Wednesday, December 21, 1955, Bogliq HQ
Car Design Showroom
The Bogliq design room was uncommonly full this morning, three prominently placed vehicles (covered with thick cloth) in the centre of the room with a group of restless journalists milling about the room’s entrance. Three figures were standing in front of the cars; Konstantin Bogliq, Andrew Wilcox and an attractive young woman. As the clock struck 10:00AM, Konstantin stood forward and addressed the room:
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Thankyou for joining me on this auspicious occasion as I present to you the culmination of six years of hard work and ingenuity. Today everyone here today will get to see and touch our new cars… That’s right, you all are invited to be the first to see the new Bogliq Automotive range!!!”
The journalists surged forward and Konstantin gestured for them to stop.
“Just hold on a second! Andrew, our Chief Designer, will now reveal each car, one by one, and he will explain the thought process behind each model… Andrew Wilcox, the floor is yours.”
Konstantin stepped back and Andrew took his place
“Thankyou Konstantin, and thankyou everyone for coming today. As Konstantin has said, I’ve been working on the new Bogliq range for over 5 years and these three are the culmination of my efforts… Starting with the Bogliq Bison!”
Nothing happens. Andrew frantically waves at the woman, who has zoned out…
“Angela, the sheet!!!”
Angela starts, straightens her blouse then deftly whisks off the cloth on the centre car.
Andrew, smiling nervously, continues…
“The Bison is my masterpiece. A sophisticated and elegant machine fit for the Atomic age, it’s powered by a silky smooth straight six and has a welcoming, comfortable interior. The automatic gearbox ensures that the driver can enjoy the trip without fuss and there is ample room for five adults. I believe that the Bison will turn heads and open wallets the moment the customer lays eyes on it.”
He then motions to Angela, who uncovers the car to the left…
“Just like it’s namesake, the Bettong is cute, friendly and women love 'em! The Bettong has been conceived as an economical way for a family to purchase a second car for the wife. It still seats five, although not as comfortably as the Bison, and it has a sensible brace of engines, based on trim level, that are reliable and easy to control. The smooth shifting four, yes FOUR, speed manual gearbox ensures that the ladies keep their calves in great shape whenever they go to the mall or pick up the kids.”
Angela, unnoticed, gives Andrew a dirty look. Andrew continues…
“I believe that the Bettong will find many fans, especially those who cannot afford a Bison. Angela, next car please!”
Angela reaches over and unveils the final car…
“Last, nut not least, we have the Buffalo! I thought long and hard about the Utility market and noticed something… Utilities are ugly and conjure images of Communism and hicksville. I wanted to build a truck that the owner slash operator would be just as proud to be seen in at the church car-park as he is proud of it’s abilities when on the job. So, to achieve this, I’ve designed a truck that looks, feels and drives like a car while being able to carry over a tonne of payload! It can seat three, has an automatic gearbox to reduce workload and is powered by a high efficiency version of the Bison engine to reduce operating costs. This truck, my friends, is designed to do it all!!!”
Konstantin then steps up to Andrew and shakes his hand, stating…
“Thankyou Andrew for your stellar work! You’ll soon be sick of the sight of them all as Bogliq cars carve out a slice of the new car market for themselves! Now everyone gather round, take pictures and check 'em all out. I want you to get a really good idea of how great these new Bogliqs really are…”
And so the press conference ended; the journalists took pictures, wrote notes and raided the complimentary buffet while Konstantin and Andrew fielded questions about the new product. All, that is, except for one freelance hack who’d snuck a peek into the Prototype Room, taking some extra pics of a low slung, compact shape before returning to the main group undetected…