, not a V8.

Exterior Pics

Interior Pics

[VicVictory]

@Frostquake

Fortunately, it did not affect sales and yet again, Coyote sold well and were popular among young generation and tuners.

This is another example of using lore writeup to try to steer my judgement of the car. Competitors are not to make statements about post-release popularity and sales. Please remove this portion of your write-up.

[Tez]

1990 F&S Seax GTA

Now, you might be wondering why F&S bothered to made a sports sedan. After all they started with front engined GT bruisers in the 50’s through to the 80’s, backing their own endurance racing teams in Europe and making their name in Group 3. You see, there’s a few things you need to know:

1. Through the 80’s and mid 90’s F&S experimented more than liberal minded high schoolers
2. They had a “gung-ho” attitude for opportunities

Take yourself back to 1989; the Jikan is in it’s final export year for the states. It wasn’t great, it wasn’t bad. But it was remembered and it back then it did a little better than break even in the accountants office. An acceptable first wave, but the momentum had to be continued. F&S had the answer: the Macro. Equally small, dedicated sports car. Inexpensive, top down fun. Small problem - Johnny Cheeseburger with a strawberry on top won’t import it. “Too unsafe”, he says. Poppycock. No momentum means the brand can’t build. Poor show.

F&S moved to Group C endurance racing when it replaced Group 5 as the premier class for the WSC. They came in when the class was created in the early 80’s, their entry was much like the Jikan. Not great, not bad. A few wins here and there, but in '89 they heard Bernie Ecclestone was getting involved in shaking up the rules in the near future. This irked F&S and decided to cut their ties at the end of season. But what would they do instead with their motorsport expertise? Answer: BTCC. They saw a draft of what we know “Super Touring” rules as and decided to throw down.

So in 1990 they lauched in Seax GTS in Europe and stateside came the GTA, de-tuned to run on the spicy water they call “gas”. Just big enough for the rules, an all aluminium DOHC inline five fitted sideways in the front, five seats in the middle and double wishbones all around. Claimed sub seven seconds to sixty and an electronically limited top speed. They learnt a lot from mass production and at the start of the decade they had the Seax, Macro and Rattler MKIV in their line-up. But did they learn enough?

[Texaslav]

Do I have to have a separate front side marker, or does a front turn signal mounted in a way that makes it visible from the side count? I am asking because of cars like the contemporary Ford Mustang having no separate side marker.

[Knugcab]

On the Nissan 720, this is the side marker.

[GassTiresandOil]

Also has a front marker. I would think that as long as a marker light can be seen from both front and side, you’re good. Theoretically, I’m guessing it could be a single lamp, but it would have to be big enough to be seen from both angles.

[GassTiresandOil]

1992 ARMOR VALENCIA H33

The most widely accepted story behind the H33 is that Armor’s Chief Executive Bill Bronson was flipping through a notable car mag in 1990, looking to see how the Streethawk’s performance stacked up against the competition. It was then that he read an article about the upcoming GMC Cyclone, a pickup truck that spanked Armor’s muscle car in almost every performance category. To Bronson, this would not stand.

Noting that the Cyclone accomplished it’s performance with turbos and AWD, Armor Motors sought a partnership with a notable French automaker renowned for their rally prowess. In the partnership, Armor was able to use their AWD system for a fee, and an agreement not to enter any rally tournaments.

The problem was, the AWD system was front-wheel-drive based, which meant the Streethawk would have to sit this one out. Armor’s sub-compact Cricket was simply too small to cram AWD and turbos into, so the torch was passed to the new Valencia platform.

Initially, Armor’s engineers tried to emulate Mitsubishi’s Eclipse GSX by working over their 2.2 liter I4. The test mule (whereabouts are currently still unknown) was known as the H22. But, noting the Valencia’s larger (and heavier) body compared to the Eclipse, performance was left wanting. Bronson was quickly losing patience, so he approved use of the Valencia’s optional 3.3 liter V6.

With forged internals, turbos, and AWD the second test mule blasted through 0-60 in 5 seconds flat. And with that, the H33 was born.

Badging was sparse, with a simple H33 badge on the tail as the car’s only identifier. The rear spoiler, front bumper, grille, and hood scoop gave the H33 a slightly more aggressive look, setting it apart from standard Valencias. Still, it was born from an economy car, and looked the part.

The new car would end up raising more questions than it answered. How would the public react to an economy car with supercar-style performance? Was there enough room in Armor’s stable for 2 performance cars? And if not, which one would fall by the wayside? Only time would tell.

[VicVictory]

If it wraps significantly around into the fender like the Nissan that Knugcab showed, it counts as a side marker.

[HighOctaneLove]

MY90 Keystone Q40 Senator

Struggling to maintain relevence in an ever increasingly competitive marketplace, Keystone spared no expense in developing their magnum opus, the MY90 Q40 Senator Grand Tourer.

As the 80’s marched on, Keystone’s senior management were becoming increasingly worried about Keystone staying relevent in the North American market. The US car scene had become increasingly more saturated with quality brands from both domestic source and further abroad, which meant that Keystone would have to invest in new product in order to maintain their place in the market, let alone conquest sales from everyone else!

Thanks to Reaganomics, life just got harder with nothing good to show for it!

Understanding that the entire Keystone range was substantially past it’s use by date, Management approved a targeted spending program, updating the entire catalogue, starting with the introduction of the new C series in 1988 and culminating with the light truck program in 1992. The Q40 was slated for introduction in 1990, the halo car of the range, which would prove to be a major departure from Q series cars of the past.

With open-top motoring basically dead in the States, and with the overall world market evolving, the quirky, cheap roadster was no more. The Q-series itself morphed into a Sports Tourer . A strict two seater, the Q40 was neither pure sports car, having a luxuriously appointed cabin, nor grand tourer. If one had to apply an older label to the new Q, it would be Personal Luxury Coupe.

Keystone, understanding they had to innovate, dropped the antiquated Surrey engine and Brampton engine derivatives and replaced them with a single engine choice: a brand new twin-cam, 4-litre, Britannia V8.

Buyers could still opt for a traditional 5-speed manual, but a new 4-speed electronically controlled automatic was offered for the first time. Standard features of pushed the new Q far upmarket from its previous version, as did the price tag. Due to the inevitable price hikes, market re-orientation and supply constraints, the Q-series was withdrawn from most markets outside of North America and Europe, with Japan and Australia being the most notable sole countries outside of this core to receive the new Q.

Model Specific Data

Trims available (all markets):
Q40
Q40 Senator

Notable standard equipment (not a full list):
A/C, antilock brakes, cruise control, power windows/locks/mirrors, tilt wheel with movable gauge pod, power driver’s seat, power moonroof, alloy wheels, premium woven cloth bucket seats, 160W AM/FM stereo with cassette and equalizers.

Equipment upgrades on the Senator trim:
Heated leather seats, dual power seats with two driver memory presets, limited slip rear differential, tilt-and-telescope wheel with movable gauge pod, hybrid analog-digital gauges, automatic climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, woodgrain trim package.

The Q40 Senator is all about the driving experience, but will that be enough to tempt buyers away from faster alternatives?

[TheYugo45GV]

The 1992 IVERA Phoenix (The IVERA of the future)

The IVERA Phoenix, was considered by many to be one of the strangest cars ever put out by the luxury brand. In 1989, while the Executive was making history, IVERA Motors, realized they needed a replacement for their much older IVERA 130 sedan. The product was the Phoenix (or in the Swedish market the IVERA 230). The Phoenix was considered by many to be the car of the future, a brand new all aluminum engine, multi point fuel injection and many interior features and gimmicks. The priorities with the Phoenix were to make the ultimate driver's car unlike other vehicles of the time.

The Phoenix was powered by an all aluminum 3.7L flat 6 engine mounted length wise coupled to either a manual or automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. This unusual layout caused issues with servicing the engine’s cams and camshafts as the front wheels had to be removed for easier access to the engine bay. Many buyers were put off by the weird layout and engine and the extreme service costs. The layout lasted until 1997 when the engine was downsized and the car was given a width ways mounted engine and all wheel drive. The first generation of the Phoenix was not a great car to own, but since less than 93000 units were sold in the NA Markets, second hand values have skyrocketed especially for the versions with the 5 speed manual in estate form or the Sedan with the automatic

[AndiD]

1991 Mara Irena Kabriolet Freedom Edition

The late 1980s were years of political and economical upheaval in Archana, and by the time 1990 rolled around, Archanan people (and companies) could enjoy a substantially higher level of freedom in their lives. The opening up of global markets brought their own challenges to the Archanan automotive industry, however, and Mara was among the automakers caught out with a model range with roots in the 60s and 70s. Changes over the years had been incremental at best, and development of entirely new models had been discouraged if the old one still sold well on the - less than demanding - home market.

Luckily, those constraints had not stopped Mara from trying new things within the space they had, and one such idea was adding an affordable convertible to the Irena line-up. As a convenient means to keep the development low-profile (and having learned from the endless saga to get the Kanyon off-roader certified for the NA market), Mara contracted out the development of the convertible to Mayster.

Mayster were of the very few Archanan boutique car manufacturers that had emerged over the years and still was in business in the 1980s. Mayster’s sole product had been a spaceframe & fibreglass 2-seater sports coupe / roadster built in low but steady numbers since the early 1960s. Keeping up with the export regulations for Fruinia - one of Mayster’s main export markets - had also given them considerable expertise in how to sufficiently strengthen convertible bodies to meet increasing safety regulations. The resulting Irena convertible emphasised sturdiness over user-friendliness and appeared first on the Archanan market in the mid-1980s.

The Irena convertible’s rollover bar could be easily removed as well, but only in the ADM (Archanan domestic market) version

Mara’s first development project to finish after the sweeping changes in their home country was a quick Irena facelift just in time for the global market liberalisation in 1990. And there were quite a few new things at least under the Irenas’ hood: fuel injected engines with three-way catalysts as standard, an optional automatic gearbox, optional power steering (both based on what had already been available in the Kavaler), and a thoroughly revised interior to keep up with increased international expectations, including cassette players as standard.

To celebrate the occasion, the red and the yellow from the Archanan national flag were available as special colours for the Irena range in 1990. Black was omitted due to historical connotations to the black Irena V8 interceptor models in the 1960s and 1970s.

Meanwhile in NA, Maxsim Bricklov had been facing ever-dwindling sales numbers over the 1980s (and the safety saga around the Kanyon’s introduction certainly had not helped), and he even had considered closing the import business entirely late in the decade. However, news of entirely new Mara models being finally in development had kept his hopes up. Hope alone, however, was not going to keep his business afloat until then, so he was looking for something to sell NOW, instead of in a few years. Hence, the idea of a special Freedom edition for the most recent facelift of the Irena convertible was born, in order to celebrate the sweeping changes in Archana.

Love or hate it, but Maxsim Bricklov’s ad campaign for the Irena Kabriolet certainly did not go unnoticed in NA

And yes, Maxsim indeed had to have the ad campaign’s tagline changed slightly, after failing to sign a certain then-famous singer for the TV campaign…

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Car lore post: Mara Motors Company Thread (now up to date till 2000) - #2 by AndiD
Some background on Mayster (chapter 2 has the Irena reference): Mayster & AMM Company Thread (Mara performance division)