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

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Pushing the limits of design

SAETA current state

People were quite happy in SAETA´s headquarters. The Tronada was selling in quite good numbers and the racing program had achieved a first place after a long run of barely not finishing the races.

But now it was time for a major move. The Albor lineup was getting increasingly obsolete and it was the main seller for the brand. A successor was needed, and this one would stand out among it´s rivals.


SAETA Albor
A stylish sedan in the outside, a sports car underneath. Using the mechanicals pioneered on the Tronada, the second gen Albor would be powered by the all-allow twin cam engine and would equip independent rear suspension. It also featured all around disc brakes, a first on an Spanish car, and probably among the first in Europe too.

Introduced in 1966 with the Base version (supply issues forced us to focus on it), it offered a really attractive blend of style, practicality and performance.

And then, in 1968, two extra versions. The Albor Viajante, first SAETA car to be equipped with an automatic transmision. A more practical version for people who needed to get the job done.

And it wouldn´t be a SAETA design without a Sprint version. A hundred and thirty horses under the hood. Your children won´t ever be late again for their football matches.



SAETA Bravo
Based on the same architecture as the Albor, but with an increased wheelbase. An slow seller and mainly meant for the local market, where the lack of competition made it easy money for the company. While normal versions would use a 2 liter version of the twin cam engine, "heavier duty" versions would use a 6 cylinder engine based on the ones we used on more utilitarian vehicles. This meant an undersquare design, with an iron block and a single cam. But it offered tons torque in exchange, and it was quite smooth too in spite of it´s humble origins.


SAETA Albor Touring

Meant for R2 racing, all information will remain classified

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Mara goes Letara, Ep. 3-6: Turning a shitbox into a racecar

Previous post

Early morning, 17th June 1965, Mara’s proving grounds on the south shore of Lake Mara, near Mostovka, Archana

Rodyn Gumprov, Mara’s lead development engineer for the Irena project, Yenna Blielicki, lead development engineer for the Perspekt I4 and Blyz V8 engine projects and Marek Krowalkowski, Mara’s chief test driver all arrived early at Mara’s proving grounds.

Rodyn and Yenna arrived together in the prototype Irena racecar they were about to test and fine-tune for the R2 class of the Letaran racing circuit starting later in the year.

Mara’s proving grounds are located on the land of an old brick factory totally not the BeamNG industry map. Lake Mara on the horizon.

The racecar prototype was converted off a 3-door sedan in the flag red colour. The prototype they had with them also sported a first attempt at a livery; there were two black stripes left of centre on the bonnet, intended to go all across the car later. But for now, engineering and testing had priority over external design.

Mara race car testing, part 1: regular track handling

After a short briefing, their day started on the handling course, a twisty track with few straight areas. While Marek started exploring the limits of the 250 hp Irena, Rodyn pondered that they were essentially now testing what had received the least attention during their past eight months of development time.

The Irena R2 racecar prototype being put through its paces

Despite their initial goal of splitting development efforts equally between car and engine, most of their effort had to go into the engine after all in order to achieve the target output of 250 horsepower - or 186.4 kW, as their boss Fedor would insist on. Among other things, Yenna had to develop an entirely new intake and header system to re-focus power delivery to high rpms. There were also many other detailed improvements to the entire engine construction - especially so that they did not have to forge special versions of the stock cast engine components as well.

Against their limited budget, this effort also meant that there could not be any big car engineering changes beyond what was necessary. Rodyn had to have the heavy-duty gearbox from the interceptor modified to withstand the power and torque from the not quite twice as powerful race engine. Inside, they removed the rear bench, dashboard padding and a few other amenities, replaced the fuel gauge with a tachometer (they still had a fuel warning light), and rewired the 160 kph speedometer to indicate 160 at 320 kph.

Grip was provided by the newest Tyrelli Cinquerato tyres - now available thanks to the Fruinian market opening to Archana. The radial nature of these tyres - as opposed to the stock crossplies the regular Irenas (including the interceptor) ran on - meant developing an entirely new suspension geometry. The front drum brakes were replaced by discs and crude but effective cooling for the brakes was provided by cutting holes into the body shell.

Rodyn was also keen on replacing the entire rear suspension. However, all the aforementioned changes meant there was little time and resources to develop anything else properly over the existing the leaf set-up that essentially had not seen much changes since the initial Tovarysh development in 1947.

A loud screeching sound brought Rodyn out of his reflections.

Nothing wrong with going over the limits at times during testing

Yenna looked up from her notes as well. “By the way”, she began after seeing that Marek had everything under control again. “Have you seen the letter from the Letaran privateer racer… what was his name again?”

Rodyn nodded. “Yes, and I can’t remember the name either. He highlighted the very long straight of Lerance raceway and the recent installation of banked corners. So we need to reduce air resistance. The handling in banked corners is what we will actually test next.”

In truth, Rodyn had not gotten very far in his attempts at external streamlining. He had replaced the chrome stuff around the windows with plastic equivalents from the Regular models, had a new fuel filler cap machined that stuck out less than the old one and removed the front bumper. The rear bumper had to stay on because that’s where the newly required reverse light was fitted. Beyond this, Rodyn saw not much obvious further improvement potential.

Suddenly, Rodyn and Yenna heard faint voices over the engine roar. They looked around and saw that they had gotten two spectators. Since Mara’s proving grounds were located on the area of an old brick factory, and they never left anything valuable between their sporadic visits, there were not many fences or other security measures in place. Still, it was an area that hardly saw any visitors.

Yenna and Rodyn approached the two spectators who stood in respectful distance away from the testing track behind the provisional barriers that were placed to keep a spinning car from careening too far off into the scenery (and into the debris that still was scattered around in the bushes). They saw two teenagers - one boy and one girl - who looked like twins, their bicycles leaning against one of the barriers.

“Hello, who are you?” Rodyn tried not to be too intimidating.

The girl spoke first. “I am Anya, and this is Andriy. I hope it’s okay if we…”

“Sure”, reassured Yenna. “Just keep away from the test track. What are you doing here?”

Now it was the boy’s turn. “See what you are testing. We also want to be engineers when we grow up!”

The girl chimed in. “Our father builds a sports car, not far from here - you know?” Her brother unsuccessfully tried to shush her.

For a moment, Yenna and Rodyn were puzzled, then their penny dropped. “You are Mayster’s kids?”

Both nodded. Yenna and Rodyn heard the engine noise in the background die down. Marek apparently had come back to the makeshift pits.

“We need to go back to our testing. You two are welcome to stay here, just keep a safe distance from the track…”

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Capital Motors Local Archives and Registers
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

Year sales report Country: Letara

1958

EMERGENCY BOARD MEETING
An emergency conference has been carried out due to the incident related to the lackluster sales in Letara.
Reports reveal that exported cars have been provided with radial tires, which are prohibited in the country, thus clients are issuing warranty claims and forcing the company to pay the tire replacement. The board has decided the company will provide replacements, and that an internal investigation is going to be set in order to find the reason behind this flop.


1960

Consumer reports reveal that the increase in brands offers for luxury sedans is taking a toll on sales. The board has decided to cancel the use of facelifted models and start a new production concept for a brand flagship model.
The idea is to raise the status of the brand above the competition, considering that the decrease in sales will compensate with the overall increase in value per car sale.
The board has also decided to aquire the coachbuilding and partner company Pegazzo and redesignate it as a design facility for the company.


1961

The investigation of the mistaken tires in Letara revealed that local importers used the client claims to replace the radial tires with new cross-ply tires provided by the company, while the radial tires were being sold by them on the black market. The board has decided to close the relations with said importers, and to establish official car dealerships with verified maintenance shops.

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Reflects reality a bit. :stuck_out_tongue: My father was driving his Taunus in the 80s on russian tyres originally intended for Ladas. Bought lots of them on the black market since they weren’t approved in Sweden and got replaced when the cars arrived here, reminds me a lot of your story… :eyes:

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Greetings Comrades

We pull up

First of we have our newly designed Rushba. New body, new engine same price.

For our dear comrades in the goverment, we send our greatest love from Moscow: The Tachanka.
A long sleek limo with an even longer engine. If you need a bit more protection we can fit this out with a gunners flap, front facing maschine guns and a deployable smoke screen. You know, the stuff you need when driving through does certain districts

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Mara goes Letara, Ep. 3-7: Letting it fly

Previous post

Late morning, 17th June 1965, Mara’s proving grounds on the south shore of Lake Mara, near Mostovka, Archana

After testing the Irena racecar prototype on the flat handling course, Yenna Bielicki, Rodyn Gumprov and Marek Krowalkowski now moved on to testing the handling in banked corners. Coincidentally, two banked corner sections had been added to the proving grounds only a few years ago - a quick 90 degree dirt corner and a long 180 degrees one on asphalt/concrete.

Especially the latter was said to be their boss Fedor’s pride, although noone else really understood the need for testing their production cars in more high-speed cornering and braking situations.

Mara race car testing, part 2: banked corner handling (with video)

While everyone rearranged a couple of cones and barriers on the track for the layout switch. Rodyn reflected that both Yenna and himself have both risen through the ranks over the last couple of years more or less by serendipity through difficult projects.

They both had in common that they worked on the first Letaran racecar project - the conversion of three of their Tovarysh / Companion prototypes into cannonball cars in the late 1940s. Yenna was tasked (and succeeded) with turning the undersquare and recalcitrant Visim 2.5l flat-4 into a durable racecar engine. For himself, preparing the three prototypes for Henri, Fedor and himself was essentially a side-task of overseeing the general Tov prototype testing. Both Yenna and Rodyn had also in common that their advances had mostly been due to the (rare) favour of their boss Fedor Piechov, Comrade Director of Engineering.

After they were done preparing the new layout, their chief test driver Marek took the prototype out for a spin through the perimeter layout which included the 180 degree banked corner. On his first attempt the car did not look too stable and the Tyrelli Cinquerato tyres were protesting loudly over the loads they had to endure. The second attempt was hardly any better. Marek immediately came back to the pits and got out of the car, his hands slightly shaking.

“This is insane, if you ask me!” he shouted agitatedly. “The car wants to go everywhere but straight on the exit! I didn’t have much time to look at the speedo, but I must have done beyond 120 kph on the exit. This is nuts!”

Rodyn tried to calm him down. “You are right… and that’s exactly why we are here. Instability and oversteer on the exit you say? Let me make some adjustments.”

They raised the car somewhat on a makeshift contraption and Rodyn slipped under the Irena racecar prototype, getting to work. After a short while, he re-emerged.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll have another go”, said Rodyn. “I think it’s easier for me to know what to change when I experienced it myself.” Marek had no objections and happily stepped aside.

“Much better”, Rodyn mumbled to himself after his first attempt of the banked corner at speed with a softened rear suspension.

LHC3-7-YT

The Irena R2 being driven right on the edge

After a couple of laps, Rodyn got back to the pits, his hands equally shaking, but he was much less agitated than Marek a couple minutes earlier. “Much more stable, yet still one of the more dangerous things I have ever done”, he announces.

“And fun?” Yenna asked with a wink.

“Probably”, Rodyn muttered. “I think there is still some more to be had…” He vanished again underneath the prototype.

Meanwhile, their two spectators had approached the pit area: the Andriy and Anya Mayster twins, son and daughter of the founder of one of the few, if not the only, Archanan boutique sports car manufacturers. Andriy has a model airplane in his hand, apparently an Aljoscha Al-62.

“What do you like better - cars or airplanes?” asked Marek while Rodyn was still working underneath the car.

“Or engines?” Yenna joined the conversation.

“Engines, no question!” That was Anya’s quick and determined reply.

Andriy took a few seconds to consider the answer. “I like both, but I think I rather design airplanes when I grow up.”

“Why is that?” did Yenna want to know.

“There is a comrade in my father’s company, she is originally from the aircraft industry. She always says that the biggest difference between car and airplane designers is that car engineers focus on the visible five sides of a car, but airplane engineers think about the sixth side, the underside, as well. I always want to think about all sides.”

Rodyn stopped working, got hastily out from underneath the car, and looked at Andriy. “What did you just say?” He immediately went back underneath the prototype and seemed to just look around instead of working. Yenna, Marek and the twins stared at Rodyn, until he re-emerged again.

“Maybe…”, Rodyn started, as he got up and came back to the four others. “Maybe there is also room for car engineers to consider all sides of the car in the future. Just something for you to think about…”

He beckoned to Yenna to join him at the car and they walked around it, gesturing to each other, and leaving the Mayster twins (and Marek) wondering what Rodyn and Yenna were now on about.

All they could clearly make out from their conversation was Yenna’s final suggestion to Rodyn after they had made a complete lap around the red prototype. “Maybe you should then indeed talk to the professionals in the aero industry? They for sure know how to streamline a shape… on all sides.”

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Letara, 1964

“Wow, you really managed to build this within two months?”
“Yes, Mr. Frehse. Our high output engine from last year delivers 205 horsepower. that was not enough. And it had 5,2 liters displacement, too heavy for that small car. We had to build an engine from scratch.”
“You have my respect. Can we reuse it in production cars?”
“Nope, too expensive and advanced for our current lineup. Nevertheless, we made a lot of experience and improved our knowledge. Our first prototype needed almost six minutes on the track, and not only the engine, but also the chassis has not much to do with your company car anymore.”
Ludger Frehse nodded. “So, I read in the description that you fitted the rear axle of the Iratus. A good idea, and it saved a lot of time. Who is going to drive it?”

“Franck Mercier, a relatively young driver, but it’s astonishingly easy to handle on track, so he won’t trash it, we guess. The ride is very unpleasant, and as he is still young his back might bear it… at least we hope so.”

“Great job, guys. Now, paid vacation for everyone who was involved in this. I can’t wait to see Monsieur Mercier in this to restore the reputation of the Astrona.”

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1966 Swanson 200 mk2 - Now Actually Made in Letara


Now 100% more modern, 100% less beetle
Next-gen OHC 2-valve engines for more power and less consumption. Slightly smaller, but compensates with general competence and airy, non-claustrophobic interior.

225 PF - Sporty Ginger Spice


225 PO - topless fun with friends + more interior




217 GF - some politician will probably want the bright color ban again after seeing this


Sometimes I think a certain baguette is the GOAT car if only it had more power

Government bid: Swanson 555 mk2


Launched in 1964 to appeal more to the conservative yet contemporary customers of larger cars than its predecessor.
Has that self-shifting transmission and vinyl roof Americans like, the big engine, plushy interior, a passenger sunroof, and aural therapy grade 8 track for playback of national songs and propaganda.
Diplomat duty car comes with quad flag poles for peak nationalism moments, just add your very own flags.

Welcome to Letara, would you like some refreshments on the way Sir?




255 RC (mk1 FL) R2 Class

No, that’s not a typo, it has the 5,5L big six from the 500, but aluminium, as are the body panels. It’s faster around the track and should be more reliable than that prototype we had to write off last time.

behave yourselves, I will give you a taste of my bowling shoe


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Garland Automotive Group

1968 Garland (and Lombard) Line-up

The Crown Jewel
1968 Lombard Tenerife

Ah the Tenerife, the top of the line, the crown jewel of the Garland hierarchy. Are you some rich business owner that likes to show off that you have money? Then the Tenerife is for you, packing a 7L V8 under the hood, it surely does pack a punch, however the engine is tuned for smoothness, not power.

The Rebel
1968 Garland Valiente Prancer SR

As the surname suggests, the Prancer Valiente is a rebellious car for rebellious people, nearly 400 horses under your feet, and you’ll feel the alright, its got the same engine as the Tenerife, though this time its tuned for performance. safety? comfort? those were optional either way.

The Tame
1968 Garland Valiente

Do you need a comfortable enough car for a reasonable enough price for reasonable enough people? Then the Valiente is for you, a smooth six cylinder delivers just enough to get this thing going, is it fast? not particularly no, is it fun? no, not really… (ignore the wheel angle being all funky).

racing

The Little Prick
1968 Garland Determinator SR

For '68 Garland brought their litlle pony car to the frey, a small block V8 powers this beast, but dont let its small size fool you, this one really packs a punch.

lore

After the market success that was the now old reliable L-series platform, Garland of Letara moved forward, primarily in management; Alex Sounderois, the former president and CEO of GoL, resigned after nearly 20 years as the chairman. He got replaced by a cunning young gun that had a passion for racing and all things petrol, Robert Davis.

Davis would reshape GoL into a more youthful company, while still retaining what gave Garland soul, its connection to the fields and agricultural workers that gave Garland a chance. He introduced the newly designed Valiente into the streets of Lerance and Letara as a whole, one would think bringing a big, boaty american full-sized would fail, like it did back in 1952 with the Aero line, but Davis hoped otherwise.

Davis also reincorporated Collins Racing into Garland, giving them a new moniker… SR Performance Team.

Garland of America is hoping this change in management for GoL goes smoothly, and maybe even succeed, but whose to say, this venture into Letara has certainly been a rollercoaster of events.

As for the future? Garland has began introducing newer technologies into their cars, including things like Fuel Injection, and seatbelts.

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Totally not JOC2 recycling :smiley:

I am looking foward to compete against these cars, your engineering is always sound and the visuals stand out from the mass.

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after a few years of experimentation, 1969 saw the reveal of Vausse’s riskiest car yet. The Sportility. A combination of Sports and Utility, the objective was to create the perfect all rounder. A car that could be used as a farmers workhorse, and his sons racecar at the same time. A car that could do everything you dreamt of. Due to wanting to brand this as the brands new Flagship, Vausse decided to sell it in Letara, where they had previously sold the Rainier sibling cars which ended up being a case of the only people buying it not knowing about Wolfram Wyvern.


with this car, Vausse were either ready to conquer the market, or fall short of it

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Nerruci Motors Corporation Goes To Letara

Lore

Founded by Maximilian Gunther and Davide Nerucci in 1949, in Meranio, Fruinia. The Low funded team quickly found speed in domestic competition in Fruinia and are one of the top teams in Fruinia’s racing scene. In 1953, Maximilian Gunther alongside Davide Nerucci established a car company, Nerucci Motors Corporation from the MGRT’s Engineering department to fund MGRT in the racing scene. In 1961 there was a big buzz in Fruinia about a a race in a neighboring country of Letara. The race features 3 different classes of road legal cars turned race cars going against eachother. In 1962, Maximilian Gunther went to Letara to witness the race that made Fruinia, a country that loves their racing culture, exploded. Max witness one of the most exciting racing he has ever seen yet. With leads changing from corner to corner, heartbreak for some drivers, it was amazing. Back at home, Davide and the engineering team at MGRT are working on a new car when suddenly the office telephone rang, it was Maximilian. He had told Davide about the Letara race and had also made Davide excited. They began developing a car for the 1963 race but the car wasn’t able to be finished in time of the race. The two friends still went on to see the race that year. After the race has ended, the two went to see the race organisers to ask for regulations for next year’s race, and the two began developing the car for the 1964 race at Letara. They decided to join the race as Nerucci Squadra Corse in 1964 as to boost the popularity of Nerucci Motors Corporation in the event of them opening a dealer in Letara.

1964 Honduro Performante


Nerruci Squadra Corse would like to announce it’s official participation in Letara Race at Lerance Raceway. Powered by a 6L V12 engine that produces over 500hp, Nerruci Squadra Corse hopes that their driver Fabrizio Lorenzo could grab the top step or at the very least, finish the race.

Gallery



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is anyone even going to read this? I guess I'll just put a spaceship here (_)(_)=====D~~

Planar History Files: Planar arrives in Letara.


P&A since Round 2

Since launching the Paceman, P&A had been sitting pretty in Letara. Decent sales, even for the premium market, for the few years where the Paceman was the most compelling option available led to P&A having much more of a customer base in the Letaran market than they expected. Possibly the only stain on this period of their existence in Letara was the extremely poor performance in the race series at Lerance Raceway.

The engine deals with Rotomax and Lyons were going along well, P&A’s subsidiaries were going well, everything was looking up for the company! Not that it would last long, with internal issues well on the way.


The 1964 cars, the P&A Sportsman Mk.III Flat 6 & Sportsman Mk.III Flat 6 Race Spec

Mk.III lore

Now seen as the most important car in the company’s history, at the time of its release the Mk.III Sportsman was mostly seen internally as a desperate attempt to beat its contemporaries at their own game.

With features mostly included to match the XJ, it was a comfortable, sporty sedan, with “The smoothest 6 cylinder in the world” powering it. Said 6 cylinder was an impressive engine too, developed in partnership with aircraft engine manufacturer Lyons, the O-260 was a smooth, quiet flat 6 that still made 125kW, a pretty sizeable figure for the time.

In Letara, the car was available only with a 3 speed auto, which was marketed as “The next step in comfort”, and there was as much effort as possible put into distancing it from the boring old P&A’s of the time. Letara would also prove to be an issue, however, as the engine was tuned to run on 98RON leaded fuel, and the Letaran government had announced plans to ban leaded fuel before the car launched. While it was eventually made to work on 95 unleaded, Lyons had caused much strife over the de-tuning, which in turn irreparably damaged the alliance between the two companies


Race Spec lore

The Race Spec Mk.III Sportsman was an interesting story. Originally developed for racing in Araga, bureaucratic issues meant it went unused, and thus was a perfect candidate for the Letaran race team, which was strapped for cash and short on time after their disastrous '59-'63 run. Although it wasn’t perfectly suited for the R2 category it was entering, the team calculated that the tank was more than big enough to last a race, and the modified O-260 was more than reliable enough to (hopefully) last a race.

The car itself was largely modified from stock, with an uprated O-260 making 136kW, removed rear seats among other weight savings, and numerous suspension and aerodynamic upgrades. The Letaran team then essentially swapped parts out to make it a full Letaran spec car, to comply with the R2 touring rules.


The 1967 cars, the Planar Danazines

Clockwise from left, the Planar Danazine F6H, F6S, and F6L limousine
P&A rebrands! (company lore)

At the 1965 Sydney motor show, P&A’s CEO made a shock announcement. The rumours about P&A and Lyons splitting up were true, and not only that, but the company would be imminently rebranding to Planar!

Naturally this came as a shock to quite a few people, but the company promised that its existing cars and engines would still be supported, and that updates to their cars to bring them in line with the new branding were coming very soon. Sure enough, at the next year’s show, the company showed off its “first” car, the Danazine! Production issues would see it delayed to 1967, but the familiar shape and assurances of being basically a Mk.IV Sportsman would calm people’s fears.


Danazine lore

The Danazine was released with much fanfare from Planar, as it was supposedly a show of the new company direction. What it largely was, however, was a Mk.III Sportsman with a new engine and minor styling updates (even chassis codes carried over, the Mk.III was SM30 and the Danazine was SM31). The main changes looks-wise were standard two-tone across the range, a flattened bonnet with “lidded” headlights, mirrors placed in a somewhat more normal position above the wheel arch, and an extra cooling vent under the grille for the new engine.

The engine was a real marvel, developed with Rotomax from the ashes of the O-260 project, the PLRFX-260 was essentially the same motor, slightly downsized and now with DOHC, which on the comfort oriented H model made 126kW through a 3 speed auto, and on the sportier S model made 133kW through a new 5 speed manual.

How well the new Danazine would do was anyone’s guess, but the company itself was banking hard on it getting their new name out there and known.


Government limo lore

The Letaran government was searching for a diplomatic limousine at the start of the 70’s and Planar had the answer. The long wheelbase Danazine F6L was never sold officially in Letara, but was on offer for any government that wanted it in a “Diplomatic Package”.

All that really entailed was an F6L with flag holders on the front and whatever other modifications the government wanted, but Planar still made a car to send to Letara to participate in the contract.


OOC: Apologies for the sparse and kinda not great pictures, my laptop can’t really handle Automation very well. I’ll be home for the next round so you can enjoy more photos of dubious quality then!!

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48 hour deadline reminder!


Entries due 9:59 AM EST Jan 14.

Also reminder for returning people to please use our existing DM thread to submit your entries. It keeps my inbox neat and tidy.


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MARTINET CASTOR III

Martinet Automobil is proud to present to the Letaran market, the new Martinet Castor III

Our Castor III is a all new car made for the new decade. With the innovative ans practical hatchback body and the new transversed mounted engine
and front wheel drive, the Castor II is an easy and economical companion on the Letaran roads.


Gallery

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Letara Raceway, 1964

The words were like a thunder:
“FREEEEEHSEEEEEEEEE!”
Mr. Friedrich Huppenbauer, the Hetvesian president stood there with a red face.
“YOU SPENT… WHAT??? ON YOUR LITTLE RACING ADVENTURE? You did not answer me - twice! So I am here now. And I am angry!”
A man in his 40s, wearing a PRIMUS racing suit, stood up from his chair.
“Propably a lot, and it was well worth it.”
“Signore Banaschi… what a pleasure to see you here, but…”
“Yes, Friedrich, the reason why we spent three times the budget is that we actually do enter R1 as well… with a car that is fast enough to awake the interest of the legendary Bruno Banaschi.”

Friedrich Huppenbauer almost lost his monocle when he heard that it was no bluff by Ludger Frehse.
“I thought you drive for Swanson, Signore Banaschi. How…”
“Yes, and Swanson is a good and valued brand. But when I got a call from Mr. Frehse, that he offers me a competetive car for R1, my descision was made. This car is not beautiful, however.”
A little annoyed, Frehse took over: “We had so little time to do this… we spent like 90 percent on engineering and 10 on the design, and for that, it’s not bad!”

“Well, Ludger, you surprise me this time. How dare you to spend so many money, surely with a good cause, but without asking me? I thought I am like a father to you!”
“Yes, like a strict father with a huge WWII trauma. I am 33 now, Friedrich, it’s time to go my own way. If I fail, I resign, if I win, you WILL take me serious, finally. Letara is MY chance and MY project and I will take it no matter what. Bruno, give Mr. Huppenbauer a demonstration, please!”

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The Aero Free

WE HAVE REACHED

P E A K

S M A L L N E S S

About Aero in 1964
By the start of the 60's, Aero found the demand for their microcars had all but dried up in most countries. While the kei cars remained popular in Japan- largely because of their support in tax law -most other countries simply no longer cared for the microcar, even those that were hard hit. So Aero found itself gradually pulling out of most international markets.

But they didn’t pull out of Letara, even though that country had consistently been among the least receptive to their little lineup. Why? Because they had a factory there! In spite poor sales in the country, the economic benefits of the factory still made it feasible to make cars there, even if most would end up shipped right back to Japan. And since some cars were being made in Letara anyway, it cost Aero relatively little to just leave a few here for domestic sale. Plus, their new entry-level cyclecar now had some pretty strong advantages in cost and reliability, which they hoped may finally win over some of the country’s buyers.


Spending and lobbying, meanwhile, had gone well this round. Aero had been interested in Letara’s Aluminum industry, as they’d been hoping to bring down the cost of the metal by expanding its infrastructure; Their efforts had made long term progress in this regard, though at present the metal still wasn’t cheap enough for widespread use in their budget cars.

Aero was also quite happy with the improvement in the safety law. The new law did still use the illogical crash-safety system that Aero disapproved of, but at least the required figures were more reasonable, and the system placed increased emphasis on actual safety features.

But beyond this, Aero was more than happy with the rest of how lobbying turned out. They celebrated that leaded fuels were finally banned and radial tires finally allowed, that they had successfully prevented the double-headlight mandate, and the government had chosen the more compact US/Japan pate size (which Aero was already used to using). Their only other real complaint with the new laws was that the “speed limiter” tax break did not extend to vehicles that were too slow to need a limiter (or in Aero’s case, too slow to be able to equip one at all), but truth is the tax was too small to be missed anyway.

There was also the matter of Aero no longer being able to participate in Letara’s racing. Of the two classes that had been just instituted, one required a time below 5:00, and the other required 2 rows of seats- neither of which Aero could accomplish with a Microcar. Though racing was not a big part of Aero’s business, it was still a huge disappointment to the company.

About the Free

Aero’s philosophy, when deigning the Free, was that mobility is something that should be freely accessible to everyone. To that end, the Free takes the design goals of the Zipp- being cute, reliable, and cheap -and improves upon them to the extreme.

Let’s run some numbers: The entry level Free costs only $7,640 upfront (taxes included), and less than $250 in service costs, while using 2.9 l/km of fuel (Over 80mpg)! Named the “3L” after the latter figure, this car is one of the cheapest production vehicles not just of today, but of Letara’s (and the world’s) entire automotive history! Savings which are further extended by the cyclecar’s stellar reliability and quality rustproofing.

But the commitment to accessibility goes beyond just being cheap. Aero designed the Free with the intention that it could double as both a city car and a mobility scooter; that it could allow a handicapped person to drive to and into a building or pedestrian area, without having to switch to unwieldy mobility aids like wheelchairs or canes. To that end, the higher-level “Access” trim offered an automatic transmission, making the car easier to operate (at low speeds especially), as well as a lighter steering setup and improved interior cushioning.


In 1971, the Free received a major facelift. Most notable was the new design; in contrast to the more function-over-form designs of yesteryear, Aero’s new design philosophy further emphasizes the creation of “cute and huggable” designs with more streamlined and visually-pleasing shapes.

Its mechanical changes should not be discounted either, though. The 1971 facelift also introduces one of the first catalytic converters to Aero’s 360cc engine, as well as the ability to run ethanol fuel. Designed to better accommodate indoor use, these combined changes drastically cut down the already-clean Free’s emissions, setting a new standard for what we consider “environmentally friendly.” The cyclecar was also made even quieter, and offered with an optional radio for the first time.


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Now that’s cute! :smiley:

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the facelifted model is one happy lil lad

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