I’m not sure what I’m more genuinely impressed by: the impressive design language that makes these cars some of the most compelling 80s compacts I’ve seen on here, or the fact that you managed to make a wheezier 80s V6 than the GM one.
4 Likes
MONS 356-ESQUE RETURNS
Mons continues its Lerance racing legacy with the 356-esque, which is now on its fourth revision.
The racing machine from the previous decade was once again significantly re-engineered. It retains its predecessor’s monocoque chassis, but sheds its aluminium panels for much lighter fibreglass ones - much easier to repair too if there’s a small mishap in racing. The powerplant remains our large 6.5L V8 with the modern technologies available at this time pushed to the limit (showcasing top-quality Letaran engineering!). The top end is switched to aluminium for weight saving and a little extra revvability, pushing the redline to almost 7k RPM! Power output is 607 hp (real hp). All this power is translated to the road through a sturdy 5-speed manual gearbox and the latest in oversized radial tires. Ultimate cornering grip is provided by the fully independent double-wishbone suspension front and rear, and over-engineered aerodynamics, this time with a race-dedicated rear wing assembly. The suspension is raised to better absorb the dirt sections, but retain enough rigidity and stability for the tarmac.
With a predicted top speed just under 300 km/h (ok, it could’ve gone faster, but for service cost reasons it is limited), an acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 4.0 s, improved cornering (despite the raised suspension), improved reliability, and a track time of redacted, Mons once again hopes to be among the favourites around the Lerance Raceway!
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Mayland Motors Press Department
The Mayland Paxton Arrives in Letara
April 13th, 1977.
As we get closer to the next decade, the time has yet again come to introduce the latest car we’ve conceived here at Mayland Motors. So, allow us to present the Mayland Paxton.
The Paxton is our first ever convertible, and since it’s US launch in 1975, we’ve introduced a number of improvements. While there are two more trim levels that are available in the US, we feel that three trim levels for the export model is quite enough. Because of the loss of chassis rigidity due to a lack of a roof, the Paxton uses body on frame construction to retain a lighter weight.
The powertrain options come with an automatic transmission as standard, and three engines, two V8s and a straight six. The most basic model has our new 3.8L NS inline 6 engine delivering just under 180hp to the rear wheels, the next trim level up possesses a 4.2L V8, that puts out 193 horsepower, while at the top is a 4.4L V8 making almost 210hp.
It is expected for the new Paxtons to go on sale in Letara at the start of next month, just in time for summer or as we like to call it, convertible season. Once it arrives at the start of May, the Paxton will be the ultimate summertime cruiser for any owner who buys it. Plus, when winter comes, we’ll throw in a set of snow tires for free when you take home one of our cars.
Pre-orders have closed. Financing and Leasing will be available once the car goes on sale.
See you all in May!
MAYLAND MOTORS
©1977
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KESSEL - “The Workhorse of the Letaran People!”
For a decade Kessel has been a staple in Letara’s backcountry. Whether they be on dirt roads, farmer’s markets, or on the worksite, you have made Kessel vehicles a regular sight. We are ETERNALLY grateful, but we also realize that you need MORE from your workhorse. More utility, more versatility, more room. With that in mind, we are eager to show you our lineup for 1976:
1976 KESSEL ARDENNES 4x4
That’s right, no more pretending our cars are trucks. Kessel now offers real trucks for real work. Named after the workhorse which helped build ancient Rome, the Ardennes 4x4 comes equipped with our rugged new 3.5 liter inline 6 and 4-Wheel-Drive to help get ANY job done.
1976 KESSEL ARDENNES CREW CAB
Need more room? The Ardennes Crew Cab offers all the utility you need with enough room for the family as well. Come home from the worksite and take the family out to dinner all in the same vehicle.
1976 KESSEL PANTHEON
Behold the new, soon-to-be-legendary Kessel SUV. Combining capability with comfort, the Pantheon is just as at home climbing the side of Mount Modred as it is taking the family to brunch.
For all your needs, KESSEL WORKS!
GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL: 1980 KESSEL TORNADO PURSUIT
The Tornado, which is based heavily off of the Armor Hurricane ponycar, is available for sale in Letara in different trims and with V6 or V8 power. Only the Tornado Pursuit is available with a turbocharged V6 making 275 horsepower. We have also removed the rear seat for cost and weight savings. We hope our proposal offers the right combination of speed, reliability, and cost-effectiveness for the Letaran Police. We thank you for your consideration.
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Mara goes Letara, Ep. 4-3: All-new! (or just in the eye of the beholder?)
14 March 1974
Great Exhibition Hall, Lerance, Letara
After Fedor Piechov, Mara’s Comrade Executive Director had left the Mara stand at the Letaran Auto Exhibition, for the first time on that first day of the exhibition Comrade Vice-Director of Engineering Rodyn Gumprov walked the few steps over to the three Irenas on display to take an in-depth look. These variants would be the mainstay of Mara’s offering in Letara for the next years, as selected by Inna Horyova, Comrade Director of Letaran Operations. She was also still present and oversaw the final cleaning up of things after the first day of the exhibition.
The Mara stand at the 1974 Letaran Auto Exhibition. The three facelifted Irenas in blue, brown and red
Mara model line-up walkabout (part 1)
After basically having been granted carte blanche by Fedor during the Project Helios that led to the Kavaler, it had been back to the basics again for Rodyn during the previous two years of leading the Irena facelift project. The result was a thorough rework of the by now over ten year old platform. Others might have called the outcome all-new, but Rodyn realistically rather saw it to be in-line with the Archanan policy of controlled progress.
The facelifted Irenas now all ran on radial tyres and a modernised suspension along with the necessary change in geometry. There were now front disc brakes instead of drums. Inside there was a modernised plastic dashboard with a separate instrument cluster, a centre console and modern entertainment options. There also were now lap belts front and rear as standard but hardly anyone was using them in Archana. For safety-crazy conscious Letara they even had to make further modifications in the form of headrests and lap-sash belts in the front.
A new Komfort interior including an 8-track player.
On the exterior there were new light clusters, bumpers and vents. The engine side received less attention; the 2.0 litre Perspekt engine merely received a harmonic dampener for the first time as part of the quest to increase displacement beyond two litres through boring out the cylinders in the block and not having the engine rattling itself to death. Where they had made substantial progress, however, was on production efficiency for all variants.
The first trim variant to be on sale was the newly created liftback shape as a more practical alternative to both family sedan and wagon. The new shape was not that widely accepted in Archana, so it was decided to be the main export to Letara. The base model for Letara was the Komfort trim which had cloth instead of vinyl seats and door padding. Unique for Letara was the 8-track player being already part of the base trim.
The new liftback Irena at the exhibition
The second trim was the also new ute shape, introduced to satisfy growing work vehicle demand on their home market. The basic underpinnings were identical to the other models except for a manual locking diff, a skid tray and all terrain tires as standard. The Irena’s leaf springs proved to be suitable not only for off-road capability but also for cargo carrying capacity.
The new Irena ute at the exhibition
The ute now allowed attention to farmers in sales in addition to workers. This was also what Inna had meant in their previous conversation when she was referring to off-road capability being a useful characteristic to showcase in rallycross. The expectation was that most utes would sell as Regular versions with vinyl seats and a basic radio (the latter as required for all vehicles in Archana).
A new Regular interior with an extra lever for the ute’s manual diff
Notably, the Irena van was absent from the exhibition - mainly due to the lack of success previously in Letara, but also due to the continuously high demand in Fruinia. Rodyn remembered that there were also logistical limitations with regards to their assembly plant in Letara to limit the range of available body types in Letara.
Looking at the third and final Irena on display, Rodyn was surprised to see a red-coloured trim totally unfamiliar to him…
To be continued
6 Likes
Gasmea, 1975
“So, you did do some kind of… industrial espionage?”, laughed Lionel Lomax, managing director of Globus Motors.
“I even drove their new model”, anwered Frehse. “Typical Gasmean stuff, very cheap to buy and run for what it is, but the handling… nah. And the fuel consumption is quite high, but we do have the same problem, still. Even if our engine is quite new. And the looks! I told everyone how the Vaughn prototype looked. Nevertheless, we got this dead donkey here! Where were our best designers? On vacation?”
They stepped towards a sedan parked outside. “Thanks again for giving me all your resources to have the car ready more than a year ahead of schedule. But what’s that color? Diarrhea?”
“Desert brown”, insisted Frehse. “Your concept is quite risky. It is almost everything a Gasmean car is NOT. Except for the styling Nobody would buy it in Hetvesia or Frunia. I really don’t know if Letarans do. If you ruin me with that lemon, you’ll drown with me. My engineers flipped the bird at the blueprints!”
Frehse opened the driver side door. “However, it’s not a cathedral like the Grand Cruiser, but yes, that’s really different from an Astrona. But why is the steering wheel so small?”
“Ludger, this car has power steering!”
“For that price? It’s a lot cheaper than the Astrona 2400! But it has power everything. Let’s give it a chance.”
The car felt not as refined as the Astrona, but it was significantly lighter than the other Globus models, even than the smaller Comet, as did not have a ladder frame. Being light, it came with a lowtech V6 instead of the V8 that was typical for the brand. “Globus means V8”, said Frehse, “not sure if the Gasmeans want that change. And FWD in such a large car, well at least large for my habits, is crap.”
“Trust us, it’s what Gasmea wants and I guess the Vaughn won’t be much different from this.”
“Well, Lionel, I have more for you. We are currently building a coupe version, because your muscle cars were dropped except for the Comet Fastback you gave me.”
“Which comet?”
“That purple shitbox last year. It was so bad, despite the powerful engine, that we’ll make a better replacement. We will implement the more hightech engine from the RT320, tune up the suspension, and mount wider tires.”
“That sounds like a plan!”
Frehse steered next to a Globus Grand Cruiser.
“That old V8’s emission control really drags it behind, and it’s spacious, but this one isn’t too bad, really, at least in that aspect. I think your and my engineers have just reinvented the Gasmean Car! I’ll get in my landyacht and hand it back at the airport, I am in a hurry.”
Lomax waved grinning. “Yep, I wish you all the best, if this car strikes in, Globus is saved, if it fails, we’re both doomed!”
7 Likes
What the Hell is AMCW Doing!?
December, 1976
The people of the peaceful city of Portunis were awoken by the oddest sight this morning. A car not seen in nearly 30 years, still proudly displaying her label from the Portunis Cannonball Run of 1946, bellowed its way down peaceful city streets, rattling windows with the deafening roar of the exhaust.
Some of the keen eyed folk noticed the fact that the livery was a little different this time on the old Minerva Solarian. Some wondered if '77 was her racing number, or just honoring the intent to join in on this year’s race.
It did, however, leave some people wondering, just what the hell is AMCW doing? Why bring a late 1940’s racer back to compete with the ungodly supercars others were making for the races? What secrets were hiding under that hood? Why were the center headlight and the chrome reflector both removed and replaced with air-intake-mesh? What did “Vyrada” mean, and why was this car labeled “Experimental” also? Where did they find tires that wide?
Of course, the driver of the Solarian didn’t slow down to answer any of these questions. Instead, the throttle was opened and the car left the city in a cloud of tire smoke and ethanol fuel vapors, left as a mystery to be figured out another day.
6 Likes
Sorry to ask a question so late in, @cake_ape but would lights like this be allowed on a race car? I am basing it on a baja truck’s aux lights because I thought it suited the bad-aero-high-offroad build I was going for on this car:
4 Likes
Another question: When we submit a car, do they have to be in the same message? Or can I submit them at different times (i.e. submit my consumer car one day, and my government car seperately a few days later).
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Two answers:
- Yes those lights are fine.
- I do strongly prefer everything in one message, but I will not (yet) penalize if they are in separate messages. But if you want to keep me happy, one message. I think I’ll make this a rule next time.
8 Likes
Newsflash 1978: Vausse founder steps down!?
The founder of Vausse, Hollie, has stepped down from leading the brand, due to her age and her health. Leadership has been passed over to her daughter, Jennifer Vausse, who says the brand can expect some very big changes that should make more sales in foreign markets (like Letara), however they will still try to fullfill thier promise of a 200mph car
1 Like
and after a long time of me working at it, the Naviria is finally ready
the Naviria
the Vausse Naviria is Jennifer Vausses first car whilst she was in leadership. She made sure this car would provide ample power to stand up to the fast sports cars of this era, as such, its packing over 350hp under the hood. It is also a massive improvement with its drivability, as well as actually being bareably loud. Vausse has made itself known for its muscle cars in the US, and now its bringing its best offering to Letara
Naviria RS
originally, the Naviria was going to be taken rallying, however, due to regulations and also the fact that Letaras racing series was locked in already, they simply modified the car to make it road legal. With its turbo’d V8, it produces 500hp going to the rear wheels. Alongside this, it also hits a top speed of over 180mph, putting it well into Supercar pacing.
the Interceptor
the Naviria is also receiving a police variant for Letara. This car produces more than the base form, a very nice 420hp, but has ditched the V8 in return for a turbo I5. As the car needs to be more economic for police use, to ensure it can actually last in a chase. alongside this, it also has a ducktail wing to provide less lift.
Fullfilling the promise
before Hollie stepped down, she promised the world a road legal, 200mph car. Jennifer decided that a very limited number of Navirias (exactly 72, the age of Hollie when she retired) would be produced that were capable of this. To make it even better, she had made the car not only fast, but luxurious, so without further ado
THE 1000HP+ 116K 235MPH NAVIRIA SPORT SPECIAL.
its got all the comfort you need. Its awd, its got a V12, and its a wonder that the car is even legal! But, here it is! Nobody ever called Vausse liers
8 Likes
Mara goes Letara, Ep. 4-4: Wild! (relatively speaking…)
14 March 1974
Great Exhibition Hall, Lerance, Letara
Looking more closely at the unfamiliar Irena trim on display, Rodyn vaguely remembered that there had been an initiative for a while on behalf of Inna to sell a special Letaran-only trim.
The display told him that this was the 2.5 SSE RTH - the Sedan Sport Extra trim with Radial Tuned Handling. He was puzzled a bit since there was no non-Extra Sport trim available for any Irena sedan. And why was handling for radial tyres such a big thing, apparently?
The Irena 2.5 SSE RTH
Mara model line-up walkabout (part 2) - or: what is this thing?
The exterior design strongly resembled the Irena R2 race car: a 3-door sedan in flag red with a black roof (painted, not vinyl, Rodyn could confirm up close) and two black stripes on the bonnet.
Inna was done with her work preparing the stand for the second day of the exhibition and joined Rodyn as he looked at the SSE RTH.
“So, what’s the story of this?” Rodyn asked.
“We finally made it happen - the Letara-only performance model to celebrate our racing success on these shores.” She beamed proudly. “First, we looked at merely tuning the stock 2 litre engine, but quickly discovered that the overall set-up is too limiting for what we want. Once we had the Perspekt engine revision as part of the Kavaler project to allow for the 2.5 litre version, we tried again with that engine and some aftermarket products: new regular carbs, a new intake, new headers, always being mindful that we would have to manually rework and re-tune the stock 2.5 engine we get in a crate for every SSE we want to sell. We also tuned for Letaran fuel, not Archanan, sharpened the cams, removed a muffler and shortened the gearbox ratios. Took a long time - but now we are here.” She handed Rodyn a spec sheet.
“Do you know…” Rodyn started after he had a quick glance. “I think this is the first regular production Mara to go to 100 below 10 seconds. The larger 4l V8 Kavaler is definitely slower thanks to being automatic only, while the 2.5l Kavaler with the same base engine is much heavier and also more conservatively tuned - Yenna’s special carbs and all.”
“A sub 10 seconds 0-100 time was our design goal, actually, to be used in our ads.” Inna replied. “In the end, we actually swapped Yenna’s carbs back in - or rather, we will keep them - despite them limiting the overall output. They managed to reduce fuel consumption by 1.5 litres/100 km according to the Letaran test cycle. The thing is still thirsty but not outrageously so, and well-tuned models still go sub 10 seconds.”
Rodyn took a look inside. The interior seemed to identical to the regular Komfort trim production cars except for a slimmer steering wheel.
The Irena 2.5 SSE RTH on the inside
“So you changed a couple of things in the engine, shorten the gear ratios, anything else?” He decided not to comment on the RTH part of the trim name.
“Not much, and all things we can easily do during assembly. Local aftermarket wheels and tyres - which are a bit wider and softer - stronger brake pads, a stiffer suspension, some additional minor touch-ups and extra quality control. Some grille decoration - which is actually functional, to reduce wind resistance a bit - a new aftermarket steering wheel, a speedo that goes beyond 200, oh, and the exterior stickers, of course.”
Rodyn read the spec sheet. “Top speed 185…” Inna winked at him. “… anyway. And you are confident it will sell well?”
Inna nodded emphatically.
Rodyn smiled, took a step back and looked at the gathered Irena workers and farmers consumer line-up for the next years in Letara.
Rear view on the Irena line-up
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I somehow like Mara’s approach to headrests. It really screams “barely fulfilling the legal requirements”. 
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Zephorus Autos
1975 Edition
Trims Offered
Entree
3.6L B6 200hp - $27,400
3.6L B6 200hp - $27,400
Stelvio
7.0L V12 578hp - $51,400
7.0L V12 578hp - $51,400
DAKR ('83)
3.6L B6 300hp - $44,900
3.6L B6 300hp - $44,900
Available in select colours
Or made to order
These cars are not a real product of any manufacturer, any likeness or other similarities to real brands is purely coincidence. Top trim model shown, actual model may change in final submission.
Ital Green
Flame Scarlet Red
Marble
Dusk Blue
Interior Specifications
Brown Performance Leather
Caciocavallo Leather
Brown Performance Leather
Caciocavallo Leather
Wheel Specifications
Golden King
Silver Knight
Golden King
Silver Knight
DAK R
Enough power to move the sun, enough turbo lag for it to never happen.
5.0L B6TT 950hp, 1469kgs and a top speed of 170mph (gear limited)
Early tests show the car can lap Lerance Raceway in around 4:20… On Utility tyres.
23 Likes
Ah, I can see how my old logo for Walton could’ve caused confusion
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This is the Martinet models coming to Letara in 1980
1980 Martinet Erable
The Erable is all based on the new Miller Maple series, (Erable is Maple in french) The french made cars have some minor changes to the front and a different dashboard to suite the european market.
Martinet Erable 2.0 Li
Martinet Erable 2.0 GLi Break
Martinet Erable 3.8 GLXi Cabriolet
1977 Martinet Castor III TR
The last effort before closing down the Martinet Motorsport Division, Entering the last of the Castor III rally cars, fitted with a 3.8l turbo charged V6 from Miller Motors, 475 hp driving the front wheels.
1980 Martinet by Miller Motors
14 Likes
The Erable sedan reminds me a bit of a Volvo 460…inspiration source or pure coincidence?
And I thought my entry for this iteration of LEC was going to be the wildest, or even the fastest, sports car on sale in Letara during this timeframe! Then again, the Stelvio trim of this Zephorus is not a direct competitor - it’ll be a much more expensive proposition.
Also, props to you for reusing your QFC14 entry, and creating a lower-end trim with a six-cylinder engine for those with smaller budgets, along with off-road and even police-spec trims.
3 Likes