ahh, I written down the detailed idea here then just said I was putting down the points for it in DM, without explaining it there, My mistake
Modernization
Kim Heavy Industries proudly presents their Modernization Project.
Left to right: Traveller, Calhav Touring, Harrier, Sparrow, Heron
Kim Heavy Industries proudly presents their Modernization Project.
It all begins in '64 with a new, large, and powerful cruiser: the Heron. Made specially for the American market, it features a powerful V8 and the most exceptional comfort offered by KHI. This is backed by use of sturdy, reliable parts, and KHI’s new aluminum panels. Pictured is the Executive trim, with extremely advanced safety and special features designed for government use.
Following up in 1970 are the high volume models. First is the Sparrow. The lowest cost entry available, the Sparrow features good comfort, good drivability, and of course the KHI aluminum panels. What it also offers is excellent safety. There is no accident you could get into during normal driving that the Sparrow could not protect you from. And don’t let its size fool you: it has shockingly good cargo space and passenger capacity. It is a car that you put your life into and rest assured it’ll reach the end of your journey safely.
But of course, we have the Traveller. It offers everything the Sparrow does, but for a few dollars more, you get the ability to take that security and comfort on any road in Letara… and beyond. The Traveller is shielded from below by a heavy duty skid plate, and features rugged all-terrain tires that, combined with its bigger motor and locking differentials, allow drivers to cross over light to medium offroad obstacles. No longer do you have to fear flooding, road closures, or any other impediment to your ideal vacation on Mount Modred or in the beautiful National Park.
But then we come to 1971. This is KHI’s most unusual entry of the year. Unlike the other vehicles, its aluminum panels are paired to an all-aluminum motor. Unlike the other sports cars on the market, it maintains high standards of safety. Unlike every car you’ve known, it’s fun but still practical: the Harrier.
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New Year, New Levante!
With the new year dawning on Letara, Levante is proud to announce a renewed effort towards our market expansion in Letara, with exciting news about our business restructuring, as well as our model lineup for the coming years!
A New Logo
The more observant of you will notice that our classic logo has undergone some...maquillage. With such a push for change, we felt it was time to let go of our old logo, with a new, fresher one taking it's place. We like to see it as a way to show our commitment to always evolve and look foward, making our cars something you, dear Letarans, can be proud of owning!
ITAL to become part of our family
We are proud of announcing that we have reached an agreement to purchase mass-market carmaker ITAL as of the end of 1964. We are delighted to assure that ITAL will mantain it's own operative freedom, and we belive this alliance of sort will bring enormous benefits to all parties involved, and for you Letarans as well, with new cars coming to Letara's road, with our signature quality as a guarantee!
The all-new Nuova 130
1964 brings exciting news for our flagship "130" model, with the old, ladder based chassis leaving space to a very foward-thinking design, built on a more contemporary unibody chassis. The 6B engine, while similar to his progenitor, is now lighter and smoother without compromising performance.
When we say all-new we mean it: not a single screw is the same than on the old model, and everything has been bettered to offer the distinguished gentlemen uncompromised luxury, wherever he goes. The Nuova 130 is ready to bring a new definition of comfort to Letaran roads! Testing of the car have already started on public roads, and it will soon be aviable in our showrooms! Drive better, Drive Levante!
The Nuova 130, 1964-1974
Our new 130 will recive continue support and improvement throught a 10 year long span, as for our current planning. The high performance SuperTurismo model will join the family in 1968, with a complete restyle of the 130 scheduled for 1970
(Yes, that is a faithful Letaran flag, and yes, it was a pain in the ass to make)
130 SuperTurismo
With styling cues taken from american Muscle Cars, and our first ever production V12, The 130 SuperTurismo promises sportiness and luxury in a for-four package like nothing before. It’s raw fury bottled in a luxurious, refined package, able to deliver smooth drive, or pure muscle on his fortunate owners command! A refined luxury coupe for the very few lucky to catch the limited-production run before it goes sold out!
130 Iniezione
The logical evolution of the '64 model, the '70 model adds an updated but still distinguisable look to the 130, and the new LIMA mechanical ingection to our B6 engine, for better power and fuel economy. Add all-around disk brakes for the first time on a 130, and you get an even more sublime package, and a worthy upgrade for the 130 legacy
130 Diplomat
(Yes, that is a faithful Letaran flag, and yes, it was a pain in the ass to make)
We have so much faith in our improved 130, that we are looking into turning it into a diplomatic shuttle for the Letaran Government! Featuring an added phonograph and some “upgrades” such as anti-blast plates on the underbody, all-around armored panels, and bulletproof glass, under the skin it’s the same old 130 you all folks drive everyday. Because a true government vehicle doesn’t need to look like a giant target, but more like a car that the everyday citizen can drive. That, is true rappresentation!
The Levante line-up
From left to right: Tipo 120, Grifo GTS, GranMilano SuperAmerica, Nuova 130, 130 SuperTurismo, 120 SC
Drive better, Drive Levante
1964 Levante Automobili, all rights reserved.
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Mayland Motors Press Publishing Department
Mayland Specialized Vehicles Reveals the New Diplomatic Car for Letara
October 17th, 1969
With autumn upon us, we here at Mayland are excited to reveal the new Ambassador, our proposal for a Letaran diplomatic transport. Over the past 5 years, from the moment the executive board received the letter, Mayland Motors in coalition with our newly formed subsidiary Mayland Specialized Vehicles, has been developing and refining what would become the Ambassador. It was an immense feat, but against all odds, we succeeded in making a formidable automobile.
Prototypes I, VI, and VIII wait patiently outside the Mayland factory near Salem, MA.
Based on an enlarged, custom made, unibody frame, somewhat derived from our sports vehicles. The Ambassador will be safer and stronger than any similar sized body-on-frame automobile. Not only that, bullet proof glass and armor plating are installed at the factory, on the underside is a 2 and a quarter inch thick titanium alloy plate, capable of shrugging off explosions from even the largest IEDs. To shift this added weight however, the Ambassador is fitted a larger, new generation 6.8L V8 engine producing 270 horsepower and 468nm of torque, fitted with a dual carburetor setup to provide the power needed to move the vehicle. Fuel economy is likely to garner negative attention, however, the engine can run 91 RON unleaded fuel to somewhat mitigate the costs incurred by fuel consumption.
The suspension on the other hand, fitted to two of the eight completed prototypes, is a self leveling hydraulic system, designed to give increased comfort and better control for the driver, but it is unknown whether this system will be used on production models, as testing is still yet to be completed.
Now, after reading all of this, you may ask yourself, why did we start from the ground up? Well, we feel that building a vehicle for the purpose it’s meant to serve from the factory, minimizes the amount of time it takes to armor an already existing vehicle. It’s company philosophy to make the right tool for the right job, and with the Mayland Ambassador, it is no different. What we are trying to say is that the car is completely bespoke, in both it’s engineering and design and if any government chooses this vehicle for transportation of their people, Mayland Motors and MSV, Mayland Specialized Vehicles, will continue production and support for the Ambassador until it is rendered obsolete by more modern vehicles.
Stay tuned for more information, as we prepare to send the very first production example to the Letaran government in the coming months.
(ooc: I hope this isn’t seen as unrelated, given the past incidents. Oh, and @cake_ape, I am going to be registering MSV as a subsidiary in the DM when I finish tuning the car, expect no later than tomorrow afternoon if life doesn’t get in the way.)
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Mara goes Letara, Ep. 3-4: More of the same?
After a short break, the meeting of Mara’s comrade directors resumed. This time they were joined by Rodyn Gumprov who had been the engineer in charge of developing the Irena which had been released in the previous year, albeit only with 1.3 litre engines that dated back to the 1940s.
Henri Nordhov, Mara’s comrade executive director, read the next agenda item out loud and added. “Let’s keep this short - is there anything keeping us from selling Irenas next year with the new Perspekt 2.0 litre engines in Letara as well, now that we are gearing up for full production?”
Letara consumer cars line-up decisions
“No objections from my end”, answered Yenna Bielicki, the lead engineer for the Perspekt engine development. “Next year, we should be ready to deliver… and ship… plenty of engines.”
“No objections from my end either.” That was Inna Horyova, head of the Letaran operations including assembly plant. “We have ample space in the assembly plant to assemble two different types of engines.”
Alexandra Koroleva chimed in as comrade director for sales. “The Irenas had good market acceptance in their debut year, even with the smaller engines. With the Letaran economy slowly recovering, an improved product line-up will certainly be appreciated by the Letarans.”
Rodyn also had to add his two cents. “And we can even sell a bit cheaper if we want to due to what we learned in terms of reengineering some parts of the car for production efficiency based on techpool changes.” He paused. “By the way, there will be a few more minor changes for the next year such as a reverse light and the now mandatory radio for the panel van as well.” There was a recent legislation in Archana that all new passenger cars needed to have a radio, and that the radios had to be pre-tuned to the Archanan state broadcasting service upon delivery to customers. “Some minor exterior changes, too, but nothing major.”
Alexandra thought for a second. “Then let’s continue the existing Letara model line-up - sedan, wagon, van. With 2 litre engines for sedan and wagon but let’s keep the 1.3 for the van. It’s mostly used in the cities, and will be cheaper to sell and to run for the commercial owners. And yes, we will pass on the efficiency gains to lower the sales price for all three models even further.”
Henri Nordhov, Fedor Piechov and Inna Horyova all made notes. Inna thought that they could even re-use some of last year’s promo shots.
One of the now re-usable Irena promotion shots from last year (all shots with the rear visible will have to be re-done due to the missing reverse lights)
“And don’t forget to ship the car with the more square-ish front licence plate holders you use… in Fruinia, right? They now standardised the Letaran licence plate format.” That was Inna again. “And fun fact, with the recently changed Letaran safety legislation, the Tovarysh would now actually be legal to sell again - as Companion - as the Letaran regulations for smaller cars are now on par with the Fruinian legislation.” She paused. “But we don’t have the space in the assembly plant to build two different car models.”
Henri and Fedor both shook her heads at the Letaran governments’ back-and-forth with their safety regulations.
“And we might even run into capacity issues for that”, Alexandra added. “Sales in Fruinia are quite good, and we even needed to expand the Tovarysh factory to cope with the sales increase once the Tov was certified for the Fruinian market, and quite well received.”
Henri agreed. “Yes, let’s focus on our newest model for Letara. I’ll leave it to you to work out sales projections for the Irena for next year and adjust the production accordingly.” He paused. “I heard, the Letaran government is seeking proposals again - what is it this time?”
“A big representative sedan for their diplomatic service”, answered Inna. “But that’s not part of our current line-up.”
“Indeed, that’s not our assigned area responsibility at the moment”, Henri replied. “And while the Irena is indeed introduced for certain state services… it’s hardly for representative purposes.”
To Henri’s right, Fedor got thinking about a larger sedan, however. “Not yet our area”, Fedor mumbled to himself. He started doodling on the back of the piece of paper with the meeting agenda on it. Due to this he almost missed that the discussion switched to planning their Letaran racing engagements…
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Knightwick Letaran Consumer Catalogue for 1964-
Knightwick K45 city/small family car
Designed to replace the somewhat aging Dragonfly, the K45 was originally launched in the UK in 1960 with exports to Letara starting in 1964.
The K45 was built on a fully unibody construction with independent front and rear suspension. Drive was still using the same engine and transmission as the Dragonfly so there is no problems with Letaran mechanics having to learn anything new.
Like all Knightwick models the K45 now runs on E10 ethanol fuel and uses modern safe radial tyres.
Body styles available are a 3 door hatchback or 3 door wagon as shown here. A commercial van based on the wagon is also sold.
Knightwick K45 1100
The starter model of the K45 is the 1100 using the venerable Knightwick “A” engine now tuned to run on clean E10 ethanol fuel, power is 47bhp@5000rpm meaning plenty of power for freeway drives to visit the natural beauty of Letara
Running costs are always on everyone’s minds when purchasing a new car and the K45 helps by using low rolling resistance tyres and an engine tuned for economy without sacrificing power. Sturdy drum brakes are used all round and the longitudinal engine makes for easy servicing.
Standard interior specifications are vinyl seats and door card facings, a single speaker AM radio, lockable glove box and a two speed heater.
Knightwick K45 Courier van
For lightweight delivery and work roles the K45 courier offers the fun driving capability of the car with great load capacity.
Because low speed accidents can always happen the chrome bumpers of the car model have been replaced with painted metal with built in rubber strips, and the over riders have been made larger to cover more of the front end.
The engine has been tuned for lower fuel usage and servicing costs without losing too much power, still producing 44bhp@4800rpm. Some other changes include the gearbox having a lower final drive to help start off fully laden, and a sturdier tyre type
For the courier hard wearing vinyl floor coverings replace the carpets on the car model. The radio is also an option, the two speed heater is standard equipment still however.
Knightwick K45 1275 Crown
The top of the line K45 was launched in 1968 as the “crown” model offering a larger 1275cc engine with 58bhp@5500rpmm, engine efficiency is still good and a quieter exhaust is used for a more comfortable experience.
The front end of the “crown” has had an upgrade with an imposing chrome grille taking pride of place with inset driving lamps either side. Other small changes include mirrors now being placed more conveniently on the doors and small side repeater indicators placed on the front wings. The tailgate of this refreshed model has been converted to a single lift up style as previously only used on the Courier.
Crown specific upgrades also comprise of higher quality wider tyres for a better drive and a first on the K45 is front disc brakes offering much more capable braking with a much more consistent fade resistance.
The interior of the Crown has also had a thorough upgrade with full leather seats front and rear and much of the dashboard and door cappings are now made from solid walnut wood. As a sporting touch the steering wheel and gear knob are also walnut now. For rear passengers walnut tray tables fold down from the front seats and an arm rest with cup holders is also fitted.
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Zephorus Autos
Deagle – 1964 Edition
Trims Offered
Standard 3.6
150 7.2
Convertible 3.6
Available in select colours
Or made to order
These cars are not a real product of any manufacturer, any likeness or other similarities to real brands is purely coincidence.
Shitty photoshop is my passion
Sicily Red
Montasio Yellow
Marble
Dusk Blue
Wheel Specifications
Mag 5
Classico
Mag 5
Classico
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KESSEL RACING
1964 Kessel 250 KO
With Kessel placing podium finishes in the previous years of Lerance racing (leading to a rather successful tortoise-versus-hare ad campaign), execs decided to invest heavily in an expanded racing program. The result is the Kessel 250 KO, an all aluminum, V8 race car that is purpose-built for Lerance’s Touring (R2) circuit. Kessel’s #8 car (shown) also sports a yellow paint scheme with pale blue bonnet and wheels, drawing from the colors of Letara’s flag.
KESSEL LINEUP 1965
Kessel K-20
The K-20 is back, and it’s not merely for show anymore. Now a capable delivery vehicle that businesses can actually purchase, the K-20 offers impressive load capacity and cargo volume for a minimal price.
Kessel Sperling Tradesman and Sperling A/M
The Kessel Sperling has grown a few inches (though wheelbase is still slightly smaller than a new 1965 Ford Mustang). This gives the Sperling line more comfort and utility. The top-of-the-line A/M (shown) also sports 4-wheel-drive with locking differentials and a smooth, powerful 3.3 liter inline 6. The Sperling Tradesman features a torquey 2.2 liter inline 4 for improved efficiency at a lower price.
KESSEL GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL 1970
Kessel Entourage
Borrowing a full-sized frame from new business partners Armor Motors, Kessel is proud to introduce the Entourage sedan for the Letaran government’s consideration. Kessel has personally engineered this to be the most comfortable car we have ever built.
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If R2 cars have to be “road legal”, does that mean that they also need to have less than 55 loudness?
correct
The Rhania Guardian:
For the government, we have decided to make the most comfortable experience for diplomats at a comfort rating of 63. This may not seem important as compared to fuel economy or purchase price, but imagine a diplomat in an uncomfortable hatchback; they would be sore and less likely to compromise with Letarian officials as they would question its offerings to their stay.
Out fuel economy is at a stable 10.5 MPG which is 22.4L/100km which may seem like a low offering until you see that it weighs approximately 4600 pounds which is really heavy with the premium interior and luxury 8track player we installed in the van. This van also seats 6 comfortably which has a greater importance than being able to transport 4 with guards or other important figures. The inside of the vehicles is rated at 10,600 liters worth of space which would allow for a roomy interior which helps with those with claustraphonia.
The van is rated at 63 safety with the addition of run flat tires, bullet proof windows that can withstand a firefight that may oppose a diplomant through terroristic means.
The service cost is at a low of $1006, which helps to upkeep these vehicles.
The Rhania Ralcon-R
For the R1 racing class, we have made what’s possibly our first attempt at a dedicated race car instead of reusing the unsold government vehicles as race cars.
This racecar is fitted with a 4.5L I6 that pushes 428 horsepower that propels this to a top speed of 186 MPH and a 0-60 of 5.43 seconds. The car weighs at 2200 pounds and gains a mileage of 12.3 MPG which is 19.1L/100km which would help this to get an edge over the competition with less fuel stops need to keep this thing going, also this uses E100 as its fuel.
This year, we have accumulated tons of sponsors on this car(at a very low price of $50) and so that’s why we have lots of sponsors on the race car.
Another thing to state how the race car can make around the Lerance race track in 4:57 which is quite fast for a track with lots of curves.
The Hunters From Rhania Return
You may remember the other 2; The Type-S and Type-T which they have both been improved to make more power and speed.
The thing that is new is the the Type-C of which it has all the bells and whistles that a normal off-roader has. This however is also a fast luxury cruiser with a luxury 8track inside and a 5L V8 that pushed 316 HP which propels this off-roader to a top speed of 140 MPH and a 0-60 in 6.43 seconds. This is a great one to use on and off-road.
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Mara goes Letara, Ep. 3-5: Racing a state secret?
Inna Horoyova opens the next topic of the meeting. “And finally, we can think about officially entering the racing circuit over there in Letara again - if we want to - since the Irena is now well established in the local market. The Perspekt engine’s maximum displacement would have fit well into the previous 2.5 litre formula - which we lobbied for - but now they have decided to go for a horsepower cap instead: 250.”
“What’s that in kilowatt again?” asks Fedor with disdain.
Yenna Bielicki answers, as she had expected such a reaction from Fedor. “186.4. And that means, we have to race…” She suddenly interrupts herself. “I suspect everyone in this room has sufficient security clearance?”
Deciding on Letaran racing engagements
Henri makes a jovial gesture. “Even if not, we are among comrades here.” He winks.
Reassured, Yenna continues. “As… most of you will be aware of, we did not only develop a new inline 4 engine for the Irena, but also a V8 by essentially combining two of the I4 engine blocks. However, the V8 engine will only be available for use in the Irena interceptor models for government use and not be sold to the public.”
The Irena Interceptor - noticeable (or less so) due to even less shiny things on it, except for the heavy duty front bumper
As lead development engineer for the Irena, Rodyn remembers the deceptively simple interceptor brief that luckily came up rather early in the Irena’s development cycle: On the basis of the regular Irena sedan, develop a trim that is 1) able to reach 200 kph (instead of a mere 140) on the newly built Maryaskaya highway, 2) durable enough for longer missions and 3) also controllable enough that uninitiated - or briefly initiated - agents could control the car in an inner city pursuit. A side constraint of course was to keep the development expenses low - which essentially limited the bigger changes to a new engine and corresponding gearbox to withstand the extra power and torque.
Rodyn regarded the first requirement to be mostly a political statement, as there were only very few cars and even less roads in Archana where you could (or wanted to) come close to such speeds. Even in their final tests on the (closed) Maryaskaya highway, they only managed to reach 200 kph at the very end of the longest straight stretch of the highway after some very confident driving through the sweeping bends before. But, they did it, and that was all that counted for the final signoff…
The new engine that enabled this was developed under Yenna’s supervision alongside the Perspekt I4 and called the Blyz (twin). While it did perform the 200kph task after some tuning, a remaining challenge remained a tendency to overheat due to substantially higher cooling requirements compared to the mundane Perspekt I4. Rodyn’s job had been to oversee that the rest of the interceptor trim - especially the handling - could cope with 2.5 times the engine power output without costly changes.
Yenna continues. “It should not be impossible to tune the 4.0 V8 interceptor engine from 150 hp to 250 hp… and if not, it’s in any case the only engine that we have to be remotely capable of reaching such power outputs.”
Fedor looks to Yenna, Rodyn and finally Henri. “I personally am certainly all in favour of such an endeavour. It sounds like a good engineering challenge, but it also needs to be successful, of course.”
Henri agrees. “Letara has always been a good spot for racing our cars, so we should definitely be present over there. However…” He now addresses Yenna and Rodyn. “You will have the same restrictions as for the interceptor project. No big redevelopments, no costly changes.”
Yenna and Rodyn exchange understanding glances, in a shared sense of deja vu. After some initial challenges, they had learned during the interceptor project how to work together effectively as engine and car development engineers and to appreciate the need to strike a balance between the sometimes conflicting needs for engine and car engineering under extant constraints.
Inna has another suggestion. “We can also think about contacting the lone Letaran privateer racer who had rebuilt Henri’s Tov prototype a couple of years ago into a race car for the previous racing series over there. He certainly has the best knowledge of the racing track of everyone we have access to.”
Rodyn agrees. “That’d be helpful - so we can design the car specifically for the track.”
“… and the engine as well”, adds Yenna.
Fedor has some final words for her. “Yenna, if you can pull this off, going from 150 to 250 horsepower with the Blyz, that’ll be an impressive achievement - especially after bringing in the Perspekt I4 and Blyz V8 projects under budget and that with a - quite overengineered - engine block to boot.” He raises his hand after he sees Yenna make some defensive reaction. “That was no criticism. The base block - or blocks, rather - should serve us well for quite a few years and evolutions.”
If Fedor had only realised at the time how much more prophetic these words were than he intended…
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Well, I was worried my PC dying would cause me to miss the round, but thankfully it got fixed.
Walkenhorst 00 series
1966 Walkenhorst 2000 SPRT
Due to the Failure of the 5p3 to sell within Letara, Walkenhorst conducted a feasability study, and found a smaller, lighter, and more affordable car for a wider market would benefit the company more. With this, Walkenhorst developed the 00 series to enter production in 1966. Three models were presented for sale in Letara, the 1500 STND, 1600 PREM, and 2000 SPRT.
1966 Walkenhorst 1500 STND
All three models come with the B10 series inline 4 in different configurations. The 1500 STND comes with a 1.5L Inline 4 making 69hp. The 1600 PREM comes with a 1.6L Inline 4 making 72hp. The 2000 SPRT comes with a performance tuned 2L Inline 4 making 128hp, featuring the first use of Fuel Injection in a Walkenhorst Automobile.
1966 Walkenhorst 1600 PREM
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PEAK BENETSCH - The Opulent Kralewitsch Model Line
Due for a model refresh in the mid-1960s, Benetsch made a couple significant changes to the cars in its model line. All cars received a contemporary, forward-thinking body design, but it was the top of the range - the Benetsch Kralewitsch - that was changed most drastically. Benetsch’s last remaining aluminum-bodied car received new wishbone front suspension, hidden headlamps, a radical rear-end design with huge faux vents and tower taillights, and - crucially - a 6-inch lengthening of the wheelbase to bring it on par with American full-size sedans in length and legroom.
The resulting product was beautiful to some and grotesque to others, but imposing to all. It would surprise the casual reader, then, to learn that the vehicle was powered by a mere 3.8-liter aluminum V8, came standard with bench seats (if very good ones) , and couldn’t play your records. Indeed, it seemed that beyond the opulent visage lay a more or less reasonable design, which - barring the handbuilt aluminum coachwork - offered just the regular luxury package that most other cars its size did. Thing is, Benetsch was just getting started.
Benetsch used the platform to provide specialized products for those with the means to buy them. There were many option packages from the beginning of production; this base model is provided for review here because it was the thing you’d buy if “just getting a Kralewitsch, any Kralewitsch” represented the height of your ambition.
The most transformative package one could get at first was the Benetsch Lerance - yep, this 2-door version got its own model name. Lerance was considered the GT of the range, starting out with a 5.1 engine and regularly available - unlike the sedan - with a heavy-duty 4-speed manual. You also got an even more extreme rear-end treatment with flying buttresses. But the regular Lerances never mattered particularly much, whether you got them with a hot cam or not: It was a super-special version of the car that really stood out.
The Lerance 8000ZR was a low-volume option package with just one major difference from the regular Lerance: an 8-liter V8 from the brand’s race car. It exceeded the race engine’s cubes, as a matter of fact, but was tuned down to be streetable. Developing in excess of 370 hp and utilizing the whole extent of that 4-speed gearbox, the big V8 pushed the 8000ZR to a top speed of 168 mph. And yes, we’re still talking about a car that measured significantly larger than 5 meters. Comfort was maintained at acceptable levels with a 4-seat plus center console configuration and, after 1970, a standard-equipment 8-track.
The superfast 8-liter monster was mostly made for Benetsch’s PR and prestige, as well as to properly commemorate their successes at Lerance Raceway. For more consistent rich-dude consumption, Benetsch produced a very different beast: The stunning, vinyl-roofed Kralewitsch Imperator.
While built on the same chassis as the regular car and sharing a model name, this was a breakthrough car for the brand. Apart from such comforts as a crushed velour hand-made interior, a high-quality 8-track player and a standard 5.1 V8, the Imperator featured a full-vehicle hydraulic system supplying power to the car’s two self-popping trunks, power windows, power seats, power steering and self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension. See, ‘Imperator’ was used in its original meaning: one who controls, and this vehicle gave the occupants easy, push-button control over all of its important functions. The car also featured larger, cushier wheels and standard individual seating. All this contributed to the car’s eye-watering pre-tax cost of exactly AM$50,000.
This quartet of love seats on wheels would remain Benetsch’s most wonderfully overengineered vehicles for years. The Soresian Royal Family even had several. But, even with the recovering Letaran economy, would anybody on the peninsular nation dare to opt for the most luxurious rear-engined cruiser there ever was? Only time would tell.
One thing was for certain: You wouldn’t be able to shut up about Benetsch or let them slip out of sight in this, the turn-of-decade era.
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Torshalla's Letaran History for the 1960's
Where we left off from round two
In hindsight, Torshalla’s decision to release a luxury car in the mist of a deepening rescission was likely a poor choice. But no one can predict the future. At any rate, the Naktergal lineup proved to at least be profitable despite it’s modest sales. And with the Griffin’s strong showings at at the racetrack, with several podium finishes, helped bring people into the showrooms. A detuned street version of the Griffin went into production the year after it’s racing debut and also brought in some much needed capital to the company.
This allowed Torshalla to fund the construction of an assembly plant in Letara, and with it the hope of producing more automobiles.The first order of business was working on a replacement for the subcompact Poesy.
Introducing the Kattunge
It was no secret that a new car to replace the now 20 year old Poesy was needed. But with a limited budget, many mechanical components were carried over. The new car, called the Kattunge, featured the same basic chassis layout, a monoque with double wishbones up front and a solid axle with coils out back. A 1.6 litre overhead cam boxer four with an alloy head, developed from the mill powering the Griffin sports car, supplies power to the front wheels via a four speed manual transmission. Designed for economy and reliability, it makes 61 horsepower and 80 ft-lbs of torque. The new hatchback bodystyle helps increase practicality, while the premium interior with AM radio provide adequate comfort. Available in several colors, the 1964 Kattunge starts at $14840 after taxes.
Torshalla Industrial joins the consumer market
That same year, Torshalla’s subsidiary, Torshalla Industrial (now known as TIV) debut the Mungo cargo van. It utilizes most of the chassis and body components as the Kattunge for simplier construction, but differs greatly in it’s mechanicals. A TIV developed, 70hp two litre pushrod inline four sends power to the rear wheels. With nearly 2,500 litres of cargo volume and good reliability, it should prove well suited for inner city delieveries. Prices start at $12,508.
Torshalla goes turbo
To better align with the styling cues seen on the new third generation Naktergal (see government limo for a more in depth look), the Kattunge received a facelift in 1972 with a sleeker front end, blacked out trim, and revised bumpers. For a new sports oriented model to come out in '74, the 1.6l boxer four was given a new boost on life. Advances in technology allowed the engine to be fitted with a turbocharger, the first seen the the Letaran market. Coupled with a new mechanical fuel injection system, a massive increase in power was achieved. At 8.7 psi of boost, output is 117hp and 137 lb-ft of torque. This allows the lightweight hatchback to reach 113mph while also returning 25mpg.
To add to the sportiness on the 1600 Turbo, a new rack and pinion steering rack, alloy wheels, and a 8 track cassette player, and a stripe package are added as standard equipment. Prices start at $17,914 after taxes.
Proposal for the Diplomatic Corps
The larger Torshalla Naktergal sedan saw a replacement in 1962, with the Mk III debuting in 1970. The luxurious sedan is powered by a smooth 3.4 litre OHC boxer 6, routing 137hp and 186ft-lbs of torque to the front wheels, as custom with Torshalla’s lineup. Double wishbones front and rear allow a good compromise between handling and comfort. The corps limo features a luxury four seater layout with AM radio, metallic silver paint with a black vinyl roof, white wall tires, power steering, locks, and windows, and a 3 speed automatic. Pre tax cost comes to $27,000.
Torshalla returns to Lerance Raceway
Given the success of the Griffin at Lerance Raceway in the early 60’s, it was only logical to follow it up again in 1964. An all new monoque chassis with aluminum body was developed, featuring independent suspension all around with power going to the rear wheels. The larger six cylinder engine from the Naktergal seemed a better fix than the smaller four of the previous car. Displacing 3.2 litres and fitted with new dual overhead cam, four valve cylinder heads, and twin DCOE carburetors, it makes 250 horsepower and 205 ft-lbs of torque. Thanks to it’s light 2118lb weight, excellent aerodynamics, sticky sport tires, and 170mph top speed, it is rumored to lap Lerance in under 5:17.
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I see what you did there…
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
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
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. 
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… 
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