1967 Scorpius
Ok, jumping ahead a few years…
In the late 60’s Leviathan wanted to push their performance cars to a new level after seeing what Italy could do with a mid engine design. In 1967, the Scorpius became LMC’s first supercar. For the Scorpius, Leviathan produced it’s first all-aluminum engine, a 225 cid V8 that made 276 hp in it’s first iteration. The first Scorpius was much more nimble than any production car LMC had made so far. It pulled up to 1.14 g’s around corners, about 0.15 g more than the Halcyon. It could go 0-62 mph in just 5.7 seconds thanks to a new 5-speed manual transmission.
Unsure of how well a car like this would sell in the US, scaled back on some of the interior and safety options in the first year. As a result, the car’s weight was brought down to 2,824 lbs, but the interior left something to be desired for anyone wanting more than a track car. The Scorpius would sell at a reduced mark up price of $4421 ($33,000 @ 50%) in 1967.
1970 Scorpius R and GT
The Scorpius R
The Scorpius was very successful in it’s first few years of production and was expanded upon with two new trims, the R and the GT. While little was changed with the exterior, the R and GT had very different features underneath to bring to the table.
The R variant was 60 lbs lighter than the base model. The suspension setup was sportier to bring the cornering g’s up to 1.15g. Finally, the V8 was turned to produce 293 hp and could run on regular unleaded fuel. The result was a faster performance machine capable of a 5.45 second 0-62 mph time yet more practical than the base model.
The GT
The GT was a limited run designed to be the ultimate Scorpius. The performance was nearly identical to original model, but the GT did it with fully loaded with classic LMC handmade seats, a brand new 8-track player, and updated safety features. The the extra 30 hp squeezed out of the V8 brought the top speed up to 155 mph.
1975 Scorpius GTS
Production of the Scorpius ended in 1975 with the final version, the GTS. LMC kept the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach for most of its run, but the GTS saw some major changes. It was a redesigned R variant with a more comfortable interior, updated styling, and an even more powerful engine. With the new 4.5L LMCR V8 producing 345 hp, the 0-62 time was brought down to 4.7 seconds, but the rear wing kept the top speed at 161 mph. The added weight from the engine took its toll on the handling, but it was still much faster around the track than the Scorpius R.
Specs:
1967 Scorpius
Power: 276 hp
Torque: 244 ft-lb
Redline: 6600 rpm
Weight: 2,824 lbs
Fuel Eco: 11.4 mpg
0-62: 5.7 seconds
Quarter Mile: 14.10 seconds
Top Speed: 147 mph
Airfield Time: 1:25.83
1975 Scorpius GTS
Power: 345 hp
Torque: 244 ft-lb
Redline: 6200 rpm
Weight: 2,997 lbs
Fuel Eco: 12.0 mpg
0-62: 4.7 seconds
Quarter Mile: 13.15 seconds
Top Speed: 161 mph
Airfield Time: 1:23.18
I noticed that the market scores were much higher than I usually get, especially for the GT with 193.3 desirability with 80% markup in the super category and 217 for the hyper. Are early 70’s supercars too easy to make in the game? I’ve never gotten close to that high with any other type of car.