We’d need to get a stable version for that, since patches are coming in very quickly, and there’s a high chance that people would make cars in a version that wouldn’t be supported in a month or so, and AMWEC is at least 1.5 months worth of a season.
@abg7 We might have to use our imaginations! to watch the race. Depends on how good the commentary is
1996 Erin Berlose X-AllDrive
One of the defining cars of Erin’s 90s renaissance, and a remarkably capable performance saloon. The Berlose X-AllDrive was an all-wheel drive, V8 powered performance machine made previous attempts a sportier version of the Berlose look meager.
Packing the same 3.8l V8 found in the Mk 3 Scarlet, the Berlose X-AllDrive sent some 383hp to all four wheels, allowing it to rocket from 0-60 in 5.0 seconds and top out at over 170 mph.
A lighter, sportier interior, with specially designed race-derived seats dropped all and any illusions that this was just an executive saloon trying to play at being a fast car. It was purposeful, determined and executed brilliantly. Against rivals such as Sportivo trims of the Zavir Espada, from Revera, Rennen, Bonham and IMP, it offered a fresh twist with its AWD drivetrain, yet also stayed close to the trends at the time with its meaty, broad V8 roar.
Fat wheel arches, quad exhausts and a number of body modifications gave it far more beefed up look than other models of the Berlose, yet it still maintained the class and true 90s feel of the base car.
It could be pushed hard, and was very responsive in the corners. Purposely, it wasn’t made as a sharp as the Scarlet, but made the most of the great weight distribution of the Berlose chassis. And with all wheel drive, the acceleration was fantastic.
The Berlose X-AllDrive and Scarlet X became a performance power couple that spearheaded Erin in the latter half of the nineties. Today, it is one of the most sought after Erin’s, and its value is already increasing as insurers start to give it classic car status, with around 11,000 in total being produced from 1996 to 2000.
It looks just mean. Proper. It emanates power and resembles a gentleman being an MMA fighter, that can have cultural, intelligent and interesting conversations, yet hit precisely, quickly and hard when needed, with deadly effectiveness. It could easily be the car for every film villain of the time. That is, a villain with class.
I WANT
Yet again Erin makes me reconsider my own plans to not be left in the dust. This is a very serious and formidable rival for the Espada Sportivo… maybe that was the cause of creation of the higher performance Z Sportivo line?..
Definitely one of the best sports saloons of its time, and clearly capable of demolishing most sports cars in a straight line… No wonder it was a strong seller back in the day!
Oooooh. SEXY! Touring car roots.
@squidhead Almost a touring car, it’s 5-series sized so I reckon it’d probably be a bit big for touring cars of the day.
I mean if there were Jag XJS, Rover SD1, Volvos and just about any Australian car ever successfully competing…
Oooh shit, I forgot about those. Well then, this could be something to explore…
2001 Erin Visto (Mk 3)
The 2000s were a period of ups and downs for Erin. The Mk 3 was one of the ups.
The Mk 3 Visto dropped all previous pretentions of a cute and quirky supermini and replaced them with a more grown up, edgier feel. A lot of market research went into making the car, with the aim of really distinguishing the Visto from just being a smaller version of the Merna.
That attitude would take the car far; it would outsell its Mk 6 Merna stablemate considerably by the end of its production life in 2007.
The Visto was also clever with its engines. It was one of the first superminis to properly adopt the use of VVT and VVL in combination on the majority of the range, courtesy of the developments Erin’s R&D team had made in the Millenial Engine Development Program (more on that at some point). The Visto was more efficient than its rivals, whilst still scoring highly in crash tests at the time.
It was a stark contrast to the rest of the Erin range; the Scarlet would end production a year after the Visto’s launch, the Mk 3 Berlose would limp through sales for most of its life and the Mk 6 Merna struggled to carry the success of its previous generation.
Today, the Mk 3 Visto is still popular on the second hand market, especially the 1.2l and 1.5l V-MPi models, with many serving as first cars for young drivers in the UK.
I don’t agree with this. The car looks good, but it looks kinda cute to me
Really nice supermini, I love the looks of it, looks to me like how economy cars should’ve looked in the 2000s.
NO! NOT CUTE. IS SERIOUS. IS BIG BOY NOW.
Oh wow, why is the rear door handle so far from the edge? But other than that, the car looks great, perfectly fitting the class and time. Any stats incoming? Available engines and such stuff?
X trim maybe?
Loving the remake of the Mk3 Visto. I’m sure emerald green suits its curvaceous lines very well indeed.
Engine still good for a 400hp turbo trip?
@szafirowy01 Tried that but it didn’t look quite right, at least to me. Might try and fix that in the facelift As for an X version, well, maybe…we’ll see
@abg7 Thankee!
@squidhead I was just thinking of that. Absolutely, 100% yes.
1983 Erin Berlose (Mk 1)
Erin’s first proper venture into the executive market was an ambitious one. Low funding, few engine choices and designs that dated back to the mid-70s. But, if the company was to regain its reputation as a premium car maker* it was essential that they take on the executive saloon market. And, in 1983, that’s just what they did, with the release of the 1st gen Berlose.
The e-segment sedan took on a lot of design cues from German and British designs of the time, and it was a similar story with the interior and the mechanics underneath. Erin, however, were keen to distinguish it; the entire engine range was made up of Inline 6s on launch, later expanded with a V8 and V6 in 1986; the gearing on standard-tuned models was designed to benefit cruising and motorway driving; the suspension was far less sporty than on previous Erin saloon cars.
The idea was to offer a more comfortable, more affordable alternative to its rivals, with marketing focusing on its brilliance as a long-distance cruising machine. It was at a disadvantage to rivals in terms of refinement; low funding for its development forced cost cutting and meant that the car didn’t offer anything particularly innovative against the competition.
But, the lower list price did benefit it, as did the well designed premium interior and lower than average service costs. The all-injection engine line up was also a major plus on the entry level trims, where rivals were often still using carburetors.
A simpler, less prestigious car, but one that was cheaper to own longer term. Many of its refinement issues would be solved in its mid-life facelift, though it still sold enough early on to establish Erin’s position on the market. The Berlose marque was well entrenched by the end of the eighties, and set it up well for its significantly more succesful Mk II replacement.
The car’s styling, done by then-Head of Design Chris Famerley, was enough to get noticed by Depeche Mode, as the car was infamously used on the record sleeve for their 1983 single Everything Counts.
*A fact that, as I am aware, some may find a little contentious
Well, if I don’t remember this car from a certain challenge last year…looking much better in UE4 too
Don’t you worry. Big Mumma is doing just fine.
I6s and V6s in the same car simultaneously? :thonk: