History of Wolfe Motors, Chapter I
This is a whole bunch of lore stuff if you do not care about that
October 2022 - The great white north
Grandson - “Hey grandpa! What is that wolf thing you have on the mantle?”
Grandpa - “Oh, that’s an old Wolfe emblem.”
Grandson - “Why do you have a wolf there?”
Grandpa - “No, that’s no a wolf, it’s Wolfe.”, then he mumbles “If you mother did not have her way, it would be your family name also…”
Grandson - “Wolf?”
Grandpa - “No.”, he shakes his head, “Hey kid, listen to me, I’m saying Wolfe, W-O…”
Cuts to 15 minutes later
Grandpa - “Nevermind. You would not understand. Back in the good old days, Wolfe meant something in this town. Come and sit here near the fireplace for another one of your famous grandpa stories.”
(narrator) And we’re all so excited right? The six year old grandson moved closer and sat down next to his grandpa on the wolves skins near the fireplace. Yes, wolves as in wolf. W-O-L-F skin. Pay attention, please. You’re good?
Grandpa - “The year was 1935. Your great great grandfather Lewis Wolfe had just started his business a few years back, modifying GMs engines and doing custom work for the local market. It was around the time your great granddad Noel was born. Do you remember him? I think you were 2 years old when the old man croaked.”
He mumbles somethings unintelligible.
Grandpad - “No? He always had a bottle with him? Anyway, he was always hanging out in the shop with his father, the little scamp. He was about your age I think… One time, I heard that he…”
(narrator) looks at his watch Ok let’s do a flashback here instead, it might be more efficient.
FLASHBACK
(narrator) The year is 1935. Everything is in black and white and stuttering. Imagine an energetic piano track playing in the background. Lewis Wolfe, with his 5 years looking fondly at him, was working on a big engine.
The subtitles of the motion picture said. Then a piano crescendo comes in as Lewis gets an golden idea and raises his finger toward the sky, in triumph.
(narrator) The year is now 1941. The local GM Regina plant is taken over by the Canadian government and repurposed as the largest munition plant in the region. At about the same time Lewis was conscripted into the army for home defense during the war.
Until then, he had been pretty successful, he bought a coachbuilder in the area, multiple competitors and expanded even further into the province. He started making custom cars for rich people, body and engines - his dream a few years back, remember the Eureka moment? Lewis was now some kind of a big deal industrialist with many companies under his name.
Said the subtitle as he pulled Noel up in the air in front of his Wolfe custom body & motor shop. It would become Wolfe Motors very soon.
Things slowed down during the war, but when it ended, GM decided to not take back the plant as production techniques and the supply chain changed so much. Lewis had a plan.
He stepped in a crowded meeting room full of impeccably dressed men.
Said the subtitles, as the piano took a suspenseful turn.
The most alpha looking businessman shook Lewis hands. Noel, who was just behind his father, raised his hands in victory.
Said the sub… do I still need to explain that part? We’re nearly done with this flashback anyway.
(narrator) The year was 1945. He could produce a few hundred cars per year then, but a plant was a game changer. As a shrewd industrialist, he slowly ramped up the factory over the next 10 years, starting small thanks to governments loans - you know, he was lucky to be an industrialist.
A first prototype, the Wolfe Deluxe Sedan came out in 1946 and only 100 of them were built. The look was a bit retro, harking back to the 30s grand tourer. It was far from cheap. After two years the first real production lines were in service and a Deluxe, Executive and Custom line was done. He still worked on more unique and custom-built model himself in his shop.
END OF FLASHBACK
(narrator) We’re back in 2022.
Grandpa - “And that is how the most awesome car company ever was born!”
(narrator) cough Well, there might have been a bit of embellishment here and there…
In any case, the grandson was already gone. Probably bored to death - I am sure you were, imagine a 6 years old looking at black and white moving pictures with piano and subtitles. Boring much?
The old man was still talking alone, in front of the fireplace, but it wasn’t relevant to the story anymore so we do not really care. I think we can call this…
THE END
Letara 1948 - Consumer & Govt Market
To be young and carefree. The first real production line coming out of Wolfe Motors hit the Letera market in 1948 (well, it hit everywhere that year if you want to be pedantic.)
The offering was great, we swear. Wolfe counted on 3 trims to be the bulk of the sales in Letara.
Wolfe Deluxe Eight Sedan
For the posh city dweller, the Wolfe Deluxe Eight Sedan was to be the flagship of the marque. A full luxury offering, the 240cid V8 was pretty powerful for it’s time at around 200 american hp (so only real 130 hp, which was still pretty awesome if you think about it).
It had an independent front suspension and rear solid axle. It was comfortable with a hint of performance. The 3-speed manual was able to get the car to 100km/h in under 12 seconds with a top speed of around 160 km/h… which was a feat considering many cars could not even make it to 100 km/h.
The Wolfe philosophy at this time was whatever Duesenberg philosophy was in the 30s. It was not agile, but was not a big boat either. It seated 5 people comfortably and had cool suicide doors (but only 2 - a bummer). To make it truly unique, the top and hood was unpainted with a brushed steel surface, for the truly exclusive look. Many chrome trims all around, and coloured wheels completed the sleek look. Ohh, do not forget about the spare wheel cover on the back trunk.
Wolf Executive Six Fastback Sedan
The next model to make it to Letara was the Wolf Executive Six Fastback Sedan.
This was for the more sporty oriented. Still a fully premium car, it had a 225 cid inline six in there. Smaller, but it still packed 100 hp. It offered a bit of performance at a much lower price point. It seated four instead of 5, and used the same basic platform, but with a fastback body. The 3-speed manual used a Rack & Pinion instead, giving it a feel of sportiness.
It was slower but still exciting, from 0 to 100 in slightly above 14 seconds and toping out at 150 km/h. Less chrome, no visible spare, but plenty of style.
Wolfe Custom Six Pickup
Now lets go outside of the city in the countryside. The Wolfe Custom Six Pickup is a true but still stylish workhorse. Still cheaper than the Executive trim, it was still using the same engine and platform but a few corners were cut here and there. I was not 4x4, but could handle itself in the field and the dirt roads without problems with its AT tires and suspension.
Simple and reliable, no pesky radio to break down, but still a status symbol.
Wolfe Special Six Wagon
And finally the wagon. The model shown here is for a government bid - the Wolfe Special Six Wagon. It included exterior locks on the rear dual doors and no inside handles for the rear compartment. It was also isolated from the front cab with steel panels and heavy windows. The 2 rear benches were sideways for the lucky tourists. Everything was reinforced at the cost of weight, and this model had very simple engineering - the platform was modified for a dual solid axle setup for example and the inline six was modified for the job.
Hopefully it will convince the govt of Letara to invest in Wolfe Motors.
Choices of colours are bountiful across the whole line - Bermuda Green, Regal Red and Hawaiian Blue were the most popular. The two-tone was also quite in demand.
Wolfe - be crowned a king.
Letara 1949 - Wolfe Racing
Wolfe 200/200 Edition Coupe
After a successful first production year, Lewis was a bit sad he had less time to do custom work. Seeing performance events, rallies and races being announced all around, he decided to do something crazy - a race car. He always wanted to build a racing engine, and he did, a 268 cid 200 hp engine (a real 200hp this time). The redline was toping out at 5200 rpm with a triple carb setup.
The end result was the aptly named Wolfe 200/200 Edition Coupe. 200/200 because it was 200hp and could reach 200 km/h. A weird unit of speed for Lewis who is used to miles, but he wanted to participate in European races and his marketing team was adamant the name was cool, but decided to start to test his car at a small event in Letara - the Portunis Cannonball run. If he humiliates himself, it’s not Le Mans at least.
It used the same platform as the mainlines, but much improved. A 4-speed manual was provided, larger sport wheels, an offroad skidtray for some rally goodness, a sporty interior, the Rack & Pinion system used on the executive line and a whole lot of weight saving.
The look was striking, with much more brushed steel surfaces and a charcoal paint. It had an inclined radiator as well as mesh covered headlights and more wired rims, making it look more aggressive. While the name was not yet in use, this is the genesis of what would become Wolfe Racing.
Let’s race!
