Left to right, rear row: Wolfe Executive Six Fastback Sedan @karhgath, SAETA Albor 1300, SEATA Albor Sprint @Petakabras, Mocabey 3600 @SheikhMansour, Minerva Solarian Deluxe, Minerva Solarian Ranger @Madrias, Mocabey 3600 Plus, Vizzuri Special @Aruna, Empire Motors Luxe Sedan @Lupus, Capital Commodore K6 @Prium, Wolfe Deluxe Eight Sedan, and Minerva Solarian Elegance.
Left to right, front row: Benetsch Buhrie Fierst @Texaslav, Wraith Montezuma @Knugcab, and P&A Sportsman Mk.II Straight 6 @lotto77
FAMILY PREMIUM AND FAMILY LUXURY
Now we enter the more expensive side of the family car market. Here more upscale features and premium interiors are expected, along with increased comfort and prestige as we go up the price range. These cars should still be able to transport the whole family and some luggage on longer trips, but as size increases they might be less suitable for inner-city dwellers. Without further ado, let’s see how these cars stack up against their cheaper competition - are they really worth it?
Starting in 1946 there are two family premium cars on offer: the Minerva Solarian Deluxe and the Vizzuri Special. The Minerva is the cheaper of the two, but it already is quite a hefty premium over any other family car seen thus far. Considering in its launch year it is nearly twice as expensive as the Anhultz, and similarly costs nearly twice as much to maintain, it is quite the upscale price! For this price you do get a rather large 4.3L I6 with ample power making this one of the fastest cars on the road. This reputation is further bolstered by strong results in the Cannonball Run in the first years of the event. You also get two premium bench seats and a premium radio, galvanized chassis, and advanced safety. So noone can say that the car is not well endowed. In 1946 it is also the most comfortable car on the market in any segment, so the extra money does seem quite well spent. There is only one hiccup. It seems that Minerva have misunderstood some traffic regulations, and shipped the car with two center headlights! At first this was seen as a disadvantage as customers had to either turn to third-party means to block the second centre light, or simply disconnect it from the electronics. Either way, it was seen as a hassle - at this price point the car should be perfect right off the lot, right? Well, the car was just so good, that despite this shortcoming it sold well in the upper middle-class, and a booming engraved metal cover industry sprang up with which the second light could be covered. People took real pride in these customized covers, which gave each Minerva an even more upscale, custom look.
The Vizzuri Special was more expensive to buy than the Minerva, but cheaper to maintain. It still firmly catered to the very upper middle-class in Letara. Although a family car, the Vizzuri showed its racing roots with a space frame chassis and aluminium panels. Needless to say, Vizzuri’s success in the Cannonball Run did not go unnoticed either. Partially owing to its standard interior (but with premium radio), the Vizzuri was not really a comfortable car - at least not compared to cars in the same price range. But it was pretty quick and very nimble indeed! And it could still fit the entire family and the luggage to go on any long vacation trip. So in 1946, if you had some extra money, and wanted a more premium family car, you had two choices: the more comfortable Minerva, or the sporty Vizzuri. This looker of a car singlehandedly started the “sporty family sedan” segment, and remained king throughout the late '40s, before sales started to wane in the early 50s as the economy took a downturn and the Vizzuri brand name’s notoriety faded.
Only one car was introduced in 1947: the Minerva Solarian Ranger. First of all, with this model Minerva fixed its headlight issue, to the dismay of some customers. However, they were delighted to find out that just a small adjustment was needed to the machining process of the custom covers, and they could continue to embellish their Minervas with the custom plates. Moving on the rest of the car, the Ranger cost a little more to buy and maintain than the Deluxe. It was certainly a more offroad oriented car with its 4x4 drivetrain, locking differential, and all-terrain tires. To keep costs down, the premium interior was replaced by a standard one. This gave it head and shoulders the best offroad capability, which was never surpassed in the family segment - and only (barely) surpassed two years later by the dedicated utility vehicle Capable Heaver, and another two years later by the Popas Rushba 1500-5S-4. So although “only” a sedan, it could be said that it set the trend for early offroad vehicles, dare we say, SUVs. It was rather expensive, but the economy was still doing all right. It was not a huge seller - people still preferred the Deluxe for general family travel, but those that had the money and wanted to travel the lesser-paved path - say up to Mont Mordred for a back-country camping trip - this was the car to buy.
1948 saw a large influx of new cars in the family premium segment with five new offerings. The first and cheapest of the lot was the Wolfe Executive Six Fastback Sedan. This car was not too much more expensive than the most expensive family standard cars, and actually cheaper to maintain than the Garland AeroLuxe Special and the Liberty Civilian. So this car really hugged that fuzzy line between the segments, and it could be said that it was a direct competitor to the Liberty, which also came out in 1948. The Wolfe did have a more upscale feel with 2/2 premium seating and premium radio (which was lacking in the Liberty). Therefore the Wolfe was more comfortable - but also more sporty despite it not having that large V8 of the Liberty. In 1948, with the economy starting to go down, it was tough competition to capture the few remaining optimists in the middle-class, and the Wolfe managed to inspire at least some folks with its aggressive retro-futuristic look and made the best of the few key sales available in this segment.
The second car released in 1948 was its sibling, the much more expensive Wolfe Deluxe Eight Sedan. As the name suggests, this car had a V8 engine, in this case a 3.9L (very similar to the Liberty). In 1948 the Deluxe Eight was sitting at the top of the family premium market price and upkeep wise. For this it offered a true 2/3 luxury interior and luxury radio, a segment first combination. Despite this, the car was only as comfortable as the much cheaper Mocabey cars introduced in the same year, which was a disappointment to many longing for true pampering in their cars. That said, it was the most prestigious car in 1948, so just based on that it made a few sales, because braggarts will be braggarts. Besides, that car did look really good too in anyone’s driveway, and those few examples sold could frequently be seen parked in front of the luxury cottages surrounding Fiegheni.
Since we just touched on the Mocabey, let’s see their two new cars released this year - the 3600 and the 3600 Plus. The Mocabey came in a little bit more expensive than the Wolfe Executive Six. In contrast, it offered a the more utilitarian 2/3 seating pattern, but also with premium features and a premium radio. It wasn’t quite as fast at the Wolfe, but was more comfortable. Where it really was held back compared to the other family premium cars seen thus far is in the looks department. All other cars had a rather unique or special appearance, but the Mocabey looked more like a drab family budget or perhaps family standard car. Even the fancy teal colour couldn’t really overcome the car’s overall bland look. So while a solid car, it didn’t really strike the fancy of Letarans, who if they could afford such an expensive car in 1948, did want to stand out from the crowd with their acquisitions. Moving to the 3600 Plus, as the name suggests, this was the more luxurious version of the same car. It still had the premium/premium interior and radio and the same engine… in fact it was basically the same car, colour and all. The only discernable difference is that the engine received an extra carburettor and a healthy power boost. But on the flip side, this car did use premium fuel, so was was more expensive to drive and was restricted in where it could to. Even the participation and eventual success of the Mocabey brand in the Cannonball Run could not overcome the fact, however, that the Mocabey was just too late to the party, and could not dethrone the Vizzuri from top spot in the sporty sedan market. It was certainly a valiant effort though.
Last, but not least in 1948, we come to the Capital Commodore K6. We’re back in the upper echelons of the family premium bracket - the Capital only slightly cheaper to buy and maintain than the Wolfe Deluxe Eight. Wait, haven’t we already seen a Capital Commodore K6? Yes, yes we have… this is a slightly confusing naming scheme on Capital’s part. The other K6 was firmly on the lower end of the family segment, but as mentioned, it did look quite prestigious, even when it wasn’t. Now we find out why - it was basically this premium car with the interior stripped out. While confusing to call two such different cars the same thing, Letarans still managed to distinguish them by their colours and the rather interesting roof windows of the more upscale model. This, then, proved a good example of how a car can bring something “extra” to the table for a more prestigious model in its line-up. This car had a luxury interior with 2/3 seating and a premium radio, which seems a downgrade from its nearest competitor, the Wolfe Deluxe Eight. However, it did have superior comfort - in fact the highest comfort save its sibling the K12 of any car in Letara. So very few people could afford it, but it did manage set itself apart from the others in this segment by being a cloud on wheels, and for those that were after the ultimate comfort, this was their car. If your neighbour had a Wolfe (the one with the eight in the name) parked outside their cottage at Fiegheni, then you had a Capital (the one with the roof windows).
1949 saw the introduction of the third Minerva in Letara, the Solarian Elegance, so far their most luxurious offering. In fact, if it weren’t dethroned in the early 50s, it would’ve gone down in history as the family luxury car of the era. Alas, it ended up just inside the family premium category based on its purchase price alone. Its upkeep costs however sang a different tune, being higher by a long shot in this segment. Just like most of the other cars in this price bracket, it featured a luxury interior and luxury radio, and two bench seats like the Deluxe and the Ranger. With its luxury interior it was considerably more comfortable than its cheaper sibling, but fell well short of the Capital. It was also below the Wolfe in terms of prestige. Once again, where this car shone was in performance. The 5.7L V8 powering this heavy beast down the highway with confidence and speed. However, this Minerva came a little too late. The initial hype around the custom engraved light covers was fading, and with the economy now in a real downturn, it was just a too expensive proposition when it didn’t offer much over other cars already available in the segment. As such, the Elegance never got the same love - and sales - as the Deluxe and Ranger.
The Empire Motors Luxe Sedan came on the market in 1950. In terms of price it slotted in between the Vizzuri and Capital, but had a quite high upkeep cost. It had 2/2 luxury seating and a luxury radio. With a different, larger V8 engine, the Luxe Sedan didn’t suffer from the same quality and gearbox problems as its cheaper sibling, the Premium Sedan. Nevertheless, it still featured a largely useless auto-locker differential, and this car too suffered from reliability problems right from the start that made people skeptical. Sure, this was a more expensive car, and rich people might be OK with higher service costs and the occasional break-down, but only if it’s worth it. And was it? Well, the EM Luxe managed to eclipse the Capital Commodore in comfort, which is quite the feat. Additionally, with it automatic gearbox it turned out to be one of the easiest to drive. So this car definitely had some perks. Overall it did come out at a bad time for the family premium market, just when the upper middle class was really shrinking. But because of the novelty of the automatic gearbox, and its high comfort, it still managed to find some sales among the “early adopter” crowd, who didn’t mind the more-than-normal breakdown rate.
As we enter the early 50s a few more manufacturers attempted to enter the shrinking premium car market. In 1952 SAETA launched two parallel models, the Albor 1300 and Albor Sprint. These cars were aiming for the lower end of the family premium market, where we had not seen much action since 1948. These cars brought new innovations, such as a monocoque chassis. The Albor 1300 was slightly cheaper with 2/3 premium seats and standard radio, whereas the Albor Spring had 2/2 seating and the same interior. Surprisingly, the tighter packet interior of the four-door 1300 proved to be more comfortable to ride in than the more spacious two-door Sprint. This turned out to be due to the latter’s sportier suspension set-up. The Sprint thus was gunning more for a sporty sedan market share, and was a rival for the Wolfe Executive Six. On the other hand, the 1300 was more seen as a competitor for the slightly more expensive Mocabey or the much cheaper Garland. But before we compare cars, there is one glaring issue with the SAETAs. Somehow, somewhere, an engineer dialed the octane tuning the wrong way, so the 1300 required 93.6 octane fuel (thus effectively requiring 98 at the pump), and the Sprint required 99.8 octane! Clearly this was a large handicap for both cars. The 1300 became only useful in more developed areas, and it simply didn’t offer enough to overcome the market share already claimed by its earlier rivals in this shrinking market segment. The Sprint effectively required aviation fuel to run, so was effectively restricted to about half a tank range from the airport. Needless to say, this did not go over well with the Letaran consumer…
The Benetsch Buhrie Fierst was also released in 1952. It is the first true family luxury car on the market with a luxury price tag. Interestingly, it only had a premium interior with 2/3 seating, but a luxury radio. So in that sense, it was a step down from many cheaper offerings already on the market. It did have a cheaper long-term upkeep, so perhaps that could entice some rich folks to buy it? The Benetsch did have a modern galvanized monocoque chassis, the first in the family segment, and the only family car with MacPherson front suspension. It had the most recent advanced 50s safety features, making it the safest car on Letaran roads. It also promised to “never rust”. Other strong points for the Benetsch are its relatively good sporty drive rivalling the Vizzuri and thus far unprecedented prestige. For its price it certainly wasn’t the most comfortable car however. But gosh, it was a great looking car, modern and sleek, just what people were looking for in an upscale car - nobody would be ashamed to be seen in a Benetsch. Given the tiny market for such cars, the Benetsch never sold too many copies, but did just fine business in its first year of release as the cars found themselves in driveways around Fiegheni.
Next, let’s talk about what happened in 1953. In 1953 the Wraith Montezuma was released. It was by far the most ridiculously over the top expensive car in Letara. For one Montezuma, you could nearly buy five Anhulzes. Its upkeep was nearly twice as much as any other car on the road. It was a giant, lumbering beast. But it was gorgeous. Its two-bench hand-made interior and luxury radio had so much attention to detail, that no car could match it in luxury and prestige. Its 8.5L V8 might not have been the most sporty tune, but it was more than powerful enough to move this behemoth with ease. The fact that it only took premium fuel didn’t matter in this case at all - who would take this car into the poorer areas anyway? The manual soft-top really set this two-door luxury car apart from the rest (if its other features didn’t already). In short, during a rough election year and in the midst of a recession, this was simply everyone’s dream car. It was featured on many bedroom and garage posters as kids and adults alike gazed at it longingly. And those very very few who could actually afford, this was the ultimate show of their wealth and luxury lifestyle. No, it didn’t sell well. But it didn’t need too. It simply infiltrated Letara’s collective psyche, and whenever people saw the rare Wraith drive down the boulevard, everyone stopped and gawked.
Lastly, we come to the P&A Sportsman Mk.II Straight 6. The P&A was also a family luxury offering, and was introduced a year after the Wraith, and two after the Benetsch. As such it was the latest to the game trying to capture those few sales in the very upper echelons of society. In terms of price, it was a direct rival for the Benetsch, albeit a little more expensive. The P&A’s ladder frame was not quite as modern as the Benetsch’s monocoque, but it was at least galvanized. The double-bench hand-made interior and luxury radio, as well as the requirement for 98 octane fuel, made the P&A have more in common with the Wraith however. It was the outlier of the family luxury pack though with its large 5L I6 engine, so the car did lack a certain prestige in this regard. The P&A was a wonderful car, no real faults with it really, but suffered from unfortunate timing. By the time it was released, the luxury market was already saturated by the recently released Benetsch and Wraith, and the P&A simply didn’t have a real answer to lure buyers away from the other brands. Not in the market Letara had at the time at least. It only managed to sell the few copies because rich folk don’t like to own what their neighbours own - they like to be unique. So a few were “forced” to trade in their Benetsches, Minervas, Wolfes or Capitals and get the newest toy.
