With the car list narrowed down to only 6 cars, Keith arranged test drives for all of them. Since it was going to be used by his whole family, Amanda would go with him to make sure he didn´t end up buying another unsafe, small sports car. With that in mind, they got into their Golf and drove to the city center, where the first car was waiting for them, a red Auzenne 18 Procyon (@BannedByAndroid )
The first thing they noticed when getting close were those flared wheel arches, giving the car a pretty muscular look. The owner was waiting for them, he bought it brand new 6 years ago, and had used it regularly ever since. Keith checked for signs of abuse throught the car, but the owner had taken care of it. The boot was also massive, excellent for a young family. With the exterior checked, it was time to drive.
It was hard to notice when the engine came to life, as it still had the stock mufflers. Driving it around town was effortless, the engine had a pretty full powerband and the steering proved to be excellent, despite of all the weight in the front axle. But once out in the open, all that weight started to be noticeable. It really refused to turn at first, even if a second later it would corner like a champion. Another thing they noticed was a weird smell after a few bends. In the highway back to the city, the car really behaved though. The quiet engine, along with a soft suspension, suprised both of them. Fuel economy also proved really good, the advanced engine design really came to shine here. But once out of the car…
“Well what do you think?”
“I almost threw up in the bends, the rear suspension does a really weird thing when taking bumps”
“Oh, that´s why you were so quiet. Well, I´ve just found out were was the smell coming from. The brakes were overheating for most of the ride”
But there was still a whole day ahead, and now it was time to check the next car, a Régal 142 Sport (@karhgath)
“Wow that really is a tight spot”
The owner of the car, proud of his parking abilities, started to show them the car. Apparently, he bought it used as his first car. Despite of the abuse, the car still seemed quite sound. Under the bonnet there was a quite humble 4 cylinder, with the only hint of performance being a set of tubular headers. Both Keith and Amanda liked the looks of the car, even if he really struggled to name what the colour of the car was.
Once inside of the car, the thing only got better. The interior featured all the leather you would want, and the seats almost fixed the problem of the sporty suspension tune. The car was a pretty balanced platform, both steering and suspension worked together to deliver an exciting drive. In the corners, though, it was limited by some rather unsporty tires, but that was an easy fix. What wasn´t so much was the lack of acceleration. The four speed gearbox was tuned to deliver a relaxed cruise in the highway and excellent fuel economy, but it meant that the first gear was too long. In the end of the drive, the brakes showed slight signs of fade, but inside of what´s considered normal in such car.
“I really liked this one, what do you think?”
“It was really nice, the interior is spacious enough for all of us, and the looks are pretty good too”
“Yeah i think so, also, they are really cheap to run and give almost no problems, which means we could really give it a lot of use”
A good impression, but still some cars left. Like the Riemann 250S RTA
(@ChemaTheMexican )
They arrived to the meeting point, but there was no car waiting for them. Right when they were going to give up, they heard it. The roaring of an engine getting closer and closer, and then, it turned the corner. A black-and-grey beast of a car, and probably the wet dream of a drug dealer. But the owner was just a normal middle-aged man, who wanted to sell it and buy a motorhome for him and his wife.
“It has gave us a lot of fun, but now it´s time for someone younger to enjoy it”
The car gave the impression of luxury in the outside, which contrasted with the pretty standard interior. It wasn´t bad by any means, but they were expecting more from it. Anyway, no one bough an RTA for the interior. Under the bonnet, the crown jewel, a 230 hp v8. You could see the shock in Amanda´s face when she heard that figure.
But on the road… She was still in shock. Acceleration proved to be more almost excessive, and the handling was just as sharp as in the Régal. To help tame this car, though, the brakes came equipped with ABS, which along with a pretty big set of discs, meant that you could slow down without surprises before a corner. Comfort was excellent too, a good suspension tune along with the big interior made it a much more comfortable car that the ones previosly tried. What didn´t feel so good was the lack of safety equipment. No airbags and little to no padding were a big no for Amanda.
“That was awesome! I think we could get it right now”
“Slow down, you have children remember? Also, I doubt you noticed, but you almost emptied a quarter of the tank”
“We´ll keep looking, but I don´t think we are going to find anything better”
Don´t worry, their marriage is strong. And now, the Wolfram Wolfhound 3.5 GT
(@abg7)
The car was parked, waiting for them. A full blown sports car, even if it was not very exciting looking one. A spoiler at the back really said performance, though, and through a brief exterior check Keith was able to notice the tyres, properly wide and sticky. As the owner told them, he bought it second-hand and restored it to original spec. The work proved excellent, even having the original rims.
The interior was an awesome place to be in, with leather everywhere and the original casette still playing. The red accents only made it better, giving the impression of sitting in a more expensive car. Finally, before taking it for a drive, an engine-check. A big and smooth inline 6, more focused into mid range torque than top end horsepower.
On the road it really behaved. At slow speeds the engine proved excellent, with heaps of torque available, and in fast corners it behaved for a car with such a big engine over the front axle. But the biggest surprise was the general GTish feeling of the car. Steering felt good at all speeds and the suspension, while not overly soft, gave a very good ride. Driving back to the city, Keith got to try the acceleration at a few red lights. Despite of the long gears, this engine coupled with a geared diff gave him a strong impression of the car, and the brakes just kept working perfectly after all the hard braking.
“Not the most exciting looking, but it really drove well”
“It certainly did, and it´s pretty safe too according to reviews”
“Yeah, perhaps looking for more cars after the Riemann was not a bad idea”
Only two cars left, now turn for the Legion Mora RS15 (@donutsnail)
“They don´t make it like they used to” Said the owner.
Keith obviously noded to this statement. But his attention instantly turned to the bright red sports car. A more brief than usual exterior check was made, which didn´t find anything unusual. Well, it technically did, but since the car came stock with the biplane wing and white rims, it didn´t count. A good set of sticky tires and the racing stripes were the cherry on top of this car.
Now, on the interior, the little Legion still gave a good impression. It was obviously smaller and less plosh than previous cars, but the Recaro seats would be a welcome addition in curvy roads. And sitting ahead of the front axle, and really low to the ground, there was the engine. A small but powerful for it´s size 4 cylinder boxer. That intake body on itself was a work of art, and the headers, though hard to see, also screamed performance.
And yes, they screamed. Once behind the wheel, the couple got to check how loud the car was. Keith was in love with the rasp and characteristic sound of the engine, and the handling… The car was going through corners effortlessly, even if it was slightly understeery at the start. Also notable was the ABS in such small car, and while front brakes were excellent, the rear drums couldn´t keep up with the rest of the car. Acceleration was decent, probably due to a combination of low power and gear ratios. Suspension was on the hard side, and while potholes were terrible on this car, it really helped with the cornering.
“It´s red, it´s fast, it can fit the whole family, what else do you want?”
“It´s certainly a fun car, and it´s also quite easy to drive around, but i wonder if we´ll get tired of it after driving it for a while, suspension is rock-hard”
“I wouldn´t say rock-hard, but I´m willing to suffer a bit if this is the reward”
And the last car on this long list, the Munot Alpharia 224 Rallye (@Quneitra)
Keith and Amanda were exhausted after a long day driving around, but there was a car left. When they arrived, they got excited again. It looked cute, at least according to Amanda, and Keith recogniced the potential of this car when he noticed the wheels almost sticking out of the body.
The plastic bumpers with integrated headlights, the door handles, the rubber spoiler at the back… all contributed to give a really strong 80s feeling to this car. 4 exhaust tips? This car must be hiding something under the bonnet. And right there, an all-alloy boxer engine, with 16 valves and 160hp at 8200 rpm. A crazy power figure for such small car. The interior was pretty unremarkable in comparison. Five full seats and enough space for a medium sized family.
Slight signs of understeer, but crazy cornering nontheless, and acceleration was unbelievable. Braking was good, even if the front brakes could be stronger, and with almost no fading after all the curves. The close ratio 5-speed was an excellent match for this car. What wasn´t so good was the peaky powerband. Engine felt anemic unless pushed hard, which made city driving a bit of a struggle, he actually managed to stall the car a few times during the drive. It felt more like a race car engine.
“I have mixed feelings with this one”
“Yeah, I checked the reliability records while you were driving, and it is a bit of a mess, especially the engine”
“It doesn´t surprise me, but if we take enough care of it…”
