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

[Aruna]

Vizzuri’s Proposal '54

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With the success of two victories and few podiums at the Portunis Cannonball Run, moderate but declined sales into early 50’s for the Vizzuri Special, and total failure with the Vizzuri National AT01-G project, the brand had a lot to ponder when it came to their next years in Letara.

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The Vizzuri Raceway Costa Lerance

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With early success two years running in 1947 & 1948, the Scuderia Vizzuri continued racing, though not doing so well versus much newer machines. This inspired Dante Rizzo to plan a brand new racing circuit/testing facility between the capital city Lerance and the Lerance airport: Costa Lerance Circuit.

The new complex would have the peripheral track and short track, as well as a skid pan, kart track, testing facilities and a Vizzuri assembly plant too. It would be built entwined with the highway, involving a segment of it for the track. To avoid angry Letarans having to take a detour, the highway segment would be partially closed only on race day, plus having a single lane for traffic flow on the offside.

The design was sent to different brands also invested in Letara, and improvements made until the final blueprint was made:

The track would be built within these rough estimations:

Additionally here is the render of how it may look:

With the Potrunis Cannonball Run still likely ongoing, Rizzo had a new proposal for a 24hr racing series held at the circuit to boost desirability.

Costa Lerance 24hr Classes & Rules (Subject to change)

Classification:
Class 1 (C1): <=1300cc
Class 2 (C2): 1301cc-<=2000cc
Class 3 (C3): 2001cc-<=3000cc
Class 4 (C4): >3001cc

Though there was also an idea to scrap classes & go with road legal & prototypes which were unlimited class.

Rules:

• Breakdown is a DNF, minor breakdown if able to get to pit area can continue the race.
• No longer neccessary to be road-legal, however there is potential benefits (lore) of better outside sales of submitted car.
• The only viable aerodynamics of the era is a rear fin (Such as Jaguar D-Type, Tatra T87, Alfa Romeo BAT, Fiat Turbina, GM Firebird Concepts, etc) {This would be done by having one wing placed on the rear of the car in fashion of the fin, or done with 3D and a one invisible wing}
• Single seat is allowed, although two-seater has the lore & road legal benefits?
• Privateers or Brand teams are both welcome!

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Caring for Letara, the Vizzuri way

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As a brand known to the Letaran public for its sporty saloons and road-legal race cars as seen in the Potrunis Cannonball run, we strive to provide Letarans with prestigious premium cars which deliver a vigorous sporty driving experience.

However, additional taxation towards luxury cars, thirstier, often times larger engines, is a displeasing thought to us. We understand less of the public would be happy to pay these extra taxes which would ruin their dreams of a lovely, comfortable sports car. The taxation would be better done elsewhere but the consumer car market on a country in recession.

Make the sporty premium car dream real: Vote against extreme taxation!

At Vizzuri we believe that leaded fuel is the past: Ethanol (E70) is a renewable source and can be produced right here in Letara, providing a boost in jobs and economy. Not only is it a fuel of the future, but is much more beneficial to your health: Less toxic fumes are released by an engine running on Ethanol which would make for a much cleaner and renewable Letara.

We care about your safety at Vizzuri, as all our cars produced since our company was founded have a single driver’s wing-mirror, allowing the driver to be more observant in their driving. In hopes of even safer roads and highways in Letara we are proposing wing-mirrors on both sides of the car. This will double up the awareness of all drivers on the road.

We believe that you should be allowed to open the throttle on open stretches of public road away from pedestrians and busy towns: Speed limits should be lifted on highways and countryside for a much more exhilarating journey. To coincide with this regulation, we will urge a ban on cross-ply tyres: with their higher rate of degradation, rigid uncomfortable ride quality, worse fuel economy, and deadly high rolling resistance which can lead to increased risk of cracking, tearing, or blowouts. Radials are the tyre of the future!

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We hope other car marques can aid Vizzuri’s efforts for a market free from high taxation, with a focus on a safer, healthier, renewable, and more sport-car spirited Letara!

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[Ludvig]

Dear Fellow Executives,
See the attached letter for a description of the steps I will propose our company take the following years. By the time you receive this, I will be defending the contents to our Board in our Windsor headquarters. I have instructed my secretary to forward any communication by wire should any immediate concerns be raised. Some items may be amended before official announcements.

Letter of Intents
Disclaimer: The contents of this letter are not yet approved by the Board of Swanson Aeronautical & Automobile Propulsion Limited. Any promises, claims, or descriptions in this letter shall be considered void unless approved by the Board.
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Important Policy Advocacy Points
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Implement stricter safety regulations:
For - at least “contemporary industry Standard” should be required, including seat belts for all occupants - Letaran lives are no less valuable.
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Ban “obnoxious” car colours:
Against - what is this ridiculous pearl-clutching, brighter colors are safer - do you really want fellow motorists NOT to see you?
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Ban radial tires altogether.
Against - in our testing, radials are reportedly simply superior, at a negible cost. To the contrary, radials should be made mandatory in new vehicles.
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Implement emissions standards.
For - Lead additives in fuel should be banned. Lead is poisonous to all lifeforms. If lead in paints is banned, how can literally throwing poison into thousands of fires be allowed?
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Tighten noise regulations.
Against - combustion engine music is a boon for the ear; the song of Progress and Virility.
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Implement a displacement tax & luxury tax
For - a simplified tiering, avoiding the complications of other proposals. To not affect “normal” vehicles while not incentivizing possibly dangerously underpowered cars.
5% for 2500-5000 cc,
10% over 5000cc,
commercial vehicles exempt.
A luxury tax of 1% added, for every 1000 over 30.000 pre-tax vehicle price.
A 35.000 car will with this have a small additional 5% tax on top of the normal tax and any displacement tax. Please, think of the Children of Letara.
2,5 liter engines ought to be enough for anybody, offering adequate performance for family sized vehicles. And look to Mara, dominating the Cannonball field (ourselves included) year after year with a 2.5L engine. If anything at all is to taxed in a destitute economy, we believe vehicles offering far more than “a little extra” is it - not basic transportation, food or other bare necessities. Let me remind the Boston Tea Party attendants that the government already offers very generous tax rebates for domestic-built vehicles.
Investing in their own country through a small tax tithe should be a point of pride for any responsible citizen of a Free Nation, and cannot simply be left to the whims of foreign interests and occasional philantrophists. Failure to do so may lead to the breakdown of society and the rise of Communism, or worse.
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Alternate mixed surface/dirt race/rally event.
For - a similar annual event as the Cannonball, but expanded with one or more sections on gravel roads.
Class 1 (C1): <=1300cc
Class 2 (C2): 1301cc-<=2500cc
Class 3 (C3): >2501cc
Tied in with this we propose that entries in class C1 and C2 must be based on a consumer vehicle, including the engine, to keep the races relevant to Letarans and keep costs down.
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Dedicated track racing (traditional circuit)
For - We are also in favor of a a permanent, expandable circuit area for year-round use. This could be used for driver training, R&D and weekend races, building a community for developing local racing talent. As traffic increases, racing on public roads will become untenable. Start with a simple network in one of the areas destroyed by eruptions and/or near the airport, away from residential areas and fertile soil, ideally with some sections being existing roads, with generous room for expansion. Co-location with automotive assemblies/factories would be a plus. See attached sketch for the an ideal layout, with the possibility of having two simulataneous races, and different surfaces on the two sections (and building it in two steps)

Vizzuri’s proposal is also compelling, on the condition that it does not become a Vizzuri exclusive facility.
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Investments
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Assembly plant
Pending final approval from the Board, we are prepared to set up an assembly plant by 1956.
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Alumina processing plant
Simply exporting the raw materials seems wasteful. If Letarans instead process their own alumina, they can instead export a valuable product which has soared in price internationally. Swanson is prepared to fund and support such endeavours, including through hiring consultants with experience from an industry-leading company.
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Petroleum Industry support, including petrochemical engineering
If the economy is to improve, energy balance will soon be a concern. Importing fuel is burning cash for energy. We have made arrangements with a undisclosed partner to conduct a comprehensive survey of possible oil fields, and the setup of small-scale extraction and refinement facilities. [if this is already “in the game”: expansion of said facilities] In this, trainees from a Swanson-supported Petrochemical Engineering Programme will be included. If the University wish to pursue research of ethanol additives,as per Vizzuri’s proposal, we are not opposed to this, merely skeptical of the short-term viability.
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Letara Raceway, as described earlier.
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Future investments - Tourism
The beautiful, warm country with its equally beautiful and warm citizens would be the place to go for anyone on vacation. I see great potential investing in hotels and other amenities. As much as I have come to love Letara, sadly the Board is unlikely to support funding. Perhaps in a few years, if travel becomes cheaper and less of a hassle.

I remain ready to at Any time, Any place, race Anyone on my return to Letara.
Regards,
M. Swanson
Acting Foreign Operations Supervisor, Letara

[Vento]

Capable Motors Co. Press Release

Capable Motors Co. can not support any tax on utility vehicles. It has been said that a tax on high displacement engines would bring tax revenue to the government of Letara. This would negatively impact sales of utility vehicles Capable Motors Co. produces. Utility vehicles generate revenue for the government by providing delivery services, material transport, and goods for sale in the markets of Letara. Taxing utility vehicles would therefore harm the economy.

Capable Motors Co. has seen certain companies denigrating the rightful government of Letara with insults and many suggestions on how to govern their own country. Automobile manufacturers should not attempt to control the government of Letara as it seems some companies are attempting to do with various messages aimed at directing the political features of Letara.

Capable Motors Co.

[AndiD]

Mara Goes Letara, Ep. 2-1

Previous post (previous era)

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

On a cold Monday morning in January 1952, Mara’s comrade directors came together to discuss the larger plans and issues for the upcoming year and beyond. They were joined by development and testing engineer Rodyn Gumprov and production engineer Inna Horyova.

Boardroom meeting, part 1: Letara spending, part 1

Henri Nordhov, Mara’s Comrade Executive Director, opened the meeting from his position at the end of the table and went over the agenda of the day.

After the initial matters of business were taken care of, the Comrade Director of Sales, Natalya Suddya, reported on Mara’s sales figures of the past year.

“Domestically, we finally managed to fulfil all Tovarysh pre-orders. The TR panel van seems to be particularly sought after, SR and SK sedan sales are stable slightly below expected levels. Only the PR pickup struggles, but mainly because there are still some of the now two years old larger Konyk pickups on sale”, she reports. “On our main export market in Letara, the Companion SK sedan sales are dropping, surprisingly, despite being the cheapest car on offer. TR van and PR pickup sales are holding steady on initial levels. The levels are not terribly high, but help selling off some of our excess production especially in terms of pickups.”

Production engineer Inna Horyova chimed in. “We have already shifted production away from the pickup and towards the van.”

Natalya continued. “Judging from some local automotive press it looks like especially the sedan is caught between two segments in Letara - city and family. Good thing we have a much more carefully planned nationwide model line-up domestically across all manufacturers, instead of the chaos on the Letaran market where every brand can offer whatever they deem suitable.” She is visibly irritated.

“Since we want to start planning improvements for our first revision of the Tovarysh after a year of consolidation - what are the key areas that customers think need improving?” Fedor inquired.

Natalya looked at her notes. “More creature comfort and carrying capacity for van and pickup, especially. And fuel economy for all cars. More space would help us being more clearly outside the Letaran city category. On the domestic market, more and more people are inquiring for a wagon, again with more space in the back. They all appreciate the affordability, drivability and reliability, compared to the competition.”

Rodyn threw a side glance to Inna who had been in charge in setting up and overseeing the Tovarysh / Companion production. Two years ago he had to fight tooth and nail with her to prevent the radical cost cutting they had to employ on the engineering side affecting the Tovarysh’s reliability and the driving experience. While the end result had left them both mostly pleased, he could vividly remember some of the more fiercely fought production planning sessions.

Fedor spoke again. “We should be able to produce a family wagon, based on the sedan and the van, no problem. The short wheelbase will limit the extent to which we can increase cargo capacity. Rodyn, advances in fuel economy will then be one of your priorities. What are our options for creature comforts?”

Rodyn responded. “Well, we could offer van and pickup with the same Komfort interior as the sedan. Thanks to some production efficiency improvements…” - he throws a side-glance at Inna again - “… they are actually not that much more expensive anymore. Plus, I think, we should be able to fit a simple radio with a speaker for just some extra cost - if we want to.”

“We should also think which trims to discontinue”, Inna advised. “We can probably fit a wagon on the assembly lines - especially if it is basically a van with rear seats. But we shouldn’t have too many variants - that will just drive up cost.”

Fedor nodded, satisfied.

“Anything else to improve sales for Letara?” Henri wanted to know.

“There is the option of opening an assembly plant over there”, Fedor said. “Shipping complete knockdown kits across the ocean will be much cheaper than shipping complete cars. And we can lower prices further.”

“If our goal is still to just sell some excess production… this could work”, Inna added. “We simply keep building parts, just skip the final assembly here if we have enough stock of a particular trim already. Essentially, a new assembly line 0 will just put together the CKDs and make sure they are complete and ready for shipping. It will also make transportation to Tuzgala harbour much easier.”

“On top of that, we’d also save 10% on their import taxes”, said Natalya.

Fedor thinks for a minute. “Initial investment should not be too bad if all they do over there is assemble Tovarysh… Companion CKDs for a selected range of trims. And we can do this with low-skilled workers. We have started with them here as well anyway.”

Inna decides not to share the various challenges she had faced over the past year in getting the output of all the newly hired unskilled workers in their main factory for the Tovarysh production up to a minimum of quality.

“Then let’s investigate this more closely.” Henri allowed for a few seconds of silence. “There is one more thing for Letara”, he started, and let the opening sentence hang for a few seconds for dramatic effect. “This may take longer, however, so let’s have a coffee break first.”

[cake_ape]

I don’t have a fixed number in mind as it’s mostly irrelevant to the challenge in the way it’s judged. What people can afford is simply scaled to the field of cars that I receive and the current RNG generated economy.

As for the inflation question - what Edsel said. It has no bearing on the challenge, but if for your own sake you want to do that, you can.

[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.