You should also allow the use of 91 RON/87 AKI regular unleaded in addition to 95 RON/90 AKI premium unleaded.
Also, given that environmental resistance is of moderate importance, I am considering using partial aluminum panels and a corrosion-resistant steel chassis - treated steel bodywork is not available until 1994, and would therefore require too many tech pool points to unlock with the current rule set. And the tech pool distribution for this round (30 in all, in what is effectively a 2:1 ratio for trim and engine, with a maximum of 4 in any area) makes perfect sense.
And should there be a price cap, and if so, how much will it be?
The Phoenix is the flagship of the Globus program since '82. However, the retro design with round taillights wasn’t that appreciated by the buyers, so an early facelift arrived for '84.
Despite being a classic muscle car with good comfort and an engine that causes an earthquake when flooring it, the handling is crisp and absolutely competetive with regular sports cars (a supercar with similar engine power however will leave the Phoenix behind, yes).
I am a little late with reacting to the results, because I didn’t have time before today, was a hard week in the office.
Obviously I am a milder twin of @Vento , because my cars are always good at engineering (unless I missed the ruleset) but the design is mostly disliked. However, Vento might be even better at engineering and worse at styling.
The interior color critic is something I would not consider, because it’s the 70s where the wildest things were possble and actually bought in real life. However, this is something I’d definitely try and I consider it as valuable:
I think if the parts were aligned to horizon, it might have turned out better.
In general, there is not much to complain here. The reviews came quick and there was great effort in judging and writing. Judging a design is always a subjective thing and I might have been falling down not because my car was bad, but because most others just did better and really raised the bar in this round that had truly exceptional quality there.
Especially if @S_U_C_C_U_L_E_N_T enters a challenge, you know who wins the design part. All of his creations I saw were excellent. I guess the car would have won with absoulte ease if Vento made the engineering part.
@Lanson
So, I took your advice and you were right. This is now an updated '72 Imperator in contrast to the '67 model, as considered for LHC. It does look more pleasant if aligned to horizon and if the lines roughly point into similar directions, so I changed it for all post-72 Imperator cars. However, I’ll keep the old design in the 67-72 because the older car has a lower front and does look more quirky/aggressive with the old grille as intended by me. But on the facelift I should have done what you proposed because the grille did not work anymore in that configuration, but overlooked that.
I will not introduce a price cap, but my test builds’ prices came out roughly between 20,000 and 30,000 without quality so a price around that give or take a few (or many) thousand dollars would be good.
Thanks! I usually don’t make big American land yachts but I’m glad that the Mayflower turned out really well.
I have also added some info on the main post regarding valvetrains. I hosted a challenge similar to this before and I received entries with valvetrains that may be a little too advanced for its time (including a SOHC 4v V8). Hopefully, with some more research, y’all can make more informed decisions about your car’s engineering.
On that note, many cars in 1984 had a generally boxy look - the aero trend, which brought a more curvaceous look, would not really take off until later in the decade. As such, I’m not expecting too many entrants to choose any of the Bean body sets, which are available from 1983 onwards (without tech pool), but whose more rounded shapes seem somewhat out of place in 1984.
Also, I know practicality is only of minor importance this time around, but given that reliability is of moderate importance, does Kenneth have any prejudice against new-fangled stuff like turbochargers, mid- and rear-engined configurations, and AWD? Especially since some (but not all) of the cars you cited as inspiration have at least one of those.
Kenneth may have only had big American V8 cars with an FR layout, but seeing that he works at NASA it is likely that he has encountered all sorts of different cars from people all across the country (or even abroad) since the Kennedy Space Center is NASA’s primary launch site and people from all over go there to do space stuff.
That being said, Kenneth probably doesn’t think much of AWD since rallying isn’t popular in the US and the AWD cars available in the market either came from AMC or Subaru, which were not considered sporty. Audi did start selling the Quattro around 1983/1984 though so a sporty AWD car isn’t out of the question either.
The SC (short for Super Coupe) is a voracious eater of miles. Riding on a widebody version of the Colibri fastback platform, the SC receives luxurious interior appointments, state-of-the-art safety and driver assists, as well as the requisite wheel, brake, and suspension upgrades to keep up with the engine we managed to stuff in it.
Built on proven Wolfe technology, this two-seater GT is all about performance and provides independent suspensions all around, the latest safety features and a sporty but luxurious interior.
A powerful high-tech 305ci OHC V8 powers this special edition. Driven by a 5-speed manual with geared LSD, you will always be in control of the 300hp-plus generated by the powerplant.
All-new for 1984, the Hellblazer GT proves that world-class ride, handling and performance are no longer the sole preserve of foreign imports, thanks to its 300-bhp 5.7-liter V8 (now fitted with multi-point electronic fuel injection) driving the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox and a geared LSD. Its 16-inch forged alloy wheels are wrapped in high-performance tires for maximum grip, while 4-wheel vented disc brakes with ABS provide ample stopping power.
This example is one of only 1,000 Night Edition examples produced only for this model year, and is distinguished by a black exterior, interior and wheels. You want to feel like Michael Knight? Look no further. Except that unlike K.I.T.T from Knight Rider, our car is definitely real - and not only does it start from $24,000 AMU, you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck.
No, it doesn’t have any the sentient AI, turbo boost, laser beam, and other high-tech gadgetry that K.I.T.T. comes with as standard, but then again, such techno-wizardry is too advanced for our engineers to install in our cars right now anyway (although we did manage to fit a digital instrument cluster). You do, however, get a proper premium interior, with genuine leather on the seats and door cards, as well as real aluminum trim in some areas, and a high-end sound system with a cassette tape player to keep you entertained while you drive.
So what are you waiting for? Test drive a Hellblazer GT today - it won’t let you down! Besides, you’ll find yourself humming the Knight Rider theme song when you get behind the wheel of this beast, especially in the limited edition Night Shadow trim shown above.
Nerruci’s new, up-and-coming top of the line Grand Tourer, 320 Spyder balances between performance, feel, and luxury. Equipped with a 300+bhp 4.5-litre V8 powering the rear wheel, the 320 Spyder is fitted with a 5-speed manual transmission and geared LSD. Its 16-inch magnesium rims are lighter and results in better handling and grip through corners and makes the car movement more predictable.
With a top speed of 170mph and 0-60 of 4 seconds, this car can certainly suit the driver’s need for speed but even with all the speed the practicality of the car is not lost. We at Nerruci Motors Corporation are able to give the consumers, a car that is balanced between performance and practicality with a sizeable luggage bay for your luggage needs.
I messed up the body by picking a curvy body instead of boxier kind, i made the engine and everything and I wasn’t gonna go back and build a new car… So… Oh well… Embrace the f up
The West Coast Turbo Coupe (ironic since Kenneth lives on the East Coast) reminds me of a contemporary Fox-body Ford Thunderbird with the 2.3L turbo I4, specifically the pre-facelift version with sealed-beam headlights. It ties into the Knight Rider connection for my entry: I deliberately designed it to resemble K.I.T.T. from the TV show, and the Brindley looks like those Thunderbirds that appeared in the Season 3 premiere, “Knight of the Drones”, as shown below:
sorry about that lol
