Interesting. By “feasible” I also meant “not adding extra work” which would negate the switch to a single class maybe.
The 225 isn’t particularly fast by 70s standards, the downhill probably helps quite a bit. I suppose an uphill version of the track would reward powerful cars more. Alternating between up and down could then lead to quite different race results…
But I’ll return to that in character.
Unfortunately it’s not as easy as just reversing the track- I’d have to remake the whole thing for an uphill, and that’s not likely to happen in the next few days before lobbying ends. Don’t put too much stock into that touge- running touge racing would be completely different to our racing thus far and would have very different priorities. Not sure cake wants to deal with it all- I know I wouldn’t. It’s essentially just a fun little thing for those of us who watch too much anime enjoy well-handling cars.
Kadinya gripped the steering wheel in the grip she’d been instructed to use by the technicians on staff, the raspy snarling growl of the prototype’s inline 5 engine setting every nerve on edge with a mix of excitement… and a hint of concern.
She pumped the accelerator twice, feeling the AMCW’s new powerplant responding a little less lethargically than her usual experience with the old Minerva she still drove, pulled the gearbox down into Drive, and then floored the accelerator.
20 km/h. 40. 60. 80. 100 km/h. She knew it was a bit over 12 seconds, but it felt like an eternity while on camera as she piloted the AMCW directly at a concrete wall, engine snarling under the load of shoving the test mule for their latest technology toward the inevitable doom awaiting the vehicle.
There, against the wall, were the previous 4 cars she’d crashed on film, back to back. The fifth joined them with a mighty crunch of steel and a heavy muffled thud as the center of the steering wheel opened up like a popcorn kernel left in the heat, a bag blasting out as it filled rapidly with air from the carefully controlled explosion. A millisecond later, Kadinya’s face slammed into it, decelerating her body safely from 100 km/h.
In the crash, her hands had been knocked away from the wheel, but like the previous four times, her specialized grip - thumbs resting on the rim, not tucked inside it - kept her from breaking anything. She pulled the release handle, shouldered the door open, and stepped out of the crumpled AMCW.
Kadinya walked over to the camera and spoke for the world to hear later, to see later, “You have just witnessed me crash five cars back to back at a speed that could kill even me on the highways of Letara. A speed we all travel at because there is no better option. I was saved each time by three things. The first is AMCW’s dedication to safety. Our next generation of cars have three point seat belts, improved crumple zones, and improved structural integrity of the cabin. The second is that I was doing what we all must start doing, I was wearing my seat belt. The new over-the-shoulder seat belt keeps you in place better in a crash so that you don’t smash your face into the steering wheel. The third technology, in our language, is adaki. Directly translated, it’s an “air vessel.” We are calling it an “air-bag.” It is a supplementary restraint system, designed to inflate instantaneously upon impact and further assist in slowing your body down upon impact. After all…” Kadinya smiled, motioning to the cars before finishing with, “It’s not the speed that kills you. It’s the sudden stop at the end. While driving an AMCW, Kasivah, or Minerva equipped with an air-bag system will require you to learn a new grip on your steering wheel, we assure you, lives will be saved if people use both the seat-belt and the air-bag together.”
Once the cameras were no longer rolling, Kadinya sat down in a chair and set a bag of ice on her forehead. “Please tell me I wasn’t bleeding on camera,” she grumbled.
“No, Kadinya, you were fine. We’re a bit surprised, honestly. John made a hell of a mess when he crashed one of the new “Vyrada” test mules at Lerance the other day and the air-bag mashed his nose,” Nathan said, smiling. “Still, a publicity stunt like that should prove that we put our money behind what we preach. We call out for safer cars, and we provide them.”
“And how is John doing?” Kadinya inquired.
“Other than a bloody nose and wounded pride, he’s fine. Honestly, I think he’s far more annoyed that he wrecked one of our three V6 test mules, and the only one with the “Vyrada” system in place. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask…”
“Yes, Nathan?”
“What does “Vyrada” mean?” Nathan inquired.
“In my language? It loosely means “Storm.” But I’m using it more literally, so it is “Violent Wind.” That is what it means,” Kadinya said with a vicious feline smile. “But it is also symbolic. With it, we will reenter the market like a vicious sea storm.”
For some reason, I get the feeling that the violent wind will enter the intake manifold… 
…time will tell.
Fourteen years ago, cars built by the Niichi Motor Company of Japan made their debut in Letara. Ten years ago, the Niichi Motor Company of Letara was established. Four years ago, our first product, the Niichi Dynema line, was released. Our goal has always been to positively impact the lives of the Letaran people. Up until today, we aimed to do this by delivering automobiles that are economical, elegant, and excellent: in those respects I could not be more satisfied.
However, I have always felt that this view of service is limited - though our primary focus will always be on improving our automotive operations, I believe that our company is capable of so much more. Today is the start of a new era for Niichi of Letara - one where our company will take full advantage of the experience and influence it has gained to make Letara a better place to live.
First, on grounds of safety, we call for the lifting of restrictions on aerodynamic devices on consumer vehicles. Excessive lift has been shown in numerous cases to lead to dangerous handling characteristics at speed, posing a danger both to the occupants of the vehicle as well as to people around them.
Second, Niichi of Letara urges the government to consider a 3% tax break for vehicles using ethanol-based fuels. We believe that reducing Letara’s dependence on fossil fuels can only be good for Letara, both economically and ecologically.
Third, and most importantly, Niichi of Letara is breaking ground on a factory to be located in Fiegheni. We believe the best way to serve the people of Letara is to give back as much as we receive - a stronger Letara benefits us all.
Where will we be fourteen years from now? This much I can say for certain - though our company may change, our focus on making a real difference in the lives of Letarans will be unchanged.
Economy. Elegance. Excellence.
The Niichi of Letara Promise
Ichiro Niichi
President, Niichi of Letara
An announcement regarding emissions policy in Letara, and other initiatives.
Having heard much discussion recently on emissions in Letara, and with the 1974 lawmaking season approaching, we felt we wished to add our part to the discussion.
We realize that in the past we haven’t been the most vocal on the matter- other than in joining the charge to phase out lead fuels -but over the past 10 years Aero has been at the forefront of emissions research. Our “Free” model line is, as far as we’ve measured, the least emissive gasoline vehicle on sale in Letara, and among the best in the world. So we already have a fair bit of research and experience to add to the discussion
And from what our experience tells us, the future of emissions reduction is the catalytic converter (or “cat” for short). To those unfamiliar with the technology, the cat is a device fitted to a car’s exhaust, which chemically reacts with said exhaust to break down the harmful chemicals it contains. At the expense of a little extra cost, and slightly reduced power and efficiency, the cat drastically slashes the emissions of a combustion engine.
How drastically? Let’s use our own model, the Free, to illustrate. The original Free in 1964 was already the nation’s least emissive vehicle, with emissions of 2116 emission units on our efficiency-oriented trim (the low pre-cat figure is largely just due to the engine’s exceptionally small size). As part of its 1971 facelift, we added a cat, and emissions plumeted to just 792 units- a %62.6 reduction in emissions!
2 years later, the 1973-model Rhania Hunters managed to contest the original Free in emissions, emitting 2132 units with their I4 models. To repeat: a work-oriented pickup truck managed to rival in emissions what microcars was doing just 3 years prior, thanks largely to its inclusion of a cat! Now imagine if that level of emissions reduction were applied en-masse to the entire auto industry, where the average car emits ~7246 units.
Emissions data provided by the Letaran Government Statistical Bureau.
Now, we want to make it clear that we are NOT proposing a mandate. The technology is still in its infancy, and takes more power/efficiency than some cars (especially utility vehicles) can afford to lose. The cat needs further development before it can be standardized industry-wide. But in order to further this development, we need to test out the technology as much as possible- running it in as many cars as possible, and as many types of car as possible, in as many conditions as possible.
So we propose a tax deduction for all cars which include any catalytic converter. This doesn’t punish manufacturers who understandably can’t or don’t want to try it out yet, while encouraging manufacturers that can support it- especially luxury and sports demographics, which already have an abundance of excess power anyway -to invest in and help improve the technology.
We also wish to clarify that we do not support any additional emissions restrictions to this cat incentive. We don’t want to create a situation similar to the US, where the industry is getting crippled by too many regulations applying at once. Plus, the advantages of a cat are already pretty superb on their own, as we have shown above. We should note that we are fine with other positive tax breaks, just nothing that adds tax or restrictions.
We hope you will join us in pushing for a cat-equipped car incentive, and also for testing and equipping your cars with the device if you are able. Refining this technology will be a huge step in reducing the emissions output of Letara.
While we’re on the subject of the 1974 lawmaking season, we might as well discuss our other, unrelated spending and lobbying ideas.
We will continue to invest heavily in aluminum production, to bring down the cost of aluminum. We value the metal for its lightness and corrosion-resistance, and our eventual goal is to make the cost of aluminum comparable to that of steel someday by improving its infrastructure and distribution.
We are disappointed to see the ideas of requiring double headlights instead of singles, and of banning the third center headlight, are once again on the table. As we have said before and will again, the government has no place regulating a purely-aesthetic aspect of a product’s design. On the subject, we would like to continue to push for requiring side-marker lights, which actually do have a safety benefit.
We would like to petition to remove the service-costs requirement in auto racing. This regulation has kept us from competing in the previous decade, and also doesn’t really make sense in auto racing from a practical standpoint, where cars are built for limited short-term use anyway.
Finally, the way the current 160km/h speed tax-break is written, it only applies to vehicles with a speed limiter- and not vehicles with a natural top speed already lower than that. In our case, our own vehicles were too slow to even be able to equip a limiter at all- so even though we were among the nation’s best-aligned with the tax break’s goals, we did not qualify for the break itself. So we’ll be pushing to have the law rephrased to allow vehicles naturally below the limit to qualify.
The Aero Company.
5-chōme-325 Komaki,
Aichi 485-0041, Japan
+81 568-XX-XXXX
SAETA Official Proposal
Pushing the limits of design
Our alternatives to this nonsense are:
-Tax break for efficient, ethanol-fueled cars- Cars that use clean fuels and achieve 10L/100km (23,5 mpg) or better should get a 10% tax break.
-Allow aero on cars- Aero does not only make race cars go faster around the track, it can also make consumer cars much more efficient at high speeds
-Support a rallycross event- Such an event seems like a less wasteful but equally exciting form of motorsport
In case you’re wondering, setting up a factory for this round and adopting alcohol based fuels is kind of turning this into a GM do Brasil moment anyway, and there is also some tactical shady work going on behind the curtains… this should be read OOC, but I felt that I had to add it to not look stupid. 
Planar History Files: Letara memos vol.3
When Planar first entered the Letaran market, Planar management began sending out “recap” memos to their Letaran dealerships and management to inform them of sales numbers and forthcoming plans.
Here is the third memo, sent out in 1974 after their latest successes in Letara.
What a decade!
Starting off with strong sales and surprising race results, to an internal feud that necessitated a rebrand that was surprisingly successful, it has been a bumper decade for our company.
First off, sales. The final Sportsman model was released largely unopposed in the luxury sedan category and remained that way even after we restyled and re-engineered it as the Danazine. While the sales of the F6S Danazine were below expectations, we realise that that was because of a lack of differentiation between it and the normal F6. Nevertheless, a good reputation with customers, a growing customer base, and a lack of competition until 1970 have meant that sales were well above expectations overall.
The racing, too, was a pleasant surprise. The Letaran racing branch snuck that project under our noses, and I must admit that nobody had much in the way of expectations, but the results were extremely pleasing! More finishes than DNFs, and even a fourth were far beyond what anyone expected of the car and team, and I’m pleased to confirm that we’ll be putting more money into racing than ever before, both internally and with money for the construction of Lerance’s short circuit.
Our government proposal is probably the only sore spot, but with the LWB prototype being delivered to the government, we’ve had multiple expressions of interest in grey market imports of them from our more wealthy customers, so it’s not a total loss.
Looking forward, we can happily announce that we are yet again providing funding for road construction, and will be lobbying for adjustments to the luxury vehicle tax, to make premium cars more affordable, luxury cars more exclusive, and provide a fairer tax system for the aspirational middle class. As for our cars, there are BIG things coming later in the 70’s, and it’s the first project headed from the start by our Advanced Technologies Group, so look forward to a revolution instead of an evolution.
-James Ardent, P&A CEO.
Previous post [read it for a rallycross racing proposal if you haven’t done so yet ]
14 March 1974
Great Exhibition Hall, Lerance, Letara
After the discussion of the rallycross racing proposal, Fedor informed Inna and Rodyn about the Archanan government’s investment decisions into Letara, after reassuring Inna that the Mara assembly plant will be maintained.
“First, they want to give discounts on the new Aljoscha Al-62M long-range passenger aircraft to any Letaran airline. The Al-62M should have plenty of range to connect Letara non-stop to many other countries in the world.”
Inna nodded. “Aljoscha should actually be well known here since we happened to run a racecar with their name on it for the last couple of years.”
Fedor nodded and continued. “They furthermore want to channel additional funds into expanding the Letaran coal industry along with enhancements to the harbour so that they will finally be able to export coal to Archana directly. Moreover, as at least you will be aware of” - Fedor pointed to Rodyn - “our government increasingly is keen on offering cruise ship holidays to our workers. They therefore would also like to see that the Letaran harbour gets the necessary infrastructure for cruise ships to dock. Since it will be a long trip over the sea, the holidaying workers would probably just get one or two days in the country, before they have to head back aboard.”
Inna and Rodyn nodded. Rodyn remembered how fond Fedor and his predecessor Henri Nordhov were of Letara when they all were competing in the cannonball races over twenty years ago. Somehow they must have passed on their fondness to the right people in the Archanan government.
“If we want to establish rallycross, I think we should also contribute at least something to the track construction…”, Inna started.
Fedor shrugged. “It’s nothing the mother company could directly support since it is too far away for us to consider. However, as Comrade Executive Director of Letaran Operations, you have, of course, some leeway whether how you want to re-invest some of the funds that you make here. While appreciated, you do not have to transfer every last Letaran dollar back to us in the motherland…”
With some relief, Inna nodded gratefully.
Ah. No worries lol. Like Kessel’s spokesperson said, to each their own.
You have about 24 hours left to get your spending and lobbying proposals in to the Letaran Government. Spending and lobbying is open until 6:00 AM ET on Sunday, February 12.
Round 4 Spending & Lobby
Swanson investment commitments 1975-1884
5 tokens - maintain factory
1 token Supporting the tourism industry
(ex. tourism board, promoting Letara as a destination (shamelessly plugging the recent(ish) racing successes) in our main markets, rental car service)
1 token Expanding and running the Modred Resort & Casino.
2 token Supporting the Aluminum industry
(alternatively its required infrastructure)
1 token Expanding docks
Swanson lobbying talking points
Modify safety regulations Yes 1 point
Considering development we suggest raising the bar a little (+5 in game)
Mandate amber indicator lights on the front and rear corners of the vehicle: Yes 1
Mandate side indicator lights. Yes 1 point
Allow white glass for indicator lights Yes 2 points
Tighten noise regulations. No 1 point
Keep Letara Loud.
Taxation slight rebalance yes 2 points
Consider balancing taxation so that domestically manufactured cars can benefit from tax breaks. While we enjoy 0% taxation as much as anyone, the safety and material use tax breaks give us no incentive as taxes are a one-way road.
Racing: Consider Rallycross yes 2 point
We are happy to participate in and win any sort of race, but Rallycross seems particularly interesting. Lerance Raceway is a logistically sound base. Perhaps replace the short course with a gravel section, or put it in the upper left as an outside expansion to the short course. Looks like a 60/40-70/30 split.
(OOC: I believe this could be implemented by an extra formula or two in a spreadsheet, by splitting the gross time according to track surface split, calculating times and adding them together, but IDK. If its a PITA the update by Vizzuri is fine.
For later round, a touge/hillclimb/mountain circuit would be interesting. Round 6 Eurobeat intensifies )
Knightwick 1974 market update for Letara
Firstly Knightwick motors is very happy with the continued high sales and reviews of out small standard and premium cars. The gamble of exporting our small van to Letara appears to have paid off as well, we may continue the sales of commercial vehicles in Letara but will wait on further country developments.
We are also very excited to announce the start of construction of a full scale production plant in Letara, from here we will produc 100% of our small cars for sale in Letara and surrounding markets. This will add to our facilities in the UK, Australia and South Africa. Due to this construction we will slow down export vehicles to Letara for the future with Knightwick Letara taking up this vehicle production.
The Knightwick K45 ended production in 1970 after a long and well loved production run. Due to internal changes in Knightwick motors we currently have no full replacement in this size, so exports of the Knightwick Steed 1100 will fill this market along with the large engined Steed models until our full replacement comes online. The early work on this replacement can be seen here at our stand at the Letaran Auto Show.
In our efforts to improve both safety and health of all citizens we are lobbying to mandate the use of side marker lights to all vehicles on Letaran roads. These will consist of an orange reflector forward of the front wheel centres, that also acts as a side indicator repeaters. At the rear of the car is a red reflector aft of the rear wheel centres, this will light up red with the rear lights.
The materials used must be approved in reflectiveness for standardisation of safety.
Here is the example of placement and materials used.
These are the reflective materials that must be used
Our second proposal is the use of catalytic converters on all passenger vehicles in Letara, with the increased popularity of ethanol based fuel the particulate figures in Letara have increased exponentially. Current catalytic converter types cannot adequately capture this particulate emission, but if we invest in the use of catalytic converters now instead of kicking the can down the road to our children we can hasten the development of better three way catalytic converters. Even the use of the two way currently available we can dramtically cut down on carbon monoxide and particulates from unburnt fuel in the air.
Thank you all who have submitted your lobbying and spending items. The Letaran government is now compiling results and building Letera for a new and brighter future. Stay tuned for Rd. 4 Prologue!
With the new years coming in actions, Popas want so introduce the further products of Popas into Letara.
We are proud to announce:
1974 Popas Heavy Industry D-1000.
Planned to move stock from Russia to Letara, materials to the factory, and move products from the factory to other places. To reach does goals, Popas will invest into freight train infrastructure.
The Government of Letara received a good number of lobbyists during the consultation period. Although turnout wasn’t as good as during the last decade, there is still a significant turnout among car companies. Here is a run-down of the results:
The Government once again received a good amount of funds for new road construction, and some funds for road maintenance. With the uptick in the economy, the government will contribute significant funds toward these initiatives.
The aluminium industry also received a large amount of funds. Other industries that received more modest sums were the petrochemical industry, iron/steel industry chain, agriculture. Ethanol production and coal mining received minimal funding, just enough to keep them going at the current level. The government is happy to let these commercial enterprises grow on their own; however, the traditional aluminium industry will receive further incentives from the government.
Air infrastructure received its largest influx of funds yet since the 40s, indicating the changing times. Rail received moderate funding and shipping received a modest amount; both will need additional funding from the government to keep them going or expanding. With large-scale global economic changes and the increase of movement of good and people, the government recognizes that all forms of transport need more investment to grow. Significant funds will be made available to this effect.
Education received overall a good amount of funding, but it was spread wide across various fields. Petrochemical engineering received the most funding, followed by aerodynamics. Electrical engineering and general research/education received modest amounts. Mechanical engineering, materials science, and electrical robotics and computing received minimal funding. With the growing economy, the government also puts forward significant investment into research in the hopes to make Letara a research powerhouse on the global stage.
Investment into car racing dropped since the last decade. All of the funding went toward upgrades or changes at the Lerance Raceway. A modest amount was invested into building the short inner course, a smaller amount was dedicated for a rally-cross type track, and minimal funding was received for layout changes to the long outer track. The government sees the Raceway as the premier showcase for Letata, and recognizes the return on investment here is enormous, so they will put significant funds toward changes at the track to keep it modern and exciting - with that comes some of their own vision of course (more on that later).
Under the “miscellaneous” category here were other funded initiatives. Minor and modest funding toward the maintenance of historical sites and national parks. Some funds for a small anti-alcohol campaign. Minor support for the tourism industry and the Modred Casino. Modest support for delivery/courier services. An ad campaign to support the image of small cars. And some funds toward the brave firefighters of Letara.
This decade lobbying cooled somewhat and was less contentious. In terms of car regulations that affect the aesthetics and safety of a car, more companies voted against dual front beams than for, but neither side was overly enthusiastic. The government will drop this issue for now. The third centre headlight issue received almost no attention, only one company voicing their desire to keep allowing them. These are indeed deemed dangerous as they can lead to blinding of oncoming traffic, or to dangerous situations due to mistaken identity. They will be banned by the government. The indicator issue received more attention: several companies voiced a collectively strong opinion to mandate amber coloured lights, with one adding that clear/white glass should still be allowed as long as the bulb is amber. Fewer than half votes were received to keep the current allowance for red rear indicators. The government agrees with the majority: amber coloured indicators set them apart from other lights and are unambiguous. White cover glass will be allowed, as long as the bulb shines amber. An overwhelming number of votes was received for the implementation of side markers/indicators, with only one company against voicing a small opinion against them. The government will follow the majority vote and mandate side markers/indicators. The third brake light issue received one vote for and one against, indicating that in general companies do not care about this issue one was or another. For now no third brake light will be mandated; there will however be an awareness campaign by the government which might sway consumer desire due to the safety benefit. There was one vote to allow tail and brake lights in the same housing, and on vote to mandate duel reversing lights. With new lighting technology we agree, brake and tail lights can be in the same housing, but two separate bulbs are still necessary. There was a weak vote to mandate double reversing lights. The government agrees, this is indeed both an aesthetically pleasing and safe choice. One company put forward a weak lobby against a mandate to mount rearview mirrors on the door. For now the government will sit tight and gather more data on the safety for fender-mounted mirrors.
In terms of other car regulations that affect the engineering side, one company indicated that they’d like to see catalytic converters mandated on all cars. The government thinks that this technology is very much in its infancy; a full mandate seems premature. Two companies put forward a motion to ban cross-ply tires, but it didn’t seem to be a major priority area. The government still sees a viable and valid use for cross-ply tires; this is an issue that will likely sort itself out due to natural competition pressures. No mandate is necessary. One company pushed strongly to reduce the crash safety standard by 50%, but another company voiced their concerns about safety and wants to raise the standard by 5 points. For now, the crash safety rules seem adequate and no changes are needed. Three companies want to prevent the lowering of noise regulations. The government agrees that the current noise regulations are sufficient to keep the peace on Letaran roads. There was a strong push for introducing emissions standards/limits, and an equally strong push against. At this time the government agrees that a strong push for emissions standards would stifle the car industry; there will be other initiatives taken in an effort to reduce emissions by the worst polluters. The strongest lobby item by far was regarding aerodynamic devices on consumer cars: this item received an overwhelming number of votes in favour of allowing them. The government closely followed the research on these devices and saw them in action on the Raceway in the last decade. They see no reason to outright ban these devices, although reasonable limits do need to be set. Two companies lobbied to extend the tax rebate for the 160km/h limited cars to cars that are naturally slower than this speed. The government agrees, this will be implemented.
Taxes: everyone’s favourite topic. First, there was a large push by one company to introduce a graduated tax based on emissions, and two companies in favour of a tax break for cars with low emissions, and one company for a tax break for cars with high fuel economy. In a similar vein, there was a push for tax incentives for cars with catalytic converters. While the proposals as stated will not be implemented, this is an interesting way to curb emissions and will be considered. One company wants to exempt off-road cars from both future fuel economy and displacement taxes. None of these taxes are on the books currently; utility vehicles might be considered for this kind of exemption, but the government sees no reason to exempt offroad vehicles. Several companies voiced a strong opinion to give tax breaks for cars using E fuels; one company was in favour of adding tax to cars using E fuels. The government sees no reason currently to add taxes or rebates to such cars; the natural fuel price difference and availability is already enough to modulate the market. One company lobbied against both a fuel economy and displacement tax. The government agrees, this is not (anymore/yet?) the time for such measures. One company lobbied very hard for a ‘toy car tax’ - a tax on any non-utility car with only one row of seats - in an attempt to raise prices on sports cars used typically as a second or third car in the household. Despite the strong push, the government sees no reason to implement such a tax; some of the smallest and most affordable city cars only have two seats. In terms of taxes on luxury cars, there was some push to raise the limit to $45k or even $50k, and a minor push to raise the tax % but leave the limit where it is, and a small voice to remove the luxury tax altogether. The government will keep the luxury tax at its current %, and raise the trigger limit slightly to align with today’s realities.
The last major lobby item is about racing. In terms of race location, there was a small push for hillclimb type racing. Without proper (or any) investment by companies, this is currently not feasible. The overwhelming majority voted to keep racing at the Lerance Raceway in one format or another. One company lobbied for ‘more investment’ into the Raceway. The government agrees as they already see the economic benefits of having a flagship race venue and prestigious races in Letara. There was some push for a 24-hour race, a small push for truly crazy supercar racing, but the overwhelming majority of companies voted for some sort of rallycross/mixed surface racing. The government agrees, this is a new global fad and would keep the raceway exciting and relevant for many years to come. There was one company pushing for a minimum weight for the R2 class. The government notes that there is no more R2 class. One company suggests to place a proportional displacement limit and boost limit on cars with turbos. The government will evaluate this proposal and consult their engineers.
First and foremost, the entire country of Letara rejoices as the diplomatic efforts of the past few decades have finally paid off - with dividends! Montelin’s resistance finally crumbled under economic and diplomatic pressures, and they released their hold on the occupied territory that rightfully belonged to Letara. Thus after years of diplomacy, Montelin vacated their last military units and relinquished control to Letara. Part of the deal is that all existing infrastructure, including the airport, sea port, and military base would be untarnished. This is not only a large diplomatic victory for Letara, but also a large economic boon, considerably increasing Letara’s import and export capacity.
Domestically the government, with the aid of large corporations, has been busy upgrading Letara’s main infrastructure lines. The interstate that before only connected Lerance to the Somunds border now also connects to Fiegheni and Somunds. Major interchanges have been upgraded from level crossings to flying interchanges, allowing cars unobstructed and safe movement to their destinations.
Lerance Airport has also been expanded with a longer second runway, a second terminal that can receive larger airplanes, and a zeppelin port. This will significantly increase Letara’s passenger and cargo air capacity. These changes were necessary as more and more diplomats and tourists arrive in Letara on larger and more comfortable airplanes.
With the growing economy business is brisk and office space at a premium, especially in Lerance. With the capital built on a peninsula, there is not much space to expand the city outward, so up it goes! The new buildings tower over the city, their glass facades reflecting the ever-present sunshine. These buildings are truly awe-inspiring and give confidence for the next generation, showing that the way up in the world is… up.
The countryside is also in a boom cycle. As the population grows, farms are making big bucks and expanding into new areas. Brospyne Fields now nearly encroaches on Jawole and Pistano, making these rolling hills a very picturesque scene as the crops slowly wave in the breeze.
TL:DR - With the economic uptick, much has changed. First and foremost, Montelin has ceded the occupied territory to Letara; this gives Letara its second airport and another major shipping port in the far west of the country. Montelin Town is perfectly situated on the seaside to present Letara with a new vacation destination. The aluminium industry is expanding and exports are rising. The rail network has seen further improvements: the line is fully dual track to Portunis now, and electrified all through the country. A new line is under construction toward Fiegheni too. The road network saw major upgrades with an interstate system now connecting Fiegheni, Lerance, and Storia. Many rural roads are in the process of being upgraded from gravel to asphalt, or from dirt to packed gravel. Small villages are becoming more and more connected. In the big cities some high-rises are starting to pop up as office space become more of a premium.
See the Preface of Rd. 4 for a summary how people’s attitudes have changed in the past decade or so. Overall, though, the economy of Letara is in an upswing. Small city cars are becoming equated with ‘cheap’ as there really weren’t any more prestigious offers in the last decade. The family segment is overall a little over-saturated, except for the void in the middle of the premium class. Sports cars are starting to push the boundaries of speed and agility; it is expected that they will not do so at the cost of too much comfort. The utility segment was quite barren last decade; Letarans hunger for true workhorses as well as utility vehicles that could function as family cars if needed. Wagons are seen as pure family workhorses as there were no premium or sporty variants to speak of.
In game, the second round will span from 1975 to 1984 inclusive; models from any of these years are accepted for consumer vehicles.
IRL, this round’s timetable is:
Rules deliberation will be until Feb 14, on which date the round officially opens for submissions. The round closes Feb. 27 @ 21:59 PM EST.
All cars imported into Letara will incur a 20% import tax. All cars assembled in Letara will incur a 10% import tax. Cars fully manufactured in Letara do not pay an import tax. To support the aluminium industry, cars with aluminium parts will receive the following non-cumulative tax breaks: 5% for alu panels, 3% for partial alu panels, 3% for alu engine block, and 2% for alu engine head material. Cars with “advanced '70s safety” or better will receive a tax break of 3%. Cars with a speed limiter set to (or natural speed) 160.0 km/h or less will receive a 2% tax break. To aid the Letaran environment and health: there will be a 5% tax reduction for cars that utilize a catalytic converter. To recoup some costs of these incentives, the Government will keep its tax on frivolous toys that the rich buy: there will be a 5% tax on more luxurious and expensive vehicles (set at $30k pre-adjustment price - i.e., the price you see in the trim tab). Clarification to these: the ‘tax breaks’ are incentives, so apply even if that brings your net tax below 0%.
No other taxes in this era.
For all three categories you will have the following tech pool points:
You are allowed to have less tech pool points, but not more. If you have more, the car will be rejected by the government as a too futuristic and experimental prototype.
The government stipulates that:
You may submit up to three trims of the same model (meaning all settings in the model tab need to be the same for all trims). Participation in other categories is not required. Participation with at least one car in this category this round will allow you to lobby/spend for the next round. Please name the Model of your submissions “LHC - 4C1 - <forum name>'” for the first trim, “LHC - 4C2 - <forum name>” for the second trim, and “LHC - 4C3 - <forum name>” for the third trim. (Please note the spaces between the text and dashes in the naming, it helps me tremendously if you do this diligently. The best way to export your cars is to make all three trims within the same model, and just rename the model between exporting the trims. That way you know that the model settings are all the same, and they all import correctly on my end.)
Letara has significantly expanded its highway system and improved many other roads with better surfacing. The government also forecasts a large jump in car performance in the coming years, surely some breaking speed records. Although there are some stretches on Letaran highways still without speed limits, dangerous driving is outlawed. And there are of course many stretches that do have speed limits. The government will need to enforce these laws, but to do that, they have to catch the criminals first. Therefore, the Government of Letara is putting out its Request for Proposals for a new fleet of highway interceptor vehicles. The proposals must have the following criteria:
You may submit one vehicle in this category. Participation in other categories is not required. Please name the Model of your submission “LHC - 4G - <forum name>”.
After another successful decade of racing at the Lerance Raceway, it is time to switch gears. The Raceway will remain the hear of Letara’s automotive racing spectacle. But, racing will shift to the inner track. And that’s not all: the inner track is dirt! The outer track has also received modifications and upgrades. The middle of sector one is completely redesigned: the cars enter this area though a double-apex 180, slow at the chicane in front of the grand stand, race to a tight hairpin corner, and exit though some flowing bends to the old part of the track. A portion of sector three after the cars come off the middle (dirt) sector is also redesigned with some technical esses before emerging back on the old track and the big sweeping banked corner. The new dirt-covered middle sector has some elevation changes down to the lake and back up to track level, and some technical, twisty corners to contend with. For safety the track has been upgraded with sand traps in strategic locations and Armco barriers where appropriate. A new campground was built around the central lake, allowing all-weekend camping opportunities for fans. Of course all these changes took a few years to complete; after a short hiatus, racing will resume at the Lerance Raceway in 1977!
Race regulations:
A leaderboard for each year of racing will be simulated. Track times are simulated with RNGs, but reliability, comfort, drivability, and offroad stats do help.
Last but not least, I will be participating in this event as well, so you get to “race” yours truly. I will post a proper car showcase in the thread.
You may submit one vehicle in this category. Participation in other categories is not required. Please name the Model of your submission “LHC - 4R - <forum name>”.
The updated track:
Reminder that if you’re submitting your first car, please also register your corporation. At the least tell me where the company is from, but a short lore blurb would be much appreciated - or a link to a lore thread. You will participate in all subsequent rounds with this registered company, so make sure it is the company you want to use for the rest of the playthrough!
Remember, overarching rules are in the OP, so please read that too.
For returning companies, please re-use your LHC DM threads to submit your cars.
A little sneak peek, an advertising campaign in a number of Letaran car magazines in 1982…
(Thanks to @Maverick74 for the car!)
Heya cake, was designing a race car and noticed some odd things about using offroad for racing.
In no particular order:
TL;DR - using offroad for racing has some odd consequences on car design. The optimal race car will most likely be a heavy midsize MR or RR car with very large tires.
What to do? I do have a couple options that can maybe be checked by CSV, and I’m open to any feedback or suggestions from other participants.
Points well taken, thanks for the query and suggestion doot.
You are correct with your assessment of true off-roading (mud bogging and rock crawling) and full on rally cars. However, this is rallycross (or at least something like it), not pure rally. Meaning: it’s super compact dirt with only a very thin layer of loose dust on top. Unless it rains… I’ve done some research into rallycross tires. The FIA only mandates 17" rims (which I’m not going to do for more flexibility an variety) and the amount of groove space in the tread (more than semi-slicks but less than sports tires in my interpretation of automation tires, so I’ll allow all tires). As for width, I found two manufactures that supply pro teams and they offer 215, 225, and 230 widths. So kinda narrow for outright tarmac sports/race cars, but not overly narrow either - somewhere in between rally and on-road race, which makes sense.
Now, back to the challenge. It’s been a lore-thing not to restrict tire size, and I want to continue that tradition. Is it perfect? Heck no. Just like so many other things in automation, it is not a perfect simulation. I think incorporating drivability as a counter to the offroad stat will work well, given that heavier cars, utility gearing, and ultra wide tires tend to result in worse drivability, so it becomes an interesting trade-off. Same with power-to-weight ratio. Too much will hurt both drivability and offroad, so again, a trade-off. So I think that it’s best to just see it as a game and not an attempt to simulate real life to 100% accuracy. In that light, I think there are plenty of interesting choices to be made this round.
As for the locking diff, 100% agree, they are nonsense and will be banned pronto 
Bonus: I found a great way to incorporate weather into the RNG stuff, making drivability an even more important factor than before for both the on- and off-road sections! I’ll add that to the post too.
