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

[cake_ape]

Rd. 1 RESULTS

Chapter 4: Consumer segment 1946-1954: city cars

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The first review of the state of the Letaran car market will focus on the smaller cars you’ll see on the road, generally considered city cars. Due to their small size they are considered well suited for inner city driving, but some may be comfortable enough for longer road trips too. Despite their size they are practical enough for the whole family with two rows of seating - but legroom might be a bit of an issue. Luggage space is also at a premium in this segment. As you’ll see this segment cover a wide range of budgets and tastes. And as always, car categories are a little subjective with fuzzy lines separating them, so some of these city car offerings would also fit in other categories.

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CITY BUDGET

Left to right: Mara Companion 1.3SK @AndiD, ITAL Prima 80B, ITAL Prima 100B @TanksAreTryhards, and Mitsushita T-SA 1000 @conan.

In this segment you’ll find some of the smallest and cheapest (purchase price only) cars in Letara. If you’re an inner city dweller on a budget, look no further! But are they actually any good? Are they popular?

Introduced in 1947, the Mitsushita faced some tough competition in the Anhultz 1000 R1, which had been on the market for a year already, was larger, and although a little bit more expensive to buy, actually cheaper to maintain (more on the Anhultz in a later edition). However, it did undercut the city car offerings by Aero, Kolondra, and Stellar in purchase price - but lost out to Aero in long term upkeep. At this time, it was the only city car with independent rear suspension, and except for the more premium Stellar 21-80 Convertible, it was the only one with four manual gears - so it could be said that this car was a true innovator in the field. With its IRS, standard interior, slightly larger size and full size rear bench seating, it was remarkably comfortable too. Due to its slow speed it remained firmly a city dweller just like many of its brethren. In its initial year of sales the economy seemed to be on an upswing, so it was not an immediate hit, but as the economy tightened in the next few years, many Letarans appreciated the value this little car offered at the time of its release, but sales faltered a little after the release of the Ital cars…

Two rivals came on the market in 1949: the Ital Prima 80B and the Ital Prima 100B. With their dimunitive size, these cars followed in the footsteps of the Aero cars in the “micro” segment. Both the Ital cars are remarkably cheap to buy and maintain (in fact, only the Anhultz 1000 cars are cheaper in the long run than these). With their size and foldable rear bench, these are by no means comfortable, but they are very practical indeed. The 100B has a little bit more power, a little bit more pep, and is a little bit more fun to drive, and offers a little bit more advanced technology (e.g. 4-spd manual gearbox in the 100B compared to the 80B’s 3-spd box). When they were introduced in 1949 the economy started its downturn, so people were indeed looking for cheaper (cheapest) solutions, and these cars delivered. The 80B was the answer for those who lost it all… and the 100B for those who still had a little bit left, or were willing to give up a meal or two to own a slightly more capable car. As the economy continued to plummet, sales remained strong for the Ital cars through the early 1950s.

1950 saw the introduction of the cheapest city car ever on offer in Letara: the Mara Companion 1.3 SK. This car could be yours for the low low price of $9000; that is $156 cheaper than its nearest rival, the Ital 80B. You still got a remarkable amount for this price: 5 standard seats and a 1.3L engine (compared to the 0.8-1L offering in the other cars thus far discussed). It had pretty decent performance too, and was very easy to drive. Comfort was not that great, but who could be too upset about that at this price point? The Mara saw immediate high sales upon its introduction, as cash-strapped city dwellers saw an opportunity to buy were blinded by a cheap car that actually had the chops for a trip across the country. Sales were probably also bolstered by Mara’s participation in the Portunis Cannonball Run. However, sales waned and then tanked after consumers found out that this car is actually relatively expensive to maintain and the larger engine drinks more fuel on those long trips out of the city. Not everyone can afford to pretend to be in the Cannonball…

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CITY STANDARD

Left to right: Aero Move Coupe, Aero Move Wagon @Edsel, Kolondra 1400 @MrdjaNikolen, Stellar 13-46 TDS, Stellar 13-46 FDS @donutsnail, Mitsushita T-SA 1500 L @conan, Swanson 112B @Ludvig, Kamaka Chief Sedan Deluxe @LS_Swapped_Rx-7, and Swanson 117GW.

Next up is a group of nine city cars that - based on their purchase price - should offer “more” than the budget cars. Let’s see how they did…

The majority of the city standard category was populated by cars released in 1946, so in essence these five defined the city car category. First we’ll look at the Aero cars, which are undoubtedly the cutest cars on Letaran roads. They have a minuscule 1.8 m wheelbase, putting the micro in micro car. With only four seats - the rear seats being jump seats to boot - these cars really embrace their small proportions. Perfect for even the tiniest parking spot in the city centres, they are ideal for zooming around the tight streets. With a top speed that doesn’t approach 100 km/h, these are true city dwellers. So with the diminutive size, basic interior, and lacklustre performance, you might ask, why are these so expensive (expensive used in a relative sense of course). Well, great care has gone into manufacturing them. They have a galvanized chassis and aluminium panels, which is a first so far. Their upkeep is cheap too, making them among the cheapest cars in the long run. And they are frankly just fun to drive, especially the Move Coupe! Despite the Aero not being comfortable, just by their sheer cuteness they attracted a small cult following. The Move Wagon saw fairly low sales because its value proposition was just not up to par with the cheaper budget offerings, but the Move Coupe, with its fun driving character sold much better, especially after the year-after-year reliability showcase put on by Aero in the Portunis Cannonball Run.

With the Kolondra we’re stepping up just a tiny bit in initial purchase price, but the upkeep costs of this car are significantly higher. This car seems to have a little bit of an identity crisis, which didn’t go unnoticed by Letarans. It has what appears to be an eco 1.4L engine with 36 HP, but it has tubular race headers (which the government immediately mandated to be swapped, raising the car’s purchase price and hassle for consumers). Then for a city car, it has an offroad skid tray, but no other offroad aspirations whatsoever - in fact the Aero cars have higher offroad capability. The build quality also seems to be a little sub-par with giant panel gaps here and there, not to mention the terrible brakes that not only don’t grip, but also send the car into a terrible spin - if they haven’t caught fire before yet. It was just a too confusing car and the mandatory header swap was a little much for many Letarans to deal with, so the Kolondra never became a strong seller.

Stepping up price a little bit more, we come to the two Stellar offerings: a two-door and a four-door trim of the same car. These cars are the cheapest city cars with a premium interior and Premium radio (these cars are the first so far with any radio); the two-door with 2/2 seating and the four-door with two benches. At this (or well… any) price point, no other car can beat these in terms of comfort - the only more comfortable offering is the third Stellar - the convertible. It is truly impressive how comfortable these cars are, even beating many larger family and premium family sedans. What is the downside you might ask? Well, upkeep isn’t exactly cheap. Still cheaper than the Kolondra, and cheaper than many other city car offerings, but not exactly cheap per se. But if you lived in Letara in the late 40s, had the little bit of extra money, and wanted to maximize your value for dollar and get the most comfortable city car at a reasonable price, you got a Stellar. Which of the two trims only depends on how big your family is. Needless to say, the Stellar flew off the shelves as middle-class city dwellers flocked to the Stellar dealership.

Stepping up a little bit in price, the next release of Mitsushita came in 1950. The T-SA 1500 L is a larger brother to the T-SA 1000. As such it is more expensive. But is it the answer Letarans were waiting for after the T-SA 1000 was overtaken by the Ital duo? Well, yes, but also no. The T-SA 1500 L is a significant step up from its predecessor. It now has a premium radio, advanced safety features, more comfortable medium compound tires. As such it is a lot more safe, and nearly as comfortable as the Stellar cars. Its overall upkeep is also on par with the Stellars. So yes, the T-SA 1500 L did eclipse the Itals, Mitsushita’s previous rival - but with the change made, the new rivals were really the Stellars. And the Mitsushita fought this fight well, but ultimately lost out a little bit. The Mitsushita still saw strong sales, but given that it offered about the same as the Stellar cars but was four years late to the party did hurt in the end.

In 1952 the two Swanson cars were introduced. These were a true novelty in the city car segment: they had unibody construction! And galvanized steel chassis. Truly groundbreaking things. Of course these advanced features came at a cost. Both of these cars were quite a bit more expensive than anything seen before. The Swanson 112B’s upkeep was at least reasonable, but the Swanson 117GW blew every car from before out of the water. Aside from the monocoque and galvanized chassis, what else did you get as a driver? Well, not much as it turns out. The 112B had a basic interior and no radio - a spartan interior space only “rivalled” by Aero. In the 117GW you at least got a standard interior and radio, but this is still vastly sub-par in this price category. Sure these cars were fairly reliable, easy to drive, and very safe, they just weren’t comfortable nor offered anything special for the increasingly cost-conscious common consumer. If you wanted to buy a comfortable car, you already had a better option in the Stellar, if you wanted that bare-bones fun to drive small car with a hint of sportiness, there was the Aero. Both much cheaper. So, especially given the economic woes of the early 1950s, the Swanson was mostly overlooked by Letarans.

Last but not least, the Kamaka Chief Sedan Deluxe was introduced in 1953. It’s always interesting to see a car introduced during a large societal and political change. It can either be a good thing as people are more hopeful for a brighter future, or a complete flop as people’s attention are on everything but making new major purchases. The Kamaka was launched into just such an environment. It came on the market as a relatively expensive offering in the city car market, but it did offer many creature comforts such as a premium interior and radio, and more comfortable medium compound tires. Despite these amenities its comfort still lagged behind the Stellars and Mitsushita. Its upkeep costs were astronomical compared to the other city cars thus far discussed. And worst of all - the car shipped with some experimental tires that were not government approved - so owners had to buy new tires before even driving off the lot! For the reasons, the Kamaka became a car that was simply never seriously considered by most Letarans.

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CITY PREMIUM

Left to right: Stellar 21-80 Convertible @donutsnail, Torshalla Poesy @Maverick74, and Swanson 125 SP @Ludvig.

Now we get to the more expensive side of the city car market: the premium offerings. Arguably, some of the previous cars would fit this category in term of their features and statistics, but here price is king. So are these three cars worth the premium price?

Introduced right in 1946 along with its cheaper siblings, the Stellar 21-80 Convertible truly has a premium price tag. More expensive to purchase and a lot more expensive to maintain, this car could only be afforded by the more well-off in Letara. Luckily, in 1946 people were still optimistic about the future… So what did all this money get you? The only luxury interior in the entire city segment, a premium radio and - the only convertible in the field! This makes the Stellar 21-80 Convertible really stand out from the field. It is also the most comfortable offering in the city car segment, which is just as well at this price point. Not only was this the most comfortable city car, it was also the fastest - a little rocket on wheels with its 2.4L 6-banger engine! The fact that it only has 2/2 seating doesn’t even matter here. The “young and rich” generation, who naturally are more optimistic about the future anyway, flocked to this car like bees to honey. At least for a few years… once the economy turned, many were forced to sell their toys and look for cheaper options.

The Torshalla Poesy and the Swanson 125P were both introduced in 1952, which seems like a bad time to introduce such expensive cars. Price and upkeep-wise the Torshalla was on par with the Stellar Convertible. In contrast, it did offer a monocoque design, but it only had standard interior with standard radio. Quite a step down. The advanced safety was a nice feature, though, making it the second safest car in the city segment (only behind the Swanson 125P), but both far above the rest of the field. But one still had to wonder where all the money went, why was it so expensive? The 40 HP engine is surely not that special, and otherwise the car didn’t seem to bring anything special to the table. Unfortunately for the Torshalla, it proved to be just too expensive for what it offered, which is a dangerous proposition in a major economic downturn. It’s only saving grace is that it just looked so nice, resulting in a few sales; and these few cars have generally been well cared for and remained in good shape for many years.

Last we come to the Swanson. Now this car truly had a premium - almost luxury car - price tag. At the time of release, it was the fourth most expensive car on the entire Letaran car market, and was almost equally expensive to maintain. The monocoque galvanized chassis was surely a large factor in its exuberant price. Similar to the Stellar, this car also has a 2.4L 6-cylinder engine, this time in a boxer configuration. This car is by far the fastest of all city size cars, reaching 160 km/h and 100 km/h in 9.8 s - figures only reached by the most expensive sedans and dedicated sports cars. Despite it being a hatchback, not a conventional coupe, you could indeed claim that this is in fact a tiny sports car with its automatic locker differential (the only non-open diff in the city segment), and sport tires. Safety is best in segment, comfort is more than decent, and sportiness is unparalleled even counting true sports cars. Well, maybe that is just what it is - a tiny premium sports car. In conclusion, the Swanson offered plenty of perks for its price. If you were lucky enough to save money during the recession, were low on space or lived in the city, or just wanted a tiny car to throw around, but also wanted to blast down the straight roads pretending to drive in the Cannonball, then this was the car for you. Not many Swanson 125 SPs were sold, simply due to the smaller market for these cars, but they were extremely popular and coveted by many who could not afford one…

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…to be continued…

[TanksAreTryhards]

Message of ITAL President, Giano De Lucchi, during the press release for the 25000th Prima sold in Letara, October 1950

Our time in Letara has been nothing short of amazing: no other country has given such a warm welcome to our cars as you Letarans. You proud people even rival the love that our own home country of Italy has reserved us, and all in two short years of ITAL presence in Letara.
I am well aware that Letara’s economy has seen some of you struggling in the wake of the growing recession, and yet here we are, with 25000 of you proud people trusting our cars in such dire times. When ITAL was founded back in 1902, our goal has always been to reach as much people as possible with our veichles, to give everyone access to cheap, reliable mobility for the everyday need of everyone.
We fully belive in a future when a car will be in every house, where distances will be shorter than ever before, and i’m proud that even today, here in Letara,we are making a step foward such a future. All thanks to you, proud Letarans, who have given us trust even in such hardship. And while it’s hardly times for celebrations, we feel we should at least give you people something to thank you.
And so, untill the end of this 1950, all our Prima 80Bs will be sold at a 100$ discount; and all our 100B and Van models will net you a 125$ discount deal. And for those of you that already own our cars, we will be happy to take care of their servicing for free, until the dawn of the new year.
I once again thank all of Letara, for having trusted us as one of your own. Might 1951 be a better year for us all!

[cake_ape]

Rd. 1 RESULTS

Chapter 5: Consumer segment 1946-1954 - family cars (pt. 1)

and some city cars, because I forgot/misclassified

Left to right, rear row: Popas Rushba 1500-4S @Mikonp7, Anhultz 1000 R1, Anhultz 1000 R2 @Elizipeazie. Knightwick Dragonfly Saloon @mart1n2005, Kamaka Chief 1600 Sedan @LS_Swapped_Rx-7, Anhultz 1000 R2 Comfort, Capable Cruiser @Vento, Colombri Sedan @Admiral_Obvious, Capital Commodore K6 @Prium, and Empire Motors Premium Sedan @Lupus.
Left to right, front row: Graland AeroCruze Fordor @ChemaTheMexican, Alira Sausalito, Alira Sausalito Prestige @HelloHi, Kessel Sperling @GassTiresandOil, Garland AeroLuxe Special, and Liberty Civilian @FidleDo.

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CITY ADDENDUM

OOC: Upon further reflection, some cars that ended up in the Family segment should really have been in the City segment - so here I am making that correction. Not to worry, they are judged correctly among their peers.

Introduced in 1946, the Knightwick Dragonfly Saloon fit in the City Standard segment. Its purchase price was in the lower bracket of other City cars that year, but upkeep costs put it on par with the Stellar cars.With its two-door design and four seats it was a direct rival for the Stellar 13-46 Two Door Saloon. However, the Knightwick only had a standard interior and no radio - a considerable step down. The medium compound tires were a nice addition. Overall, though the Stellars were just a lot more comfortable and capable, which made them well worth the little bit of extra upfront cost. Lastly, the Knightwick uses premium fuel, really limiting its use to more developed areas. Perhaps not such a big deal for a city car, but it did limit its use and made refuelling that much more expensive. As such, the Knightwick’s sales lagged behind from the get-go.

Introduced in 1953, the Kamaka Chief 1600 Sedan was the cheaper, more attainable sibling of the Kamaka Chief Sedan Deluxe. The 1600 Sedan was certainly a more utilitarian car with its double bench seats and standard interior and standard radio, and hard tiers. For its size and cost, it was relatively comfortable and very capable indeed, making it stand out in the cheaper side of the city standard segment. The only drawback to the 1600 Sedan was its long-term upkeep costs. However, the cheap entry price still made this car an appealing proposition. With its main competitor - the Aero Move - already several years old, it had a timely launch. Moreover, the Kamaka positioned itself well by being a relatively quick car, further bolstered by Kamaka’s participation in the Cannonball Run. So this car was snatched up by the people who wanted a cheap and small city car, but also wanted to pretend that they were driving something… sporty.

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The second batch of reviews of the state of the Letaran car market will focus on the family car segment. These cars are larger and (potentially) more capable than city cars and suitable for long-distance travel with the entire family in relative to abundant comfort. These cars should have sufficient legroom for all occupants and be able to store enough luggage for a short vacation. This segment too covers a wide range of budgets and tastes. And as always, car categories are a little subjective with fuzzy lines separating them, so some of these family car offerings would also fit in other categories. Since the line between budget and standard family cars is extremely blurred, they will be reviewed in one batch.

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FAMILY BUDGET & FAMILY STANDARD

The cheapest - wait - the only family car on the market in this segment in 1946 was the Anhultz 1000 R1. Despite its barebones basic interior it was still more comfortable that similarly priced city cars, which can be attributed it being roomier. This car could only seat four, which considering its size was just not enough - budget oriented family consumers really do expect a rear bench. One nice point about the Anhultz is that it is the only car in this price bracket to feature galvanized chassis. So perhaps not the most practical for families, but it is dirt cheap to buy and maintain, very reliable, quite easy to drive, and won’t rust away - not that that is a huge concern in Letara, but still… Unfortunately for the R1, in 1946 the people were still pretty optimistic about their spending, so it was just a little too spartan for their tastes, and the Anhultz didn’t make huge waves in the car market. Its only saving grace was that it literally was the only car in its segment, so people who wanted a slightly larger car and didn’t mind having only four seats still bought it.

No cars were introduced in 1947, but 1948 saw the birth of the Capable Cruiser and Capital Commodore K6, and the Liberty Civilian. The Capable Cruiser can be considered the first “family standard” segment offering on the market. It is slightly more expensive to buy than the Anhultz, and significantly more expensive to maintain driven by both a poor fuel economy and high service costs. Despite the higher price and its standard interior (no radio), it is less comfortable than the Anhultz. It does sport some all-terrain tires and has slightly higher off-road capability, so perhaps this car was aimed at those who want to visit some of the more remote areas of Letara, however even in this aspect it doesn’t exactly excel. Safety, on the other hand is excellent, so those that want to keep their families safe in a crash did like this car. Last, but not least, the paint scheme of this car is definitely a “love it or hate it” affair with its blue-yellow paint job and blue window trim. Unfortunately for the Capable, it became known as the clown car - the few that sold soon received new paint jobs.

Next is the Capital Commodore K6. Once again this car is a little bit more expensive and more expensive to maintain, but this car surely looked more premium. Well, it definitely looked more premium than it really was. The Capital featured two bench seats, a standard interior and no radio. Medium tires are a nice addition to increase this car’s comfort, which outshone the Anhultz and Capable by a long shot. In 1948 this car was the true workhorse for those who didn’t have too much to spend, but wanted to travel in relative comfort across the country and also able to bring a decent amount of luggage with them. So while not exactly “flying off the shelf”, the Capital saw strong sales, which picked up especially after its 3rd year of production.

The Liberty Civilian came in at the very upper end of the family standard segment, costing quite a bit more than any other offering so far. With a premium 2/3 interior and more advanced safety features it tried to capture the attention of more refined clientele, but the lack of any radio did hurt it in this regard. For this price you did get a large 4L V8 and a quite fast car. It was also more comfortable than the cheaper cars on the list so far. So in a sense this car was caught in no-mans land. Not quite a family standard car - it was too expensive, but also not quite a family premium either - it lacked some of the refinement and that radio, its only real selling point was that V8. Indeed, it was the cheapest V8 on the market in the entire era spanning from '46-'54. So it became the car that was mostly bought by “petrol heads” who wanted to show off their cars with the hood up, but didn’t quite find its way into the mainstream.

In 1950 the Popas Rushba 1500-4S was launched on the Letaran market. Immediately it undercut all other family cars (and indeed many city cars) in purchase price, but upkeep proved to be a tad bit more expensive more seen in the standard segments. For this cheap price you got a pretty bare-bones car with two standard buckets seats up front and a small bench in the rear. This car also targeted the more rural areas with its solid axles front and rear and offroad skid tray - perhaps all terrain tires would’ve fit this setup more? Regardless, it did have a decent amount of offroad prowess, and despite its miserable comfort, it found a good market in the poorer remote areas of Letara. While it may not have been the best car for a family trip across Letara, it was good enough to drive around the villages such as Fortune, Helas, Smugville and Chanceille. As such, the Popas became the most commonly seen family sedan in more remote areas of Letara, but was only seen in large towns when the village-folk came in for supplies.

The Colombri Sedan, also introduced in 1950, was a slightly more upscale offering that slotted nicely in the middle of the family standard price bracket both in terms of upfront cost and upkeep. The standard 2/3 interior with standard radio was the expected norm in this segment, making the Colombri fit in like a glove into its segment. It had decent comfort for the segment, good practicality, a sufficiently powerful engine without going overboard, and was overall just a solid car without any exceptionally good or bad traits. The bright yellow might’ve been a little too flashy for this segment, but it did fit the car. The first year of sales was pretty strong, but over the next few years sales started to wane as people in this segment were slowly pushed toward cheaper options - especially when the relatively unreliable nature of the car was uncovered, sales did start dropping further.

More expensive to buy and a lot more expensive to maintain, the Empire Motors Premium Sedan was also launched in 1950. It features a 2/3 premium interior with premium radio, an auto-locking diff (that doesn’t seem to do much) and… an automatic gearbox! One of the first and the cheapest on the market. But wait, the engine seems to be a little too futuristic for Letara (OOC: you had +5 TP on the entire engine. I reset it to 0… so the judging is based on the reset values.) The EM has exceptional comfort in this class, but on the flip side, absolutely miserable reliability not seen in any other car on the market now or at any time between '46-'54. The car also has some weird gearing. The auto-gearbox is fine, but the car is gear-limited to 103 km/h, when it could do 130+. As such, it was largely shunned by Letarans, because who wants their car to spend most of its time in the garage?

The two Alira Sausalito cars were introduced in 1951 - a more basic and a slightly more upscale offering in the Prestige model. The main difference between the two is that the regular model has a standard interior with standard radio, and these are upgraded to premium units in the Prestige, and the Prestige also receives a nice flake paint. In fact, this is the cheapest car on the market with flake paint, giving it a real upscale feel and look. Other than that, the cars share an engine. bit the Prestige has an automatic gearbox, so it is heavier and slower than the standard mode - albeit a bit more prestigious and easier to drive . Both cars come with front and rear benches. In a stronger economy the Prestige model surely would’ve outsold the standard model, but in 1951 Letarans had to make some hard choices, and in this market people did have to contend with the standard model, which saw decent sales. While the Prestige model didn’t sell as well, just its presence in the showroom next to the standard model helped sales of the cheaper option.

1952 saw the introduction of four new cars. The first two are the Anhultz 1000 R2, a direct replacement of the R1, and the 1000 R2 Comfort, a slightly more upscale version of the R2. The R2 sold at rock-bottom prices and was cheap to maintain, just what Letarans expected of Anhulz. The R2 was literally just a straight replacement of the R1 - it had the same basic interior, the same I3 engine, the same everything. It has slightly newer engineering, so overall it was slightly better in all aspects. It was still hindered by its four seats in this segment, and thus only those who literally couldn’t afford anything else bought it - which was an increasing number of people, to be fair. With its only real direct competition being the Popas, if you didn’t need five seats, and wanted a larger car than a city car, this was the vehicle you could begrudgingly afford. The R2 Comfort promised a little bit more… comfort. Indeed, it was slightly more comfortable, and also slightly more expensive. But where this comfort come from? Well, its basic interior received a little more attention, it was of slightly higher quality. In the end, though, it made very little practical difference for the extra cost, and Letarans stuck to the basic model.

The other two cars introduced in 1952 were the Garland AeroCruze Fordor and Garland AeroLuxe Special. The former slotted in the middle of the family standard segment and the latter near the top, almost into family premium territory. Both of these cars had some upscale features, such as a galvanized chassis and an automatic gearbox. Both cars also features a rather large, 4.3L I6 engine. The AeroLuxe Special’s was especially hotly tuned, making it one of the faster family cars on Letaran roads. At least in a straight line. Both cars had two bucket seats up front and a full bench in the rear; the AeroCruze Fordor opting for a standard/standard radio setup, and the AeroLuxe Special for a premium/premium radio. The difference between the two cars was marked in terms of comfort and prestige, further enhanced by the nice two-tone paint job on the AeroLuxe Special. Despite this, neither car was a huge success in its own right. The Capital Commodore being on par with the AeroCruze Fordor but cheaper had a two-year advantage in this market, making the Garland a less than ideal proposition. Similarly, the Liberty Civilian nabbed the market in the upper echelons of the family standard market four years ago and the Garland didn’t offer anything special over the Liberty. To add to the Garland’s woes, it was unfortunately imported with tires not deemed legal in Letara, so each customer had to purchase new tires before driving off the lot. This certainly did not help sales.

The last car to be introduced in the family standard segment was the 1954 Kessel Sperling. Slotting in near the top of the family standard segment, it was relatively expensive to buy, but upkeep costs were on par with similar cars on the market. The Kessel brought something completely new to the family car market: a monocoque chassis, thus far only seen in the upper end of the city, sport, and family premium segments. In fact, aside from the much smaller Swanson 112B, the Kessel Sperling was the cheapest monocoque car in Letara, which is quite the engineering feat! However, this did leave little left for creature comforts, and the Kessel only had a 2/3 standard interior and standard radio, rather than the premium/premium expected at this price range. The car did have advanced safety features, so combined with the monocoque chassis, it was quite safe for its occupants. Comfort, however, was well below its nearest competitors, but reliability was higher. In the end, given the economic woes in Letara, the Kessel just came at the wrong time, when people were either looking for something cheap - or for those that were still well-off, something that truly stood out. A middle-of-the-road car simply didn’t make a splash in the car market in 1954.

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…to be continued…

[Lupus]

Empire Motors sales report: 1950-1954.

The newly-designed EM Manhattan 50 was a decent success - but only in the United States. The Manhattan 50 recieved more sales domestically than the previous Manhattan 47 by a small, but significant ammount due to it’s superior comfort, but the new “Gear-O-Matic” transmission was flawed in it’s gearing, giving it a top speed below that of the interstate highway’s speed limit. Due to this issue the Manhattan 50 only had good sales in American cities.
On the other side of the world, the Manhattan 50 was a complete flop. The Smith factories had low-quality tooling, and all engines made in these factories had severe bottom-end stress, killing the cars in less than a year of daily use. All three Manhattan 50 production trims were recalled at the beginning of 1952, forcing Empire Motors to ship hundreds of cars out of Letara back to Australia to be scrapped. The cause for such bad quality? Money. Empire Motors made massive sacrifices in order to keep the export model Manhattan 50 affordable; a fatal mistake for the company.
Globally, the Manhattan 50 was a loss due to the low sales in Letara and the 1952 recall. Smith’s mass-production subcompact car Smith Metro had excellent sales in Australia, which seemed to be the only car keeping the corporation afloat since 1952.

As for the future, Empire Motors has terminated it’s Manhattan 55 project until further notice. Smith however has several completed prototype designs for Letara and Australia, being partially funded by the Australian government in an attempt to re-enter the Letaran auto market (aka political reasons). Some designs are new, while others are facelifts of pre-EM-Smith cars.

[cake_ape]

Rd. 1 RESULTS

Chapter 6: Consumer segment 1946-1954 - family cars (Pt. 2)

Left to right, rear row: Wolfe Executive Six Fastback Sedan @karhgath, SAETA Albor 1300, SEATA Albor Sprint @Petakabras, Mocabey 3600 @SheikhMansour, Minerva Solarian Deluxe, Minerva Solarian Ranger @Madrias, Mocabey 3600 Plus, Vizzuri Special @Aruna, Empire Motors Luxe Sedan @Lupus, Capital Commodore K6 @Prium, Wolfe Deluxe Eight Sedan, and Minerva Solarian Elegance.
Left to right, front row: Benetsch Buhrie Fierst @Texaslav, Wraith Montezuma @Knugcab, and P&A Sportsman Mk.II Straight 6 @lotto77

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FAMILY PREMIUM AND FAMILY LUXURY

Now we enter the more expensive side of the family car market. Here more upscale features and premium interiors are expected, along with increased comfort and prestige as we go up the price range. These cars should still be able to transport the whole family and some luggage on longer trips, but as size increases they might be less suitable for inner-city dwellers. Without further ado, let’s see how these cars stack up against their cheaper competition - are they really worth it?

Starting in 1946 there are two family premium cars on offer: the Minerva Solarian Deluxe and the Vizzuri Special. The Minerva is the cheaper of the two, but it already is quite a hefty premium over any other family car seen thus far. Considering in its launch year it is nearly twice as expensive as the Anhultz, and similarly costs nearly twice as much to maintain, it is quite the upscale price! For this price you do get a rather large 4.3L I6 with ample power making this one of the fastest cars on the road. This reputation is further bolstered by strong results in the Cannonball Run in the first years of the event. You also get two premium bench seats and a premium radio, galvanized chassis, and advanced safety. So noone can say that the car is not well endowed. In 1946 it is also the most comfortable car on the market in any segment, so the extra money does seem quite well spent. There is only one hiccup. It seems that Minerva have misunderstood some traffic regulations, and shipped the car with two center headlights! At first this was seen as a disadvantage as customers had to either turn to third-party means to block the second centre light, or simply disconnect it from the electronics. Either way, it was seen as a hassle - at this price point the car should be perfect right off the lot, right? Well, the car was just so good, that despite this shortcoming it sold well in the upper middle-class, and a booming engraved metal cover industry sprang up with which the second light could be covered. People took real pride in these customized covers, which gave each Minerva an even more upscale, custom look.

The Vizzuri Special was more expensive to buy than the Minerva, but cheaper to maintain. It still firmly catered to the very upper middle-class in Letara. Although a family car, the Vizzuri showed its racing roots with a space frame chassis and aluminium panels. Needless to say, Vizzuri’s success in the Cannonball Run did not go unnoticed either. Partially owing to its standard interior (but with premium radio), the Vizzuri was not really a comfortable car - at least not compared to cars in the same price range. But it was pretty quick and very nimble indeed! And it could still fit the entire family and the luggage to go on any long vacation trip. So in 1946, if you had some extra money, and wanted a more premium family car, you had two choices: the more comfortable Minerva, or the sporty Vizzuri. This looker of a car singlehandedly started the “sporty family sedan” segment, and remained king throughout the late '40s, before sales started to wane in the early 50s as the economy took a downturn and the Vizzuri brand name’s notoriety faded.

Only one car was introduced in 1947: the Minerva Solarian Ranger. First of all, with this model Minerva fixed its headlight issue, to the dismay of some customers. However, they were delighted to find out that just a small adjustment was needed to the machining process of the custom covers, and they could continue to embellish their Minervas with the custom plates. Moving on the rest of the car, the Ranger cost a little more to buy and maintain than the Deluxe. It was certainly a more offroad oriented car with its 4x4 drivetrain, locking differential, and all-terrain tires. To keep costs down, the premium interior was replaced by a standard one. This gave it head and shoulders the best offroad capability, which was never surpassed in the family segment - and only (barely) surpassed two years later by the dedicated utility vehicle Capable Heaver, and another two years later by the Popas Rushba 1500-5S-4. So although “only” a sedan, it could be said that it set the trend for early offroad vehicles, dare we say, SUVs. It was rather expensive, but the economy was still doing all right. It was not a huge seller - people still preferred the Deluxe for general family travel, but those that had the money and wanted to travel the lesser-paved path - say up to Mont Mordred for a back-country camping trip - this was the car to buy.

1948 saw a large influx of new cars in the family premium segment with five new offerings. The first and cheapest of the lot was the Wolfe Executive Six Fastback Sedan. This car was not too much more expensive than the most expensive family standard cars, and actually cheaper to maintain than the Garland AeroLuxe Special and the Liberty Civilian. So this car really hugged that fuzzy line between the segments, and it could be said that it was a direct competitor to the Liberty, which also came out in 1948. The Wolfe did have a more upscale feel with 2/2 premium seating and premium radio (which was lacking in the Liberty). Therefore the Wolfe was more comfortable - but also more sporty despite it not having that large V8 of the Liberty. In 1948, with the economy starting to go down, it was tough competition to capture the few remaining optimists in the middle-class, and the Wolfe managed to inspire at least some folks with its aggressive retro-futuristic look and made the best of the few key sales available in this segment.

The second car released in 1948 was its sibling, the much more expensive Wolfe Deluxe Eight Sedan. As the name suggests, this car had a V8 engine, in this case a 3.9L (very similar to the Liberty). In 1948 the Deluxe Eight was sitting at the top of the family premium market price and upkeep wise. For this it offered a true 2/3 luxury interior and luxury radio, a segment first combination. Despite this, the car was only as comfortable as the much cheaper Mocabey cars introduced in the same year, which was a disappointment to many longing for true pampering in their cars. That said, it was the most prestigious car in 1948, so just based on that it made a few sales, because braggarts will be braggarts. Besides, that car did look really good too in anyone’s driveway, and those few examples sold could frequently be seen parked in front of the luxury cottages surrounding Fiegheni.

Since we just touched on the Mocabey, let’s see their two new cars released this year - the 3600 and the 3600 Plus. The Mocabey came in a little bit more expensive than the Wolfe Executive Six. In contrast, it offered a the more utilitarian 2/3 seating pattern, but also with premium features and a premium radio. It wasn’t quite as fast at the Wolfe, but was more comfortable. Where it really was held back compared to the other family premium cars seen thus far is in the looks department. All other cars had a rather unique or special appearance, but the Mocabey looked more like a drab family budget or perhaps family standard car. Even the fancy teal colour couldn’t really overcome the car’s overall bland look. So while a solid car, it didn’t really strike the fancy of Letarans, who if they could afford such an expensive car in 1948, did want to stand out from the crowd with their acquisitions. Moving to the 3600 Plus, as the name suggests, this was the more luxurious version of the same car. It still had the premium/premium interior and radio and the same engine… in fact it was basically the same car, colour and all. The only discernable difference is that the engine received an extra carburettor and a healthy power boost. But on the flip side, this car did use premium fuel, so was was more expensive to drive and was restricted in where it could to. Even the participation and eventual success of the Mocabey brand in the Cannonball Run could not overcome the fact, however, that the Mocabey was just too late to the party, and could not dethrone the Vizzuri from top spot in the sporty sedan market. It was certainly a valiant effort though.

Last, but not least in 1948, we come to the Capital Commodore K6. We’re back in the upper echelons of the family premium bracket - the Capital only slightly cheaper to buy and maintain than the Wolfe Deluxe Eight. Wait, haven’t we already seen a Capital Commodore K6? Yes, yes we have… this is a slightly confusing naming scheme on Capital’s part. The other K6 was firmly on the lower end of the family segment, but as mentioned, it did look quite prestigious, even when it wasn’t. Now we find out why - it was basically this premium car with the interior stripped out. While confusing to call two such different cars the same thing, Letarans still managed to distinguish them by their colours and the rather interesting roof windows of the more upscale model. This, then, proved a good example of how a car can bring something “extra” to the table for a more prestigious model in its line-up. This car had a luxury interior with 2/3 seating and a premium radio, which seems a downgrade from its nearest competitor, the Wolfe Deluxe Eight. However, it did have superior comfort - in fact the highest comfort save its sibling the K12 of any car in Letara. So very few people could afford it, but it did manage set itself apart from the others in this segment by being a cloud on wheels, and for those that were after the ultimate comfort, this was their car. If your neighbour had a Wolfe (the one with the eight in the name) parked outside their cottage at Fiegheni, then you had a Capital (the one with the roof windows).

1949 saw the introduction of the third Minerva in Letara, the Solarian Elegance, so far their most luxurious offering. In fact, if it weren’t dethroned in the early 50s, it would’ve gone down in history as the family luxury car of the era. Alas, it ended up just inside the family premium category based on its purchase price alone. Its upkeep costs however sang a different tune, being higher by a long shot in this segment. Just like most of the other cars in this price bracket, it featured a luxury interior and luxury radio, and two bench seats like the Deluxe and the Ranger. With its luxury interior it was considerably more comfortable than its cheaper sibling, but fell well short of the Capital. It was also below the Wolfe in terms of prestige. Once again, where this car shone was in performance. The 5.7L V8 powering this heavy beast down the highway with confidence and speed. However, this Minerva came a little too late. The initial hype around the custom engraved light covers was fading, and with the economy now in a real downturn, it was just a too expensive proposition when it didn’t offer much over other cars already available in the segment. As such, the Elegance never got the same love - and sales - as the Deluxe and Ranger.

The Empire Motors Luxe Sedan came on the market in 1950. In terms of price it slotted in between the Vizzuri and Capital, but had a quite high upkeep cost. It had 2/2 luxury seating and a luxury radio. With a different, larger V8 engine, the Luxe Sedan didn’t suffer from the same quality and gearbox problems as its cheaper sibling, the Premium Sedan. Nevertheless, it still featured a largely useless auto-locker differential, and this car too suffered from reliability problems right from the start that made people skeptical. Sure, this was a more expensive car, and rich people might be OK with higher service costs and the occasional break-down, but only if it’s worth it. And was it? Well, the EM Luxe managed to eclipse the Capital Commodore in comfort, which is quite the feat. Additionally, with it automatic gearbox it turned out to be one of the easiest to drive. So this car definitely had some perks. Overall it did come out at a bad time for the family premium market, just when the upper middle class was really shrinking. But because of the novelty of the automatic gearbox, and its high comfort, it still managed to find some sales among the “early adopter” crowd, who didn’t mind the more-than-normal breakdown rate.

As we enter the early 50s a few more manufacturers attempted to enter the shrinking premium car market. In 1952 SAETA launched two parallel models, the Albor 1300 and Albor Sprint. These cars were aiming for the lower end of the family premium market, where we had not seen much action since 1948. These cars brought new innovations, such as a monocoque chassis. The Albor 1300 was slightly cheaper with 2/3 premium seats and standard radio, whereas the Albor Spring had 2/2 seating and the same interior. Surprisingly, the tighter packet interior of the four-door 1300 proved to be more comfortable to ride in than the more spacious two-door Sprint. This turned out to be due to the latter’s sportier suspension set-up. The Sprint thus was gunning more for a sporty sedan market share, and was a rival for the Wolfe Executive Six. On the other hand, the 1300 was more seen as a competitor for the slightly more expensive Mocabey or the much cheaper Garland. But before we compare cars, there is one glaring issue with the SAETAs. Somehow, somewhere, an engineer dialed the octane tuning the wrong way, so the 1300 required 93.6 octane fuel (thus effectively requiring 98 at the pump), and the Sprint required 99.8 octane! Clearly this was a large handicap for both cars. The 1300 became only useful in more developed areas, and it simply didn’t offer enough to overcome the market share already claimed by its earlier rivals in this shrinking market segment. The Sprint effectively required aviation fuel to run, so was effectively restricted to about half a tank range from the airport. Needless to say, this did not go over well with the Letaran consumer…

The Benetsch Buhrie Fierst was also released in 1952. It is the first true family luxury car on the market with a luxury price tag. Interestingly, it only had a premium interior with 2/3 seating, but a luxury radio. So in that sense, it was a step down from many cheaper offerings already on the market. It did have a cheaper long-term upkeep, so perhaps that could entice some rich folks to buy it? The Benetsch did have a modern galvanized monocoque chassis, the first in the family segment, and the only family car with MacPherson front suspension. It had the most recent advanced 50s safety features, making it the safest car on Letaran roads. It also promised to “never rust”. Other strong points for the Benetsch are its relatively good sporty drive rivalling the Vizzuri and thus far unprecedented prestige. For its price it certainly wasn’t the most comfortable car however. But gosh, it was a great looking car, modern and sleek, just what people were looking for in an upscale car - nobody would be ashamed to be seen in a Benetsch. Given the tiny market for such cars, the Benetsch never sold too many copies, but did just fine business in its first year of release as the cars found themselves in driveways around Fiegheni.

Next, let’s talk about what happened in 1953. In 1953 the Wraith Montezuma was released. It was by far the most ridiculously over the top expensive car in Letara. For one Montezuma, you could nearly buy five Anhulzes. Its upkeep was nearly twice as much as any other car on the road. It was a giant, lumbering beast. But it was gorgeous. Its two-bench hand-made interior and luxury radio had so much attention to detail, that no car could match it in luxury and prestige. Its 8.5L V8 might not have been the most sporty tune, but it was more than powerful enough to move this behemoth with ease. The fact that it only took premium fuel didn’t matter in this case at all - who would take this car into the poorer areas anyway? The manual soft-top really set this two-door luxury car apart from the rest (if its other features didn’t already). In short, during a rough election year and in the midst of a recession, this was simply everyone’s dream car. It was featured on many bedroom and garage posters as kids and adults alike gazed at it longingly. And those very very few who could actually afford, this was the ultimate show of their wealth and luxury lifestyle. No, it didn’t sell well. But it didn’t need too. It simply infiltrated Letara’s collective psyche, and whenever people saw the rare Wraith drive down the boulevard, everyone stopped and gawked.

Lastly, we come to the P&A Sportsman Mk.II Straight 6. The P&A was also a family luxury offering, and was introduced a year after the Wraith, and two after the Benetsch. As such it was the latest to the game trying to capture those few sales in the very upper echelons of society. In terms of price, it was a direct rival for the Benetsch, albeit a little more expensive. The P&A’s ladder frame was not quite as modern as the Benetsch’s monocoque, but it was at least galvanized. The double-bench hand-made interior and luxury radio, as well as the requirement for 98 octane fuel, made the P&A have more in common with the Wraith however. It was the outlier of the family luxury pack though with its large 5L I6 engine, so the car did lack a certain prestige in this regard. The P&A was a wonderful car, no real faults with it really, but suffered from unfortunate timing. By the time it was released, the luxury market was already saturated by the recently released Benetsch and Wraith, and the P&A simply didn’t have a real answer to lure buyers away from the other brands. Not in the market Letara had at the time at least. It only managed to sell the few copies because rich folk don’t like to own what their neighbours own - they like to be unique. So a few were “forced” to trade in their Benetsches, Minervas, Wolfes or Capitals and get the newest toy.

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…to be continued…

[cake_ape]

Rd. 1 RESULTS

Chapter 7: Portunis Cannonball Run 1949-1951

@Madrias @Edsel @Aruna @voiddoesnotknow @FidleDo @SheikhMansour @AndiD @TanksAreTryhards @Riley @Lupus @karhgath @Mikonp7

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1949

Three hopeful manufacturers entered the Portunis Cannonball Run in 1949: Mara, ITAL, and Wolfe.

From left to right: Mara, ITAL, Wolfe.

First up: scrutineering to make sure that the new entries are legal. Unfortunately, one of the entries was found to be in breach of regulations: the Wolfe. It looks like in their efforts to reduce weight as much as possible on this rather large coupe, the Wolfe team has also removed any and all safety features of the car. Therefore, the car is unfortunately not road legal, and therefore disqualified from the Portunis Cannonball Run.

So with two new manufacturers joining the racing ranks, the total number of teams is now up to 27. The new teams were added to the statistics lists kept by the bookies. The Mara - on paper - seems pretty fast indeed. Not quite as fast at the Mocabey, but almost. Not only that, but it is also an extremely reliable machine, giving it a good chance to finish the race. The ITAL is also reasonably reliable, but it does lack raw pace slotting in well behind the Ainsworth.

Other than the new entries, the 1949 edition of the Cannonball Run was a rather subdued event. The country was still reeling from the massive earthquake earlier in the year and many were too preoccupied with rebuilding their houses rather than worry about racing. Luckily every construction site had a radio, so people could still tune in to the action on the roads. Speaking of the roads, most were repaired quickly as they served as the main arteries of the country, but there were still some sections that were in bad shape.

Break-downs, malfuntions, and headaches:

The first stage saw five teams eliminated: Minerva’s The Spirit of Crugandr, the Ainsworth Factory and Rally teams (that ugly reliability issue striking hard again!), and Mocabey 1 and 2. Three teams had to stop and fix some minor issues with their cars: Vizzuri V8 Magnifique, the Liberty Racing Team, and ITAL’s Scuderia Z.A.R.T. Mocabey 3 dealt with a moderate break-down, while both ITAL’s Scuderia Levante and Mons’ Paragons lost significant time due to a major malfunction.

Stage two was also drama filled. First, we lost the Mons Marauders, Scuderia Vizzuri, and Liberty’s Team Philly. The Ainsworth Racing Team had a minor issue to deal with. The Little Missile Racing (Aero) and the gentelmen driver Johan Jurgensen (ITAL) had more moderate issues, but managed to fix the car.

The third stage was a little more drama free. Only the Mons Paragons and Liberty Racing Team didn’t make the finish line, and Ainsworth Racing Team dealth with a minor problem (again), but did make the finish line.

Race results:

With 17 out of 27 teams, and each manufacturer with at least one car reaching the finish line, the 1949 edition was a pretty good success overall. The Mons teams were extra motivated this year, having come so close to the top step of the podium in previous years. But alas, the Mara came in guns blazing to steal Mons’ potential maiden victory at the last moment. Very close battles were fought in the midfield as well as the teams battled their various break-downs.

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1950

Three more teams vied to enter the Portunis Cannonball Run in 1950: Zephorus, Empire Motors, and Popas.

From left to right: Zephorus, Empire Motors, and Popas.

Scrutineering was a quick affair this time around: the Zephorus and Empire Motors cars were allowed to race. However the measuring tape of the officials revewaled that the Popas fitted some unheard-of tires to their vehicles, and afraid of catastrophic failure, it was not allowed to partake in the race. All that secrecy surrounding the development of the Popas race machine might’ve involved tires, but alas, it did not fit Letara’s strict tire regulations. So with two manufacturers added, that brings the total number of teams to 33.

Looking at the bookies, the Empire Motors vehicle seems to fit well into the upper midfield of the growing number of participating teams, but might be let down slightly by its lower than average reliability. The Zephorus has even lower reliability, in fact only “beaten” by the Ainsworth in that regard. On the flip side, and unlike the Ainsworth, the Zephorus bring some serious speed. In fact, on paper it seems to be the fastest car, even beating the Mocabey! So if it manages to finish, it does have a good chance at a good result - but if being the key word in that sentence…

The event was much better attended this year. With most of the immediate repairs in the country complete, and the worsening economy, people were keen to get some free excitement and entertainment. And lining up along the side of a public road to see fast cars zoom by is both exciting, entertaining - and free!

Break-downs, malfuntions, and headaches:

Seven teams had terminal issues right in Stage 1: Vizzuri V8 Magnifique, all three Ainsworth teams, Mocabey 2, and Zephorus’ Red and White teams. Once again, low reliability does strike hard it seems. Three moderate break-downs also occurred: the Mons Marauders, Mocabey 3, and Zephorus Green teams lost some time while fixing their vehicles roadside.

The second stage was the final exit of Minerva’s The Pride of Valraad team, Zephorus’ Green team, and Empire Motors’ NYM and SC teams. Mons’ Marauders dealt with a minor issue, while ITAL’s Scuderia Levante and Empire Motors’ EM team dealt with moderate malfunctions. Liberty’s Free Birds had a major break-down, but managed to eventually continue.

The third stage only had one retirement, the Empire Motors EM team. Minor issues were quickly fixed by Minerva’s The Hope of Altherys and Scuderia Vizzuri; moderate issue were encountered by Mons’ Titans,
Liberty Racing Team, and Mocabey 1.

Race results:

With about 2/3 of the field finishing, this was another relatively successful edition of the Cannonball Run. The crowds loved the large field zooming by, and even enjoyed the break-downs of the cars - it was one of the rare occasions when these cars were standing still and could be admired at your leisure at the side of the road. In any case, with the growing field there was more and more competition and close racing up and down the entire field. And the red-lantern carrying Aero remained king in terms of reliability…

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1951

No new teams joined the Portunis Cannonball Run in 1951, so racing continued with the established 33 teams. For Letara 1951 was another tough year. It was the year when Mont Mordred erupted again, which caused widespread wildfires in large areas of the highlands surrounding the volcano. The tourist town of Mont Mordred was partially destroyed, the country was blanketed in thick smoke for a large part of the year, and tourism saw a huge dip. The doom and gloom atmosphere seemed to get a solid foothold, and people simply didn’t have the energy or the means to really get out much to enjoy such large events as the Cannonball Run. The crowds were smaller too because there were no new and exciting teams on the roster this year. But while the crowds were smaller, the people who did come out were just as enthusiastic as ever, and - perhaps due to the economic circumstances - the bookies did great business this year.

Break-downs, malfuntions, and headaches:

Stage 1 retirements: Scuderia Vizzuri, Ainsworth Factory and Racing teams, Empire Motors EM team. Minor malfunctions for Minerva’s The Spirit of Crugandr and Zephorus White. Moderate break-downs for Minerva’s The Hope of Altherys and Liberty Racing Team.

Stage 2 retirements: Mons Titans, Minerva’s The Pride of Valraad and The Spirit of Crugandr teams, Ainsworth Rally Team, and Zephorus’ Red team. Liberty’s Free Birds had a minor break-down. Five teams dealt with major issues, including: Official Aero Company Racing Team (Car 1), Vizzuri V8 Magnifique, Liberty’s Team Philly, Mocabey 1, and Empire Motors’ NYM.

In stage 3 the race lost: Minerva’s The Hope of Altherys, Mocabey 1, and the Zephorus Green team. The Zephorus White team did make it to the finish line after another minor issue. Mocabey 2 and Empire Motors SC handled major issues, but managed to make it to the finish line in the end.

Race results:

With again 21 finishers, the results almost look like a carbon copy of 1950, but not quite. Zephorus finally showed their speed by finishing on the podium - well… by finishing period. Who knows if they could’ve won it the White team didn’t have those two breakdowns. Mara continues to dominate the top of the leaderboard, and we see the usual suspects in the top 10. Of note is that three years in a row now the last six places were occupied by the ITAL and Aero teams. So while Aero started their reputation early for building indestructible cars, ITAL is rapidly joining them in this regard. And while not race winning, the ITAL cars can at least keep up with the rear-end of the midfield.

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…to be continued…

[Edsel]

I’m really loving all these reviews mate! It’s exciting to see where they’ll go!

(who knows, maybe I’ll get to see Aero beat the 40-hour barrier before this is out! :D)

[voiddoesnotknow]

Well, looks to be another hit for the infamous Ainsworth Reliability…

I suppose, in-universe, it does somewhat make sense. For the past 6 years they’ve been basically just making aircraft, with the odd tank. Of course they aren’t going to be particularly used to, not just the modern technology, but also the niches of vehicular design. (Not to mention pre-war Ainsworths were not exactly the most reliable; nothing really was). I suppose by 1954 with the Athena they probably should have gotten better at it (spoiler: they hadn’t) but it was a high-spec trim with a big engine, so we’ll see.

As for the Literman, I don’t really have an excuse, seeing as for the past 3 years it’s been a battlefield transport, but I guess it was a new engine and a 4x4 system. Other than that… no excuses really.

With any luck the new era should be better for Ainsworth’s reliability, although we do need to bear in mind that they are a company specialising in higher-end sports cars, although what with the introduction of the (at least in terms of British culture/lore) legendary car for which I started this company the general quality should begin to increase.

As a sidenote from my mad ramblings and justifications, what reliability score do you think I should shoot for? In 4.1 said car got around 51% on the reliability score, though I plan to upgrade the engine. Bear in mind it’s a sportscar in somewhat of a fusion between an Aston Martin or Jaguar of the era with something smaller like an MG or an Austin Healey.

[cake_ape]

Rd. 1 RESULTS

Chapter 8: “Passenger transport” - part 2

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1948

After eliminating eight vehicles from consideration, the evaluation office set out to review the remaining eight vehicles under consideration:

Left to right, back row: Literman, Mocabey, Kolondra, Popas, Minerva, Swanson, P&A, VCV, Wolfe, Kessel, Liberty;
Left to right, front row: Stellar, Matsushita, Vizzuri, Mara, Cataphract.

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Wolfe: The Wolfe brand with its distinct look is a well-known sight on Letaran streets. So as such, this car might just blend in nicely, even though it might get a few looks, since the wagon trim is not commercially available. Price-wise, the Wolfe Special Six Wagon is reasonable - not the cheapest by any means, but in the lower end of the spectrum. Upkeep, too, is quite reasonable in the long run. It has barely acceptable comfort, but is sufficiently easy to drive, has very good off-road chops, and overall is a solid car without any major flaws. The fuel system is tuned safe, so even a batch of bad fuel out in the country won’t affect its performance. Extra thick steel panels and good build quality make this a very appealing car. On top of that, it has good speed and decent handling. For these reasons, the Wolfe will be sent up for further consideration.

Kessel: The Kessel K20 proposal strikes us right away with its properly clever - brilliant even - camouflage. Disguising the ‘special bus’ as a regular Fronaco Secco delivery van is perhaps the best proposal we’ve seen so far! Looking past the skin, let’s see what this one has to offer. It is on the slightly more expensive side both in terms of upfront cost and long term maintenance. Not egregiously so, but we could buy cheaper. It is a fairly comfortable ban, very easy to drive, very practical, very safe, has good build quality, and an engine that puts it almost exactly on par with the Wolfe performance wise. The build quality seems very nice too, providing some extra protection for the drivers and passengers. So what is there not to like? There is that nagging problem of a relatively high price. But nevertheless, we’d be amiss no to send this up for further evaluation.

Liberty: Next up is the Libery “Merchant” bus. It domes in factory-standard colours matching other Libery vehicles on the road. This is a rather expensive proposition, both to buy and especially to maintain. Actually, it has one of the worst fuel economies of all proposals. For this price it is quite comfortable, one of the more comfortable proposals in fact. Safety is good, and performance is acceptable. The steel panels are good to have again. Where this proposal really falters is an abysmal off-road capability - this is really only designed for paved surface driving, and as such has very limited use as a government special transport bus. So combined with the high costs associated with the Liberty, it will not be further considered.

Stellar: The Stellar Troopy is one of the cheaper (but not cheapest) proposals, so it is immediately quite intriguing. It especially excels with a very affordable long-term upkeep. It does have steel panels, but despite this it immediately stands out as having one of the lowest safety rating of all proposals. Comfort is acceptable, it is very easy to drive - one of the best in fact - has decent reliability, and its octane requirement is tuned to a very safe level. Performance is a little lacklustre, however, even if cornering is quite good. Overall though, it just doesn’t quite shine in the areas that really matter, and thus it will not be further considered.

Mitsushita: The Matsushita Masterbox Panelvan is a strong showing overall. It’s price is about the average here, but upkeep is just a little over the average mark. Comfort is acceptable, it is pretty easy to drive, safety is quite good in fact with extra attention to detail in this aspect of the car, the steel panels and overall extra build quality make the car feel sturdy, and offroad is quite good too. Performance again is right about on par with the Wolfe and Kessel. Yes, overall this is a very strong proposal, and will be sent up for further consideration.

Vizzuri: The Vizzurin also comes in company-standard blue, just like the Liberty. It costs nearly as much upfront as the Minerva, but is at least more reasonable to maintain - on par with the Mitsushita. Let’s start with the good on this car. Well, it has really good offroad capabilities, is decently easy to drive, and has decent reliability. But here is about where the good stuff ends unfortunately. Its aluminium panels aren’t confidence inspiring, its performance is quite lacklustre (surprising for a Vizzuri), and it is simply too uncomfortable to be of any use on longer trips. The government would be paying doctor’s bills to correct every driver and guard’s spines! For these reasons the Vizzuri will not be considered further.

Mara: The Mara Visim 2.5 is the cheapest proposal submitted both in upfront and long term costs. In fact, it undercuts the competition by quite some margin. Its maintenance costs especially are paltry compared to the others, but fuel economy is very good too. Despite the engine being tuned to low-quality fuel - something not really necessary in Letara - the car’s performance is still acceptable. Not good, but just enough . Comfort is really bad indeed, making us think of future doctor’s bills - but not quite as bad as the Vizzuri. This would need some cost-benefit analysis… Other than this, the car is quite practical, has just about acceptable offroad capability, and is very easy to drive indeed. The extra thick steel panels feel very sturdy and safe. So while on paper not necessary a top pick, it has just enough strong points on offer, and we cannot overlook the bargain price tag on the Mara; so even though only three proposals were requested at the top security office, we still include the Mara in the evaluation package further consideration.

Cataphract. Subtle is not really a word you’d use to describe the bright yellow Cataphract Immortal. Cheap is also note how it could be described. It is the most expensive on offer by a long shot (in fact you could buy two Wolfes or nearly 2.5 Maras for one Cataphract)! Upkeep is similarly very expensive, head and shoulders more than the rest (ok, the Kolondra was nearly just as bad, but that one didn’t even get past initial scrutineering). In any case, for all this expense, the car offers decent drivability, just acceptable comfort, excellent off-road capability (the best in the entire field in fact), and good reliability. The engine is weirdly tuned to 82 octane, however, which leaves us scratching our heads a little bit. Performance is good despite this, and the car corners well too. Lastly, the aluminium panels are just too soft for the intended purpose of the vehicle. So overall, the over-the-top costs associated with this proposal are not justified, and thus the Cataphract will not be considered further.

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Stay tuned for the final decision between the Kessel, Mara, Mitsushita, and Wolfe.

…to be continued…

[cake_ape]

Rd. 1 RESULTS

Chapter 9: Consumer segment 1946-1954 - family wagons

Left to right: Popas Rushba 150005S-4 @Mikonp7, Empire Motors Wagon @Lupus, Kolondra 1400 Wagon @MrdjaNikolen, Colombri Family @Admiral_Obvious, Sausalito Wagonette @HelloHi, SAETA Albor 1300 Viajante @Petakabras, Liberty Civilian Wagon @FidleDo, Benetsch Buhrie Kombi @Texaslav, and Ainsworth Athena V8 Spearhead @voiddoesnotknow.

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FAMILY WAGONS

The family wagon segment consists of - this is hopefully self explanatory - family vehicles with a wagon body shape. Although wagons exist in the city segment, these are larger with ample room for the whole family. The wagon body style allows for significantly more luggage room, making these vehicles ideal for family outings where you need to bring more of your household with you - such as on longer trips abroad or camping. Family wagons are mostly seen as utilitarian vehicles that exist only to get their job done, and get it done well without a fuss. Not too many family wagons existed in the Letaran market in this era, but they did span the entire range from budget to luxury offerings.

The first and only family wagon offered in 1946 was the Kolondra 1400 Wagon. Due to its size, perhaps it could’ve been classified as a city car, but because it managed to cram three rows of seats in the tiny body, it broke out from the city classification and got assigned into the proper family wagon category. Just like its sibling, the Kolondra 1400, it was not much of a looker and had large panel gaps showing. But it simply didn’t have any competition if you wanted to seat 8 people. Well, 8 tiny people, but 8 nonetheless. Since there was no direct competitor on the market, and nothing quite comparable in other segments, it was hard to compare the 1400 Wagon. It did suffer from the same problem as the 1400, namely the race headers fitted to the car. Consumers had to shell out extra cash to get those replaced before driving off the lot. That didn’t help performance either of course. The tiny car with 8 seats had naturally abysmal comfort - the worst of any vehicle on Letaran roads in 1946 in fact. Despite its small size, it did have some offroad capability with its offroad skid plate. However, since you could buy a Stellar Four Door Saloon for about the same amount of money (before factoring in the mandatory modifications for the Kolondra, which was more capable overall, more comfortable, and still could seat 6, it is not hard to imagine why the Kolondra didn’t manage too many sales. Despite having a virtual monopoly in the family wagon segment, the Kolondra didn’t manage to entice people into this segment ad really only managed a few sales with people who really needed that third row of seats, and didn’t mind giving up virtually all luggage space to make use of it.

Introduced in 1948, the Liberty Civilian Wagon is what many considered the first proper ‘family wagon’. This car too had seating for 8 with the same 2/3/+3 seating arrangement as the Kolondra, but in contrast had a premium interior and no radio. As such, it was quite a bit more expensive too, but at the height of the economic recovery, this didn’t really prove that much of a deal. In the long term, the Liberty would be classified as at the upper end of the ‘family wagon standard’ market, whereas the Kolandra was near the bottom. In any case, the Liberty featured a powerful 4L V8 that it shared with its sedan sibling. The car was pretty comfortable, especially given its three rows of seats, which sat well with the discerning customer base. It could haul just enough for the extended family vacation. So it basically ran unopposed in the family wagon segment for two years, finally pushing the Kolondra out of the segment for good. Sales started strong as people were looking for those longer trips with their hard-earned funds, and hoped to make family memories hiking in the wilderness or visiting far-off places in Somunds in their Liberty.

Perhaps seeing Letarans’ interest in the growing wagon market, three new models were launched in 1950 for this segment. First was the Popas Rushba 1500-5S-4. To say that this car caused a minor uproar in the car market is a slight understatement. First off, it undercut the family wagon market by a long shot. It was properly cheap to buy, which was just as well in the slowly turning economy. It had two solid axles, 4x4 drive with a manual locker, offroad skid tray, and all-terrain tires. It was not fast only reaching 87 km/h, and it was not comfortable by any means. It was also not particularly safe, so rollovers were quite dangerous. It only had seating for 5 people, three on a small rear bench. But it did one thing well - exceptionally well in fact. Off-road. It had simply the best off-road capability of any vehicle on Letaran roads between 1946 all the way to 1954. It could tackle the most difficult terrain of any vehicle. The fact that it was slow did not matter when you were rock-crawling! So while it never sold strongly for families, the nature-loving youth gobbled it up, and soon started their own modifying culture to make it even more capable. Lift kits started being applied to the Popas. It could be said that this car singlehandedly started a small offroad craze in the Letaran market, and the Popas ran unopposed as the offroad vehicle for the next few years, especially among the bored rural youth.

The second vehicle introduced in 1950 was the Empire Motors Wagon. First off, this car also suffered the same engine issues as the Empire Motors Premium Sedan. Right from the get-go its reliability issues were noted in consumer reports. It cost about the same as the Kolondra, so not that expensive, but Letarans had to factor in the increased long-term repair costs associated with the Empire Motors vehicle. Weird here too was the use of an automatic locker differential, which just isn’t necessary on this vehicle. The Premium interior raised comfort to a very nice figure, however, making it the most comfortable family wagon on the market. The advanced safety features were also very nice, making it one of the safest cars on the road. However that just wasn’t enough to overcome the car’s issues, and sales never really took off.

Last in 1950 came the Colombri Family. Price-wise, it slotted in about midway between the cheaper Empire Motors/Kolondra pair and the more expensive Liberty. It had standard interior and a standard radio. Despite this, it had some more prestige car aspirations with its less than practical 2/2 seating arrangement and automatic gearbox. Unfortunately, these were not really what a family wagon buyer was looking for. Although it was noted that it was by far the easiest to drive of all offerings in the segment. Even with all the legroom though, it was quite an uncomfortable ride. It did have some enormous wheels and tires - 17" rims and a tire diameter of 700 mm! Just with these it did manage to achieve quite a bit of ground clearance and thus some capability to get over the rougher back-country roads of Letara. In the end though, it didn’t quite find its niche, and was mostly overlooked by buyers.

Only one car was introduced in 1951, the Sausalito Wagonette. In a market where it seemed harder and harder to slot into, the Sausalito slotted in above the Colombri price wise. It did feature two standard bench seats and a standard radio; a decent and expected equipment in this class at this price range. With its medium tires it was firmly a paved-road warrior, but here it did make its mark with solid performance thanks to its 2L boxer-4 engine. A nice feature was also the advanced safety package, making it rank in the top three in the segment. Comfort was very good too and it was quite easy to drive. It could be said that the Sausalito was the go-to wagon for those still hanging on in the middle class, and had that little bit left to make a long family trip to Somunds and beyond. However, at this time the market was really shrinking. So the Sausalito made its owners very happy, but there just weren’t that many off them left…

In 1952 the SAETA Albor 1300 Viajante made its debut. It slotted into the purchase price range above the Sausalito and just below the Liberty, so it sat near the top of the family wagon standard market. It had really good fuel economy though and reasonable service costs, so long-term the car was pretty cheap to maintain (closer to the Kolondra and Popas in fact than its nearest rivals). It had a modern monocoque chassis, premium 2/3 seating, but no radio - which many parents lamented. However, the engine octane tuning seems to have gone a little awry, so the car was sometimes prone to mild knocking with a not ideal batch of fuel. The car lacked comfort, but was quite safe. It wasn’t very off-road worthy, but fairly easy to drive. So the SAETA had some good but also some bad points. Unfortunately for it, though, it came into an already fairly saturated market and didn’t really make itself stand out from the crowd. So in the end, it didn’t quite sell all that well, but some examples still made their way into family albums posing at various vacation spots around Letara.

The other entry into the family wagon market in 1952 was the Benetsch Buhrie Kombi. The Benetsch was considerably more expensive than anything in the family wagon market so far, both in terms of purchase cost and upkeep. The Benetsch became the only representative of the family wagon premium category. It featured two standard bench seats and standard radio, and standard safety - which were already the norm in the standard category, so not at all an upgrade for the premium price tag. But you did get a galvanized monocoque chassis. And a rather large an powerful 4.2L V8. Despite this, the Benetsch still trailed the now 4 year old Liberty in raw performance. The Benetsch was quite comfortable at least, but was beaten in this regard by the much cheaper Empire Motors. It was quite safe, but again beaten by several competitors in the segment. What it really had going for it was prestige and its great looks, but that seemed to be really … it. Unfortunately for the Benetsch, this simply was not enough in this market segment in this economy, so it never even saw the limited success that its stable sibling Buhrie Fierst did in the family segment.

The last car to enter the family wagon market was the Ainsworth Athena V8 Spearhead in 1954. In so many aspects this became a very unfortunate launch of a car. It was by far the most expensive of any family wagon - firmly in the luxury price category. It was more expensive than the luxury sedans Benetsch Buhrie Fierst and P&A Sportsman Mk.II Straight 6. Its upkeep was not just more expensive than these to, it was significantly more expensive. Not quite on par with the Wraith Montezuma, but getting in the same ballpark. Add to this that both front and rear tires had to be swapped before driving off the lot to comply with Letaran road laws, and that the engine was designed for some weird unleaded gasoline, the costs just mounted. Quite simply, it was the second most expensive car to buy and own in Letara. All that in the middle of a major recession. For all this money the car did offer two luxury bench seats and a luxury radio - very much head an shoulders above anything else offered in the family wagon segment, and the car was supremely comfortable and offered quite a lot of prestige. But the family wagon market was never perceived to be anything but reliable workhorses, so such a prestigious and expensive wagon was just weird to Letarans. Add in all the other problems surrounding the car, and well… you get the picture. The Ainsworth importer probably drives the only showroom model around as the sole example of this car in Letara.

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…to be continued…

[karhgath]

NEWS RELEASE

WOLFE MOTORS
REGINA, SK, CANADA

FOR RELEASE: Sunday papers   

REGINA, September 1949: Lewis Wolfe, President of Wolfe Motors, would like to apologize for the previous news release announcing Wolfe’s participation in the Portunis Cannonball Run. It turned out that at the official pre-race checkup, Wolfe realized that someone forgot to install the bumpers and safety glass. That person has now been sacked.

“Oops” was the official quote from the President.

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NEWS RELEASE

WOLFE MOTORS
REGINA, SK, CANADA

FOR RELEASE: Sunday papers   

REGINA, September 1950: Lewis Wolfe, President of Wolfe Motors, would like to apologize again for missing out on the Portunis Cannonball Run again this year.

“Oops, we did it again” was the official quote from the President.

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(I am running out of puns, but you got the idea…)

[happyfireballman]

Yo, can I join in or am I too late? I would also like to see the new set of regulations for the cars in order to make something for this challenge.

[cake_ape]

Yep, you can join the fun in round two. So probably in about two-three weeks or so.

[happyfireballman]

Also, another thing is just the rules itself. I try looking through the clutter but I’m not sure what is being asked. The rules as mentioned are well made, but it’s somewhat hard to navigate at times. Nothing wrong with the rules themselves.

[cake_ape]

There’s a handy-dandy index at the bottom of the OP with links to the important posts.

[cake_ape]

Rd. 1 RESULTS

Chapter 10: Consumer segment 1946-1954 - utility

Left to right: Mara Companion 1.3 TR, Mara Companion 1.3 PR @AndiD, Ital Prima Van @TanksAreTryhards, Mitsushita T-ST 1500 @conan, Knightwick Dragonfly Pickup @mart1n2005, Kamaka Chief Van @LS_Swapped_Rx-7, Aero Move Ute @Edsel, Kolondra 1400 Van @MrdjaNikolen, Capable Hauler, Capable Heaver @Vento, Wolfe Custom Six Pickup @karhgath, and Liberty Artisian @FidleDo

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UTILITY

The utility segment consists of pickup trucks and panel vans used by regular consumers or businesses to haul their goods and materials around. What they may lack in comfort they make up in transport capability. These cars should be strong enough to carry all their cargo with ease, handle the roads even in remote areas of the country, be reliable, and last but not least economical. Let’s see how the Letaran utility market shaped up.

In 1946 the cheapest utility vehicle was the Knightwick Dragonfly Pickup. It was a rather diminutive pickup with a wheelbase of 2.3 m. It was clearly based on a regular car model, not a dedicated utility platform, evidenced by the independent front suspension. It also had an open differential, but it did get fitted with utility tires. A standard bench seat and no radio were the only creature comforts in the interior. Overall, it was about what you’d expect from a small pickup, really. It was not all that cheap to maintain, though, so while the purchase price was really nice, over the long haul it might not be the most economical option. Despite its size, it did manage to haul a decent amount of cargo, and was relatively reliable and comfortable compared to the other options in 1946. A major drawback was that it was tuned for 98 octane fuel, so it never was useful in any remote areas of Letara. So for the next two years, if you wanted a pickup and didn’t mind staying in developed areas, this was your vehicle. The Knightwick did sell relatively well (compared to its two utility rivals - see below), but overall it could be said that it didn’t quite get a warm reception where it should’ve mattered: the working class in the industrial and agricultural areas of Letara.

Released in the same year the Aero Move Ute was an even smaller vehicle with a 1.8 m wheelbase. It too was based on a regular city car, this time with a galvanized chassis and aluminium panels to boot that could not really stand up to any major pounding. So don’t try to move sharp rocks in this one! With its smaller size and basic interior, even the two bucket seats didn’t manage to feel more comfortable than the Knightwick. With its tiny box it could really not haul much either. Although the Aero was more expensive to buy than the Knightwick, it was cheaper to maintain - but even this was not enough to lure buyers away from the Knightwick. Add to this that the engine was tuned to 93 octane (probably a margin-adjustment mistake by the engineers), and this car was also just restricted to the more developed areas only. In this case, it probably didn’t matter anyway, since it really seemed to be a fashion statement targeting city customers rather than a useful utility vehicle, and that is not really what Letarans were after in this segment.

Lastly, the Kolondra 1400 Van was also released in 1946. Again, a small 2.3 m wheelbase vehicle based on a city car, but this time in panel van form. Even more expensive to buy and a lot more expensive to maintain than the other two, it has an uphill battle to fight from the start. This Kolandra too had to contend with its race header issue, adding even more cost and headache for customers. Despite the Kolongra receiving an offroad skid tray, it still trailed the other two utility vehicles in offroad capability, it wasn’t particulary comfortable (better than the Aero though), nor was it particularly reliable. When customers were faced with the Kolondra, they found that buying a &Stellar 13-46 Four Door Saloon, ripping out the rear seat and making some modifications was actually a more sensible proposition if they wanted a covered van to haul their dry goods. So looking at these three options introduced in 1946, it could be said that the utility segment was not off to the greatest of starts in Letara.

In 1948 four new models were introduced in Letara - the four most expensive utility vehicles to exist between all the way to 1954 in fact. Which was just as well, because 1948 was the last year of the economic recovery before it started its decline. This gave these four a good chance at success, if they delivered the goods (pardon the pun). Let’s look at the Capable Hauler and Capable Heaver first. These two were more expensive than the Kolondra, but cheaper than the Wolfe and Liberty (next on the list). The Capable vehicles had proper coil-sprung solid axles front and rear (the only utility vehicles in the entire era!), which were lifted quite a bit, a locking differential, and all-terrain tires. The Heaver also had an offroad skid tray. These features made these two the most off-road worthy utility vehicles on the market, and their tuning to 88 octane made sure that they were reliable in all areas of Letara even if a bad batch of fuel was delivered. Although not the largest of vehicles, their 2.6 m wheelbase allowed them to have a good cargo capacity too. Reliability was very good for both too, but they were relatively hard to drive. Last but not least, these vehicles had a nice big and strong engine in the form of a 3.8L I6. So despite their questionable paint job, the Capable dealers did brisk business selling these as the first true and capable utility vehicles in the country.

Released in the same year, the Wolfe Custom Special Six Pickup was even more expensive to buyu, but a tiny bit cheaper to maintain. It was also based on a regular car. Similar to the Capable cars, it featured a standard interior and no radio, but it had two buckets seats instead of a bench. It had an open differential but was fitted with an offroad skid tray, and was all-terrain tire shod. The Wolfe also had a strong engine, in this case a 3.7L I6, so performance was about on par with the Capable vehicles. It had a nice big bed to haul a lot of cargo too. It was more comfortable, more realiable, and easier to drive than the Capable cars. Fuel was tuned to 91, so also quite safe in all areas of Letara. With its nice and distinctive looks and longer 2.8 m wheelbase it was a more imposing vehicle that exuded some strength and prestige. So in the end it was quite well received, and split the market about evenly with the Capable Heaver in the pickup market.

The most expensive utility vehicle to be introduced in this year was the Liberty Artisian, also a nice looking 2.8 m pickup truck. This vehicle also had independent front suspension and was quite low to the ground, but it did receive a segment-only (!) 4x4 drivetrain and a locking differential. Traction was provided by utility tires, and the lack of undertray hurt its offroad prowess though. So while the basics were there, the truck did need some aftermarket modifications to achieve its true potential. For its purchase price - almost bordering on premium territory - it did offer the only V8 in the utility segment providing it more power than any other utility vehicle. So it was pretty fast. Comfort was adequate too in its standard bench, even though this truck also didn’t offer a radio. Overall, the Liberty was indeed capable of hauling quite a load, but it seemed to have a little bit of an identity crisis - was it a sports pickup (perhaps even a bit of a sleeper), or was it an offroader? It sort-of fell in between. Nevertheless, what it offered stock, the Capable and Wolfe trucks could do the truck duties better and cheaper. And while it had the potential to be a class-beating sports or off-road truck, to get the true potential out of it, customers had to make their own modifications. So it was only sold in limited numbers to the truly dedicated who didn’t mind the extra work and expense, but those few who made the commitment, did get a really great truck to unlock its potential.

Right at the start of the economic downturn two of the cheaper utility vehicles were introduced in 1949. First was the small (again 2.3m wheelbase) Ital Prima Van. It was quite cheap to buy and maintain, similar to the Ital Prima city cars this tiny van was based on. So in that sense it was a sensible and attractive proposition for a city roundabout delivery van. It had two standard bucket seats, and despite not having any offroad aspirations, it still managed to be more capable in this regard than some of the tiny vans of '46. Comfort was decent, and in general it didn’t suffer from any of the issues that plagued the three utility vehicles introduced in '46. So the Prima was the first real small delivery van option available to Letarans, and because it was also so cheap and reliable they jumped at the opportunity. The Prima became a common sight delivering various small goods in city centres of Letara.

The second utility vehicle of 1949 was the Mitsushita T-ST 1500. This vehicle was also a small 2.3m wheelbase, but a pickup. Cheaper than the previous offerings to buy and maintain, it was also immediately on interested customers’ radar. This vehicle also had two bucket seats like the Prima, but this time of a more basic variety. With independent front and rear suspension and no other offroad features whatsoever (it had utility tires), it has a pretty poor capability in that regard. So it was quite restricted to paved roads and well-maintained gravel. It was not very comfortable, but it was quite reliable. So in the end, it was similar to the Ital in that it didn’t really have any major flaws - except that it was just too small. See, while there is a good market case to be made for small delivery vans such as the Ital, and the fact that the market only had one other good van available (the Capable Hauler), the pickup market demanded larger and more capable vehicles - and this market was already filled by several other models including the Capable Heaver, Wolfe, and to a lesser extent the Liberty. So the Mitsushita was a good vehicle, and everyone who had two wheelbarrow’s worth of dirt to move bought one, the tiny pickup market was just quite small.

1950 saw the introduction of two even smaller utility vehicles: the Mara Companion 1.3 TR and the Mara Companion 1.3 PR. They were also derived from their 2.2 m wheelbase city car sibling. Both vehicles had a two-seat basic interior. The TR van was a pure city delivery van without any extras or frills, just hard long life tires and its 1.3L I4 engine. The PR pickup model had some offroad aspirations with a lockign differential, offroad skid tray, and all-terrain tires - and actually achieved a surprisingly pretty good capability indeed in this regard! Both were tuned for low quality fuel, so at least for the PR it was no issue going anywhere in Letara. Reliability was great for both vehicles. The Maras were also superbly cheap to buy and maintain, which in 1950 started to matter more and more. However, two main issues remained for both: they were both back-breakingly uncomfortable. Definitely not vehicles you wanted to spend any amount of time driving in. The second was size. Neither really had the capacity to haul goods that Letarans expected, and the other vehicles on the market already had exceeded what the Maras were capable of. So just because of their price some Letarans were forced into buying these, but they did so rather reluctantly.

The last utility vehicle to be introduced in Letara was the 1953 Kamaka Chief Van. Introduced during the deepening depression, it was more expensive than the Knightwick and slotted in right at the top of the budget category. It was another small, 2.3 m wheelbase panel van. The Kamaka had a standard bench seat and - unique for the whole segment - a standard radio! This provided much creature comfort, and despite its small size, it was the most comfortable utility vehicle to spend time in. It was fitted with a locking differential, but otherwise its engineering was pretty bare bones. Despite this, it did have a very decent offroad capability, so most gravel and dirt roads shouldn’t be a problem. It did have a decently capable 1.6L I6 engine giving it better performance than similar and even more expensive offerings (such as the Aero and Kolondra). It could carry about as much as the Ital, and slightly faster too. It was also tuned very safely to 87.6 octane, so could also go anywhere in Letara without any fear of encountering a bad batch of fuel. So in the end it was a bit more expensive than the Ital and didn’t offer all that much more for inner-city deliveries, so the Ital remained the most popular option in that market. But the Kamaka did offer the added capability that made it a much more viable option for longer-distance deliveries to the farther corners of Letara - and this became the real niche for the Kamaka and was more often seen in rural areas and zooming along highways with their small but precious cargo.

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…to be continued…

[cake_ape]

Rd. 1 RESULTS

Chapter 11: Consumer segment 1946-1954 - sport

Left to right: Colombri Coupe @Admiral_Obvious, Zephorus Espion Roadster, Zephorus Espion @Riley, Walkenhorst Autohaus 3s2, Walkenhorst Autohaus 3p2 @Fayeding_Spray, Wolfram Wanderer 3.0 @abg7, Walkenhorst Autohaus 3p2 Roadster, Benetsch Buhrie SK @Texaslav, and Capital K12 Carroza Pegaso @Prium

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SPORT

Last but not least, the sport segment in Letara. Sport cars are loosely qualified as 2 or 2/+2 seater coupes with a powerful engine and good handling. This is just a generic description of course, and as always, lines can be blurred. Sometimes sports cars have two full benches, or are sedans, or don’t actually have much power, or they don’t handle all that well. So it’s a bit fuzzy. It could then be said that the sports category is more esoteric, something about the “feel” or “spirit” of the car that makes it sporty. In any case, let’s see what sports cars were available in Letara between 1946 1948-'54,

Interestingly and despite the success of the Portunis Cannonball Run (and all the previous illegal road racing that lead up to the Cannonball), the first real sport car in Letara wasn’t introduced until 1948. Before this time there were some “sporty” city and family cars such as the Stellar 21-80 Convertible or the Vizzuri Special, but nothing specifically dedicated to the art of automotive sport.

But then in 1948 the Capital K12 Carroza Pegaso hit the market to great fanfare. It was expensive, very expensive indeed, costing even more than the luxury sedans Benetsch Buhrie and P&A Sportsman. Upkeep too was up there in price. So this was a properly expensive car that only the upper echelons of society could afford. Luckily in 1948 it still came in time to take advantage of the temporary economic upturn. But back to the car, what did you get for all this money? Well, it had a very nice flake-paint job, a hand-made 2/+2 interior with luxury radio, really nice advanced safety package, medium tires and the only V12 engine available in Letara. It was a magnificent 5.6L beast propelling the Capital to an unprecedented top speed of 185 km/h, which will not be broken in this time period by any other car. With all this equipment on board the car wasn’t the fastest off the line, but once it got going it was unstoppable. It was also not very nimble with its ladder frame, so the bragging rights were solidly tied to the top speed and the number of cylinders under the hood. The car was very comfortable too. It did have its own flaws though. It was engineered for some “unleaded gasoline” that Letarans haven’t heard of, and running it with regular leaded fuel did cause some long-term reliability issues. But for the few people who could afford the Capital, this hardly mattered. In the end, the Capital became a legend in its own right and its posters ended up on many a bedroom and garage wall, but was out of reach of most Letarans. And the few that did sell were mostly show pieces for balding middle-aged men who finally could afford a dream car and tried to relive their false second youth. Thus started the concept of the “midlife-crisis car”.

Letara had to wait two more years until the next sports cars arrived on the scene, but then all of a sudden the market got flooded by six new entries! It was a real explosion on and of the market, and with this sudden abundance of choice into a virtual vacuum meant that competition was immediately intense and fierce. The cheapest of the new arrivals - and cheapest overall sports car for the entire time period - was the Colombri Coupe, pricing it as the only car in the sports standard category. It was the only sports car with a live rear axle; its ladder chassis further underlined its more utilitarian nature. It did have a nice sports interior with 2/+2 seating and standard radio. Rounding out its sporty nature were the sports tires. It’s 4L I4 was one of the most “pedestrian” engines in the sports segment, so top speed and acceleration weren’t all that impressive. It did have decent cornering ability though, so it had a decent compromise between just straight line speed and nimbleness. It was by far the least comfortable sports car option though. Its saving grace was its price, however. In the shrinking economy this was the entry model into the sports market, and anyone who wanted a coupe but couldn’t afford a more capable car had to settle for the Colombri. At least you could stand out with its bright yellow paint colour - to a certain extent at least, because it might be confused with the regular Colombri Sedan family model.

Second are the Zephorus stable siblings, the Espion and the Espion Roadster. Both gorgeous vehicles for a little bit more money than the Colombri. Under the skin both cars were proper dedicated sports cars with space frame chassis and a larger 3.6L I6 engine that had proper power output, making these quite fast cars - well the Espion at least. The Espion Roadster was a little slower, expecially in acceleration tests it was quite disappointing, as the heavier car had a tougher time getting up to speed. The Espion Roadster - being a convertible with a detachable top - lacked the Espion’s two jumper seats in the back, and only had standard safety features compared to the more advanced package of the Espion. Despite the fever seats and smaller safety package, it still was 200 kg heavier, explaining its more lacklustre performance. It was also the slightly cheaper option, so despite its performance deficit, it did become the more popular of the two. Considering all the options on the Letaran market, being a convertible was something unique, something to brag about, so naturally people were proud to display their Espion Roadster. And what could beat driving down the road in the summer with the top down in a great sounding sports car? So, bolstered by their success in the Cannonball Run, the Zephorus managed to get a large chunk of the sports car pie, especially the Roadster.

Next up in price, and moving toward the middle and upper part of the ‘sports premium’ category, were the Walkenhurst siblings - the 3s2, 3p2 and 3p2 Roadster. These cars had a more utilitarian ladder frame, but nice double-wishbone suspension front and rear. Their 2L I6 engine wasn’t the most powerful by any means, so they were no speed monsters. However, their suspensions were set up for cornering, their sports tires provided excellent grip, and their aluminium panels reduced their weight considerably, so they were very nimble cars indeed! All three cars had 2 buckets seats, firmly anchoring them in the sports coupe market. While fairly close in price, they did have some markedly different features and thus appeal. The 3s2 was targeted toward a more pure-blood sports-loving audience with its sports interior and premium radio. This was a fantastic car that could drive really well on twisty roads - if only the switchbacks up and around Mt. Mordred were paved!. It did unfortunately have to contend with several market factors. First was the cheaper and faster Zephorus, which had proven that you can go much faster in a straight line than the Walkenhurst. This was really the perception most Letarans had about racing, as that is what they saw in the Cannonball Run. Second was the continuously slumping economy, so people were looking for the most economical way to have their fun, so again the Zephorus won out. But there were of course the die-hard fans of more exotic race categories heard about from foreign countries, where nimbleness was key. These people favoured the 3s2. Moving to the 3p2: this was a more upscale model with luxury interior and luxury radio. It proved to be the most comfortable sports car of the entire era, even eclipsing the Capital K12. Other than that, itw as the same car as the 3s2, albeit a little more expensive (but surprisingly, not that much). So just based on this alone it managed to carve out a small niche for itself, enticing some would-be Capital customers away to buy the much cheaper and more comfortable sports car instead. Lastly, the 3p2 Roadster also had the luxury/luxury interior, but this car was another convertible with a manual soft top, with the trade-off some comfort that goes along with the wind noise. So while quite a bit more expensive, it was actually the stronger seller of the two more luxurious offerings by Walkenhurst. In fact, it was the only real rival to the Capital, making rich people choose between a more expensive car with a rich flake paint-job and V12, or a cheaper but more comfortable car with a drop-top. A hard choice indeed.

Introduced in 1952, the Benetsch Buhrie SK was the first monocoque sports car in Letara. With its aluminium panels, it was a rather light car too considering its size. The powerful 4.2L V8 made this the second fastest sports car of the era, and it had excellent cornering characteristics too. It was simply a pleasure to drive if you were an accomplished pilot. Yes, it did take a little bit of skill to really master the car and unlock its potential, but then it was simply unbeatable among its peers. Considering it had a luxury price tag, it only had a premium interior, but a luxury radio. Slightly belying its sporty nature, it did have a full family-car-esque 2/3 seating arrangement, making it more of a hybrid between a pure sports car and a sporty family sedan. But in the end, the sports-tire shod car was received more as a sports car than anything else. It was the only sports car tuned to 98 octane, but given its price bracket and where it would likely travel in Letara, this was a solid choice. But how did it fit into the market? Considering its price tag, it came onto the market at a very unfortunate time. Really only the richest people could afford one. Its main competition was really its sibling, the Benetsch Buhrie Fierst, and the four-year-old Capital K12. Given rich Letaran’s drive to be unique and different, many Capital owners who didn’t already succumb to temptation (or the economy) and bought themselves a Zephorus or Walkenhorst, were lured toward the Benetsch. But even so, it never managed too many sales. Even though the Buhrie SK was faster than the regular Buhrie, the latter was roomier and more comfortable, and suited the ‘sports sedan’ buyer just as much as the SK model.

Last on the market was the 1954 Wolfram Wandered 3.0. Price-wise, the Wolfram slotted in between the Walkenhorst 3p2 and 3p2 Roadster. Like the Benetsch, the Wolfram also had a monocoque chassis, but it had heavier steel panels. Similar to the Zephorus Espion Roadster, it had a 2-seater premium interior with premium radio and medium compound tires. With a 3L I6 engine it was relatively fast - not the fastest, but quite quick in a straight line. However, it was not a nimble car, nor was it especially comfortable considering its price tag: only the Colombri and Walkenhorst 3s2 were less comfortable than the Wolfram. So between the unfortunate timing of the Wolfram’s arrival in the ever deepening economic slump, the already saturated sports car segment, and it not bringing anything really new or better to the table, it unfortunately never really took off - even despite its great looks…

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And that concludes the consumer car reviews for Letara 1946-195.

…Race and Government reviews…
…to be continued…

[cake_ape]

Rd. 1 RESULTS

Chapter 12: “Passenger transport” - part 3 (finale)

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1948

The Procurement Services Office’s Evaluation Division reduced the number of applicants to four vehicles for final consideration:

Left to right, back row: Mitsushita, Wolfe, Kessel, Mara.

The four proposals were summarized and sent up to the Senior Directorate of the State Security Department, where the acquisition of passenger transport vehicles for this most secretive project would be approved.

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By the time government RFP submissions make it to the directorate, they have been thoroughly vetted and narrowed down to just the strongest, most promising candidates. Usually a range of options are sent up with different strengths and weaknesses to give the broadest possible overview of the best proposals. In this case too, a broad selection was presented in terms of price and features. Overseen by the Procurement Office to ensure impartiality and prevent corruption, the Senior Delegates set to work to evaluate the four proposals. They worked according to a strict rubric to keep the results fair. The results were based on the car’s raw statistics, but also how well the car fit the RFP’s wording and how well the car fulfilled the government’s needs. Additional scores were awarded to cars that went the extra mile to fulfill one or more of the needs outlined in the RFP and addressed the main concerns outlined.

Final results

Congratulations to @GassTiresandOil! The Government of Letara will be in contact soon to arrange the procurement contract for the Kessel K20. Although more expensive than the other finalists, it was still within the budget. It offered good stats across the board, especially where it mattered. The brilliant disguise idea certainly helped with the final decision too!

@karhgath, the Wolfe was a strong contender. It was at a decent price, solid stats, and very good “extra” features too including the good build quality and extra thick panels. However some stats prevented it from claiming top spot, such as divability, comfort, and safety as key components.

@AndiD, the Mara had two main strong points: its cost of dirt dirt cheap, and the thick steel panels. But comfort was in the end its downfall dragging it down to where it simply became a liability.

@conan, the Mitsushita was also a very strong showing with overall good stats. It was relatively high cost among this top group, but for this added cost it didn’t quite deliver the same level of performance as the others. So while not a bad car by any means, it just didn’t have the same value for money as the others.

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That concludes the Letara Government assignment of 1948.
PS: Letarans would’ve been delighted to receive many of these propsals as consumer options in the general market (either as people movers or as vans)! Alas, these vehicles never did make it to consumer markets, leaving a bit of a void to be filled…

…to be continued with the final Race results…

[cake_ape]

Rd. 1 RESULTS

Chapter 13: Portunis Cannonball Run 1952-1954

@Madrias @Edsel @Aruna @voiddoesnotknow @FidleDo @SheikhMansour @AndiD @TanksAreTryhards @Riley @Lupus @karhgath @Mikonp7 @Maverick74 @Petakabras @Texaslav @Ludvig @ChemaTheMexican @Prium @Knugcab @LS_Swapped_Rx-7 @abg7

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1952

Despite the continued economic downturn, six (!) hopeful manufacturers put in their participation slips in for the 1952 Portunis Cannonball Run.

From left to right: Torshalla, Saeta, Benetsch, Swanson, Garland, and Capital.

The first order of business is as always scrutineering: a detailed look at each car to make sure that they meet entry requirements. Torshalla, Seata, Benetsch, and Swanson pass with flying colours. However, Garland and Capital are found to be in breach of regulations. The Garland is a bit of a weird story. First, the manufacturer swapped shipping boxes, and sent the clay model mock-up of the car! After being alerted of their error, they shipped a new car, but in their panic they shipped a car with some experimental parts, including a rather futuristic engine and tires. While the Capital’s story isn’t quite as wild or remarkable, it just turns out to be a little too ‘stripped down’ - it doesn’t have rear blinkers or the required windshield wiper. It also has those futuristic tires that Letara is not quite ready for yet. Speaking of wipers, looking at the Saeta the organizers realized that there are still loopholes in the regulations, because that windshield and wiper combo - while technically legal - will receive further scrutiny over the next few years…

With four new manufacturers joining the racing ranks, the total number of teams is now up to 45. The bookies immediately got to work and made new rankings including the new entrants. On raw pace, only one manufacturer stood out: the Benetsch. It was just as fast at the Mocabey, and nearly as fast as the Zephorus, making it tied for second fastest car in the race. It also had better reliability than the former two, so it had a very good chance at a very good result indeed. The Swanson was the next fastest car, but it still slotted in at the rear end of the mid-pack - behind the Ainsworth, and a ways off from say the Mons, Minerva, and Liberty. The Saeta and Torshalla entries were even slower still, firmly in the rear of the midfield joining the Ital.

1952 was a lot more relaxed year for Letara. Although in a continued economic downturn, it almost became the norm. Having mostly overcome the natural disasters that the country suffered in '49 and '51, people were ready for some diversion again. So the Portunis Cannonball Run was once again well-attended, and the masses lined the roads along the entire course. This enthusiasm was also attributable to the new teams added to the roster, which not only allowed people to see new cars, but also place valuable bets on them!

Break-downs, malfuntions, and headaches:

Stage 1 saw ten teams retire from the race: Mons Paragons, Minerva’s The Spirit of Crugandr, Ainsworth Factory and Rally teams, Liberty’s Team Philly and Free Birds, Mocabey 3, Zephorus Green, Empire Motors SC, Benetsch’s Slask. Minor malfunctions were overcome by Mons’ Marauders, Mocabey 2, and Zephorus White. Moderate issues set back: Saeta’s Ducados Racing and Ibérica Motor teams. Vizzuri’'s V8 Magnifique had a major problem on the road, but after considerable time loss managed to continue.

Stage 2’s retirements included: Minerva’s The Pride of Valraad, Vizzuri’s Highway Outlaws, Ainsworth Racing Team, Mocabey 1 and 2, and Saeta’s Ibérica Motor. Other than these retirements, there was only one moderate break-down for the Zephorus White team.

In the last stage Mons’ Marauders, Vizzuri’'s V8 Magnifique, Liberty Racing Team, Empire Motors NYM, and Benetsch’s Prusy team retired. The Mons Titans had a minor issue, and the Zephorus White team had a major issue; despite overcoming issues in all three stages, they still managed to make the finish line, which is quite a feat!

Race results:

1952 was finally redemption for Zephorus clinching a relatively dominant victory - and that with some strong competition added to the roster of racing teams. The Maras continue to show their strength of combined speed and reliability. Benetsch, despite being plagued by some reliability woes, manages to show speed and clinch overall second place. Once again, all Ital and Aero vehicles finish the race, but this time the Ital teams are mixed in with the newcomers Saeta, providing some interesting and close racing in the lower half of the mid-pack.

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1953

Two more teams entered the Portunis Cannonball Run in 1953: Vaughn and Kamaka.

Left: Vaughn; Right: Kamaka.

Scrutineering was a quick affair this year as it was quickly determined that both new entries passed the prescribed regulations and were allowed to enter the race.

The bookies were particularly enthusiastic about the new entries! Both the Vaughn and the Kamaka were on paper exceptionally good teams with a good combination of speed and reliablitity. The Vaughn was about the equal of the Mara, and nearly as reliable. The Kamaka wwas about as fast at the Mocabey and Benetsch teams, but significantly more reliable than both - almost as reliable as the Vaughn and Mara in fact! So this year promised to have some real exciting racing ahead with potentially unpredictable and mixed results - which made betting a very lucrative business (for the bookies that is).

1953 was an interesting year in Letaran history. After several mandates, the ruling parties were replaced in the democratic elections. So while the economic woes continued, there was some optimism brewing in the country. The throngs were out in full force again to see the Cannonball Run - this time with the largest and fastest field ever!

Break-downs, malfuntions, and headaches:

Stage 1 retirements: all three Minerva teams (!), Ainsworth Rally Team, Liberty’s Team Philly, Mocabey 2, Ital’s Scuderia Levante, Zephorus Red, Empire Motors EM, and Benetsch’s Prusy. There was a minor malfunction for Zephorus White; moderate malfunctions for Ainsworth Racing Team, Mocabey 1, and Ital’s Scuderia Z.A.R.T.; Saeta’s Ducados Racing dealt with a major break-down.

Stage 2 retirements: Ainsworth Factory and Racing teams, Liberty Racing Team and Free Birds, Zephorus White, Empire Motors NYM, and Benetsch Slask. Saeta’s Ducados had a minor issue; Benetsch Pomor had a moderate issue; and Scuderia Vizzuri overcame a major break-down.

Stage 3 retirements: Ital’s gentelmen driver Johan Jurgensen, and Empire Motors SC. Minor break-downs for: Official Aero Company Racing Team (Car 1), Escudería SAETA, Benetsch Pomor, adn Kamaka’s Hotrodders 3. Moderate issues for: Mons Paragons, Little Missile Racing (Sponsored by Aero Co.), Ital’s Scuderia Z.A.R.T., and Vaughn factory team A. Major break-down and time loss for: Mons Marauders and Vizzuri V8 Magnifique.

Race results:

Despite promising entry statistics, neither Kamaka or Vaughn could really capitalize on their promised speed. Perhaps it was experience at this point, but Mara continues their domination at the top, joined by Zephorus and Mocabey. The Mons Titans had a surprising result among the top teams. Swanson had a strong showing in the midfield, and Vizzuri finished with all three cars. In fact many teams could pride themselves this time for finishing with all three teams: Mara, Mons, Vaughn, Vizzuri, Swanson, Saeta, Torshalla, and Aero all got their full squad to the finish. Perhaps the most successful race edition thus far! Ital then seems especially unlucky not to join this group despite their previously unshakable reliability.

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1954

Only one new manufacturer joined for the last year of racing: Wolfram.

Wolfram

Indeed, the Wolfram was deemed a legal entry, and joined the other cars on the grid. So with the last entry entered we now have a full line-up of cars. The field, then, could be broken down as such. Lead pack: Mocabey, Mara, Zephorus, Benetsch, Vaughn, Kamaka. Upper midfield: Mons, Minerva, Liberty, Empire Motors, Wolfram. Lower midfield: Ainsworth, Ital, Saeta, Torshalla, Swanson. And then there is good old reliable Aero arriving at some point after the champagne has been drunk.

Currently there was no guaranteed contract for a continuation of the Portunis Cannonball Run, and with a new government focused on austerity, the future of the race series was uncertain. So with the looming cancellation of the Cannonball the crowds were particularly large this year, in places many people deep along the more popular stretches of the route. Each destination town was packed, none more so than Portunis of course. Festivities were planned throughout the event’s three days, and drivers had to be determined no to get too distracted and focus on the race.

Break-downs, malfuntions, and headaches:

I’ll try something else…

Stage 1: Mons Paragons (terminal), Minerva The Pride of Valraad (moderate), Official Aero Company Racing Team (Car 2) (major), all three Ainsworth (terminal), Liberty Racing Team (terminal), Liberty Team Philly (major), Mocabey 2 (major), Mocabey 3 (terminal), TEAM MARA / GUMPROV (minor), Ital’s gentelmen driver Johan Jurgensen (major), Scuderia Z.A.R.T. (minor), Zephorus Red and White (terminal), Empire Motors EM and NYM (moderate), Saeta Ducados Racing (moderate), Vaughn factory team B (moderate), Kamaka Hotrodders 3 (major), Wolfram Carlson Concessionaires (terminal).

Stage 2: Minerva The Spirit of Crugandr (major), Liberty’s Team Philly and Free Birds (terminal), Ital’s gentelmen driver Johan Jurgensen (minor), all three Empire Motors teams (terminal), Escudería SAETA (minor), Benetsch Prusy (terminal), Swanson Privateer, mr. Richard Johnson (major), Wolfram Motorsport Developments and Wolfram Dealers North America (major).

Stage 3: Official Aero Company Racing Team (Car 2) (terminal), Little Missile Racing (Sponsored by Aero Co.) (terminal), Ital Scuderia Z.A.R.T. (minor), Zephorus Green (terminal), Vaughn factory team C (minor).

Race results:

For its (potentially) last year of racing the Portunis Cannonball Run certainly delivered quite the spectacle! It had the largest field of finishers, quite a lot of surprises, and a lot of really good, fast, tight racing up and down the field! With the Kamaka Hotrodders 2 there was a new manufacturer on top of the podium, and the entire top of the field was properly mixed up with all the top teams - with Mara this time markedly finishing only at the top of the midfield in a close race with themselves. And for those who bet on Aero finishing all races with all teams, alas, they saw their first two retirement in all of the eight years of the official Portunis Cannonball Run.

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This concludes the final Portunis Cannonball Run. The organizers and the fans would like to thank all the teams who participated. It has been a privilege to witness some great racing on our roads, and we hope your companies learned a lot from the experience and can come back with some great technological innovations! We are ready for them. What will happen to the Portunis Cannonball Run? Will it remain an annual event? Will a different racing event take its place? Only time will tell. Destiny is (partially) in your hands…

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This concludes all the results of Letara 1946-1954. I’ll take a few days rest now and allow you all to catch up on RP if you so wish. See you soon in the Preface of Round 2!

[Admiral_Obvious]

An adequate result for Immortale Automotive.

Initially a profitable endeavor followed up by a predictable downtrend of sales and interest. We were pleasantly surprised to see the investment to result ratio exceeded our expectation on the coupe.