Motor World Review, August 1964
Model Year-In-Review Edition
Best Sedan – 1964
Vermillion Athena 276
Relative Rating: 100.00
We must sometimes sound like a broken record. Once more, we hold up Vermillion’s Athena as our Sedan of the Year, this time for the 1964 model year.
When we last wrote about the Athena, it was powered by a straight six. Now it boasts a 276 cubic inch V8, topped with a pair of 2-barrel carburetors. 206 horses are unleashed when the throttles are opened, passed through a 4-speed manual to the rear.
Fit and finish is typical of the class, though the radio includes programmable resets, which is a nice feature. As well, Vermillion includes power steering on the Athena, which makes parking a breeze.
We’re confident that the Athena will hold up well, and thus it again gains our endorsement.
Best Sport or Touring Car – 1964
PMI Usurper Elegant GT
Relative Rating: 96.96
Speaking of repeats, PMI has scored another victory in our book, this time with the Usurper Elegant GT.
PMI has restrained themselves somewhat this time around, with 248 cubic inch V8 under the hood that outputs a modest 180 horsepower. At least, modest when you consider the competition.
While not the fastest in any given direction, the Usurper holds its own, with a sub-10 second 0-60 time. It is, however, a very comfortable and chic cruiser, if not a bit controversial with regards to its styling.
For all that you get, the purchase price of PMI’s tourer is actually quite reasonable.
It is, in our opinion, the must-have in this class.
Best Utility – 1964
ACA Model 60
Relative Rating: 100.00
ACA’s Model 60 pickup is our Utility of the year for '64.
There is nothing bizarre or fancy about this design. Just a strong 350 cubic inch V8, automatic transmission with locking hubs for four wheel drive, and a bench seat with a basic AM radio for the long road.
ACA’s Model 60 is expected to go long on the road, too, with good reliability.
It’s nothing to write home about as far as its drive. It’s not an exciting or thrilling vehicle. But it is as solid and tough as they come.
Best Engine – 1964
LMC 289cid V8
(+5% relative rating bonus)
Of the engines put before us this year, we are most impressed with the 289 cubic inch V8 from Leviathan. A large, powerful, yet smooth V8, we anticipate that this will be a workhorse for years to come. With 192 horsepower and 262 ft-lbs of torque, it also has the grunt to power a wide range of vehicles. For that, LMC receives our Best Engine award for 1964.
Sedan Class Reviews
Townsend Trinidad Super Six
Relative Rating: 86.56
“…quite a pleasure to drive, once you get past how slow it is compared to the competition. This little car gives a premium experience for entry-level price…”
Pros: Low purchase price, good comfort, good fuel economy
Cons: Poor reliability, very slow
LMC Sunspear
Relative Rating: 85.68
“…utilizing a wonderful engine. But handling woes caused by its massive size and suspension setup may reduce its attractiveness…”
Pros: Very comfortable, engine of the year, good safety
Cons: Poor handling, poor drivability, poor fuel economy, poor reliability
Baltazar-Bush Pollux
Relative Rating: 97.48
“…big, beefy V8 engine. The Pollux gets up and goes willingly, and our testing shows it will stay going…”
Pros: High reliability, good performance
Cons: Poor rough road handling
Epoch M30 3.3
Relative Rating: 94.96
“…very dated styling, and equally dated handling. Yet despite its shortcomings, this sedan performs admirably on all kinds of roads, in all sorts of conditions…”
Pros: Good rough road handling, good poor weather handling, good safety, good economy
Cons: Comparatively poor normal road handling, somewhat high purchase price
Sinistra Monarch
Relative Rating: 93.28
“…good handling car, but the interior is rather stuffy. Also, we don’t have great confidence in the long-term reliability of this vehicle…”
Pros: Best in round drivability, good economy.
Cons: Poor reliability, high purchase price
Dominion Victory V8
Relative Rating: 86.56
“…couldn’t find a comfortable seating position. Also, the doors and hood don’t seem to close as solidly as other cars…”
Pros: Low purchase price, good reliability
Cons: Poor comfort, poor safety, worst in class economy
Deer and Hunt Goonie Rocket
Relative Rating: 70.59
“…very comfortable, with a long list of impressive features. But the car’s presence in life doesn’t live up to its hype on paper…”
Pros: Very comfortable, prestigious model
Cons: Very high purchase price, awkward and poorly matched engine, poor safety
Bogliq Mutineer Entrance
Relative Rating: 91.60
“…the least powerful engine in the class still manages to make a go at it. Overall, the Bogliq is a good entry sedan, and amongst our top picks…”
Pros: Lowest in round purchase price, good fuel economy, good reliability
Cons: Poor comfort, lowest in round prestige, poor handling
Everette Elston Custom
Relative Rating: 94.12
“…is easily the smoothest driving of the bunch, easily capable of handling urban and rural life at the same time…”
Pros: Best in round practicality, high drivability, decent comfort
Cons: Poor reliability, poor safety
Olympus Capricorn Premier
Relative Rating: 96.64
“…our pick for a premium car this year. Its handling is refined and sublime, and the 305 V8 motors powerfully through the band…”
Pros: High drivability, high safety, decent sportiness, good comfort
Cons: Worst in class reliability, high purchase price
Birmingham 5000 Custom Cruiser
Relative Rating: 78.99
“…a car that really can’t decide what it’s trying to be. The engine seems to be part sports car, part economy car…”
Pros: High comfort, reasonable purchase price
Cons: Low reliability, poor economy, poor drivability
Falmo GTL
Relative Rating: 88.24
“…nice country road cruiser. Other than a throaty 279 V8, there’s not a whole lot that stands out…”
Pros: Fast, good drivability, good comfort
Cons: Poor reliability, high purchase price, very high maintenance costs
Sport/Touring Class Reviews
IP-Kingston Celestia Sprint
Relative Rating: 83.30
“…motor not only hits, but shatters, the one-HP-per-CID formula. It can also handle a sharp turn well. But there are costs associated with…”
Pros: Best in round sportiness, high reliability
Cons: Poor driveability, worst in round fuel economy, worst in round comfort
Erin Lagana GTS
Relative Rating: 91.50
“…miniscule V12 loaded with caruburetors makes for a heart pounding, pulse-racing ride. Compared to its competition, however, steering is not terribly responsive…”
Pros: Fast, high comfort
Cons: Poor reliability, mediocre handling
Caliban Thunder Rev.4
Relative Rating: 90.13
“…throwing around a little car like this is so much fun, more so with the Caliban based on its willingness to deke…”
Pros: Best in round lateral acceleration, high reliability
Cons: Worst in round safety, poor prestige
Sakura Duchess 25x
Relative Rating: 88.76
"…Sakura’s budget sports car just can’t stack up against the Takemi in handling, reliability, or even economy… "
Pros: Low purchase price, mediocre performance
Cons: Poor economy, poor reliability, poor drivability
TSR Kansai GTS
Relative Rating: 79.21
“…another super-premium Kansai that, while it performs well, just doesn’t deliver any semblance of value when compared to others…”
Pros: High top speed, high drivability
Cons: Extremely high purchase price, extremely high maintenance costs, worst in round reliability, poor economy
Takemi Promenance GT
Relative Rating: 88.13 (After -2 point Fixture Violation Penalty)
FIXTURE VIOLATION: Rear side markers are the wrong color
“…a budget sports car that could actually be used for more than just a Sunday drive…”
Pros: High practicality, high reliability, lowest in class purchase price
Cons: Poor comfort, mediocre handling
Round 6 - 1969
The United States has gotten itself into another war, this time in Vietnam. Domestically, there is very little support for this war, and a draft is initiated to fill the ranks needed to put boots on the ground. The USSR and USA are still grappling with each other in the space race, this time trying to be the first to put a man on the moon. The Insterstate highway system continues to expand, and older routes are being bypassed by new shortcuts. Travel is quicker, but often less scenic. The South is a powderkeg, centered around civil rights. The Voting Act of 1965 guarantees African Americans the right to vote, but violence continues as segregationists resist heavily. Martin Luther King is assassinated in Memphis. Meanwhile, the NTSB is formed after Ralph Nader’s scathing book “unsafe at any speed”, and it appears stricter regulations are on the horizon…
Economy
Unemployment: Low
Inflation: Moderate
Economy: Strong but stagnant
Short-term economic forecast: Stagnant
Notable Social and Political Happenings
Gateway Arch completed in St. Louis. Voting Rights act of 1965. “Star Trek” and “Batman” TV series premiere in '66. NTSB forms in '67. Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated. '68 Winter Olympics held in Grenoble, France. USSR and USA escalate space race, trying to be the first to land a man on the moon.
Regulations
Fuel: Leaded (universal), Super Leaded (universal)
Bumpers: Required, but no regulation as to size or strength. (Strength requirements will not occur until 1973)
Front lights and fixtures: At least one pair of headlights required. At least one pair of turn indicators required. Turn signals may be placed in bumpers. If square headlights are used, there must be two pair instead of one.
Front light colors: No red may face forward.
Rear lights: At least one pair of brake lights. At least one pair of turn signals. At least one pair of reverse lights. Turn signals and reverse lights may be placed in bumpers. If turn and brake lights are in the same fixture and of the same color, there must be a minimum of two bulbs in the fixture.
Rear light colors: Brakes must be red. Reverse must be white. Turn signals cannot be white.
Side marker/signal lights: Front side markers required. Rear side markers not required.
Side light colors: front side may be amber only, rear side may be red only.
Mirrors: Driver’s side required.
Aerials: Long mast or retractable antenna required if car has a radio.
Fuel fillers: Fillers on the rear panel and hidden behind fixtures are legally allowed, but are starting to fall out of favor. (Regulation banning these will occur in the mid-70’s)
File Naming Convention:
Model: Gen6-(username) Trim: (MFR Model Trim)
Engine: Gen6-(username) Variant: (Whatever you want)
Export and PM me the .car file, make a post about your car in your lore thread (if not already there), and post an ad in this thread BEFORE the round deadline.
If your company hasn’t registered for the competition yet and you want to participate in this round, please PM the required company information as well as your submission prior to the round deadline.
Round 6 deadline: Thursday May 31, 9:00 AM PDT (UTC-8)
Registrations for new companies are still being accepted.
Companies now eligible in this competition:
Kimura Motors, Ltd.
Keika Automotive (Will incur early import penalty if started this round)
(watches 6,000 pony and muscle cars get submitted)
Well, Sinistra lore dictates that whatever I release this round must contain one of the big V8’s. I just need to decide whether to go 464 or 662.
Oh, also… Tomorrow afternoon I’m going out of town for the weekend. Should be back Monday, but until then I will have no internet access.
Lord Mach’s residence, Cardiff, Early 1968.
Zacharias and Mach I are once again checking the latest issue in their office. Mach smiles slightly.
Mach: “You improved the Thunder four years ago, good job. But we still need to clean the Type SC’s reputation. Where’s Brown when you need him?”
Zacharias: “He is at the workshop. Scheduled maintenance, sir.”
Mach: “I see.”
Zacharias: “Ah Sir, Mr Andrews should arrive any second now. I’ll go make sure he has an adequate welcome, if you excuse me.”
Meanwhile, Brown and Williams are checking parts very carefully.
Brown: “I knew there was something fishy. This damper was provided to us by ACA. It’s not built to specification.”
Williams: “So that’s how the Americans have been playing my father for a fool all this time.”
Brown: “Yes. I’ll make sure to have a word with your father later today.”
Williams nodded. Zacharias entered the workshop.
Zacharias: “Sir.”
Williams: “Hello Zacharias, any news?”
Zacharias: “Yes. It’s time to take over. Your father is about to sign a contract that will practically give ACA full control of our company.”
Williams: “He is going to…let’s go.”
Williams, Zacharias and Brown hurried towards the residence, rushing through the garden. Mach and Andrews are reviewing the conditions of the partnership, written in a contract.
Mach: “Hmm. With all due respect, Mr Andrews, I think we will have to rewrite the conditions. They are far from…optimal.”
Andrews: “We will have to extend the partnership one way or another, Mach. We wrote the conditions to be as fair as possible, keep in mind we are also running a bussiness.”
Williams, Zacharias and Brown slam the door open, catching Mach’s and Andrews’ attention inmediately.
Williams: “Well I think this is just too much.”
Mach: “Williams, what are you doing here?”
Williams: “There’s a few things you need to know, father. But first and most important, you have been played for a fool.”
Mach: “What do you mean?”
Williams: “Means you have religiously been accepting the conditions ACA put for the partnership to carry on, losing your company bit by bit, without ACA doing anything for you. Parts not built to specification, power grabs and budget cuts to prevent us from surpassing ACA’s flagship cars.”
Zacharias and Brown approach Mach’s desk by one step.
Zacharias: “We are taking over from here, Sir.”
Mach and Andrews frowned.
Mach: “What do you mean you are taking over?”
Brown gestured out of the door, with a few workers entering the office.
Brown: “Means we don’t like how you are doing things. You have to leave.”
Mach: “Come back to your sense. I am not giving my company up.”
Brown then approached Mach’s desk, taking the partnership contract and giving it to Williams, who ripped it into pieces as he looked at Andrews.
Brown: “Not voluntarily.”
Mach snapped out of his chair, approaching his son and trying to slap him, only to find himself held back by Brown. Williams looked at Andrews.
Williams: “We don’t need help from ACA anymore, so you have to leave, Mr Andrews. Zacharias, take him to the airport.”
Zacharias nodded, as Andrews put his jacket on and left through the office door. Williams sat in his father’s desk, smiling at Brown.
Williams: “We have a lot of work to do.”
(@Dorifto_Dorito your turn 
)
Exactly what I was going for and why it was entered in the Great Archaean Trek! 
TSR HQ Japan, 1964
Ryo: Oh man! Really, our Kansai is the lowest scoring.
Tomo: I thought I reduced the price!
Ryo: No you didn’t. Anyways, I think this operation needs to come true.
Tomo: What operation.
Ryo: You forgot?!
Tomo: Wait, that one?
Ryo: Absolutely!
Tomo: Engineers, roll out our prototype!
TSR Secret Testing Facility, 1965
Ryo: So, this is Kenji Nakamura, our test driver for today. Or shall I say this night…
Tomo: So Kenji, tell us about the driving.
Kenji: It was horrible and it has too much snap-oversteer. Damn this thing overheats quickly. Tires just aren’t sticking the road. And most importantly, it has too high centre of gravity…
Ryo: Wow. Pretty harsh words… But it’s for the best.
Tomo: Duh! We’re not even familiar with this setup. Kenji, Come back here tomorrow night with our newly tuned car.
The next night…
Ryo: Here you go.
Kenji: Right…
After driving the car around
Kenji: Still too high centre of gravity.
Ryo: We still need to tweak it.
Tomo: No. We can’t. We need to change the engine. It’s big and it’s heavy.
Ryo: What do you mean?! It’s ok for the Kansai!
Tomo: The LE6 engine will not work in this scenario.
Ryo: So?
Tomo: We need to switch the engine out.
Ryo: All we have is inline sixes and some broken V8s.
Tomo: Well… Then make a phone call with other companies to borrow their engine.
Ryo: You think so?
Tomo: Yeah… How about borrowing an engine from… I don’t know!
Ryo: I think I know someone who can help us. Come to the office.
Meanwhile at the office
Tomo: So, you’re Daniel Chase?
Daniel: Yeah…
Tomo: Nice to meet you.
Daniel: You too.
Tomo: Errrmmmmmm… I need an engine. Just a normal V-shaped engine.
Daniel: Which V engine. I mean I can build any V engine…
Tomo: Anything as long as it can fit to that car.
While pointing at the prototype car
Daniel: Sure thing. Looks space-age though.
Tomo: Needs to be compact.
Daniel: OK.
Bought an Erin Lagana GTS engine
Tomo: An Engine from Erin?
Daniel: Why not?
Tomo: It’s too big. Anyways, how could you fing a Lagana GTS in Japan, how do you even find an engine?!
Daniel: There’s a junkyard… Probably the best junkyard I’ve ever been in. Now we just need to chop half the amount of cylinders. It’s a 3 litre V12… Let’s do the math… That would be 1.5 litre after the cutting. Just divide it by 2.
Tomo: Well… Just make it work. I’ll give you 3 weeks.
Daniel: OK…
3 weeks later…
Ryo: I always knew you’re the magician.
Daniel: Yes. And in return I gave you this Erin Lagana engine. I mean half of it.
Tomo: Wow. Ok… What a surprise! Anyways. Everything done?
Daniel: Yep. Fuel system, transmission, drivetrain, internals, everything!
Ryo: Let’s install it shall we?
Daniel: Yep!
Many hours later after installing the engine…
Ryo: Let’s give Kenji a call.
After calling Kenji
Kenji: New one huh? Let’s get right to it!
As the screaming half Erin Lagana engine, Kenji comes back to the workshop
Kenji: It’s perfect now Tomo-san and Ryo-san!
Daniel: V engines have lower centre of gravity. Making it better handling.
Ryo: Right!
Tomo: Wow! I still have so much to learn.
Ryo: Didn’t your father, Akira-san taught you that?
Tomo: No.
TSR HQ Japan, 25 December 1965
Daniel: Its nice working with you guys. By the way, I need to go back home to England. I have big plans. Bye, Ryo-san and Tomo-san.
Ryo and Tomo: Bye. Good luck on your project.
Daniel goes into the taxi and headed to the airport to go to England. Meanwhile, in the TSR HQ…
Ryo: Let’s do this!
Tomo: Let’s create a V8!
The 1966 Geneva Motor Show
There, stood a car covered. With all the people in the Lamborghini stand for the Miura, TSR is waiting until several people went to the TSR stand. There, the car was revealed just by taking the cover off. Exposing the shiny Pure White TSR Ultra.
-TSR Ultra Base shown in Pure White
The car also had a Rally Safari edition and that car raced in the 1966 Great Archanian Trek.
The 1967 North American Motor Show
There were more crowds than ever. Normally, crowd are small at the TSR stand. Now, hundreds of people are at the TSR stand. The covers were taken off and there stood the TSR Ultra GTS, wearing the same colour scheme as the the TSR Kansai GTS, Gloss Black body and Sandy Gray wheels.
-TSR Ultra GTS (the only TSR Ultra available for the US) equipped with R-Package (basically an aero package)
The advertisement as of 1969 for the US:
(clearly rushed advertisement from one of the TSR dealership)
Lore thread is here!
Sakura Head Office, Kurashiki, Japan. Late 1968
Takeiji Hikado is sitting alone in the board room, waiting… waiting for the news, bad or good. He was - is - afraid. His job is on the line. The door opens, and he flinches at the sound. He keeps his gaze facing forward, but knows who has entered the room. KHI CEO, Kabeno Takanaguchi sits opposite, with Subaki Meijidora standing beside him.
Kabeno: “You know, don’t you, Takeiji. You know deep inside what I’m about to say to you.”
Takeiji: “Yes. Yes I do. I…”
K: “Collect your things, Takeiji, and leave this company.”
T: “Sir I-”
K: “Hush. It was a mistake to put you in charge of this company. Almost ten years in America - TEN YEARS - And you have us selling one single model the entire time. The market is dying, Takeiji. We’ve sat on the Duchess for far too long.”
T: “Who is my replacement?”
Kabeno lets the question hang in the air as he stands, and leaves the board room with Subaki in tow. Takeiji’s head falls into his hands. All my work, gone. All due to one misstep. He slinked away to his office, careful to avoid any contact with staff
Mathews-Sakura Dealership, New York City, New York. Late 1968 (After the Firing, though)
Emerton is meeting with the current COO of the New York Dealership, John Newport, to converse about the future of the Mathews-Sakura partnership. As Emerton arrives at the Dealership in his Duchess 25x P, he spies a few competitors sitting in the staff parking lot. Emerton walks up to John’s office, calmly. He knocks at the door, and is let in.
Emerton: “Whose cars are those sitting in the staff parking lot?”
John: “Well, that’s my Erin, Duke’s Pollux, Emelia’s Athena, and Luke’s Victory. Why do you ask?”
E: “Because it doesn’t shine well on the brand when its own staff isn’t driving their cars, does it John?”
J: “Hey, I’m sorry, but it seems that you didn’t notice what cars were sitting there, did you Emerton? My Lagana is much fancier than the Duchess, Duke’s Pollux is a family car, Emelia’s Athena? Family car. Luke’s Victory? Family Car. They don’t want a two door Sports car, Emerton, they want a Family Car.”
E: “Sakura didn’t give us Permission to Import their Family model yet.”
J: “Well then, don’t come ranting and raving at me for my staff filling their needs with a car that our partners won’t fucking supply to us! Send them a fucking letter, do fucking anything if you feel this way!”
Emerton glared at John, and stormed out of the room, no care or calmness this time. He was heading back to LA to make some complaints.
Sinistra Motors HQ, Nevada, May 1969
Mark Jasper returned to the headquarters after a lengthy vacation, and after making a slight detour through Ohio for a spot of fun with the new Savage sedan.
“Have a nice trip?” Luke asked, hanging up the phone and looking at Mark, an amused look on his face.
“Oh, it was a good bit of fun. Thanks for letting me borrow one of the sedans.” Mark said, grinning.
“Don’t tease me like that. What’s the distance?” Luke asked. Mark gave a quizzical look in return, though had a light smirk breaking through.
“No clue what you’re talking about.”
“Andrea mentioned you had bald front tires. You passed through Ohio. Come on, do I have to flat out tell you that I know you were doing burnouts in front of the Ardent headquarters?”
“Oh, fine. Yes, I was, and I left several stripes in the parking lots, and a good one right in front of their main doors. Sadly, I don’t have your skill for laying rubber, or I’d have written in scrubbed rubber “Sinistra Was Here” in front of the building. Still, won’t take much for them to figure out who did that. After all, Bog-lick or however you pronounce them, well, they can’t do burnouts, I’m sure of it.” Mark said.
“Bogliq. As much as I know you don’t like them, at least show them some respect. As for Ardent, well, I can’t say for certain they know we’re considering them as rivals, but they sure as hell know now that someone’s out to cause hell.” Luke replied.
Folks, I had a question PM’ed to me about the round 6 rules, and I felt it might be best to post the answer here:
"Hey, just a quick (and possibly stupid) question.
The rules for round 6 say “If square headlights are used, there must be two pair instead of one.” Just want to double check these count as square, since they have the curved edges."
The headlights were basically rectangles with curved corners. These would be considered square. Headlights are only considered round if the fixture, at least before morphing, was a circle. No flat or flat-ish edges.
This comes from an odd, obscure bit about the early NTSB and lighting regulations. While dual-filament round headlights had been around forever, square was a new shape in automotive lighting. And they hadn’t conducted “extensive testing” yet, so to err on the side of caution, the NTSB mandated quad headlamps if they were square up until the late 70’s, when the regulation was relaxed.
And now, off to finish packing…
Was it not a thing about dual large lamps or quad smaller lamps, just like the round headlight regulations in place since sometime in the 50s? Or did the dual large square lamps simply appear in the late 70s? I know both were allowed in 1983 when the regulations were removed, and square was first allowed in 1974, but I don’t think I’ve seen anything about whether or not dual lamps were allowed that early.
Little bit of stats:
Car ratings throughout the rounds. Entries marked with green background are best cars of their class in the round.
Overall rankings throughout the rounds.
In a garage, somewhere near Suzuka, 1968.
AKA the Keika Automotive HQ
Daniel Chase, founder of Keika, is reading through some mail. After the 1968 Monte Carlo Rally win, he attracted the attention of some Motorsports outfits. A few wrote to him, asking about various specifications and whether new engines would fit. He threw those out. Anything that went against the advanced V6 he built went in the trash.
He came across one letter that peaked his interest, coming from San Francisco.
Dear Sir/Madam
As an American, I find your vehicles fascinating. A low displacement 6 cylinder, with multiple camshafts, mounted behind the driver is truly ingenious. I have also noticed you lack any market share in the US. As a racing driver and performance car dealership owner, I think your vehicles would attract a lot of attention with me. I also carry a reputation around local circuits, so other drivers will certainly have an interest in your cars if and when I drive them.
I do not write this letter without concern though. American buyers do not want the finesse your car provides, and a larger displacement, simpler V8 engine would make your car much more competitive in an already competitive market. I can supply an engine to you, if you make the changes to the car to make it US regulation compliant.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Yours truly,
Rachel Foust
While the idea of bringing Keika to the US intrigued Daniel, touching the engine he spent months perfecting was out of the question. That and he prefered to get the job done himself, he decided to at least have the decency to write back.
Dear Rachel Foust
While I appreciate your enthusiasm in my car, I do not support the idea of changing the engine. While this is a personal issue, since I spent several months perfecting that engine myself, the car is also very weight sensitive and even minor engine adjustments could result in lethal oversteer. I myself experienced this just from changing the headers on race variants, showing you just how finely balanced this car is. I wouldn’t want you to experience that yourself, or potentially ruin my reputation because of a lack of care.
As much as I am sorry to say, I think I will have to decline this offer, with the possibility of renegotiation at a later date.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel Chase
In a glossy performance car dealership, San Francisco Bay, 1968
Rachel Foust looked over the letter she received back from Daniel Chase. Disappointed, and slightly annoyed, she had hoped to help the Englishman understand that ¼ mile times get customers here, not lateral G. The little Japanese sports car had fascinated her ever since she saw the newspaper articles about it winning various racing events through Europe and Japan. Without the factory backing she had hoped for, she’d not be able to afford the custom V8s she was going to swap in to appeal to America. Still, even if only for selfish reasons, she ordered six Keika Katanas to test the waters, with the possibility of more coming later.
By 1969 the original six were all imported, and a simple advert was created.
I tried…
Dual rounds were allowed in '69. See the AMC Rambler, for instance. It was still common, however, for cars to have quad rounds then. Dual squares were available as early as 1980 (see the Subaru Leone), but it was still common to have quad squares then.
Yeah, up until 1958 (and a bit later in some states) it was dual round 7" lamps only. Then quad 5.5" round lamps were allowed and subsequently used on everything. I just didn’t know that with square lights being allowed in 1974 it was limited to quad lamps only.
Single lamps are for poor people. 
(Chances are both would have looked different if it wasn’t for US headlamp regulations I guess…)
