Why yes, yes you are. Lol.
It’s calmed down a bit… 10 processed, 4 violations.
5 Likes
i dont have a fuel filler do i…
darn
2 Likes
In 1971, Kimura began production of their best-selling model, the Auburn.
The Auburn was the revelation that allowed Kimura’s sales to boom for years to come. Inexpensive, easy to run, comfortable, and fun to drive, the Auburn was the car that could “do it all.”
The Auburn allowed for Kimura to escape the risk of possibly being purchased from rival companies, and would soon fund Kimura to produce the Japan-only Eminence luxury sedan in 1975 and the American bestselling Auriga in 1979. Additionally, offshoots of the Auburn such as a 2-door coupe, 3-door hatchback, and 5-door wagon would soon arise later in the decades to come.
Here is an ad for the 1973 Kimura Auburn.
12 Likes
Motor World Review, August 1973
Model Year-In-Review Edition
Best Sedan – 1973
Everette Ellston R6
Relative Rating: 100.00
Our favorite in the category this year is a slick mid-sized cruiser from FHC, called the Everette Ellston.
Continuing the recent trend of manufacturers switching to front wheel drive, the Ellston has a 196 cubic inch V6 under the hood, mated to a 4-speed manual transmission.
Smooth, predictable, and practical, the Everette Ellston is everything you expect in a car for the urban or suburban driveway. What’s not quite so expected is its fuel economy. FHC claims 27 miles per gallon while cruising. Our extended testing returned just a hair under 20MPG, which is still nothing to sneer at. Not when you consider that some of our recent favorites have had a hard time cracking the 11MPG mark.
Though it was a tough decision in this category, we feel this is the best overall for '73.
Best Muscle or Sport Car – 1973
Olympus Libra Premier
Relative Rating: 98.37
A 5 liter engine sounds good on paper, as does having 12 cylinders. But what about power figures of 207 horsepower? While that may not sound stellar, it works for the Libra Premier from Olympus.
It’s not the slowest in class at 8.8 seconds to 60 MPH, nor with a top speed of 124 MPH. It is, however, the only one to achieve this with an automatic transmission and all of the trappings of an upscale luxury car.
The Libra has very good road manners while cruising, though when pushed too far its unrefined suspension shines through with lots of tire squeal.
Maybe our editors are getting old, but we think that if you want to have fun, you don’t have to skimp on everything else.
Best Utility – 1973
Dominion Prairie Terra Nova
Relative Rating: 98.91
The Prairie Terra Nova by Dominion is our Utility of the year for 1973.
While it is a strong, capable off-road utility, that is not the only trick up the Prairie’s sleeve. We found it to be reasonably well-mannered, and more comfortable to drive than many entry-level sedans.
Standard equipment includes a locking four-wheel drive system, manual transmission, and 127 horsepower straight-six workhorse under the hood. Cloth-faced vinyl seating is also standard.
Though trucks and utilities are not yet required to meet the stringent new passenger car standards, independent testing shows that Dominion’s ute does, indeed, pass these tests.
Are you ready to discover new lands? If so, look no further.
Best Engine – 1973
Vermillion 138 cid 4-cylinder
(+5% relative rating bonus)
Of the engines put before us this year, we are most impressed with the 138 cubic inch 4-cylider from Vermillion. While 94 horsepower may not seem to be up to our standard fare, it puts out a respectable 124 ft-lbs of torque, and does so with good efficiency and projected reliability. For that, Vermillion receives our Best Engine award for 1973.
Sedan Class Reviews
Ardent Chesapeake 50th Anniversary Edition
Relative Rating: 88.18
“…far and away the most comfortable and powerful in class, which are among the many reasons the Chesapeake has been a favorite for years. But that’s also the biggest problem. The platform is now 9 years old, and really showing its age…”
Pros: Best in class comfort, very safe, fastest in class
Cons: Poor fuel economy, handling outclassed by rivals, most expensive in class, poor reliability
ACA 300
Relative Rating: 78.90 (after penalty)
FIXTURE VIOLATION: Missing parking lights
“…another outdated suspension design, combined with relatively poor safety marks, torpedoes what would otherwise be a competent, if not pedestrian, sedan…”
Pros: Low purchase price, good fuel economy
Cons: Low safety, poor reliability, handling is even outclassed by the Ardent
Grehet Sublime Estate Jet
Relative Rating: 91.82
“…punchy V6 engine is fun in a straight line, plus keeps the Grehet from bogging down when fully loaded. Plus, it runs on unleaded, and you can smell how much cleaner it burns. If we had to pick on it, we’d say the handling is just not as sharp as it could be…”
Pros: Lowest in class emissions, good comfort, good rough road capability
Cons: Handling could be sharper, rather high purchase price, low practicality
Vermillion Igni 138 Notchback
Relative Rating: 99.55 (After bonus)
“…well put-together sedan, utilizing our favorite engine of the year. If the Everette is not your style, look to this car; it was only very narrowly beaten out for the top spot in our staff’s eyes…”
Pros: Good fuel economy, best in class reliability, Engine of the Year
Cons: Poor drivability, a bit on the slow side
PMI Usurper Elegant GT
Relative Rating: 82.55 (after penalty)
FIXTURE VIOLATION: No parking lights.
“…the Usurper that we’ve known for a long time seems to have grown into an old man’s car. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you can somehow keep your customer base alive…”
Pros: Best in class drivability, good comfort, good safety
Cons: High purchase price, low reliability, handling is far behind competitors, high maintenance cost.
Sakura Empress
Relative Rating: 82.73
“…the Empress seems to be trying to go upscale and sporty at the same time, while keeping the engine at a minimalistic 1.5 liter displacement. As a package, this doesn’t seem to work out too well…”
Pros: Low maintenance cost, good fuel economy, good skidpad
Cons: Slowest in class, rather high purchase price, low drivability, poor safety
Birmingham 2000 Sport
Relative Rating: 97.27
FIXTURE VIOLATIONS: No front or rear side markers. No parking lights. 1st offense. Further violations will result in penalties.
“…cheap, peppy fun can be had in this class, and the Birmingham proves it. The 129 cubic inch 4-cylinder pumps out over 100 horses, and it can throw itself around curves like nothing else. Road manners for every day driving are not as refined as others…”
Pros: Relatively low purchase price, great performance, good fuel mileage
Cons: Poor drivability
Rado Communt 121 Super
Relative Rating: 0.0
BANNED BY NHTSA: Failed all crash tests.
“…we got our hands on a test model about a week before the NHTSA pulled the plug on Rado for egregious safety violations. And believe us, it was terrible. But we do know one thing: Ralph Nader is sitting somewhere, with a smug grin on his face.”
Pros: None.
Cons: Not available for sale in the US.
Znopresk Z216
Relative Rating: 90.00
“…engine burns unleaded fuel, thus reducing harmful emissions. The engine just sips gas and putters along, which is not exciting but what Znopresks are built to do…”
Pros: Low emissions, good fuel economy, low purchase price, good reliability
Cons: Low prestige, poor safety
Kimura Auburn SKR
Relative Rating: 81.82
FIXTURE VIOLATIONS: No rear side markers, no antenna for radio. 1st offense. Further offenses will result in penalty.
“…cheap is the name of the game for the Auburn, and it succeeds in doing that. It does sacrifice quite a bit of what makes other competitors nice, however, in order to achieve this…”
Pros: Lowest in class purchase price, low maintenance cost, good fuel economy, good reliability
Cons: Worst in round comfort, poor safety, low prestige, poor drivability
Muscle/Sport Class Reviews
Keika Katana 2000R
Relative Rating: 81.78
FIXTURE VIOLATION: No rear side markers. 1st offense. Further offenses will result in penalty.
“…overly complicated drivetrain for our tastes. Also, while the NHTSA gave the green light for sales of this model, they noted that it has very high risk of serious injury in a crash. Putting that aside, however, the Katana handles absolutely phenomenally…”
Pros: Great handling, best in class fuel economy, relatively low maintenance cost
Cons: Poor reliability, worst in round safety (barring the banned Rado), poor comfort, most non-dealer mechanics won’t touch these
LMC Scorpius
Relative Rating: 88.89
FIXTURE VIOLATION: Rear side markers either missing or the wrong color. First offense. Further offenses will result in penalty.
“…harkens back to the heyday of muscle cars yet blends in aspects of a modern sports car. At the same time, the Scorpius airs an attitude of superiority that some seek out…”
Pros: Fast, prestigious model, good comfort
Cons: High purchase price, extremely high maintenance cost
Caliban Type SC-K
Relative Ratng: 80.59
“…other than its ability to tackle a slalom, the Caliban doesn’t seem to stick out in any significant way, positive or negative…”
Pros: Great handling
Cons: Very mediocre in all other aspects
Bogliq Coyote 700AE
Relative Rating: 97.19
“… while others try to modify the idea of a muscle car, the Coyote embraces its simplicity and rawness. Its stance and suspension setup also allow it to hunt its way on gravel roads. Muscle cars may be a dying breed, but the Coyote going out in a blaze of redneck glory…”
Pros: Very fast, prestigious model, very safe, best in class offroad, best in class reliability
Cons: High initial purchase price, poor drivability
Epoch Artemus 3000
Relative Rating: 90.07
“…bargain-basement fun in this category. It’s not as fast as others, doesn’t handle as well as most of its competitors, and cuts a lot of corners to get to that price point. But for a limited budget, it’s the way to go…”
Pros: Lowest in class purchase price, good fuel economy, low maintenance cost, good safety
Cons: Low prestige, poor drivability, handling outclassed by most competitors
TSR Ultra GTX
Relative Rating: 84.15
“…the new Ultra GTX shows that TSR has been improving in every aspect, from value to actual performance. They now have a flat-out exotic barnburner…”
Pros: Best in class acceleration, great handling, high sportiness, good reliability
Cons: Poor safety, very high purchase price, poor driveability, poor comfort
Deer and Hunt Supercoupe MKII
Relative Rating: 82.96
“…heavy coupe rolls and wallows in turns. It’s a low priced muscle car, but falls victim to the worst traits of the genre…”
Pros: Low purchase price, high reliability
Cons: Poor drivability, worst in class handling, slowest in class performance
Takemi GTM-R
Relative Rating: 81.33 (after penalty)
FIXTURE VIOLATIONS: Wrong color rear side marker, no antenna for radio.
“…the exorbitant design of the year as far as sports cars. Cornering sharper than a razor paired with a brutally powerful 3.4 liter V6. It’s everything that one could want when dissecting a road or a track from behind the wheel. Except for what it does to your wallet…”
Pros: Very fast, best in class handling, prestigious, safe
Cons: Exorbitant purchase price, insanely high maintenance cost, extremely poor fuel economy, worst in class practicality
Utility Class Reviews
IP Freeway Star 1300 Astro
Relative Rating: 96.00
“…innovative all-aluminum engine measuring just 1.3 liters in displacement, yet is perfectly matched to this well-thought out little van…”
Pros: Low purchase price, great fuel economy, reasonable safety, low maintenance cost, easy to handle
Cons: Poor comfort, poor rough road capability
Bush Halong 1650-6
Relative Rating: 87.27
“…great rough-and-tumble little ute displays amazing ability to handle off-road scenarios of all sorts. While there is no NHTSA mandatory testing for this model’s safety, independent tests show that it fared very poorly…”
Pros: Great offroad, low purchase price, very low maintenance cost
Cons: Poor comfort, very poor safety, poor handling
17 Likes
inb4 somebody questions it.
If you check the redaction at the bottom of the ad, I actually do list the fuel economy as 20 mpg. The 27 mpg figure is for 55 mph (90 km/hr) highway economy only.
I actually got the inspiration for that from Ford Pinto ads from the same era. They would often list the highway economy in big boldface but then list the combined and/or city millage elsewhere on the page in small text you weren’t really meant to read.
2 Likes
Round 8 - 1979
The past few years have been extremely tumultuous. Nixon resigned after the Watergate scandal. The Oil Crisis hit in late 1973, sending fuel prices skyrocketing. The US economy has been stagnant, with unprecedented inflation making life difficult for the average person. The Vietnam War ends for the US, American Graffiti is released, and the Betamax and VHS are both introduced. Meanwhile, relations between the US and Soviet Union finally start to soften as their respective space agencies launch an Apollo and Soyuz to dock with each other in space. Apple Computer Company forms in 1976, the same year that Jimmy Carter defeats Gerald Ford in the Presidential election. The prototype Space Shuttle, named Enterprise, is unveiled as well. The King of Rock died in '77, and the comic strip ‘Garfield’ premiered in '78. Suburban sprawl has come to nearly a standstill as the economy has tanked, and the Interstate highway system is now more than 95% completed. Only a few rural bypass stretches remain to be completed.
Economy
Unemployment: Moderate-low
Inflation: Extremely high
Economy: Stagnant
Short-term economic forecast: More inflation, possible recession.
Notable Social and Political Happenings
Watergate scandal takes down Nixon. Apollo program ends. STS program begins. Vietnam War ends in a loss. Massive inflation. Arab Oil crisis. Elvis Presley dies. Apple Computer starts up, proliferating personal computers.
Regulations
Fuel: Regular Unleaded (universal)
Bumpers: 5MPH bumpers. Most cars with “integrated” bumpers qualify. Cars with no discernable integrated bumper must have a bumper added.
Front lights and fixtures: At least one pair of headlights required. At least one pair of turn indicators required. Turn signals may NOT be placed in bumpers. Exactly one pair of parking lights are required. Parking lights MAY be placed in bumpers. Parking lights and turn signals may not be part of the same lens/fixture. There has to be some form of visual separation.
Front light colors: No red may face forward. Parking lights must be amber.
Rear lights: At least one pair of brake lights. At least one pair of turn signals. At least one pair of reverse lights. NO lights may be placed bumpers (however, optional red reflectors may be). If turn and brake lights are in the same fixture AND of the same color, there must be a minimum of THREE 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 markers required, may be placed either on the side or the rear.
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: Must be placed on the side of the vehicle. Front-engine cars must have the filler somewhere in the rear quarter, mid- and rear-engine cars must have the filler somewhere in the front quarter.
Emissions: Catalytic converter required.
Safety: All passenger vehicles must have a minimum of 26 safety. All trucks, vans, and utes must have a minimum of 20 safety.
File Naming Convention:
Model: Gen8-(username) Trim: (MFR Model Trim)
Engine: Gen8-(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 8 deadline: Thursday June 21, 9:00 AM PDT (UTC-8)
NO FURTHER COMPANY REGISTRATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL REGULATIONS FOR THIS ROUND, THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICIANT CHANGES FROM THE LAST ROUND!
13 Likes
That was a very common practice back then… I totally caught onto that when I read it.
4 Likes
Now I am actually almost a little bit upset. Well no, I don’t want to start a war but… I asked you if it was OK to combine parking lights and turning signals with a fixture with two bulbs. You said yes, as long as they aren’t in the bumper. If I don’t remember completely wrong (but I think that I double checked that), it is two bulbs in the fixture, it’s not placed in the bumper either, so where is the violation?
Thank god for the new long deadline. I’ll have time to design something competitive this time. I know my last one was sub-par.
-outdated suspension design
-Leaf Spring Rear suspension
-early 70s
-reeeeeeeeeeeee 
5 Likes
I do find it odd how suddenly my DOHC V6 is an issue too, when the only change over last time was a 4 barrel carb instead of a 2 barrel
Send me a PM and I’ll look at it again when I get home. If I missed something that I Okayed, I’m sorry… and will of course return you to a 0 violation status.
Yup… Several people were bitten by that, but without creating restrictions like “No IRS” or stuff like that (which wasn’t actually a regulation) there’s no way to keep the tech-hounds at bay. My own entry was bitten by that… MacPherson/Solid Axle Leaf.
So, the phrase “Relative Rating” has a meaning here: It’s relative to the currently submitted competition. Several competitors released new engines and/or significantly stepped up their engine game this round, which is why yours is no longer great by comparison. And you’re not the only one bitten by this. (EDIT: my 9 year old car platform, using a more reliable engine with fewer carbs than last time, got murdered. But lore-wise, my company wouldn’t have any new platforms ready until '74… so I was stuck.)
What we’re seeing this round is what carmakers have struggled with over time: companies completely redesign or update their products, sometimes catching their competitors flat-footed. But when the competitors get egg on their face from being embarrassed one time, they usually step up their own game and come back with a vengeance next time. I’m seeing that throughout the competition, and I love it. And if it’s frustrating to you as a player… honestly that’s good! You’re taking on the executive role as you should. 
Also, loving how competitive this is overall. One one-hundredth of a point separates first and second. Five points separates first and fourteenth. And there are a couple stragglers that I also love for showcasing different quirks in the industry. One trying to make a supercar line and remain relevant during difficult times, and the other trying to make a brand work that should theoretically never have a market in the US. I honestly hope they aren’t discouraged, because I’d love to see how they rise to the challenge before them.
Seriously, you guys… you are all doing awesome. From the design to the RP to the advertising. Don’t let occasional mistakes on my end (I’m human!) and unexpected turns from competitors deter you!
12 Likes
Just a question for round 8 then…popup headlights, allowed?
Yup! And now the quad restriction for squares is gone… so both round and square headlights can be just duals instead of quads.
1 Like
Very well.
Time to…
Mach Residence, late 1978.
As the crisis inside Caliban became raged on and , Lord Mach II’s health was quickly fading away. Brown had decided to retire as the lead designer of Caliban; he was substituted by Mach II’s daughter, Deryn Mach, a young woman full of ideas and concerned with the state of the company. She would later become the CEO as her father passed.
But for the 1979 model year, Deryn and her team have prepared something very, very futuristic and synthy…
14 Likes
Yeah I get that no restrictions were like that and ofc there were always exceptions to the rules. That being said, maybe one way to remedy this and try to dissuade minmaxing is to take engineering time and the production units of cars into consideration.
Also in another regard, maybe more car classes would help, something like a luxury sedan segment and a budget sedan segment although that might be over complicating things
3 Likes
With the economy in its current state, that’s actually a much more likely scenario. Also, certain classes of cars may be brutally difficult now, and if they get over-represented, the RR’s may fall off sharply. Just saying… y’all should think very carefully about what you submit going forward, because the care-free glory days of motoring are now gone, historically speaking.
WELCOME TO THE MALAISE ERA!
9 Likes
(And now, back to RP)
Cincinnati Enquirer, Business Section
Tuesday, February 14, 1978
Ardent Motors Taps New CEO
Yesterday, the Board of Directors for industrial powerhouse Ardent Motors (NYSE: ADMC) announced the new CEO expected to take the helm starting in May. Matthew Seldon, currently president of the company’s Toledo Ironworks division, will be elevated to the top executive position. He will replace Charles Bergman, who announced last November that he will be retiring this Spring.
Seldon, 51, has worked in leadership roles within every division of Ardent, starting with the design bureau of Townsend Coachworks. He moved on to VP of Engineering for a brief time at Ardent, before taking over the vacant presidency at Toledo Ironworks.
Of his successor, Bergman said, “The future of Ardent is in competent, steady hands with Matt. His practical and analytical strengths will be of great benefit to Ardent, and I look forward to watching the company that I love flourish once again under his guidance.”
Industry analysts have been critical of Bergman’s tenure with the company, with many wondering openly if he was too slow to react to market conditions, and that he was indecisive and tentative. Sales of most Ardent models have slowed over the past five years, with only the Sentinel and Piper showing strength in their respective positions. This comes amid pressure from other domestic automakers such as PMI USA and newer foreign manufacturers like Znopresk. Rumors have also spread in part due to Ardent’s recent 40% stake acquisition of Japanese automaker Suzume, and with seriously flagging sales numbers, that the venerable Townsend Coachworks division may be up for sale or even shuttered. Both Bergman and Seldon have denied the veracity of these rumors.
7 Likes
“Rado Communt banned by NHTSA for failing all crash tests” - August 1973
“SOFA-Rado deal cancelled” - September 1973
“Arab oil embargo begins” - October 1973
“Rado’s CEO to resign” - January 1974
And it begins…
11 Likes
18th OF JANUARY 1974
THE WASHINGTON POST
"The Mamayan automobile manufacturer IP is doing a huge recall of cars from model year 1971 to model year 1974. After a test done by the automobile magazine Motor World, it was found out that a faulty light switch can render the parking lights unusable any time without any warning.
The faulty light switch can be found in the following cars:
IP Royalist (Mk3), made between July of 1970 and November of 1973
IP Freeway Star and IP Colibri van (the later not sold in the US), made between July of 1971 and November of 1973
IP-Kingston Celestia (Mk2), made between July of 1972 and November of 1973.
Owners of the actual cars should report to their local IP dealership to get the improved light switch installed at no extra cost."
8 Likes