LE LORE DOMP
In the aftermath of World War II, Britain was in need of rebuilding and revitalization. One area that saw significant growth was the automotive industry, and among the companies that emerged during this time was Vector Motors. A company created by a band of automotive enthusiasts, engineers, and wannabe racecar drivers.
Vector Motors initially produced small sports cars that were affordable, yet built well and fun to drive, capturing the attention of British drivers who were eager for some excitement after the austere post-war years. The company quickly gained a reputation for producing vehicles that were not only stylish but also reliable and well-engineered.
In the late 1950s, Vector Motors expanded its production to include larger, more luxurious models aimed at the growing middle class. Fuel economy, highway driving, easier to use gearbox, better adjustable seats and comfortable interior were put to priority. Driving dynamics was still a concern however, which meant motorists who were looking for an exciting driving experience weren’t entirely out of the picture.
During the 1960s, Vector Motors became increasingly focused on developing high-performance sports cars that could compete with the likes of Jaguar and Aston Martin. The company’s engineers experimented with new technologies and materials, however the once small management team of the company proved to be insufficient in this new world of advanced motor vehicle engineering and innovation. Thus, the CEO of Vector Motors finally decided to expand upon the small team in order to compete with companies with larger pockets, and also refocusing some of the company goals to become a broader name in the industry. This prompted a change in the branding to “Vector Motor Corporation”.
Due to nearly two decades of success with their products, Vector Motor Corp had more than enough stashed in the bank to go for other companies around the world and purchase them. The goal was to infiltrate markets in other countries and segments, combine Vector’s own tech with the tech of the companies they acquire to create the ultimate driving machine and finally, to thrive as a giant automotive conglomerate which started as a small independent motor company.
By the mid 70s, Vector ended up owning 3 automotive companies. Marvin from the USA, Macht Teuton from Germany and Bushido from Japan. While each of these companies (Including Vector) made their own cars, they shared parts with each other in order to keep costs low, and reliability and familiarity high. Sometimes rebadging would definitely occur, but a distinction between the models was always expected when it happened.
The year is 1979, and Vector is thrilled to be finally joining the Letaran market. But there’s only one problem. Vector’s mainline cars are… more on the premium end these days. They are mostly high performance sportscars, super saloons, exotics and some other stuff here and there.
Vector owns other small companies like Sparsam that make cheap shitboxes, but it seems like Letara’s market has evolved past that and is transitioning into preferring more upmarket cars. So sub 20k cars is not something they want to focus on. Bushido’s cars make more sense for Letara’s current market, but something tells the CEO that the small Japanese Bushidos won’t really be too popular in Letara for long. And as for Marvin… Heh!
Macht Teuton is the only brand that makes sense for Letara, in the CEO’s eyes. It’s a German company that is known for making mostly upmarket cars, that are decently reliable, comfortable to drive, and power dense when it comes to the engines. Slightly lowering the build quality where it doesn’t matter, downsizing or lobbing off cylinders (or an entire bank) from engines, re-tuning the gearbox and suspension to accommodate for Letaran roads and people’s preferences was the way to go, the CEO thought.
And thus, it was decided. Macht Teuton was chosen as the brand that would spearhead into Letara’s market to represent Vector Motor Corp, at least for the time being. Whether Vector would introduce its own mainline cars, and even Bushido in the near future, would depend entirely on how Macht Teuton does on its first decade in Letara.
Vector's Entry to the Consumer Market
In 1975, the engineers at Vector and Macht Teuton came up with a brilliant idea. A new platform made from unibody chassis, all around independent suspensions and modularity that would result in multiple types of vehicles sharing the same parts. The original concept included every type of vehicle, from a 4 door saloon, to a massive SUV. The first engineer that came up with this plan was from Macht Teuton, thus they were allowed to name the model. But their suggestion was to not have a proper model name at all on all of the vehicles, but give them a different name that denotes their features based on what kind of cars they are. However, a codename was still given to the platform, UEM-75. Unibody, Experimental, Modular and the year 1975.
The UEM-75 platform was the brainchild of a group of engineers who wanted to create the ultimate driving machine, but also share that feel among various types of cars in the same platform. They poured all their knowledge and expertise into designing an armada of cars that would be stylish, powerful and reliable. Cars that would share parts and identity with each other yet would have their own personalities.
The CL 285-C
A 2-seater, luxury convertible sports-ish car. At its purest form, it was powered by a V8, mated to a 5 speed manual. Of course, such a car with engine that powerful and driving dynamics centered that much toward the driving experience than the riding experience was unnecessary for Letara. Thus, the Letaran market got itself the modest 2.7L 6 cylinder version of the car, but to accommodate for comfort, a cushy 4 speed automatic transmission was brought from the most luxurious trim of the car. Everything in this car, from interior quality to the volume of space available was geared towards the experience one will have when riding the car. However, driving dynamics weren’t entirely thrown out. It was still a sports car at heart, and pulled some decent results on the skidplate and managed to snag a 6.5s 0-100.
The CS 285 Jaeger
Coupe. Sport. These two words were the only primary focus when developing this model. A 2 door super coupe, originally born with a massive 5L V8, created jointly by the madmen in Macht Teuton and Vector. It was powerful, expensive, tight and extremely focused on driving dynamics. Comfort was not thrown out of the window but it was nowhere near the primary focus. But it was also very clear that such a car would be extremely niche among the people as it would be very expensive to buy and run, while not being the most comfortable car for a daily ride.
Thus, Vector’s 3.2L signature 6 cylinder engine was implemented to the car, mated to its 5 speed manual. It was an engine that had survived 2 decades and only recently was refreshed for the modern era, with the same dimensions. The engineers at Macht Teuton had a special place for this engine in particular, as this was the very engine they’d once source from Vector and put them in their older cars when they’d need to release a performance trim. When the new 3.2L straight six was being developed, the Macht Teuton engineers lovingly named it “Jaeger”. Hence, when the CS 285’s core was changed with the engine, the trim itself was also named Jaeger. The 5.5s 0-100 capable driving machine was expected to chase down supercars nearly twice or more of its price, which it did, taking down even the 911s and Ferraris of its time.
The GL 500 Luxuswagen
When the idea of a big SUV with the same platform as the other cars in this lineup was first brought up, a good majority of the engineers in the entire Vector Motor Corp legitimately thought that they misinterpreted it somehow. The concept of a unibody SUV with all around independent suspension, especially a semi-trailing arm for the rear end was unthinkable for the time being. After all, an SUV is supposed to be a utility vehicle, a tool, a tough car that can carry loads of weight. But some engineers saw it way past that. A large, safe, spacious car that can impose its position over other smaller cars, powered by a big engine, and fitted with the cushiest objects and tech possible… sounds like the ultimate daily driver and pissing contest competitor for the rich. Thus, the GL500 Luxuswagen was born.
Vector’s 5L V12 was sourced but was detuned significantly to produce a lazy 380hp, but massive amounts of low down torque. Just idling the engine meant it would be producing 370nm of it. Despite the laziness of the engine, and the higher curb weight of the SUV, it still managed to get a 5.7s 0-100. But it sure did handle like a pig. The semi-trailing arm suspension also meant it would have lower carrying capacity, thus a spring and ride height tuning would be required if someone wanted to carry more. But who really cares right? As long as it can carry the amount of people it seats, should be fine since it’s a millionaire’s daily driver anyway. Of course it has captain’s seats-ish style of 4 seats, and the two rear seats lay a bit above the front row seats. The driving dynamics were the last priority for this car, as more focus was given to driving ease and ride comfort.
Vector's Proposal for the Highway Troopers
The Jaeger 032 LHPD Special
The Jaeger. Started with an engine name, then was given to special trims of a car, finally became a car of itself. The 3.2L signature straight 6 was updated for the 1980s, and was meant for larger cars, rather than the Jaeger from the platform known as platform UC-80. But some engineers had the brilliant idea of shoving the big 6 cylinder from a larger sports car into this rather small car, and ended up getting stellar performance. It ended up having great driving dynamics and performance while being sensible in terms of costs. Soon, a V8 version was also proposed. The V8 version managed to get a 0-100 of 4.8s while the straight 6 managed 5.3s. When Letara’s police department required a reliable highway cruiser to catch criminals, the Jaeger was considered as a great candidate. However, a lot of the car had to be changed. The Jaeger engine was detuned, the interior bits were stripped off by a moderate margin, and certain nice parts were replaced with less nice parts to save running costs. This car still managed to get a 0-100 of 6.2s, good enough to catch criminals in their sports cars, as it managed to sustain high speed driving for long time.
