Transport for the People: 1946-1948
Part 2: June, 1947
By 1947 tensions were brewing in Europe. With the Soviet Union to the east, and future NATO states to the west, the NKE found itself stuck directly in the middle of a cold war. It's people, and it's government, both bruised and bloodied from the decade prior, are doing everything in their power to plead with the superpowers- nobody within the NKE wants it to turn into a warzone again.
On the automotive side 1947 saw 5 new entries to the NKE’s consumer market, and they could not be more different from one another. A faux-luxury liftback from Kimigaru, a small and spritely cityhopper from the local factories, two SSD-built econoboxes and the curveball- a Danish motorcycle manufacturer’s foray into automotive design.
Akarinya Dai-kana - R-1-1000 @MoteurMourmin
There's an old saying in Ernstland; "If it looks like a slug, and goes like a snail, it's probably an Dai-kana." Whilst the sluggish nature of the R-1-1000 is a little over-embellished here, it has it's basis in reality. Being powered by a 1047cc 4-cylinder, the R-1-1000 produces a little over 33hp, being mated to Akarinya's 3-speed Overdrive transaxle gearbox. This results in a top speed of just over 62mph, reaching this in around 50 seconds from a standing stop. Performance round a bend isn't great either, achieving a 0.54g skidpad rating and a roll angle of almost 5 degrees. Clearly then, speed is not the purpose of the Dai-kana.
The titchy 1.0L engine does have it’s perks though. Akarinya focused it’s research and spending into carburetor and exhaust systems, meaning that the R-1-1000 performs excellently under economy test condiditions. It achieves a UK MPG rating of some 35.2MPG, the highest rating achieved by any car in Ernstland by 1947, and even more of a bonus comes with it’s emissions. It can achieve up to a WES 4 rating unmodified, and with small modifications it can achieve a WES 5. This secures the Akarinya JKG - K-Kf-K-1000-T engine and in turn the Dai-kana as able to pass regulations well into the 1970s. This will serve Akarinya excellently in the years going forward, should the NKE suddenly clamp down on emissions.
Another thing the Dai-kana has going for it is safety. Thanks to Akarinya’s diligence to the safety of the driver, the Dai-kana is one of the safest cars available on Ernstland roads, with a score some 2-3 points above most other options at the time. This is seen in the general design, with large crash bumpers, safety glass, and recessed dashboard dials and buttons. The interior is also particularly comfortable, and whilst not quite to the level of some alternatives it still exceeds the benchmark most drivers expect at the time.
The most appealing part of the Dai-kana however was it’s design. Despite being just $9810, it looked far more prestigious than many of it’s contemporaries, and came in at a lower cost than many of them aswell. It’s no surprise then that the Dai-kana became particularly popular within cities, where the low speed was a negligible downside overshadowed by the great economy and fancy design. Aswell as personal use, the Dai-kana was the car of choice for upmarket fleets, with many being used as taxis for the more prestigious members of Ernstland society.
Within the cultural zeitgeist of Ernstland, the Dai-kana plays quite a large role, being the star car for the first few seasons of the 1974 detective show Merrick, where the lead detective Steffan Merrick drives a fully-black Dai-kana (although for filming the original 1.0L engine was replaced by a more capable 2.0 6-cylinder due to it’s slow handling looking quite poor on camera), at least until it was destroyed in S3:E4.
Thanks to Merrick the Dai-kana is a very popular classic, and despite it’s awful rust problem and fairly bad repair costs the Dai-kana owners club in Ernstland has some 1200 members, and in modern times some prices can exceed $27,000 for a decent condition Dai-kana. Additionally, with the Dai-kana’s (and other Akarinya models) sucess Ernstland and Kimigaru formed a strong relationship, particularly in trade. Now the Dai-kana is fondly remembered by elder Ernstlandians as a reliable and comfortable car, that was luxurious whilst not being expensive, and younger Ernstlandians view it as a stylish and prestigious classic.
(October’s notes:
The Dai-kana is a beautifully put together car, and it looks like it belongs to a far higher price margin than it actually is. The engine probably could have done with being a bit more powerful, as the 33hp struggles a little to get the car moving. The Dai-kana probably also would have benefitted by being a 4 door liftback rather than a 2-door coupe; but I understand this was done for lore reasons, which I appreciate (less for me to write lol). 9/10 for design.)
H&L Fox A @Fishman501
Ernstland's local entry for 1947, the H&L Fox A is a total refresh of H&L's prewar economy model, featuring a brand new bodystyle and an updated rear-mounted 1.5L 4-cylinder engine. Other new features included more comfortable seats, internal latches for the front and rear boot and notably fully-independent suspension front and rear- a first for H&L.
On the outside the Fox is rather unassuming. It’s most notable feature is it’s size, or lack thereof, measuring in at just 5.6m² and being the second smallest car available on Ernstland roads at the time (narrowly beating out the VEB DMW Elbe, and losing to the SUMA Valori). Despite this it had a full 5 seats, though getting anyone larger than a child in the rear 3 would have been quite the sight, aswell as a decent luggage space of 415L. The front is rather bare, as a result of it’s cheap construction, but it did feature vents that allowed for exterior air to flow into the cabin. The headlights had pale yellow lenses installed from the factory, a part of H&L’s attempts to increase visibility and reduce glare in poor weather conditions. This had become a standard feature by 1934 on all H&L vehicles.
Where the Fox really shines however is it’s performance, which seems counter-intuitive- it’s not the largest or most powerful engine available on the market, nor is the Fox particularly built for speed. Regardless, the 2-barreled 4-cylinder could produce 45 horsepower at peak RPM, and despite the relatively standard 3-speed manual gearbox the Fox was, like it’s namesake, fast and nimble. With all the weight over the rear axle there was very little wheelspin, and the Fox could achieve 60 in less than 20 seconds. Top speed was roughly 73, though the Fox really shone on long, twisty backroads, where the fully independent suspension allowed for fantastic handling characteristics. This made it the choice car of boy racers across the NKE.
The Fox is not without it’s faults, however. The fact that all the weight sits over the back axle and the fully-independent suspension causes the Fox to lean backwards slightly at a standstill, and under any sort of acceleration the rake would cause the front bumper of the car to lift some 2-3 inches from where it would otherwise sit. The gearbox was also somewhat faulty on most models, it would sometimes refuse to go into 1st gear and when at low speeds in 1st it would sometimes slip. The fully-rubber surrounds on the windows had a tendency to begin to peel off, or would simply rot away.
The Fox was also not particularly practical, a result of it’s size, and it lacked any real ability to carry more than maybe 3 people comfortably. It was also quite expensive, both to buy and to maintain. It wasn’t very safe either, due it’s size once again- but at least it fared better than the ADAZ 43225.
Overall the Fox gained a reputation for being a boy racer’s car, which somewhat put otherwise interested city folk off of the Fox, not wanting to be seen as a hooligan. This even further cemented the Fox’s role in Ernstland’s motoring culture, a car driven exclusively by teenage yobs who just wanted to show off. Because of this, finding a Fox that wasn’t modified in some way to increase it’s power (or to make it flashier) was relatively difficult. In modern times a similar sentiment remains, with Fox owners embracing the reputation their cars have.
(October’s notes:
I like the Fox, it’s very fun to ding about in BeamNG, though the relatively soft suspension at the front can make it a bit squirrely over bumps. It also pulls to the right constantly for some reason? I presume it’s an import issue because I don’t know why it would be doing that otherwise. Mechanically it’s fairly standard, the 2-barrel carbs is a bit unusual but helps the sportiness (2.2, the highest for Market 1) but otherwise it’s just a pretty normal 1940s car. The design is good, if a bit basic, and there’s a lot of unused space on the front end. I like the back end though, it reminds me of Mr House, for some reason. 6/10 for design.
Bring me Automation cars Courier
VEB DMW Elbe 1200 Standard/Luxe @PanHubert
As the famous ads say- "From SSD, with love". The Elbe certainly was loved, with two trim levels being sent across the border to VEB DMW showrooms across the NKE from 1947 onwards; those being the Standard and the Luxe. Both sold well in the NKE, for multiple reasons.
The main appeal of the Elbe, particularly the Standard trim, is it’s price. At just $7050 it was cheaper than the majority of other options, and whilst some cars did come in lower (namely the DMK Arbeitspferd and the IRIS VF1) the Elbe simply outclassed them in terms of creature comforts. Almost every aspect of the DMK and the VF1 was beat out by the Elbe, it was significantly easier to handle on the road, a damn sight faster and was more comfortable than the two, even beating out Der Wagon and the T-REE- cars that were almost $4000 more than the Elbe.
It wasn’t quite as practical as the DMK or the VF1 though, by nature of it being a small low-slung saloon, and it was far more to service (losing out by almost $100). The Elbe also got dramatically worse economy scores than the two- but for good reason. Both trims of the Elbe (and their cargo-carrying cousin) used the same DMW 120/1 1239cc flat-four, whilst the VF1 used a 500cc F4 and the DMK used a 800cc sidevalve inline engine, meaning that the Elbe’s engine was almost twice the size of the DMK and nearly triple the VF1. Naturally this resulted in the aforementioned worse economy but also meant that the Elbe was rather spritely, particularly compared to the DMK and the VF1.
Both Elbes were quite a bit safer than many other alternatives too, despite being considerably smaller and lighter. This was largely thanks to the Elbe’s panel design, which ended up being somewhat thicker than the average at the time- though this did sacrifice a lot of cargo and passenger space, leaving it with second worst-in-class performance, only being better than the Danish Fulgur Fenris.
The inside of the Elbe was basic. The seats were a rough cloth and lacked adjustment, the dashboard was fairly plain, although it did have very clearly labelled dials and buttons, and it lacked a radio. On the B-pillar there were two cloth straps that allowed the driver and passenger to pull themselves out of the car, should they have difficulty doing so.
The Luxe was much the same inside, although it changed out the straps and seats for a far more comfortable two-tone cloth, the seats could be adjusted forwards and backwards, the dashboard had a radio installed aswell with a factory clock inplace of the blanking plate featured on the Standard.
Compared to the Standard the Luxe was considerably more comfortable, namely thanks to the new radio and better seats, although the suspension was also tweaked slightly for a smoother ride. The Luxe was also obviously considerably more prestigious, bringing it in line with the likes of the Wulsen Boar and the ADAZ 43225. Reliability and service costs took a hit on the Luxe, but for many the increase in comfort and prestige was worth it.
Visually only minor changes differentiated the Luxe and the Standard (most notably the two-tone colour scheme): The Luxe had extra pieces of trim, particularly on the front, colour-matched wheels and a fancy exhaust tip that reduced the external and internal sound of the engine.
The Elbe was a staple for many Ernstlandian and SSD families following the war. It was cheap, reliable, fairly comfortable and it came with the pride of being a home-grown design. It outcompeted many other designs whilst remaining reasonably priced, and spare parts were easy to get thanks to good trade relations. Many young Ernstland drivers learnt in their parent’s Elbe, and it remains popular with both old and young drivers alike.
(October’s notes:
I like the Elbe’s design, it’s simple but very cute, and I especially liked the custom SSD/NKE plates. Designwise it suffers a little from just being rather average at everything, so it’s slightly overlooked on overall scoring. Nothing much else to say really, other than that I liked the effort put into small details like the aforementioned plates and custom interior. 9/10 for design.)
Fulgur Fenris @Ch_Flash
The Fenris is an oddball on Ernstland's roads, being the first attempt at automotive designs from Danish motorcycle manufacturer Fulgur. Named after the monstrous Norse wolf, the Fenris certainly delivers in terms of performance and pedigree, having the second highest Sportiness score in 1947, tying with the H&L Fox and just being edged out by the SUMA Valori.
The Fenris featured a HORSEPOWER three-cylinder engine, though in reality it was simply three single-cylinder four-stroke motorcycle engines mated to a single crankshaft. This was novel for the time, no other car in Ernstland featured such a configuration, and such it was a bit of a puzzle for most mechanics who were more used to both the larger 6-cylinder tank engines and the smaller 4-cylinders that were the primary choice for mobility within the NKE. Fulgur’s idea was essentially a bid to save money and make an engine that was far cheaper to produce, buy and maintain, but this backfired in the wake of the absolutely awful reliability issues the Fenris faced. Whilst not quite as bad as the CBC Mk.12 or the T-REE, the Fenris was famously temperamental and liked to decide to go back to it’s roots and become a 2-cylinder at inopportune times.
Within the NKE the Fenris was often named the “Störrischer Esel” or “Stubborn Donkey”, both in part thanks to it’s aforementioned reliability issues and also thanks to it’s simply awful ride quality. The Fenris has the distinction of being the least comfortable car purchasable in 1947 (and indeed in years following), even being worse than the DMK Arbeitspferd and the Iris VF1- both cars noted for being extremely uncomfortable. Indeed this staggeringly low value (2.2 comfort!) is as a result of the roughness of the 3-cylinder design, the poor-quality seats, the complete lack of creature comforts such as a radio and most importantly the suspension design. The Fenris uses a solid coil-sprung rear axle as opposed to the more common leaf-sprung type aswell as the suspension generally being quite stiff in terms of dampening and springs.
However, the Fenris has one last trick up it’s sleeve to save itself on the Ernstland market. It is, by quite a considerable margain, the safest car that could be bought in a 1947 NKE, sitting some 4 points above the next best options (the Hexe Mildred and the Halvson BS1 respectively). This, combined with it’s surprising speed and fairly good fuel economy made it the first pick for budding rally drivers in the post-war NKE- and as a rally car it performed excellently. Early forest stages saw stripped-down Fenrises beating out the smaller and lighter H&L Foxes and the somewhat unweildly SUMA Valori. Up until 1952 the Fenris was untouchable on the gravel, with many famous drivers from the 50’s scoring victories behind the wheel of a Fulgur.
In modern times the Fenris is remembered fondly as the progenitor for low-budget rally competitions within the NKE, with examples (particularly rally-modified) selling for somewhat excessive prices on online auction houses. Despite it’s poor performance as a family car the Fenris cemented Fulgur’s reputation within Ernstland as a producer of high-quality sporting equipment for the common man. Most modern examples are thankfully a damned sight more comfortable than they were off the lot, thanks to modern seat technology.
(October’s notes:
I like the Fenris a lot, though it’s a bit of an underdog compared to other entries. The design is extremely well done and very convincing, I managed to convince my dad that the HDRi photos were a real car xD, though build-wise it struggles a lot. The I3 is presumably the cause of most of these issues, though it does make the car stand out more among a sea of I4s and F4s. If it had had better comfort it probably would have done better, but I guess it makes sense in-universe seeing as bikes are Not comfortable, particularly not ones from 1947. 10/10 for design.)
