[LHC] - Letara History Challenge - Rd 5 [Results being posted]

[AndiD]

Mara Goes Letara, Ep 2-2

Previous post

Mid-morning, 14th January 1952
Boardroom, Mara main factory grounds, just outside the town of Mara, Archana

After everyone had returned from the coffee break, Henri Nordhov continued from his position at the end of the table. “We were asked by our government to help sales abroad of an Archanan product, particularly in Letara.” He made another pause for dramatic effect. “Volkov Locomotive works’ newest model, the high-speed steam locomotive Class P36.”

The Class P36 in front of the Kronagrad-Basara-Express entering Kronagrad main station

Board meeting, part 2: Letara spending, part 2

The room was suddenly filled with puzzled faces. Of course, everyone were well-aware of the Class P36 as its recent entry into service was well publicised across Archana. So was the stir it caused in neighbouring Fruinia as it required them to maintain a basic infrastructure to provide water, sand and coal for the sole train in service between the two countries - the Lenagrad-Terso-Express - to be pulled by the sole type of steam locomotive still operating on Fruinian territory. Still, the P36 was faster than most Fruinian electric locomotives currently in service.

Henri continued. “They want to combine the offer to the Letaran government with assistance in repairing and enhancing their rail infrastructure as well as in exploiting the Letaran coal deposits in return for coal export in the future.”

Fedor Piechov was the first one to regain speech. “So we are now an instrument of Archanan foreign policy?”

Henri shrugged. “We are basically the only ones with contacts in the country, and ours are even in the Letaran government, and they also quite liked the Visim van over there, so someone thought it’d be easiest if we play messenger.”

Fedor was less than mollified. “I thought our core business is cars, not trains? And they are very much a capitalist democracy?!”

“First, there is nothing wrong with state spending on infrastructure, is there?” Henri retorted. “They also think after the recent natural disasters, Letara might be quite receptive for a boost of their infrastructure and industry investments. Moreover, technology sales to foreign countries and to receive raw materials in the future will help all of us.” He paused for a second, but this time rather to collect his own thoughts. Noone else voiced further dissent, or dared to do so. “When is the next time someone is going over?”

Fedor answered. “That’d be Inna… and Rodyn at some point in the next weeks. Inna, you’ll be in charge of scouting out locations to build an eventual assembly plant and submit a more detailed plan for approval until the end of March. Rodyn can introduce you to our dealerships and other contacts we have made over the last years preparing for and running in the Cannonball. When you are there, you can also take a first look for this year at the state of our three Cannonball prototypes we still have in store over there. We should also see that we formally establish a local representative in Letara so that we do not have to fly across the ocean all the time.”

Inna and Rodyn nodded in unison.

“Let me know when you have finalised your travel plans to Letara”, said Henri. “I’ll make sure that you’ll get a package with some papers from our government to deliver.”

[LS_Swapped_Rx-7]

Lobby Scheme the Kamaka Motor Corportation Offeration

Our the upon Kamaka Motor Corporation strongly support imposing that tax in larger engines, our reason being having such that more than engine is don’t this necessary, taking it only adding more weight and decreasing efficientness fuel. Even to take of example that 3.3 liter Kamaka Chief winning 1st house on mostly recent cannonball ran ahead for cars taking even larger engines, such the to 4.7 liter Vizzuri. That is that prime example this it takes highly more than that more than engine to create that well car.

Speaking for racing, our also the support construction for racing tracks, such to Vizzuri Costa Lerance. Our belief motorsports am individual the for best ways to showcase that car true potential, and those can be very beneficial the to Letaran economy the taking potential to look such amazed racing on person. Our hope that idea becomes reality then our and other companies the have chance to take such strong competitiveness the in track conjunctionly.

To create upon of anytime inconveniences this might be cause to that result the for displacement tax, our would do also the support expansion the for mechanical engineering field to have mostly outward for smaller engines. Our believable this taking enough research onto that field, that smaller and lighter car the is potential to be only to speedily and more efficient than that larger individual.

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non-japanglish tldr

we are in support of a displacement tax, construction of a race track, and education in mechanical engineering

[AndiD]

Mara Goes Letara, Ep. 2-3

Previous post

Late morning, 14th January 1952
Boardroom, Mara main factory grounds, just outside the town of Mara, Archana

After another short break, Mara’s comrade directors continued with the next topic on their agenda.

Henri Nordhov began again. “Now that we sorted out our - and not only our - spending in Letara for the next years, we should also think about what we would want to see happening or not happening over there in the future. Especially with our considerable investment into infrastructure, the Letaran govenrment should be quite receptive to our requests.”

Board meeting, part 3: Letara lobbying

Natalya started again. “From our sales reports, our racing exploits over there certainly helped initial sales. So a priority should be to keep racing exposure.”

Rodyn chimed in as well. “We can’t run the prototypes forever - they probably need some bigger overhaul this year already and we have been lucky that the engines haven’t expired yet. Now that we got rid of most of our Visim vans, we are basically left with a few untuned and worn spares.”

“I’ve heard through some conversations at last year’s Cannonball that some manufacturers are thinking of other formats”, added Henri. “Everyone has different ideas though, rallying, circuit racing, etc. A few even want to build an entire circuit…”

“Can we ensure that we will have something to race, and that it will resemble what we sell?” Natalya again.

“It looks like what we need is a class system for Letaran racing”, Fedor proposes after a short while of thinking. “No pun intended”, he adds. “If the lowest class is around the Tov’s regular engine displacement, we can just tune the regular production engine for racing.”

“Would you say the actual type of racing matters?” Henri wants to know.

Natalya shrugs. “Probably not much. The important thing is that as many people as possible see the car, ideally winning. Or that you can tell a good story, at least, around finishing a gruelling event or something.”

“So then a class system it is what we want”, concludes Henri. “How about the other things they are inviting submissions about?” He points to a typed sheet of paper in front of everyone.

“From an engineering standpoint”, Rodyn begins. “Additional safety will be costly to engineer.”

“We also won’t get any domestic sales benefits from that, as safety has never come up as an issue locally”, Natalya adds.

Fedor weighs in. “More safety features will probably only encourage further reckless driving.”

Henri’s eyes lighten up. “That’s good, we need to include that. But they want their people to be safer, apparently, so what are other things that achieve the same goal but cost us less?”

“Simple physics”, is Fedor’s curt reply. “Brake distance increases at the square of a car’s speed, plus thinking distance.” Fedor has adopted his ‘lecturing’ voice. "So speed limits are the easiest thing to keep people safe, passengers and pedestrians. "He then points to Rodyn. “Think of some sensible speed brackets to propose - since we are one of the very few people to have driven the same roads under normal conditions in regular production cars and on race speed as well.”

Rodyn nods. “Some parts were scary enough at speed with our special sports tyres, knowing that there wouldn’t be other traffic…”

“What else?”

Rodyn and Inna have a quick look over the other items of the list. “The stuff around the headlights would probably be most difficult to reengineer, so we should be against those.”

“We would also have to at least prepare mounts and wiring for them for all cars, even though we won’t need them for the domestic markets”, Inna adds.

After a closer look through the list, Henri wants to know. “What are these radial tyres that are mentioned?”

Fedor answers. “A new tyre technology, probably not something that concerns us… except for racing maybe.”

“Do we care about the other points raised, such as education or additional taxes?”

Inna starts. “Not about education - we don’t need special skills for our assembly plant, and we don’t plan to do anything else over there, right?”

“And taxes won’t help us get out of the in-between position between city and family cars - which I think is one of our biggest issues for sales”, Natalya states. “Even if higher-priced cars will cost even more, I don’t think this will impact us much.”

“Alright. Anything else?” Henri looks around the table. “Then this meeting is adjourned until the afternoon where will discuss further issues concerning domestic production and sales.”

[ChemaTheMexican]

1955 Garland Three-Year plan.

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Here at Garland of Letara are dedicated to our costumers; we worry about you Letarans as much as we care about our homeland. Therefore Garland will open not only an assembly plant but a Garland Factory to stimulate the struggling Letaran economy.

This three year plan will be put into motion effective immedeately.

We will not dissapoint.

[cake_ape]

Rd. 2 PREFACE - LOBBYING CLOSED

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Lobbying is now closed; thank you to everyone who submitted their lobbying and spending items. It was a really exciting week and fun to watch the various companies try to persuade one another of their stance.

I’ll go and tally up the votes, make some governmental decisions, and then go ahead and build the country in WR:SR. Stay tuned for the full reveal and Rd. 2 Prologue!

[cake_ape]

Rd. 2 PROLOGUE

SPENDING & LOBBYING RESULTS

The Government of Letara is excited to announce that turn-out for spending and lobbying exceeded expectations. Here is a run-down of the results:

Spending

Eight companies chose to build a car assembly plant in Letara; a further 10 companies are building full car factories.

Road maintenance received a moderate amount of funding. These funds will not cover all of the repair and maintenance work required. Luckily a larger sum was dedicated by companies on new road construction. The government chooses to redirect some of these funds to maintain existing roads and also adds much of it own funding to maintenance and repair. Still, there is some money left for new construction, which will be used to double the highway between Lerance Airport and the capital city, and pave the road through Jawole to support this small town’s prosperity.

In terms of industry, not much investment of note has been received. Very minimal funding was received to expand the bauxite industry, which, considering that exports were lacking, is just enough to keep it ticking over at its current level. There was some more investment into an alumina processing plant, so a small plant will be constructed near Jawole. Petroleum and coal mining industries have received some minimal funding as well; these funds were used to identify suitable areas for exploitation in case further funds are made available in a later stage.

Education has received a decent amount of funding with roughly equal research efforts dedicated to materials science, mechanical engineering, petrochemical engineering, and electrical engineering. This has advanced the global knowledge in these areas that will be available to all auto makers.

Air and harbour improvements received some support, but even with government funding added it is just enough for a modest improvement over the existing infrastructure. Rail network improvement has received more funding; these funds will cover short delivery and shunter lines to car factories and assemblies, as well as a new line to the alumina plant in Jawole. The government dug deep and also doubled the stretch between Lerance and the rail intersection south of Storia to ease rail congestion and delays; this at the cost of not sinking further funds into road improvements.

As for car racing, the Cannonball Run received some funds for improvement, but a dedicated GP type circuit received by far the highest amount of funding (even more than general road maintenance). Using the combined funds received for racing, the government allows the construction of a dedicated race track in Letara.

Lastly, there was the miscellaneous category. Reforestation has received a decent amount of funding, which will be used to plant 1.8 million trees in the recently burned areas in the highlands around Mt. Modred. Additionally some funds were set aside to create a small nature reserve close by the tourist town, and the rebuilding of the town’s historic mountain village. And there was some funds received for a car safety awareness campaign, which the government will use in colour TV commercials and radio ads advocating for safe driving behaviours.

Lobbying

On the safety front, there was significant lobbying for increased safety measures and a more lacklustre push against stricter safety. So the government will weigh its options in this realm, especially considering the exuberant healthcare costs the government spent in the last decade relating to the treatment of car accident victims.

Tire regulation was also a quite heated issue with companies lobbying against the use of futuristic radial tires, against a ban of these radials, to outright banning tried-and-true cross-plies. In the end, one company in particular put forth an extremely convincing argument against the use of the still experimental radial tires, so the government is sticking to the known and safe cross-plies. Radials will have to show their worth and safety first in a more… controlled setting.

In terms of other car regulations very few issues were raised by companies, with the exception of the centre headlight issue. So on most of these issues the government will make its own decisions after consulting their own experts. The centre headlight issue, however, did receive numerous strong arguments for, and a few against. Although after consulting with experts the government’s original stance was a ban on these lights, they will give it some more consideration.

Speed limits was another issue debated. Some companies wanted to raise - or even outright erase - speed limits, and some were in favour of lowering limits. In view of this, the government will make minimal changes and have a “wait and see” attitude for now. As it stands, speed limits are 35 km/h in tight inner city cores, 50 within built-up areas and poorer dirt roads, 80 on well-kept gravel roads, 100 on busy highways, and unlimited in the less busy and straight highway stretches.

Fuel was another issue raised by several companies. There was a strong push for Avgas fuel by one company in particular, however due to its unavailability this cannot be considered. But, with the increased research in petrochemical engineering, there are now new possibilities on the market for cleaner and better fuels.

There was some lobbying around the future of racing in Letara. About a quarter of companies wanted to keep the Cannonball Run going, about a quarter pushed for a mixed-surface race, and about half were in favour of a closed track race on tarmac. Considering the monetary investment companies are willing to make to build a dedicated track, racing in Letara will indeed switch to a dedicated track. The government is also in favour of this outcome, because then the roads of Letara do not have to be closed for three days every year.

Last, but certainly not least, the big one: taxes. The issue of taxes turned into a real battle field, as one would expect. The most contested issue was around displacement taxes. In the end, about the same number of auto makers are for and against a displacement tax, but those in favour did lobby harder. However, even in this camp there is some conflict about their exact implementation and a consensus was not reached. Then there was some lobbying for and against fuel efficiency taxes, with the against side being a lot more persuasive. Further, the luxury vehicle tax was also lobbied hard for and against, but in the end both sides brought equally persuasive points. In the end, the austerity-driven government rejects such selective and arbitrary taxes on cars, and will look elsewhere to raise capital and save costs. Inherently, larger engines and luxury do not cost the government more. But unclean fuels and unsafe cars do add significantly to the government’s healthcare costs. And the government thinks that to “balance the books” it should be those cars that are the culprits - the ones burning dirty fuel and are unsafe - that should pay for Letara’s increased healthcare costs.

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INTRODUCING LETARA IN 1955

Map of Letara circa 1955-1963.

Longer RP description of Letara in 1955 and pictures.

In 1955 Letara’s tensions with Montelin have eased due to several factors. The global economic downturn has hit Montelin even harder than Letara, so they do struggle to maintain a solid grip on the occupied territories, let alone cause pressure for Letara. Somunds is still a most valuable trade partner and ally. The largest issues that Letara must face are the recovery from the numerous natural disasters of the past decade, and the growing economic hardship that is felt by all Letarans. The new government is focused on austerity measures: reducing spending wherever possible, and raising taxes where appropriate.

Lerance: can you spot all the new buildings that replaced the collapsed ones?

Although the bauxite mining and tax incentive for aluminium bodied cars didn’t result in the expected revenue from exports, the government did authorise and co-fund the expansion of the aluminim industry with a small alumina plant near Jawole.

Alumina plant near Jawole, and the new asphalt highway through the town.

The natural disasters mostly affected the area near Mt. Modred. The mountain is hardly recognizable with all of the forests in the highlands gone. A huge reforestation effort has restored much of the forested area, but a full recovery is still far off. However, thanks to a great initiative by especially one company, a new National Park protected area has been established near the town of Mont Modred, which hopefully will result in increased tourist income in the region.

Mt. Modred and area. On the left is the forestry village of Chanceille.

Storia harbour has been upgraded and revamped to allow shipping of general goods in and out of Letara. The previously aggregate-only harbour is now better suited to serve Letara by making goods transfer easier and quicker; the country no longer has to rely mostly on rail for its large cargo needs.

The rebuilt and expanded Storia Harbour can now accommodate regular goods, not only aggregate type cargo.

One of the largest changes in the country is the addition of several car assemblies and factories, making Letara a true car maker powerhouse. Storia is one location with several car factories, making this one of the more industrial and prosperous cities in Letara with active growth.

Car factory near Storia. Storia also has a few new buildings that replace old collapsed ones, and a few as the result of the town’s growth. The expanded new harbour in the background.

The second location with the most popular area for new car assemblies and factories is Lerance of course. With the abundance of car assemblies and factories, Letara has seen much increased train traffic as both raw materials and car components are imported, and finished cars are exported. Hopefully the train network can cope with the additional load, as the original train network was certainly not built for this amount of traffic.

Cars loaded onto a train at one of Lerance’s car factories.

Last, but not least, there is a new race track in Letara! It is situated along the new stretch of double highway between Lerance and Lerance Airport. The long back straight is actually the eastbound side of the highway, so for large events this side of the highway still needs to be closed - but it is a good cost-saving measure. Next to the race track is the Lerance car factory corner, where most of the companies that wanted to be close to Lerance set up their factories.

Lerance Raceway and the Lerance car factory corner.

TL:DR - Letara has overcome some major natural disasters in the last decade, but is struggling economically as a consequence. The issues with Montelin seem to be fading to the background, and the local economic situation is becoming more pressing. The bauxite industry is maintaining itself, even growing marginally thanks to some private investment. The road network is slightly improved compared to the previous decade, but not by much. Large areas of the country are still struggling with poor infrastructure. The new pride and joy of the nation is the recently constructed Lerance Raceway, the heart of Letara’s newfound love for track racing.

PEOPLE’S TASTE IN CARS

See the Preface of Rd. 2 for a summary how people’s attitudes have changed in the past decade or so. Overall, though, the economy of Letara only got worse, and even more so than last time, most people just want something practical that gets them from A to B reliably and in relative comfort. Many buildings in inner cities had to be rebuild after the earthquake, which allowed inner cities to open up a little giving cars more space. People have started travelling less to vacation destinations. And just like everywhere else in the world, the upper echelons still do like to show off a little, but they do want their cars to have tangible advantages over the cheaper cars that the regular plebs drive - if the car shines in any area they value (e.g. prestige or sportiness) that can justify the higher cost, they will buy it. Unique cars are especially prized. People in rural areas still have to contend with poorer road conditions, so they value some offroad prowess and above all else, reliability. If they can maintain and fix their cars themselves, all the better.

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RULES AND REGULATIONS

TIMELINE

In game, the second round will span from 1955 to 1963 inclusive; models from any of these years are accepted for consumer vehicles.
IRL, this round’s timetable is:
Rules deliberation will be until Nov. 17, on which date the round officially opens for submissions. The round closes Dec. 4 @ 11:59 PM UTC.

TAXES FOR CONSUMER VEHICLES

All cars imported into Letara will incur a 20% import tax. All cars assembled in Letara will only incur a 10% import tax. Cars fully manufactured in Letara do not pay an import tax. Because the aluminium incentives didn’t seem to pay off, the austerity-driven government will remove the incentive. Given that healthcare costs are paramount in the government’s eyes, and increased safety was lobbied for, the government will impose a non-compounding 5% tax on unsafe cars (under 35 Safety stat). There will also be an non-compounding 5% tax on cars that use leaded fuel.

No other taxes in this era.

TECH POOL

For all three categories you will have the following tech pool points:

You are allowed to have less tech pool points, but not more. If you have more, the car will be rejected by the government as a too futuristic and experimental prototype (ooc: I know this goes slightly against the “no car binned policy”, but I have to say sorry, this is one area where making manual changes to keep cars legal is a lot of manual work for me that I simply don’t have the time for).

CONSUMER VEHICLE REGULATIONS

In this early era there are still not too many regulations regarding consumer cars, but some areas are getting stricter. The government stipulates that:

• Drive on the right side of the road, so LHD cars only please (if you model interiors).
• All cars shall have more than 25 Safety.
• Headlights: one pair required situated on the front corner area of the vehicle; two pair are allowed. Cover glass shall be white or light yellow.
• A third centre marker light on the front, not more than 5 cm in diameter, is allowed.
• Tail lights: one pair required situated on the rear corner area of the vehicle. Cover glass shall be red.
• Brake light: one pair situated on the rear corner area of the vehicle. A third centre brake light on the rear is allowed, but not mandatory. Cover glass shall be red. Tail and brake lights shall be housed in separate fittings.
• Turn signals: both left and right signals must be visible when looking directly at the front and rear of the car. Pairs of signals shall be mounted on the front and rear corner area of the car. Turn signals must be amber on the front; amber or red in the rear. Indicators on the side of the car are allowed, but do not replace the front and rear lights. Indicator lights shall be housed in separate fittings.
• Reverse light(s) not required.
• Outside mirrors required on both the driver and passenger side.
• External gas cap not required - could be hidden in lights or other fixtures, or tank could be inside the trunk or under the hood Trabant style).
• At least one windshield wiper required that reaches in front of the driver’s vision.
• One (unscaled) license plate required and must be visible when looking directly at the rear of the car.
• No emissions or efficiency regulations.
• Fuels available in Letara include:
  -Leaded Regular (92 RON) - everywhere,
  -Leaded Super (98 RON) - everywhere,
  -Unleaded Regular (91 RON) - everywhere, but bad batches do occur especially in rural areas,
  -Ethanol Blend E10 (92 RON) - only in more developed areas.
• Cross-ply tires are the only option in this era. Thanks to advances in cross-ply technology, all aspect ratios are widely available and considered safe.
• Engine noise is to be under 55.
• No race components. For clarity: no race intake, no race header, no semi slick tires, no aero pieces.
• Paint:
  • Metallic paint is rare but available, and only at a premium. Anything over 0.3 metallicity in the paint settings will incur a flat $500 cost added to the car’s sale price.
  • Pearlescent paint is unavailable in this era.

You may submit up to three trims of the same model. Participation in other categories is not required. Participation with at least one car in this category this round will allow you to lobby/spend for the next round. Please name your submissions’ model and family “LHC - 2C1 - <forum name>’” for the first trim, “LHC - 2C2 - <forum name>” for the second trim, and “LHC - 2C3 - <forum name>” for the third trim. (Please note the spaces between the text and dashes in the naming, it helps me tremendously if you do this diligently)

GOVERNMENT ASSIGNMENT: RANGER 4X4

With the establishment of Letara’s first National Park, the government is seeking proposals for a capable off-road vehicle that can be used to patrol the remote wilderness areas of the Park. The vehicles will need to be able to traverse rough terrain, rescue stranded vehicles, provide emergency transportation for injured park guests, monitor and potentially transport nuisance wildlife. The vehicles may also be used in other government departments. The proposals must have the following criteria:

• The government needs these vehicles sooner rather than later, so Model, Trim, Family, and Variant years must all be set to 1955.
• The vehicle must be road legal (see consumer rules and regulations above).
• The vehicle must have at least 4 full size seats.
• The vehicle must be fully off-road capable.
• Additional exterior protection of the vehicle is strongly desired.
• Given that this is a government vehicle, costs are always paramount: low purchase price, low service costs, low fuel consumption, and high reliability are highly prized.

You may submit one vehicle in this category. Participation in other categories is not required. Please name your submission’s model and family “LHC - 2G - <forum name>”.

RACING IN LETARA: LERANCE RACEWAY

After many years of success, it was time to move on from the Cannonball Run and build a proper race track. The government received ample sponsorship from various car companies, and a very detailed track design from Vizzuri (*ooc: thanks and credits to @Aruna). The track is to be built between Lerance and Lerance Airport, and incorporate one side of the highway into the long back straight. This way traffic will never again have to be stopped for a car race in Letara!

The rules are quite simple:

• It takes a few years to build the race track, but then all racing commences at once. The same cars will be raced for the remainder duration of the era. Therefore…
  • All cars must be Model/Trim/Family/Variant year 1959.
• As an experiment by the government to even the playing field, the organizers will run three racing classes:
  • Race cars ≤2.5 L engine displacement (class R1); each race consists of 20 laps.
  • Race cars >2.5L engine displacement (class R2); each race consists of 20 laps.
  • Road legal cars (class R3); each race consists of 10 laps.
• No outside help allowed for drivers and cars. If the car breaks down, the driver can try to get back to the pits for a repair, or they are disqualified (this will be RNG simulated - but reliability helps).
• A driver will be RNG simulated for each race; drivability and comfort stats help your driver achieve a better time.
• Race cars (R1 and R2):
  • Can have race components, engine swaps, suspension swaps, etc., and don’t need to be road legal.
  • Are allowed to run on the experimental radial tires (size of Radials must end in 5).
  • Are allowed to run on Ethanol Blend E70 (106 RON) or any other fuel available to road cars in Letara.
  • Have to adhere to the minimum 25 Safety rating, just like road legal cars.
• Road legal cars on the other hand must be fully road legal (see rules above).
• A minimum of two seats are required for all classes.
• Comfort must be at least 5.0 for all classes. It’s low, but just enough for the hardiest of drivers to manage without actual lasting spinal damage.
• Race cars have a price limit of $40,000 AMU (not subject to import tax).
• Road legal cars have a price limit of $30,000 AMU (not subject to import tax).
• No aero bits are allowed in this era yet. (ooc: that’s a pain I’m saving for later).

A leader board for each year of racing will be simulated. Track times are simulated with RNGs, but reliability, comfort, and drivability do help.

Last but not least, I will be participating in this event as well, so you get to “race” yours truly. I will post a proper car showcase in the thread.

You may submit one vehicle in this category. Participation in other categories is not required. Please name your submission’s model and family “LHC - 2R1 - <forum name>”, or LHC - 2R2 - <forum name>", or LHC - 2R3 - <forum name>". Note that if any category receives less than eight participants, then the received entries will be merged into the next closest appropriate racing category.

The track:

Lerance Raceway.zip (1.2 MB)

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Reminder that if you’re submitting your first car, please also register your corporation. At the least tell me where the company is from, but a short lore blurb would be much appreciated - or a link to a lore thread. You will participate in all subsequent rounds with this registered company, so make sure it is the company you want to use for the rest of the playthrough!

Remember, overarching rules are in the OP, so please read that too.

For returning companies, please re-use your LHC DM threads to submit your cars.

[Elizipeazie]

Collective Letter to the Letaran Government

In recent years, a push has been made to improve the safety of automobiles produced and sold within the state of Letara. Nobody wants life and limb of oneself or loved ones to be lost while out on Letaran roads.

While such measure are generally seen as commendable practice, the exact implementation of it may have highly undesirable knock-on effects on the fledgling automotive industry and the Letaran consumer.

As per current regulations, a vehicle that is to be sold in letara must achieve at score of at least 25 in the various crash tests that are conducted. A further 10 points (to a total of 35) are needed to avoid the taxation of the vehicle due to less-than-optimal safety ratings.

However, such measures, while possible from a technological point of view, are highly impractical in the city market and other budget-conscious groups of buyers because these customers face substantial increases in vehicle purchase costs, thus reducing car sales as a whole and stifling the motorisation of the Letaran population.

As a potential solution, a requirement for specific safety equipment is suggested, thus making it easier to implement onto existing vehicles while not putting the smaller, less sophisticated cars at a massive disadvantage.

Best regards,
Anhultz Automobile Manufacturing
AMCW/ Miverva/ Kasviah (@Madrias)
Mara (@AndiD )

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OOC:
I think the safety ruling may have ended up a little too stiff

if you make anything smaller than an Opel Rekord, it becomes almost impossible to meet the 35 safety rule to avoid taxation, unless you build a shrunken luxobarge, which may make it because of it’s sheer weight.

Obviously, this therefore is a fe-facto small-car/ cheap-car tax, which i think wasn’t the intention of this rule implementation, especially given the, put bluntly, FUBAR’d state of the current Letaran economy.

EDIT:
my OOC suggestion is as follows

mandate standard 50s for safety
give a 5% tax credit on those having advanced 50s safety

this way it won’t be seen as as a penalty for being bad, but a bonus for being good
also keeps the truly cheap cars cheap instead of plonking extra expenses onto the low end, thus moving them closer into the non-existant middle segment

[voiddoesnotknow]

ah cock i forgor to lobby

[AndiD]

@Elizipeazie

mandate standard 50s for safety
give a 5% tax credit on those having advanced 50s safety

… and maybe make the Letaran public particularly safety conscious due to government awareness campaigns or so? So we have a couple of incentives but no hard barrier that would lead towards cheesing engineering gymnastics for no real challenge benefit.

EDIT: On an unrelated note, I would strongly suggest introducing some limits on tyre width for racing, along with aero restrictions (zero? one rear to simulate the stabilising fin?). The old BRC regulations - if they are still available - could be some good inspirations.

[benjamintamilia]

Canadian Heavy Industries O636J "Cheiftain"

This is a purpose-built off-roader built to the likes and exact specifications of what Letaran officials would like to look for in a 4x4 meant to patrol the mountains.

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Canadian Heavy Industries is a commercial vehicle branch of Canadian Motors, having produced a wide array of vehicles meant for commercial applications elsewhere in the British Commonwealth and export markets.

By taking what was learned through the introductory failure of the HW38 “Pangolin”, Canadian Motors improved on where the previous vehicle fell short; plus, by establishing a correspondence with the Letaran government, it is believed that this can help improve overseas relations.

It was decided that for a one-vehicle-fits-all situation, the O636J “Chieftain” would be designed to be purpose-built to exacting orders by the Letaran government, featuring a quick interchangeable rear compartment for ambulance or wildlife transport purposes.

Tailored specifically for offroading and getting decent fuel economy, the O636J “Chieftain” features a small yet respectable 170 cubic inch I6 making 89 hp @ 3800 RPM and 144 lb-ft @ 2900 RPM that’s routed through a range-selectable 4-speed manual and riding on a 108 inch platform for some amount of comfort.
Although not made exclusively for hypermiling, the O636J “Cheiftain” does make a earnest 19L/100km with a top speed of 116 km/h. The O636J also comes standard with an AM radio and a cabin heater rated for even the coldest of Letaran winters. After import, the cost of the O636J “Chieftain” comes to approximately $16,800 AMU.

To comply with exacting specifications for crawling up the side of the mountain, the vehicle is equipped with forward facing auxiliary driving lights, a integrated front brush bumper, side and rear-facing scene illumination lights, plus some measure of armored plating on the underside.
Additionally, there are provisions for emergency lighting (12v electrical system upgraded to a 24v system) should the vehicle be converted into an offroad ambulance among a littany of other options.

We are looking forward to seeing what the rest of the companies entering has to offer; and even encourage it.

Canadian Motors
A company for all.

1 Canadian Motors Circle,
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
+1 519-XXX-XXXX

[Knugcab]

TBH, I understand the drawbacks of the current safety legislation, and agree with you about them, however, you had the chance to lobby how you wanted the safety legislations, and you have a chance to lobby against the current ones for the next round…

[FidleDo]

@cake_ape

-Unleaded Regular (91 RON) - everywhere, but bad batches do occur especially in rural areas,

This is probably very obvious but how should we tune our engines for them to be able to handle bad batches of fuel?

[happyfireballman]

Tune the engine to first be able to run on low quality fuel then change to unleaded regular to be better fit for the conditions.

[Edsel]

About the safety regulations: having just made my first test for this round, without any cheese the car gets 25.2 safety exactly; and that figure is only possible because the body I happened to choose was a mod body with very good base safety.

I then made a fully minmaxed version of the car; +15 quality everywhere relevant, max weight, max interior quality, pushing the cost to 278,000. The result? 27.8 safety. Even after sacrificing realism, I can only affect safety by < 3 points.

My company is one that supported more safety, and would have lobbied for it if not for issues that it considered more relevant. Yet it was was nearly pushed out of the market by these entirely, and other budget companies that can’t use my highly-specialized mod body may well be. I don’t think the goal of the regulation was to push players out of the market, but since they’re way too strict for the era they very well could.

[mart1n2005]

I did lobby for safety, but I suggested the use of “standard” safety as the base line as an absolute number can be hard for smaller or more utility minded vehicles.

[happyfireballman]

@cake_ape,
Here are my questions regarding the government vehicle class:

1. What are the daily conditions and duties that government vehicles have to face?

• What would the weather be like?
• How far do the rangers have to drive?
• How long are they idling?

2. Are there mud bogs and swamps?

• Do these vehicles have to traverse through water? How deep?

3. What is the angle of a hill in Letara (ie: 30º,45º,60º)?

4. What is the weight of the equipment that would be put on board(load capacity)?

5. How much cargo space is needed(volume)?

6. How much speed is deemed useful for certain situations (top speed)?

• Highway speeds?
• Speed use to escape a pursuer?

7. Towing capacity that would be appreciated?

8. Preferred colors?

• Blend in the environment or to visible?

[AndiD]

Mara Goes Letara, Ep. 2-4

Previous post

Noon, 17th September 1954
Construction site, Mara Assembly Plant, Storia, Letara

Fresh off the plane at Lerance Airport, Mara’s Comrade Director for Engineering Fedor Piechov had taken the train north to Storia, and he was pleased to see ongoing construction work outside the train window on a second rail track - certainly part of the investment package they had brokered a few years earlier between the Archanan and Letaran governments. While the locomotive pulling his train was not yet the latest pride of Archana, the steam-powered Class P36, he understood that their entry into Letaran rail service was imminent.

The construction site for Mara’s assembly plant on the outskirts of Storia was not far from the Storia train station. Fedor got out of his taxi and met with Inna Horyova and Rodyn Gumprov for an inspection walk.

Inspection, Tax, Racing and Safety Discussion

Inna was the designated production engineer to be in charge of running the assembly plant - which at the moment meant overseeing its construction. Rodyn was the development engineer in charge of overseeing the Tovarysh / Companion model line and who also served as liasion to Mara’s Letaran contacts and was further tasked with keeping their ageing Cannonball prototypes in shape.

Inna took Fedor and Rodyn through a brief tour of the building - the exterior was now mostly finished, and construction workers were now busy setting up the interior. On their walk around, Fedor noticed the rail line extending to a big loading/unloading area. “That was not part of the original plans, wasn’t it?”

“No”, Inna answered. “But we discovered that Anhultz was building their own plant nearby which included a rail connection to the main network, and it was easy to negotiate a short extension from their end to ours. We skimped a bit on the final QA part in our plant - the efficiency gains from the ease of transportation from the harbour were too good to pass up.”

Fedor nodded, pleased with the initiative Inna had shown. While he would not have minded being asked beforehand, communications across the wide ocean were difficult, and as long as his subordinates were making decisions in-line with the overall goal, he was very much fine with it.

Fedor made a few comments on the state of the plant, and asked Rodyn: “How are our Cannonball prototypes?” While Fedor’s 3rd place in 1952 and another win by Rodyn in 1953 by a hair’s breadth did not manage to arrest the Companion’s sales slump in Letara, Fedor was nonetheless keen to keep up the performance.

Rodyn’s response was muted. “As you would expect from a now 7 year old car that has been through several years of a yearly race and not much else. Last year has been a bit of a miracle, to be honest, there are now several parts which are at or past their breaking point. I’ll put together a list of necessary tasks for refurbishment, and I think it’s worth looking them over before authorising spending for all of them as in the past years.”

“So, a rebuild… or else?”

“Essentially, yes.” Rodyn nodded.

“Send me the list”, was Fedor’s reply. “Anything else noteworthy about the local state of affairs?”

Rodyn and Inna exchanged amused glances and the latter answered. “I had the chance to catch some insight in the local press about some of the more… heated exchanges among lobbyists about future taxation of cars here in Letara. It is truly strange how their capitalist market economy can suddenly bring out the worst in people, and everyone going all-out in their selfish pursuit of their own interests.”

“I can give you a copy of the most recent magazine article on the sad state of Letaran government lobbyist affairs”, Rodyn added.

Fedor made a dismissive gesture. He didn’t tell the story, obviously, how Mara’s Comrade Executive Director Henri Nordhov had to pull quite a few strings himself right after the war to get Mara assigned to the task of building the first all-new post-war people’s car for Archana instead of other, less attractive production assignments. Or how they were able to finally put the contingent of HD6 aka Visim vans back into the hands of the Archanan government for at least some compensation, after they narrowly missed out to Kessel in Letara.

“Another thing of interest, several car companies have bonded together and started constructing a racetrack between Lerance and Lerance Airport, right around the Vizzuri plant.”

“So that’s where all the big dump trucks were heading as I left the airport building”, Fedor muttered. “So it looks like we’ll shift to circuit racing here?”

Rodyn nodded.

“Then it makes sense indeed to keep the Cannonball prototype maintenance to a minimum. Anything else I should be aware of?”

“There is one last thing”, Inna began. “And we might not like it.”

Fedor looked at her silently, waiting for her to continue.

“One thing that came out very strongly over the recent months is that the new Letaran government is now very much into safety, awareness campaign and all.”

“And? That’s why we suggested a speed limit, let physics do the job”, Fedor replied.

“Where things are heading apparently - and they are still not finalised - that they will mandate a very high level of base safety for every car to be sold on the market, way beyond what small cars can readily achieve, especially if they want the cars to be on the affordable side.”

Fedor is puzzled. “So they still are in an economic slump, people are struggling for money, but they also invest quite heavily into road construction and then pull out the rug under the affordable people’s car market? That’s not very prudent, is it?”

Rodyn chimes in. “It’s two different ministries. Transport and Health. And a recent change of government with ‘fresh ideas’, eager to change things for the sake of changing things.”

“So I guess that’s what you get for having a Democracy. How would our To… Companion fare?”

“Not well at all”, Rodyn answered. “It’s hard to know exactly since the final regulations are still up in the air, as Inna said. But we most probably have to reengineer quite a few things, even structurally, to meet the strictest proposal that’s been on the table very recently.”

“What are the chances of that proposal passing?”

Rodyn and Inna both shrugged. “We voiced our concerns, of course”, Rodyn explained. “As have several other car manufacturers in the budget segments. But you’ll never know in a democracy.”

“Shall we halt construction then for the time being, just in case?” asks Inna who still hasn’t fully decided whether she is going to like it in Letara or not, despite the more pleasant weather climate compared to her home country.

[Fayeding_Spray]

Walkenhorst Autohaus

Model Line Up: 1956 + 1959

Model Group 5 + Model Group X

Left to Right: Walkenhorst 5p3 Roadster, Walkenhorst Xr2

Introduced for 1956, the Walkenhorst 5p3 is the direct replacement for the aged 3p2 Roadster. Presented as a single specification level, and only as a soft-top convertible, the 5p3 is a unique experience. Powered by a 3L V8 producing 228hp to the rear wheels via a 4 speed manual gearbox. The 5p3 is a look forward for Walkenhorst.

As prescribed in the regulations for the 1959 Season, the Model Group X platform are experimental prototypes designed specifically for racing, and to be used as a test-bed platform for all future developments by Walkenhorst. This version of the Model Group X, the Xr2 features a mid-ship 2 litre inline 4, with intention to be developed into the next generation of motor for Walkenhorst’s future premium automobiles. Presented in the National Racing Colour of Germany, the Xr2 will run number 722 for as long as it races within Class 1.

[cake_ape]

This is a request for proposals, not a request for quotations. In other words, the Government is not going to spoon-feed every detail about the car, but is looking for creative proposals to solve their problem, as outlined.

[Knugcab]

VAUGHN REVUE LETARA
The magazine that goes out to all of you Letarans driving a Vaughn, Wraith or VCV
Winter 1955

THE NEW LINE OF VCV TRUCKS

For the first time since 1948, this year’s lineup of VCV trucks is completely overhauled. The body is redesigned to fit the taste of the modern truck buyer that expects a truck to be as good looking as a passenger car. The base inline six engine now has an alternative in the optional V8 (the all new engine introduced in Vaughn passenger cars for 1955, see previous issue for details).

What is probably more important, is that VCV trucks (here an Enforcer B20 pickup) is now not only the vehicles for the letaran workers, they are now also the vehicles BY the letaran workers. They are now put together in our new assembly plant in Lerance, which also means that they apply to the tax rebate for domestically assembled vehicles. One of the reasons is that they now an be directly tailored for the Letaran market. Changes from the american versions include extra lighting in the rear, amber indicators up front, and a cylinder head with hardened valve seats, to be able to run on unleaded fuel, meaning that six cylinder trucks will get the tax rebate for vehicles able to run on unleaded.

Of course, this also means that the Rural (B24 model shown) has gotten the same treatment as the Enforcer. Maybe the most rugged station wagon on the Letaran market, now with all the improvements that have made the Enforcer one of the best pickup trucks on the market.

Available as a 2-seater B22, 5-seater B23 or 8-seater B24. With an inline six or V8. No matter which one you choose, you will have a companion always up to its task.

The B40-series (Rural B44 shown) is one of the major news. It has everything that makes the B20-series great, but adds 4 wheel drive with high- or low-range gearbox, limited slip differential, a 4 speed manual geared for offroad driving, all terrain tyres and a skid plate. Available as B40 Enforcer pickup, B41 Enforcer panel van, B42, B43 or B44 Rural (2, 5 or 8 seats). The B44 is considered safe enough to get the tax rebate the government only gives to the very safest cars - making it the more or less perfect family vehicle.