It is a 1970, yes. Totally missed that because I knew it was '70.
3 Likes
Fixed! If thatâs the only typo in the whole thing Iâm happy 
8 Likes
Itâs not but nitpicking is wrong in place here.
Starting to recover from the headache, or still as bad?
Thanks for the concern! All good, just gotta get back into the writing headspace
10 Likes
Canadian Motors Applications for LHC R4
Showcasing the applications for the upcoming LHC round from Canadian Motors.
Canadian Motors Lapin
With the whole of the North American automotive world imploding on itself with the fuel crisis and mass downsizing hysteria with imports circling like vultures, Canadian Motors took it upon themselves to bring the Lapin to market, aptly named such as they would be found almost everywhere (even South America!) throughout the 1970s.
Powered by a 1.8L 4-cylinder making 70 horsepower, this car attains an average of 28 mpg (8.4L/100 km) with normal driving, and upwards of 35 mpg (6.72L/100 km) while cruising. Some people speculate the car can attain 40 mpg (5.8L/100 km) or more through means of hypermiling the car.
This car also underwent extensive crash testing so itâs the safest small car the company has made. This even meant facilitating relocation of the fuel tank to in front of the rear suspension as to avoid even the slightest hint of the problems that plagued the Pinto at the time.
The mid 1970s would bring a slight revision to the car, such as the addition of appearance packages, and revision of the headlights from round to square, among other minor changes.
Canadian Motors
A company for all.
1 Canadian Motors Circle,
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
+1 519-XXX-XXXX
9 Likes
Rd. 3 RESULTS
Chapter 6: Consumer car segment 1964-1974 - wagons and SUVs
Left to right (wagons): Mara Irena 2.0 UK @AndiD, Popas Rushba 1700-5-4 @Mikonp7 Stellar Dragonet Estate @donutsnail, Niichi Dynema M30 Estate @MisterRocketMan, Kessel Sperling Tradesman Wagon @GassTiresandOil, Resuki Karazon Traveller @Repti, Alira Stafford Sportwagon @HelloHi, Liberty Familia @FidleDo, Alira Stafford Tourer, Kessel Sperling A/M, Martinet Castor III 1800 ES @Ch_Flash
Left to right (SUVs): Rhania Hunter Type-S @happyfireballman, Mocabey Pioneer @SheikhMansour, Rhania Hunter Type-C
Next up are the family wagons and SUVs. These cars are larger than anything in the city segment, and should fit all of the family and all of the familyâs luggage. Wagons are more utilitarian and practical than their sedan counterparts, but could also be more rugged and off-road worthy. SUVs by their nature are more oriented toward off-road use - or at the very least, a few potholes should give them no problems. The main purpose of these cars is to get the family and gear to their destinations reliably and in relative comfort, wherever that destination may be: the next street, the next town, the next country, or somewhere off the beaten path.
The first - and only - true family SUV was released right in 1964: the Mocabey Pioneer. In a way this was the successor of the VCV Rural B44 from a decade ago, but also not. The Mocabey also had three rows of seats, but only two seats on each row. It was a lot more expensive and upscale with a luxury interior and photograph. And while it had many off-road oriented features, including a 4x4 drivetrain with locking differential, off-road tires, and a skid tray, it didnât go âall inâ with its hard tires. Overall, it was quite capable to traverse poor-quality gravel and dirt roads, but fell behind the older VCV B44. In 1964 it was still the most off-road capable new car on the roads. So where did the Mocabey Pioneer fit in? For families that wanted cheap transportation, were OK to stick to paved roads, and needed a third row of seats, there was a cheaper option available in the wagon segment. The Mocabey, with its 6 seats, was not quite as practical as the Stellar Dragonet Estate with its 8 seats. But it was bigger, more comfortable, safer, more prestigious, and superbly fast - it was a true premium car in all aspects. So while priced out of many peopleâs budgets, it did find a whole novel niche of its own: the premium SUV. Fast, capable, comfortable, and able to haul more people and cargo to more rugged areas than any other car. A few years ago such a car wouldâve been a mistake; in the recovering economy and peopleâs increasing spending power this car hit the mark in many ways, and while not an overnight success, the market did slowly warm up to it.
Switching to the wagon side of the segment, the cheapest wagon of the decade was released: the Mara Irena 2.0 UK. This was a true bare-bones budget offering, cheaper than even a Knightwick K45 and only out-cheaped by its sibling sedan. In fact, you could buy 2.5 Maras for the price of one Mocabey Pioneer. The company even tried to save money by installing the tiniest of rearview mirrors in an attempt to reduce material costs. But this car was not pretending to be anything other than a reliable family workhorse. It had 5 full size standard seats and a standard radio, kept the cheaper but trusted cross-ply tires from yesteryear, and had just about enough power to make it a safe long-distance highway traveller. Riding in the Mara was neither a luxurious nor comfortable experience, leading to some back-ache complaints from its buyers, but if this is all you could afford, then it was a good family transport option with ample luggage space. While in this decade spending trended upward, there was still a large portion of the population who could not afford more than the bare basics, and for them the Mara was a good dependable option.
The other wagon released in 1964 was the Stellar Dragonet Estate. Slightly more expensive than the Mara, it also offered more practicality with three rows of seats providing seating for eight adults. It had similar quality seats as the Mara, but only a budget radio. Despite this, the car was indeed more comfortable than then Mara - largely attributed to its fully independent suspension set-up. There were other corners cut though. For example, it had drum breaks all around (not entirely unheard of), but the front was a single-shoe drum, and the car had high utility brake fade, which is of course not desirable in a utility-oriented family car. The car also tended to be twitchy and oversteer on the highway during evasive maneauvres. The car was quite easy to drive though with its FWD drivetrain, and was very reliable. So, as with most cheap cars, it had its strengths and weaknesses. Overall, it was a worthy rival to the Mara as they split the cheap family wagon market. Objectively speaking, the Stellar did look better on paper, but the Mara did not suffer from some of the engineering woes (brake fade and oversteer issues) that the Stellar did, so in the end they split the market fairly evenly based on buyerâs preference and needs.
Moving slightly up-market, in 1965 came the Kessel Sperling Tradesman Wagon. The Kessel was even more aimed at the utility side of the market with its solid axles front and rear (coils front and leafs rear) and autolocking differential. The cost savings on the suspension allowed it to be the cheapest wagon to have an all-round premium interior (2/3 seats) and premium radio - practically unheard of at this price point. The suspension and interior did offset each other though, leading to an overall less comfortable ride than the Stellar, but not by much. Unlike the previous two, the Kessel did have decent off-road prowess making it a solid choice for those who needed to drive on any and all dirt or gravel road in Letara, but didnât need to crawl over rocks or treestumps. Overall you also got slightly more space than in the Stellar, but fewer seats of course. So who was this car for? With the economy taking tentative steps in the upward direction, the modest price increase compared to the Stellar and Mara were less of a hindrance - and with its greater capability and prestige, the Kessel took sales away from its earlier and cheaper rivals with relative ease.
Moving even further up-market came the Kessel Sperling A/M. This was the full-on off-road worthy companion of the Tradesman Wagon: locking differential, 4x4 drivetrain, offroad skid tray, all-terrain tires, and a larger, more powerful and advanced engine rounded out the package. The car also retained the 5 premium seats and premium radio of its cheaper sibling. All this for the same price as a KHI Traveller (which was not to be released for another 5 years)? Yes, that struck many as a very good option. The Sperling A/M was regarded as the first real successor of the Popas Rushba wagons, as it had unequalled off-road prowess (beating even the Mocabey Pioneer) while maintaining its family wagon roots. Despite going all in for the off-road capability its other statistics were pretty decent too. So for the price and capability, this car became the workhorse of Letaras back-country, and also gobbled up by those families who deemed the Tradesman Wagon to be too mundane - but this was of course mostly for show if you lived in the city.
Released in 1966, the Resuki Karazon Traveller was priced competitively against the Kessel Tradesman Wagon, but in reality tried to compete with the A/M. This car had fully independent suspension front and rear, 4x4 drivetrain, locking diff, offroad skid tray, but did not go all-out with its hard tires. It had 2/3 premium seats but only a standard radio. Comfort was pretty good, however, as was its reliability, and was relatively easy to drive too. Despite its off-road aspirations, it didnât come near the capability of the A/M, but was still better than the Tradesman. And with all-terrain tires it could become quite a capable beast in its own right. And then there was the sizing question. The Resuki was quite a bit smaller than the Kessels, making it more useful in the city, but less practical for those long trips when you need to carry more luggage. So in the end, it felt like it was a car with a bit of an identity crisis, and while it was certainly not a bad car, it had a harder time to find its niche on the market. It simply did not quite fit in anywhere perfectly, nor did it stand out from the crowd. But as all decent cars do, it was not a failure by any means either.
The same year the Liberty Familia launched on the market. Opposed to the Resuki, this was a large beast of a car with a huge cavernous interior. This was the second car wagon with three rows of seats providing seating for nine adults! Price-wise, it slotted in about midway between the Resuki and Kessel A/M. It had a standard/standard interior, which was a little disappointing compared to the Kessel and Resuki, but still provided more than adequate comfort. This car had some other segment-unique features, such as an automatic gearbox, electronic speed limiter (which it hardly had to use by the way), and all-round disc brakes. It had absolutely no aspirations to go off paved roads, but on the tarmac it had decent performance, although with its size and weight it really couldâve benefited from power steering. So again, a car with strengths and weaknesses, but with some useful and unique features that Letarans appreciated. Just the fact that it was the only car in this era that could comfortably seat nine adults gave it a market share among large families in urban or more developed areas, as long as they were not planning any trips to more remote areas of Letara.
Letarans had to wait a further three years for the next family wagon: the 1969 Popas Rushba 1700-2. The release of the Popas was much anticipated given that it was the first true update to the Rushba line. Letarans were hopeful that it could re-live its glory days from the 50s, when the Popas established itself as the off-road wagon of the era. Well, the 1700-2 was certainly a upgrade in terms of looks, and it surely had similar off-road aspirations as its predecessors with its 4x4 drivetrain, locking differential, offroad skid tray and offroad tires. What was more puzzling was the 2/2 seating arrangement, more reminiscent of premium cars than a family workhorse; this made the car much less practical as a family car than its nearest rivals. It had standard/standard interior that was quite uncomfortable. Considering its equipment, it was also not all that reliable (not terrible, but in comparison to its rivalsâŠ), and it was hard to drive. So where did it fit in? Given that it only had four uncomfortable seats, families mostly shunned it. Its off-road prowess was decent - slighly better than than the Resuki or Kessel Sperling, but both the A/M and Mocabey, and one year later the KHI Traveller handsomely beat it in that regard. But of course, there was the price question: those that beat the Popas were quite a bit more expensive. So if not families, who bought the Popas? Well, as it turns out it was the rural youth who had little money, no families, but did want something to throw around the mud roads of their village. So it was a small market, but a market nonetheless that the 1700-2 could cater to.
Three family wagons were released the following year, in 1970. The cheapest of the bunch was the Niichi Dynema M30 Estate. It slotted in betweeen the Stellar Dragonet Estate and Kessel Tradesman Wagon. This car had five standard seats and standard radio, and had conventional road-going equipment of wagons in this segment and price range. It was a no-nonsense family wagon that just got on with business and delivered without any special or unique features. Yes, this was about as vanilla and inoffensive as a car could get. It had good comfort, decent drivability and reliability, was capable of traversing most Letaran roads save the worst rural areas. Being so⊠common⊠the Niichi often flew below the radar, but it was also its strength. It just⊠blended in⊠and was actually more common on Letaran roads than it would appear at first glance. It just quietly got on with business, and the business of selling them was just as quiet but steady as the car.
Next was the segment-bender Alira Stafford Sportwagon. This car was a little bit of a head-scratcher - was it a wagon or a sports car? Well, it did have a wagon body. But it only had three doors and two seats. It also had a relatively powerful and modern engine, and was the fastest wagon by quite a margin - only rivalled by its stable sibling, the Tourer. But with only two seats it had a huge amount of cargo space when compared to dedicated sports cars. Whatever it was, it was unique. If we compare it to wagons, its nearest rivals were the Resuki Karazon Traveller and the Liberty Familia in terms of price; but both were completely different cars and no realistic comparison can be made. If we compare it to its nearest sports rivals, the Resuki Ligera GT-Special and Vaughn Silverbird Coupé, we see that the Alira Sportwagon has similar performance at a nearly identical price, but in a completely different package. It was just a completely unique offering similar to what the Mayland Mark 5 Estate was in the last decade. However, where the Mayland was a true novelty at the time, and catered to the upper echelons, the Alira seemed like it tried to capitalize on the fad and but bring it to the lower economic classes. And it worked, sort of. Yes, a few people thought it was a quirky and interesting car, but it remained a fad, never truly catching on with the large masses.
Its sibling, the Alira Stafford Tourer was a more traditional offering with five doors and five seats, otherwise it was basically just the same car as the Sportwagon. It was thus still one of the fastest wagons on the market; a sporty family wagon. Now this proved to be a better formula for success, as those families who did indeed want a fast and sporty wagon opted for the Tourer. But the market was quite limited, because due to its relatively low comfort and reliability, the Tourer could only snag those buyers who really wanted something sporty and fast, and were willing to sacrifice their backs and were willing to get a tow once in a while.
The last family wagon was released in 1972, the Martinet Castor III 1800 ES. The Castor III was the most expensive family wagon of the decade, but still coming in under the premium price tag. It had five standard seats and standard radio, which made Letarans wonder where all the money went. Several engineering choices made the car relatively expensive: the novel transversely mounted engine required extra engineering time (and thus cost), as did the hydropneumatic suspension and advanced 70s safety options. But to keep cost down, some other choices compromised the car in other areas, such as cheaper suspension geometries, hard tires, and not opting for all-round disc brakes, which by this time at this price range were becoming more and more the norm. The end result was a fairly vanilla car with relatively lower comfort (despite the advanced hydropneumatic suspension), average reliability, just enough off-road capability to be able to traverse all Letaran roads, enough oomph for highway driving, and decently good drivability. Overall, though, it was just a little overpriced compared to its competition for what it offered, so without any stand-out characteristics, it was only bought for bragging rights about its novel engineering solutions.
Two SUVs by Rhania hit the market in 1973: the Hunter Type-S and Hunter Type-C. In terms of price they straddled the Mocabey Pioneer, but both more expensive by quite a margin than the Martinet Castor. The Type-S was firmly in the premium price category, whereas the Type-C managed to break into the luxury category. Both cars were simple revisions of the previous generation of Rhanias, and at this price category buyers were really looking for something fresh. Both cars were three door models with 2/+2 seating and had a detachable top. Also both were quite off-road oriented with 4x4 drivetrains, locking differentials, offroad undertrays and all-terrain tires. They also both boasted self-levelling hydropneumatic suspension, all-round disc brakes, and advanced 70s safety features. Indeed, they were bar none the most off-road capable vehicles of the decade. The only differences between the two cars were the premium/premium interior of the Type-S vs the luxury/luxury in the Type-C, and the I6 engine of the Type-S vs the large V8 in the Type-C. Indeed, the power of the engines deserves its own mention - they are both so powerful as to absolutely melt the carâs tires, and give them both over-the-top supercar performance only rivalled by the better sports cars on the market. Considering comfort, given their equipment they were not the most comfortable - mostly due to the small folding rear seats, but they didnât fall far behind sports cars in the same price categories. They were not overly reliable either, but again, on par with similar sports cars. But they were surprisingly easy to drive, and the Type-C of course had a decent amount of prestige to boot. The Type-S had a nice paintjob, but the Type-S tried too hard to stand out with a clashing and brash two-tone blue and teal colour scheme, that was just considered an eye-sore. So where did these cars fit in? Well, they were certainly not family cars. They were pure off-roaders but with insane power and capability. And they were expensive. In other words, they were mostly impractical and expensive toys for the rich who wanted to show off in the nearest mud pit. As such, they had a small niche market all to themselves - and given their use, the obnoxious paint on the Type-C didnât even matter too much as the car was mostly covered in mud from roof to floor anyway.
âŠto be continuedâŠ
28 Likes
Well worth waiting for, thanks!
4 Likes
Rd. 3 RESULTS
Chapter 7: Consumer car segment 1964-1974 - utility
Left to right: Mara Irena 1.3 TR @AndiD, Popas Rushba 1700-2 @Mikonp7, SUMA M312 San Porta @Banana_Soule, Kessel K-20 Van @GassTiresandOil, Knightwick K45 Courier @mart1n2005, TIV Mungo @Maverick74, Mocabey Warehouse @SheikhMansour, Kinnister BA22 @ldub0775,
The utility segment: these cars are designed to haul goods small and large, from inner cities to farm fields and everything inbetween. Open pickups to haul stuff that can get wet, and vans for things that can not. Some are made for paved roads only, some are made to go anywhere where goods need to be moved. The last decade saw some truly capable vehicles in this segment, but in some areas the selection was still fairly limited to only one or two cars. Letâs see if the segment is properly padded now, or whether gaps still exist.
But first some unfortunate housekeeping...
OOC: I am terribly sorry, but I just noticed that there is one more bin. @SheikhMansour - the Mocabey Haymaker uses a longer wheelbase model than the other two vehicles, so it is excluded from judging. Iâve also already taken the group shot and retaking it would take too long, so it is in the line-up. Again, my apologies for only noticing this now and that I didnât include it in the overall bins post.
Three vans were released in 1964. The cheapest of all was the Mara Irena 1.3 TR. This relatively small van was a marginally updated version of the 1963 version. It was cheap to buy and its upkeep was quite reasonable too. With its standard interior and basic radio it tried to give its occupants a modicum of comfort, but that was undone by its leaf rear suspension and hard cross-ply tires. But the leafs in the rear did have an advantage: the van could haul some seriously heavy stuff in its relatively spacious interior. The van had a quite under-powered engine (44 Hp), though, making it very slow and barely be able to hit highway speeds. Once it did get up to speed, it did have a hard time stopping, routinely frying its front brakes when fully loaded. So yes, it was cheap, and for those that wanted so haul a decent amount of⊠stuff⊠for the cheapest price possible, the Mara was their car. In the end, though, this car tried to simply ride on the - in retrospect, short-lived - success of its predecessor. Objectively, there were better options for a little more money now.
That brings us to the Knightwick K45 Courier. This tiny van was just as stylish as its city car siblings. Indeed, it was a tiny van squarely aimed at the city delivery market. It had standard seats, just like the Mara, but did forego any entertainment options. Despite this, it was still considered more comfortable than the Mara, quite the achievement for the much smaller Knightwick. With its fully independent suspension front and rear and smaller cargo space it could haul less - both in terms of volume and weight - than the Mara, but it did so in a more confident manner. It was both more agile, fast, an could stop better than the Mara. It could indeed zip around the city quite well. While more expensive to buy than the Mara, it managed to be cheaper in long-term upkeep. So the Knightwick was a strong answer to the Mara in the inner-city delivery market, and for those who didnât need to haul a literal tonne, this was a much superior option in many ways. So the Knightwick became the go-to city delivery van of the decade.
The next van to be released in 1964 was the TIV Mungo. Based on a family hatchback, this closed-van conversion sported two standard seats and a standard radio for entertainment. It had the right âamountâ of engine, giving it enough power to be confident, but not over-powered either, and decent utility gearing. The TIV was praised for being one of the most drivable utility vehicles on the market. Braking was good too, with only minor fade when fully loaded. Size and price-wise, it slotted in right between the Knightwick and Mocabey Warehouse, and had hauling capability right in between the two too. It was a hair more comfortable than either and a hair less reliable, but otherwise it was the real middle ground in other stats such as drivability, off-road capability, and speed. So in all aspects it hit a semi-sweet-spot, becoming the medium-size van of choice, outcompeting the Mara, which was its closes rival in terms of size.
The last van to be released in 1964 was the more expensive Mocabey Warehouse. Its price was more understandable when we consider that it was a full-size van with a lot more capability than either the Mara or Knightwick. This car had a proper light truck monocoque and locking diff on its solid rear axle. In terms of comfort, it had standard seats and a basic radio, and was nearly on par with the Knightwick. It was quite a safe and reliable vehicle, and could go anywhere in Letara, including the worst of the dirt roads. It had a large and powerful engine, and had spades of speed. It was large, so could haul a lot of goods up to a tonne. And to make matters even better, it opted for proper brakes and brake cooling, so it could even stop all that mass not only once, but over and over if required. It was not all good news of course. Due to its bulk, it was pretty hard to drive - even the power steering couldnât help enough in this regard. But this was indeed the only good option to haul non-wettable goods around all of Letara, so given that fact it was quite a success with long-distance delivery companies.
Released just a year later the Kessel K-20 Van was the TIVâs first competitor. It was cheaper to buy and nearly identical in long-term upkeep. Yet, it was larger, and with its solid axles front and rear could not only haul more volume, but also a lot more weight. Despite this it was just as quick on the road - but then had a harder time stopping and suffered from brake when fully loaded. It had similar standard/standard interior as the TIV, but despite its larger cabin, it was still less comfortable - mostly thanks to its suspension. It was slightly less reliable, slightly harder to drive, but slightly more capable on pothole-plagued roads. So overall, it was a solid competitor to the TIV, and sucked away its market share among those who had a lot of heavy things to haul.
The first pick-up on the market was the 1967 Suma M312 San Portra. Now this was an interesting vehicle. Advertised as a five-seater with a rear bench, it was clearly not a five-seater. There was no rear bench. Unless you count the bed as the rear bench. So this car was quickly flagged for false advertising, and could only be sold as the two-seater it was (OOC - be careful with mod bodies. They can suffer from such issues as allowing to select more seats than the car actually could fitâŠ). That misleading advertisement aside, it was roughly the same size as the TVI. Overall, though, it wasnât quite as capable and had lower stats basically all-around where it mattered for a utility vehicle - except for off-road - but the damage was already done. If it actually had five seats, it wouldâve been a very interesting proposition; but given the false advertising campaign and what the vehicle actually was, it could not compete with the TIV or the Kessel.
The Popas Rushba 1700-2 was released in 1969. This was the first true budget pick-up offering, much cheaper than the others on the market currently. For this cheap price you would still get a standard/standard interior, which was quite impressive - as was its locking differential and offroad skid tray. Of course corners were cut elsewhere, such as a bare-minimum safety package making it one of the least safe cars on the road, and cheap passive springs. Overall, this was quite an uncomfortable car to travel in. It was also not very reliable, and it could haul less than its slightly more expensive rivals. It was surprisingly fast, however, and had decent brakes for the weight of the vehicle. Given its few offroad features, it was surprisingly not that capable - still OK to traverse all roads in Letara, but more precarious in the worst conditions. Another issue was noticed when it came up to speed: it tended to terminally oversteer, making it hard to control at times. So where did the Popas fit in? It was mostly relegated to farms, where cheap, no nonsense vehicles were needed to haul larger volume, but less dense cargo - such as hay bales and the like. But outside the rural areas it found little uptake.
Released the same year was the Kinnister BA22. This was another car-based medium-size pickup. Coming in toward the higher-end of the utility segment, it did offer some extra creature comforts, such as a premium interior and premium radio. It also pretended to be an off-road pickup with its skid plate and all-terrain tires - but was only RWD and had an open differential. But it was still the most off-road worthy utility vehicle at the time. It was also very comfortable (comparatively speaking, of course), and was relatively easy to drive. Could it haul much? Well, no, not particularly, but it seemed that the Kinnister was not actually aiming to be a pure utility vehicle. It was aiming to appeal to those who wanted to look tough by owning a truck, but the only hauling that theyâd do was to bring the annual Christmas tree home. As such, it was quite a unique proposition. There was another glaring issue with the car. The engine was built for 98 octane fuel and tuned for 96.2 octane. Considering that the highest octane fuel available was 95, this caused some reliability issues with the Kinnister. So, this truck was a valid and unique concept, but one that missed the mark. Its price point and engine choice put it squarely up against the utility vehicles, and it had a hard time distinguishing itself from them. As a utility vehicle it was just not capable enough. And it didnât quite manage to capture that other audience, the ones who had more money to show off with, because there wasnât enough to show off with beside that it was a truck.
The third pickup released in 1969 was the Vausse Sportility. The Vausse was qutie a bit more expensive than any other utility vehicle on the market, being the only premium utility vehicle of the entire line-up. It was a rather large (read: long) vehicle - just as long as the Mocabey Warehouse. But it was a low and sporty pickup, making no effort to be an offroader despite its 4x4 drivetrain, locking differential, hydropneumatic suspension, and all-terrain tires. In fact, it is almost shocking how un-capable it was on rough terrain. It was the only utility vehicle with a V8 engine, a large one at that with a lot of power. The car had quite face-melting performance off the line and a blistering top speed rivalling sports cars in the same price range. So the Vausse was this generationâs sports pickup, and the successor of the Vizzuri Laonda Vantaggio. So it was another segment-bender vehicle and cross-shopped with sports cars. But where the Vizzuri beat most sports cars, the Vausse was just one of many. It was also not quite as good looking as many sports cars, where some flair is required to stand out. There was another issue with the car: it was simply too loud and illegal to drive off the lot without modifying the exhaust first and fitting an aftermarket muffler. And the Vausse had one other major flaw: it suffered from catastrophic terminal oversteer at any speed. Indeed, it was nearly impossible to drive. So in a clear attempt to capitalize on the Vizzuri Laondaâs success, the Vausse just couldnât quite make that happen, and was labelled the âbansheeâ of Letara.
The last utility vehicle on the market was the Rhania Type-T. This midsize pickup was an evolution of the previous generation Rhanias, just like its SUV siblings. It was a mid-size two-seater with a sports interior and 8-track player. With its pricetag it sat at the very upper and of the standard utility market, almost dipping into premium territory. It had a full offroad set-up, but with a harder suspension tuning it lacked the true capability of its SUV siblings. It also lacked their comfort, and with a more anemic I4 engine it also lacked that insane power and speed. Not that the Type-T was slow, it was not - it was still one of the faster pickups on the market - it just didnât stand out from the crowd as much. Given its capabilities, it was just a very solid pickup truck that could haul a lot of goods while providing a modicum of comfort to its occupants. It was relatively easy to drive too, but lacked some reliability for a pure workhorse. It did have severe issues with its brakes when fully loaded: 50% brake fade meant that after one emergency stop the brakes needed much time to cool before attempting to drive again - if they werenât warped in the first place. So, given its high costs and issues, the Type-T was never a huge success on the market.
âŠto be continuedâŠ
23 Likes
News Report: Vausse denies bieng inspired by Vizzuri
A recent interview with Vausses second in command brought us answers on many questions
the interview
Second in Command for Vausse, Deacon McCallister, was interviewed by one of our reporterâs. We finally got answers for all the questions we were asking
Q: Was the recent Sportility trying to capitalise off of Vizzuri pickup that scared sports cars last decade?
A: whilst we did spot the market was able to provide profit, our intention was not to try and follow it up. The Sportility is its own beast, a creature unlike any other. Does that mean that all Sedans are capitalising off the first? Of course not, thats utterly ridiculous
Q: Will Vausse try and make more sales in Letara?
A: Letara is currently our smallest market, however in the coming years we plan to make a racing debut, something we call âProject Hellraiserâ. The flashiest, fastest car we could ever build? And the best part? Its gonna be completely road legal!
Q: those are some bold claims, can you back it up?
A: Vausse will never lie to a consumer. We said we would provide completely elite vehicles for the entitled and rich, and we have been. The Sportility is gonna be more expensive than your house when it gets older, the Rainier already is getting more expensive! You heard me readers, buy em whilst thier cold!
Q: Ok, final question. Do you plan on ever making somethingâŠaerodynamic?
A: gah, I knew thisâd come up. Listen, what do you think makes a Vausse a Vausse? Sharp edges, a great hulking beast of a motor, and a glorious sound. We do not plan on leaving that behind.
Q: thats about all we have for today, do you have anything else to say?
A: stay tuned avid customers, we are about to blow your goddamn minds!
4 Likes
Rd. 3 RESULTS
Chapter 8: Diplomatic limousine - 1970 (conclusion)
Left to right: Benetsch Buhrie Diplomat (38L) @Texaslav, Mocabey Airig @SheikhMansour, Swanson 555 LP @Ludvig, Wolfe L440 Govt Special @karhgath, Anhultz Superkroon I @Elizipeazie, Vizzuri Laonda Special Tipo 555 @Aruna
After the Junior staff selected their top six picks, they forwarded the detailed portfolios to the Senior staff at the Secret Service. These six cars were all deemed acceptable as Letaraâs new flagship diplomatic vehicle, but only one company would be contracted to provide the full fleet. The cars were evaluated by three committees: the Financial Officers looked at the overall price of the vehicle, the Safety Officers evaluated the carâs safety features and rating, and the Diplomatic Relations Officers evaluated the vehicle more holistically, considering its comfort, prestige, equipment, and other capabilities. Without further ado, in user-name reverse alphabetical order:
Benetsch Buhrie Diplomat (38L)
FO: There are only good things to say about this car. Its purchase price is right about average in this group, but its long-term upkeep costs are very cheap. In our estimation this car will be the cheapest in the long run.
SO: In crash tests this car comes up a short compared to the others. It does have some extra thickness added to its panels, which is nice to see, as is the advanced 70s safety package. Its reliability is below average, which gives some concern if the car brakes down during a high-profile transport mission. Its braking distance, agility, and speed are also just below average.
DRO: The car has excellent looks. It just oozes prestige, but also looks unique, which we especially appreciate here in Letara. Top marks in that regard. The luxury interior and luxury 8-track are on par with most others. Despite this, the car suffers in the prestige department, being the lowest of the bunch. Comfort is average, but it is relatively easy to drive.
Mocabey Airig
FO: These cars are relatively cheap to buy, but their upkeep is quite expensive - the most expensive of the bunch in fact. Our forecasts indicate that the two ends roughly cancel each other out, making this car about the average in overall costs.
SO: Crash tests rate this car the highest of the bunch, we cannot commend the engineers enough for this feat. However the lack of extra thick panels or glass is slightly worrying. Advanced 70s on this car too is good. Reliability, on the other hand, is the worst of the bunch, giving rise to some worry about convoy break-downs. Braking distance is quite good, and the car is very fast and agile indeed.
DRO: In terms of looks, the car is a little bland. Nothing wrong with it per se, it is well crafted, just nothing special either. This one too has a luxury interior and luxury 8-track. This car oozes prestige and is on the other end of the spectrum compared to the Benetsch. Comfort is average, but it is quite difficult to drive - comparatively that is.
Swanson 555 LP
FO: These units are about average price to buy, but also quite expensive to maintain. Our forecasts predict a slightly below average overall cost, but not by much.
SO: In crash tests these cars come out slightly better than average. They have no extra material thickness added to their panels or glass, but do have an advanced 70s safety package. Reliability is quite good on them, giving us much confidence for long-distance diplomatic transports. They are very fast and can stop on a dime, and are very agile too.
DRO: The car looks very nice indeed. At first glance it might not fit in with the traditional idea of a diplomatic limousine, but upon closer inspection many swanky details are revealed. The colours are unconventional too, but here it adds to its appeal - it would set Letara apart from the rest of the world with their standard black vehicles. The sunroof is a nice addition too, allowing more Letaran sunshine into the cabin. The car has a premium interior (a negative mark here), but has a luxury 8-track. The car has about average prestige, but has the worst comfort ratings of the line-up. On the other hand, it is very easy to drive and handle.
Wolfe L440 Govt Special
FO: This car is the cheapest to buy of the bunch, but its upkeep is slightly above average. Its overall costs are predicted to be just a hair more than the Benetsch.
SO: In crash tests these cars come off quite badly, by far the worst of the bunch by some margin. This is despite their reinforced panels, thick glass, and advanced 70s safety. They have about average reliability, so not much to complain about in that department. This is, however, the slowest car with the longest braking distance of the bunch, and is also the least agile.
DRO: The car looks quite nice. It has that prestigious and stately aura one would expect from a diplomatic car, but with just enough detail and uniqueness to stand out a little. This car too has a premium interior that lets it down a little, but has a luxury 8-track. The car is not all that prestigious, but its comfort level is quite good indeed. Despite its low agility, this car is the easiest to drive of the bunch.
Anhultz Superkroon I
FO: These cars are more expensive than the average, but are on the cheaper end to maintain. Our prediction is that they are just above average in the long term, comparable but just above the Mocabey or Swanson.
SO: In crash tests the Anhultz fares a little worse than average, despite added weight to its panels and glass. This time the older advanced 60s safety let down the Anhultz. These cars are bomb-proof however when it comes to reliability - we have zero concerns about breakdowns. This car has about average speed in the line-up, but just below stopping power and agility.
DRO: The Anhultz has similar appeal as the Wolfe. It is a relatively conventional looking large sedan with an aura of prestige, and just a good amount of small details that set it apart as something more unique. It has a luxury interior and luxury 8-track. Its prestige and comfort are a little below average, and it is about average in terms of drivability.
Vizzuri Laonda Special Tipo 555
FO: These cars are the most expensive to buy, by a noticeable margin. However, they are the cheapest to maintain of all. Overall, though, we still predict them to come out as the costliest option in this line-up.
SO: Crash tests show that the Vizzuri is a quite safe vehicle, only second to the Mocabey. The car has slightly reinforced panels and glass and an advanced 70s safety package, which are nice to see. Their reliability is a hair above average, so no real complaints here. It is quite a fast car, has really good brakes and is quite agile too.
DRO: This is quite a stunning car to look at. It is large and imposing with that aura of a powerful yet luxurious diplomatic vehicle. We are not convinced by the rounded hood-bulge on the otherwise square design, however. The luxury interior and luxury 8-track are on par with the top cars here. It is quite a prestigious car and has superb comfort that eclipses the competition by a small margin. The car is not the easiest to drive, however.
There was more discussion among the various working groups, because nobody could be fully satisfied with whichever choice was made. No car is perfect, and they all bring their strengths and weaknesses. The overall winner of the Government Competition will represent Letara on the international stage, so it must be the right choice.
The winner of the contract is...
Congratulations to Vizzuri! Again, Vizzuri came up with a car that has just the right strengths and compromises to rise above the competition. Well done again; the Government of Letara is happy to order a small fleet of your Laonda Special Tipo 555 sedans.
The Vizzuri on its first diplomatic mission in Fiegheni.
Final ranking and some comments capturing the essence of the committeeâs discussions:
- Vizzuri: The carâs only weakness was its purchase price, some of which was made up by the low upkeep costs. Given that this is a low volume, high prestige assignment, the overall costs was weighed less than in other assignments, so good on Vizzuri for not going cheaper or compromising too much. Just enough speed and agility to run with the top two in this regard.
- Mocabey: Let down a little by its looks and more significantly by its reliability and drivability. Otherwise a very solid second place bolstered by its prestige and safety. Very fast, very agile, but hard to keep on the road.
- Swanson: Very unique looks elevated it higher than it perhaps should have been. Let down by its comfort big time, which was slightly redeemed by its reliability. Very fast too, but also much easier to keep on the road, giving it a leg up over the lower three.
- Benetsch: Absolute top looks, no faults on this one. Overall the cheapest, which was nice, although a lower priority this round. It was let down in a big way by its prestige and to a certain extent its reliability and safety. Its only real stand-out positive characteristic (aside from looks, which was a major factor in itself) was its drivability - but that is really only a secondary consideration.
- Anhultz: Looks were good, but not ground-breaking. Given its cost, others simply got more out of the cars in basically all aspects, except for reliability. But that was just not enough to carry the car. Having outdated safety was also a major negative point against it.
- Wolfe: Similar score in looks as the Anhultz - nice, but not too special. This car had decent comfort despite its premium interior, which is quite a feat (hydropneumatic suspension helped). But aside from superb drivability and the mentioned comfort, all other stats were below par in this top 6. Especially disappointing was the lacklustre performance of its V12 engine.
âŠto be continuedâŠ
21 Likes
SUMA attempted to pull off a Subaru Brat maybe? 
2 Likes
Rd. 3 RESULTS
Chapter 9: Racing results, R2 class
1964
After quick winter renovations and improvements at the Lerance Raceway were finished, the track was ready to receive teams and spectators for its first race weekend in 1964. According to the new rules there would be two race weekends each year: the first one would see the street-legal R2 class rip around the track, and a week later the R1 beasts would show off their might and power. Testing showed that cars were considerably faster in this decade and that racing would be tighter at the top. The inaugural race was preceded by a flurry of activity around the track as teams performed last minute tests and people placed their bets. The crowds gathered for race day in eager anticipation.
On race day the nine competitors lined up on the start line. As the sun glistened off the polished bodywork of the cars, the crowd roared in approval as the engines came to life, and the race was underway! Most teams got away quite well, but the Kessel, Vaughn and Mara bogged down a little. The first few laps went by without much incident, just the Torshalla had a small event on lap 3 setting it back a little after an amazing start. The Liberty, which was well in the race up until lap 6, encountered a major issue that the team could only fix after three long trips into the pits in succession - this all but eliminated them from the race. Around lap 8 the Martinet also started to suffer some reliability woes necessitating some trips into the pit lane. The team thought it had it all figured out by lap 10, but then on lap 11 the car gave up the ghost. P&A had a costly mishap on lap 11, taking it out of the front running group. Liberty, by this time lapping well behind everyone, had another costly repair to make on lap 12, and Primus, who were still hopeful to hang on to the lead group, encountered a major problem on lap 14. Eventually the Primus became the second elimination on lap 17. The top runners, the Mara and Swanson ran a clean race and were in a fight of their own from lap 7 onward. The Swanson was leading the Mara by a hair most of the way, but a mistake on the last lap let the Mara slip past to clinch the first victory of the era. The Torshalla came home in a solid third place, followed at a distance by the Vaughn and Kessel car who were in a battle of their own for fourth. The P&A never recovered after its lap 11 incident and came home in sixth, and the Liberty limped in last place, but at least they finished.
1965
The race in '65 was also off to a roaring start, but there were some initial woes for P&A, Vaughn, Mara and Liberty. There was mostly clean running for all teams, until the Liberty started making funny noises and had to pit on lap 7. The team tried to fix the problem and send the car back out, but the car only lasted another three laps before pulling over to the side and retiring. Aside from some minor slips and slides, there was little to do for the pit crews as the drivers just got on with racing. Quickly the top five of Torshalla, Mara, Primus, Kessel, and Swanson pulled ahead and were in a fierce battle, with the Torshalla initially pulling ahead slightly of the other four who kept trading places for second. The Martinet and P&A were in a battle of their own behind the lead group, followed by the Vaughn at a small distance. Around lap 11 and 12 the Martinet had to slow down to save the car from retirement, which let the P&A run in clean air ahead; now the Martinet and Vaughn were in a fight for last until the Martinet retired on lap 15. This was not the end of the issues for the rearguard: the P&A retired on lap 16, followed by the Vaughn on lap 17. But back to the front. The Torshalla was leading the race on lap 11, but a minor issue set it back behind the rest of the leader pack, and it found itself running in fifth by the end of lap 12. It did fight its way back to the top group, but fell back again on lap 17. The Kessel was also taken out of the leader group on lap 14 and never really recovered after that. The Primus was running in third behind the fighting Swanson and Mara until some issues forced it to make a last-minute pit stop on lap 18, taking it out of contention. The Swanson and Mara fight was a tight one again, but this time the Swanson managed to pull ahead on the last couple of laps clinching victory, with Mara second, followed by the Torshalla, Kessel, and Primus.
1966
The race start in 1966 was one of the cleanest ones, with only the Liberty having a poor start. All other teams got away remarkably well. The cars were running in a very tight race - even the Liberty catching back up - until on lap 3 both the Liberty and Primus had a minor incident setting them back to the rear of the field. From here the top seven cars ran a pretty clean race with little separating the cars, and the Liberty/Primus duo fighting at the rear. This fight would end on lap 9, when the Liberty had to come into the pits for a long repair, but it managed to continue in last place. By this time the front group had spread out a little, with the Swanson leading the Mara, Kessel, Martinet and Torshalla, and the Vaughn and P&A slowly falling behind. This status quo held for a few laps, until lap 12 and 13, when the P&A started to show signs of a mechanical issue; a lengthy trip to the pits set it back to last place. On the same lap the Torshalla encountered an issue as well, taking it out of contention for a podium finish, bu tit did manage to keep going. The Liberty suddenly came to a halt on lap 14. By lap 16 the top group was getting stretched out more with the Swanson in a solid lead ahead of the Mara and Kessel. Martinet looked to be in a solid position to fight off the Vaughn for fifth, until it retired on lap 16. With that it seemed that the running order would be set till the end of the race, but then the Vaughn had to make some last minute repairs on lap 19, relinquishing its fourth place to the Torshalla and Primus. If it wasnât for Primusâ last-lap retirement, the Vaughn wouldâve come in sixth, but in the end it managed a fifth place. The race was won in thus far the most convincing way by the Swanson, followed by the Mara, Kessel, and Torshalla. After its many woes, the P&A came in sixth place at some distance behind the rest.
1967
The start of 1967 was slightly messier than the previous year, and again the Liberty bogged down. Everyone started asking when they would finally figure out how to get the car off the line properly? In stark contrast to the previous year, the race started to get messy almost immediately with smaller incidents up and down the field. The **P&A"" and Kessel were both involved in an incident on lap 2, which also set the Mara back a little. On lap 4 the P&A was involved in another incident, all but taking it out of contention as it now ran well behind the main pack. On lap 5 and 7 the Martinet encountered major issues that resulted in major time loss, until the car finally gave in and retired on lap 11. That same lap the Liberty retired from the chase pack. At this time the top three were the Torshalla, Swanson, and Mara, who were well clear of the chase group of Primus, Kessel, and Vaughn. Unfortunately for Torshalla, who were leading the race, the car encountered a major issue on lap 11, setting it back behind the Vaughn. Although it tried to fight back (and was doing a good job at it too), it retired from fourth place on lap 16. This race saw a plethora of issues toward the end of the race for many teams: the Vaughn on laps 12-14, the Primus on 15, the Kessel on lap 16, and the P&A on laps 17-19 all had some issues that mixed up the field and took them out of contention for a potential victory. In the end, the Swanson and Mara pairing were left fighting far ahead of everyone else. Swapping places a few times, it was a tight fight until the Swanson lost some time on lap 15, giving the victory to Mara. Behind it was a reliability race, won by the Primus taking home its first podium, then the Kessel who lost a lot of time on the last lap and just limped home, and the Vaughtn and P&A rounding out the results.
1968
The race got underway quite well, just the Kessel had some issues on lap 2. The field was running pretty close until lap 6, when the Liberty encountered its first major problem, relegating it from the front pack to the rear of the field. The Martinet was running a very strong race in the front pack fighting the Primus, Swanson and Torshalla trio, when it also had a major mechanical issue and was set back to fight with the Liberty on lap 7. The woes for the Liberty and Martinet continued for the rest of the race with more repairs needed and ultimate retirements on lap 12 and 16. The P&A also had a rough race with several major issues; it ran in solid last place when it retired on lap 19. Vaughn also had some issues starting on lap 11 - but in the end it did manage to finish in sixth. At the front, the pack was slowly getting stretched out, but it was solid going with some good fights, until the last three laps when several cars started showing reliability issues, which mixed up the field. There was a solid fight for the lead between the Swanson and Torshalla, on lap 18 the Torshalla slowed and only managed a third place finish. The Swanson then ran unopposed to clinch the victory ahead of the solidly running Mara - who were not that fast this time around, but were saved by their reliability in the end. The Primus was running third on lap 18, but also had a setback to fall behind the Torshalla and Kessel pairing, but then on the last lap the Kessel also had a problem, mixing the order again for the final finish.
1969
In 1969 the Kessel and P&A got off to a messy start, but the rest of the field roared away. Until the Martinet had to slow down, letting both the Kessel and P&A ahead again on lap 3. On lap 7 the Liberty was pulled into the pits and after sitting for awhile it continued, until its ultimate retirement on lap 12. This was a fairly clean race with only minor incidents until lap 15. The Martinet started showing signs of wear, and retired on lap 16. Then there was the leading group of Torshalla, Mara, Primus**, Swanson, each fighting for the lead and occasionally swapping places, but on lap 15 the Torshalla was taken out of the fight by a mechanical issue, and on lap 17 the Primus couldnât take it anymore and retired. This left the - by now unsurprising - of the Mara and Swanson to fight for the lead. Ultimately the Swanson managed to clinch victory in one of the tightest races to date. The Torshalla was in a fight with the Kessel for a few laps, but eventually fought itself free and finished third in clean air, followed by the Kessel in fourth. The P&A and Vaughn were in a bit of a fight for last place, but in the end the P&A got the best of the Vaughn.
1970
The 1970 edition of the race was off to a good start and there was not too much action up and down the field in terms of major breakdowns until the half-point of the race. Sure there were some minor slips and slides and dings and bangs, but most cars were running fairly cleanly with the field slowly stretching out. The Liberty was having a good clean race fighting in the midfield, until a terminal problem took it out of the race on lap 12. Toward the tail-end of the race more reliability issues started to show themselves: the Vaughn retired on lap 15 after a fairly clean race, and the Primus retired on lap 16 after running in a very solid fourth just behind the leading pack of the Swanson, Mara and Torshalla. After the Vaughn and Martinet fight was broken up by the former teamâs retirement, the Martinet itself encountered some problems, relegating it to the rear of the field. But in the lead pack the Torshalla was leading on lap 15, but a problem on the following lap set it well behind the leading duo. At the front, the Swanson was leading the Marauntil the last lap, when it made a mistake giving the win to the Mara on this occasion. The Torshalla came in third, followed by the Kessel, P&A, and Martinet.
1971
The race start was a bit of a nightmare for the Martinet, immediately falling well behind the back. The other teams were off to a decent start with some minor and moderate issues along the way. Some of these issues shuffled the pack and a lead group slowly emerged. Lap 11 saw the first retirement: the Liberty, leaving the front group consisting of the Swanson, Mara, Torshalla, Kessel, and Primus well clear of the backmarkers Vaughn, Martinet, and P&A. The front group followed each other in processin with little fighting in this race. On lap 167 the Torshalla retired from fourth, and on lap 17 the Primus retired from second, leaving the Swanson, Mara, and Kessel with clear-air podium finishes of their own. At the rear the P&A retired on lap 17, leaving the Martinet and Vaughn fight for last place. The Martinet was pulling away slowly, until it had an unfortunate retirement on the last lap, leaving the Vaughn to finish in fourth.
1972
After a rough start for the Vaughn and Liberty, all cars settled into the race. It was a similar first half of the race as in the previous years when there was mostly clean running, with the field slowly stretching and some minor squabbling for positions at the front. This time, however, it was the Mara and Torshalla duo who were slowly pulling away at the front, and by lap then they left the Swanson leading the chase pack followed by the Kessel, Primus, andMartinet. The Vaughn and P&A were battling for 7th as the Liberty was once again starting to show its unreliability until its ultimate retirement on lap 14. But back to the front. The Mara/Torshalla fight ended on lap 11 when the Torshalla encountered a major issue that set it back to 8th in the running order, leaving the Mara to run in clear air for the first time in the race. In the chase pack the Martinet was set back on lap 11, and the Primus on lap 13, leaving the Swanson and Kessel duo run alone. On pure pace the Swanson slowly reeled in the Mara up front, and overtook it on lap 17. Behind, the Martinet and Primus both retired, leaving the Torshalla running in fourth place - but fate would not be kind and Torshalla did not make the finish line on the last lap. This left the P&A to finish in fourth and the Vaughn in fifth. Up front nothing changed till the end, so the Swanson took the checkered flag followed closely by the Mara. After Martinetâs issues, the Kessel ran to an unopposed third place.
1973
This year the Liberty and Martinet got off to a rough start, but the other teams got away well. The Vaughn quickly joined the bogged-down due at the rear after its own minor issues on the opening laps. On lap 6 the Torshalla also fell behind, but the first real problem was encountered by the Martinet on lap 7, relegating it firmly to the rear. At the front a usual situation was unfolding, with the Mara and Swanson duo running away from a chase pack consisting of the Primus and Kessel, in turn followed by the Torshalla and Liberty duo. The Liberty retired on lap 11, adn the Primus fell behind the others on lap 11 due to a major mechanical issue. So on lap 11 the running order at the front was the Swanson, Mara, and Kessel - and this order held until the finish line as the Mara could not find a way past the Swanson. The P&A was in a fight with the Primus in for sixth place when it retired. The Vaughn retired on lap 15. The Torshalla was running in a solid fourth until a major issue on lap 15 set it back behind the Primus, but it managed to fight its way back to finish fourth in the end, just ahead of the Primus. The Martinet ran a virtually anonymous race at the back, but it seems that the team did a marvellous job repairing the car as it ran a clean race after, in the end finishing sixth.
1974
The last race of the era was off to a good start, except for the Vaughn team, who fell behind right away. It was a remarkably clean race without even moderate issues for any team until past the halfway point. The field was tight at first and only stretched out slowly. Reliability woes only kicked in on lap 12 for the Liberty, forcing an ultimate retirement on lap 13. Martinet and Vaughn encountered their own problems on lap 13, taking them out of the mid-field and relegating them to the rear. Up front it was still a tight race between the Swanson, Torshalla, Mara, and Primus until on lap 14 the Mara fell behind the group with a minor issue. On lap 16 and 17 the Primus had more major issues, and it fell back to last place from running second. This left the Swanson to clinch the final victory of the era, folowed by the Torshalla, and the Mara rounding out the podium. Once again, the Kessel was running in clean air as it finished fourth. Behind the Vaughn and P&A were fighting for fifth, with the Vaughn just managing to clinch the higher finish due to a last-lap issue for the P&A that made it slow down. The Primus rounded out the field.
That rounds out all the R2 races for this era of racing. The road legal class was well attended by Letarans, who enjoyed to see what a road-legal car could do. It made them dream of what their cars could potentially do. These were road-legal after all, right? They could drive one, technically speaking.
This era was in the end clearly dominated by a few teams, which fact did not go unnoticed by Letarans either. Although it was bad for the bookies and the betting types, it did bode well for successful teams who had shiny new cars to sell in their showroomsâŠ
@Ludvig @Maverick74 @AndiD @Happyhungryhippo @Ch_Flash @FidleDo @GassTiresandOil @Knugcab @lotto77
âŠto be continuedâŠ
17 Likes
Seems like the Mara-Swanson rivalry will be written down in the Letaran history books, lol.
7 Likes
Damn it, trouble in every race, thatâs really bad luck. However, a Podium shows that the car wasnât as bad as it looks overall.
5 Likes
Rd. 3 RESULTS
Chapter 10: Consumer car segment 1964-1974 - family pt. 1
Left to right (back row):Popas Rushba 1700-4 @Mikonp7, Mara Irena 2.0 SK @AndiD, Suma M312 Selecta @Banana_Soule, Stellar Dragonet @donutsnail, Niichi Dynema M30 Standard @MisterRocketMan, Resuki Karazon Base @Repti, Torshalla Kattunge 1600 @Maverick74, Swanson 217GF @Ludvig, Saeta Albor @Petakabras, Zephorus Deagle @Riley
Left to right (front row): Zephorus Deagle Convertible, Alira Stafford @HelloHi, Garland Valiente @ChemaTheMexican, Seata Albor Viajante, Mitsushita Royale 2000 DXi @conan, Anhultz Dione I-2000 @Elizipeazie, Martinet Castor III 1800 CS @Ch_Flash, Martinet Castor III 1800 GS, Stellar Demosielle, Torshalla Kattunge 1600 Turbo
Ah, family cars: the bread and butter of any car market. Ranging from mid-size sedans to large land-yachts, these cars are designed to transport the family in the city, between cities, and anywhere else where the road may lead. Many variations on the theme exist, from bare-bones transport to the most opulent luxury vehicles, and from those that barely meet highway standards to those that melt your face off with their performance. This segment expanded quite considerably in this era, with 20 cars just in the budget and standard price categories. Letâs see how they did.
The cheapest family car to be released in 1964 was the Mara Irena 2.0 SK. It was obvious the everyone that this was just a minor update from the previous generation Irena 1.3, and there the older generationâs looks were deemed forward looking, now the car seemed a little dated in comparison. A major improvement was the carâs larger engine, which gave drivers more confidence on the highway. Other than that, it was still firmly a budget offering with the staple Mara reliability and cheap overall upkeep. The car was not very comfortable, made even worse by its hard cross-ply tires, but at least it was not outright back-breaking. It featured five standard seats and a standard radio, and well⊠it was a car that could get the family to any point in Letara. At this price point its only rival was the Mara UK, the wagon version of the same car, so it was the car for those who wanted the most basic transportation with some good reliability, and could not afford anything else. Sales were also bolstered by the brandâs reputation gained at the race track, where its road-legal cars showed remarkable reliability too. But with the recovering economy there were fewer and fewer buyers who could only afford the barest minimum, so over time sales did start declining as more comfortable and capable cars regained their market share.
The next cheapest family car in 1964 was the Stellar Dragonet. This car too had five standard seats, but despite being more expensive than the Mara, it only had a basic radio. This car did have some other more expensive features, such as a newer advanced 60s safety package (as opposed to the Maraâs standard 50s), radial tires, a five-speed gearbox, and a more modern boxer engine with aluminium OHC heads. It was also significantly more comfortable than the Mara, and in long-term testing it proved to be even more reliable. To make it even more enticing, its modern front-wheel-drive system made the car handle much better too and easy to drive. All this meant that no matter the Maraâs immediate reputation, the Stellar simply overshadowed it in the long run with even stronger sales. Looking at it in a different light, one could say that the Mara simply faltered as the economy picked up, but the Stellar could hang on better, retaining some sales even as people had more and more disposable income.
Slightly higher up in the price bracket was the Torshalla Kattunge 1600. This was quite a different beast than the previous two: it was a four-seater midsize hatchback with a premium interior and premium radio. It had a slightly warmer tuned boxer-4 under the hood than the Stellar, also with an aluminium OHC head. Other premium features included a semi-clad bottom, medium compound tires, and disc brakes all-round. It was by no means a performance machine, but it pretended quite well. It ticked many boxes: it was quite comfortable for its size, reliability was not the worst, and it was quite drivable too. With its hatchback design it was quite practical too, almost like a wagon, but not quite. That Torshalla did quite well at the racetrack did help this little almost-sporty-pretender too, of course. In the end, it was a large enough deviation from the norm to make it interesting, and while the âhot-hatchâ craze was still a few years off, this car might have been its earliest hint at it. It was not an overwhelmingly great seller as it didnât quite suit families that wanted five seats, but it found a small niche among people who wanted something relatively small and comfortable, and were looking for a wagon-that-was-not-a-wagon.
The Zephorus stable mates, the Deagle and Deagle Convertible were priced toward the upper-middle side of the standard price bracket. True to their brandâs pedigree, these were more sporty oriented sedans with four premium seats, a premium radio, semi-clad undertray, and a relatively large I6 engine. But perhaps also true to the Zephorus lineage, they were sporty-oriented, but were actually not all that fast when the pedal was pushed to the floor. Comfort was no improvement over the Torshalla or even the Stellar. They had about average reliability - much better than Zephorusâ reputation on the race-track, but a reputation that is hard to shake off. What cannot go unmentioned is that - also true to Zephorus pedigree - these were really lookers. Indeed, the designers at Zephorus really know how to come up with gorgeous, forward looking designs that Letarans appreciate. So while the cars were not objectively good for their price, they still managed to capture peopleâs imaginations, and for those who shopped with their hearts rather than their brains, these were a very attractive proposition. This car sold a dream rather than a product. Especially the convertible - the cheapest convertible on the market - sold well among the 40-something male demographic.
Released in 1965, the Stellar Demosielle was the more upscale sibling of the Dragonet. It featured an updated, more premium fascia, five luxury seats, and a class-exclusive phonograph. Although the car did come in at an almost premium price, it was still in the standard category. And it was quite impressive what other features Stellar managed to cram into this car: it also had an automatic gearbox and hydropneumatic suspension. But some corners were cut too that undid some of the more luxurious aspirations: it ran on hard compound tires and hand single-shoe drum brakes all-round. For its weight it was also under-powered and was slower than the Dragonet - and much slower than other cars in this price range. However, it was superbly comfortable. It won Letaraâs âmost comfortable family carâ award in its launch year, and continued to rival and beat many premium and even luxury cars throughout its production. Just like the Dragonet, the Demosielle was superbly easy to drive. So with all these features and its rather attractive price, it became the de facto retireeâs car who wanted something comfortable, easy to drive, had a good prestigious presence, but didnât mind it to be a bit slower and came at a reasonable price of course.
In 1966 the Resuki Karazon Base was launched as a direct competitor to the Dragonet. It was slightly more expensive, but did feature five premium seats and a standard radio, but had a similar FWD drivetrain. Despite a smaller boxer-4 engine it still managed to equal the Dragonet in performance. In other ways it was also very similar too: it was a hair more comfortable, a tad safer, a tiny bit less reliable, a minuscule amount less easy to drive⊠it was almost as if looking at the same car in many ways, except that the Stellar was a slightly larger car of course. With very little to separate the two cars it often came down to personal taste: did the buyer want a slightly larger Stellar with slightly more stylish and aggressive looks, or the smaller Resuki with more exotic looks and the pretty metallic paint job? Spread across the market it was a toss-up as the Stellar split its market share with the Resuki pretty much evenly.
That is if we donât immediately consider the Swanson 217GF that hit the market the same year. This was a much anticipated car representing the brand that just won twice in a row at the track. The carâs yellow colour even seemed to hint at its golden winning streak. It had some great exotic looks too and its liftback design was practical too. Yes, it was slightly more expensive, and âonlyâ offered five standard seats and standard radio, its overall statistics were just about another mirror image of the Dragonet and the Karazon. There was just so little separating these cars that Letarans could be forgiven for being torn three ways here. Compared to the other two cars, the 217GF was slightly faster but harder to drive - befitting its racing reputation and appreciated by Letarans. So objectively speaking, it didnât offer anything extra over the two cheaper options, except for its winning reputation. So considering that, its slightly higher price was forgiven by Letarans, and this small segment was split three waysâŠ
Or was it? In the same year the nearly identically priced Saeta Albor was also released. Priced just a tad higher than the Swanson, bit offered five premium seats and a premium radio. This car was even faster, had disc brakes all-round, and ran on medium tires. So the fight was on⊠It was slightly less comfortable than the others, despite its more premium interior and softer tires, and it was harder to drive and was less reliable as it pushed its engine more. But it was more sporty and had a leg up in the prestige department. And this car too looked nice and modern, this time with a definite sporty flair to it. So again, it presented a small dilemma for Letarans, offering another slightly - very slightly - different choice. Indeed, this became a quite saturated market segment now with very equally matched cars, each taking away a smaller portion of the pie as more cars entered the (due to economic upturn, shrinking) lower end of the standard family market.
A further car was released this year, the Anhultz Dione I-2000. This car set itself apart a little with a higher price tag, closer to the Demosielle. This was a slightly larger hatchback with five premium seats and a standard radio - which was a bit of a disappointment at this price bracket. And given its price Letarans expected it to stand out from the lower-end crowd. But when push came to shove, its performance was rather lacklustre. Not bad by any means, mind you. Setting price aside, it had similar speed performance as the Swanson, almost identical comfort as both the Swanson and Torshalla, was on par in terms of drivability; and had slightly higher reliability. Its standout was its superb safety rating, which would to unbeaten in this segment for the rest of the era. But factoring in its price, it under-performed - and while people were overall increasing their spending power, they still donât want to pay more for something than itâs really worth, especially in this segment. So the Dione I-2000 never managed to make a big splash in the market.
In 1967 we move back to the budget price point with the Suma M312 Selecta. This truck-based sedan offered five standard seats and a standard radio, but only the more outdated standard 50s safety package. It was a worthy competitor to the Mara Irena, being a bare-bones family transport unit. It was uncomfortable (just a tad better in this regard than the Mara), but otherwise very little separated the two. Except that the Suma did come with a locking rear differential, so it was slightly better at getting itself out of sticky situations. In the end it did fall into the same trap as the Mara - the market for such bare-bones cars was shrinking, and by the time the Selecta came around it was shrinking fast. That said, it did find a small niche in the poorer remote areas of Letara, where village roads were not yet paved, so the low price and its locking differential did come in handy for families that wanted a more traditional sedan rather than a wagon such as the Kessel Sperling Tradesman or the Resuki Karazon Traveller.
The Garland Valiente was released the following year. This was the largest car in this segment, yet only had two doors and 2/+2 seating, making it a bit of an anomaly. It had a large I6 engine that propelled this large and heavy car confidently, but not quite at the level of a sports car. That said, it did have impressive top speed partly facilitated by its semi-clad undertray. It featured a premium/premium interior. It was quite comfortable - not nearly at the level of the Demosielle, but very good indeed. The automatic gearbox certainly helped in this regard. The car wasnât the easiest to drive, but that can almost be expected from such a large, heavy and imposing vehicle. So where did this beast fit into the market? Well, it was not really an outright family car. Neither was it a sports car. Nor was it a luxury barge. It borrowed from all three, but became neither. It was a novelty; perhaps a novelty that wouldâve done better if it were more luxurious, more sporty, or more practical. But it just didnât quite hit the right strings, so sales never quite took off.
The Saeta Albor Viajante was released in the same year. This was the more up-market variant of the Albor. This car offered more practicality and space with its hatchback, and more comfort with its automatic drivetrain, but sacrificed its sporty nature along the way. Otherwise it was quite the same car as its older sibling. So was the extra money worth the changes? Well, quite so. The car competed extremely well against the other hatchbacks that were slightly cheaper - such as the Torshalla Kattunge and Swanson 217GF, successfully taking away their remaining market share, and shifting more sales toward Saeta. In that regard the Saeta did manage to capture the upward movement of the economy by providing more for more.
Only one car was released in 1969: the Popas Rushba 1700-4. This was the cheapest family car money could by this era, and disregarding the Aero microcars, almost the cheapest car period. This car only had four standard seats, and offered a standard radio. Aside from a offroad skid tray, it was a pretty bare-bones offering on par with the Mara and Suma cars. Its reliability wasnât quite as good as the other two budget cars, nor was it as easy to drive. Its comfort level was in between the two - barely acceptable by most standards but not outright a recipe for a visit to the chiropractor. It was also not quite as good on rough roads as the other two, so it had relatively lower utility in rural areas too. So in the end it entered a market that had all but disappeared, and didnât manage to capture that sliver which still existed either. The Popas sedan, then, was a pretty rare sight on Letaran roads.
In 1970 the Niichi Dynema M30 Standard entered the fray smack in the middle of the lower-end of the standard market already saturated with cars. Letarans who remained in this part of the segment - who just wanted to reliable means of cheap transport - saw a car that immediately blended in with the others. Its looks, its performance, its equipment, its statistics were by this point everything they have already seen and experienced. It had five standard seats and a standard radio and well⊠if you wanted to make the most generic reasonably priced family sedan, this is what youâd come up with. Its most distinguishing - and unfortunate - characteristic was its relatively frequent break-downs. And since otherwise didnât offer anything better or new compared to the crammed and shrinking market segment, it was mostly passed up by Letarans.
Released in the same year was the Alira Stafford. Priced slightly higher in the market - between the Zephorus cars and the Garland, this hatchback offered five standard seats and a standard radio; this was by this time considered below par at this price point. It had some interesting quirks in its design, such as the centre headlight. But were such quirks enough to entice Letarans? Well, considering the rest of the car, it had good performance on the road and was exceedingly easy to drive with its FWD layout. It was quite practical too with easy luggage space access - and a lot of space it had too. But the car had one major flaw. Its comfort was quite poor - more in the league of the cheapest budget cars than its nearest competitors. So test drives in the Alira were commonly quite painful and short, and not followed by the joyous signing of papers.
In the same year the Martinet stable siblings were released: the Castor III 1800 CS and GS. These cars were slightly larger hatchbacks with segment-exclusive transverse FWD engine and drivetrain layouts. Price-wise they slotted in near the top of the family-standard segment, just under the Stellar Demosielle. These cars were quite literally the same car with one difference: the CS had three doors, whereas the GS was a five-door variant. Otherwise they were identical in every way: the same five standard seats and standard radio (below Letaranâs expectations at this price point), hydropneumatic suspension (very nice in this class), but hard compound tires (mediums probably wouldâve been a better choice). It was interesting for Letarans to see that seemingly very similar cars are released at the same time and again. The Martinet was quite similar in nature to the Alira - a relatively large and practical hatchback with good drivability, decent performance, decent reliability⊠but poor comfort. Although not quite as shocking as the Alira, the Martinet was still well below par for its price point - indeed only the three budget cars and the Alira were less comfortable to sit in. Given Martinetâs questionable reliability reputation from the race track, it is no wonder that Letarans didnât stand in line to get one.
In 1973 the Mitsushita Royale 2000 DXi was launched. Its price slotted in between the Albor and Anhultz, and slightly cheaper than the Martinets. This was a more traditional looking med-sized sedan with some new and unique features not yet seen in the segment. It had five premium seats and a premium 8-track player, which instantly raised peopleâs interest. It also featured the latest advanced 70s safety features, which only the Martinet cars offered. Another relatively novel feature on the engine was the fuel injection unit; and this was the only car in the segment with a functional 160 km/h speed limiter, which was appreciated by more safety-conscious buyers. This car had a decent amount of comfort too and was relatively easy to drive. The Mitsushita, then, did manage to take off where the Seate Albor left off - capturing the steady upward movement of the market by indeed offering more for more. It was a small market capture, but a steady one.
The last - and most expensive - car released in the standard family segment was the 1974 Torshalla Kattunge 1600 Turbo. As the name implies, this was a special car. But letâs get to that later. First, the more mundane aspects. It was a four-seater hatchback with premium seats and a standard 8-track player in the dasn. It had a semi-clad undertray, ran on medium compound radials, and had disc brakes all-round hinting at its sporty nature. So far nothing too out of the ordinary, but why then was this car so expensive? For that we have to look under the hood. It sported a relatively small boxer-4 engine, but did have a more modern fuel injection system and⊠oho! The first turbo in Letara! In fact, the only turbo engine at this time. With this hot-air spinning gadget it was a solid answer to the Primus Publica ST, just outperforming it despite being larger, heavier, safer, more practical and more significantly comfortable. The Torshalla even managed to be slightly more reliable, despite having such new technology under the hood (and in the dash), which is quite a feat. So while objectively not the most practical or comfortable car among its closest rivals, the Turbo didnât have to be. It was the flag-bearer now in the âhot-hatchâ rivalry, and was quite a success among the young petrolheads who wanted sportscar-adjacent performance in a cool unassuming package and a still attainable price point.
âŠto be continuedâŠ
25 Likes
Rd. 3 RESULTS
Chapter 11: Consumer car segment 1964-1974 - family pt. 2
Left to right: Saeta Albor Sprint @Petakabras, Anhultz Dione I-2400 @Elizipeazie, Swanson 225 PO @Ludvig, Liberty Civilian @FidleDo, Swanson 225 PF, Anhultz Dione I-3000 automaat, Walkenhorst 1600 PREM @Fayeding_Spray, Liberty New Yorker II, Levante Nuova 130 - 3.0 Lusso @TanksAreTryhards
Moving up in the family segment we come to the premium cars. Yes, there were enough premium and luxury cars in this era to make two separate chapters about them. With the growing economy this can only be a good thing, right? Letâs explore.
The earliest premium family car in this era was the 1964 Levante Nuova 130 - 3.0 Lusso. Its price nearly breached the luxury price point - and cost nearly twice as much as the Zephorus Deagle Convertible, the next cheaper family car on the market that year. Needless to say, it was a significant step up. For this near-luxury price you did get four luxury seats and a luxury radio - quite a bit more prestigious than in the lower market. It was if course quite significantly more comfortable than the cheaper cars, as it should. Comparatively, it had really good performance too, at this time only rivalled by true sports cars. So it can be said that you really did get your moneyâs worth. If only it had been a little cheaper. At its price, it left a very large gap from the mid-standard price point of the market to the very top of the premium, almost luxury price point. And while the economy was recovering the people were starting to be able to afford premium prices, this was still a large stretch. So for those who were able to move up the economic ladder slightly quicker, it was the only premium option - but for many it was simply still out of range at this time. The gap was just too large. And one year later it got another blow from the release of the Stellar Demosielle, a car with a more practical five seats and even more comfort - at 2/3 of the Lussoâs price. So unless you wanted the performance of a sports car, that was a more logical choice. So the Lusso was a good car, just unfortunately priced for its time.
The premium market had to wait another two years before any new cars were released, resulting in quite a vacuum in the market. But then in 1966, all of a sudden five new cars were released, saturating the market instantly. The cheapest of these was the Swanson 225 PO. This was a hatchback convertible with four premium seats and a premium radio. It was offered at a reasonable price in the premium category and had a promise of decent comfort and performance for its price too. On paper it was just the car to fill the void between the premium and standard family markets, and it was a convertible too! But not so fast. In their haste to fill the market gap, but keep costs down, Swanson simply chopped off the top of their monocoque chassis and basically called it a day. Sure, they applied some reinforcements, but these were just rattly bits that shook loose over time. So while on paper the car looked like great, customers very soon found out its flaws in practice. Even Swansonâs racing pedigree could not save this car from certain doom. (OOC: you know what happened hereâŠ)
Moving up in the market a little bit came the Liberty Civilian. This was a proper large sedan with five full luxury seats and a premium radio. It had some other luxury-oriented features, such as an automatic gearbox and hydropneumatic suspension, making it a very comfortable car - more comfortable than the Levante even, but not quite on par with the Demosielle. It was another of the few cars that made use of the electronic speed limiter, and it also had exceptional crash safety ratings for which it was praised by customers and insurance companies alike. The car did suffer from reliability issues and it was a little on the expensive side in the long run. But still, it was a large and comfortable car in the middle of the premium price category, and as such it filled a large gap in the market. So in spite of its flaws, it did quite well for itself.
Just slightly more expensive was the Swanson 225 PF - a more sporty version of the 225 PO. It was a very similar car to its cheaper sibling with four premium seats and premium radio and semi-clad undertray, but it had two more doors and was sport-tire shod. It also featured a more powerful engine that gave it exceptional performance in this class, rivalling many sports cars and beating everything that is cheaper than it. It was not the most comfortable of cars, but given its performance it was quite reliable and with the hatchback body it was quite practical. It was a true performance premium car unrivalled in this segment, and it was not plagued by Swansonâs misstep with the convertible version. So, bolstered by its racing image, the 225 PF did quite well among those who wanted a sporty car, but also had a family and luggage to move around - practical speed, as it became known.
Moving up the price ladder one more step was the Walkenhorst 1600 PREM. This rather unassuming looking sedan featured five premium seats and a premium radio, and some notable cost-cutting features such as its four-speed manual gearbox, hard compound tires and standard springs making for a relatively rough ride. Indeed, it was not a very comfortable vehicle for its price - even less so than the Swanson 225 PF - but there it could be forgiven for the carâs sportiness. But the Walkenhorst was not particularly sporty or fast. The car also suffered from terminal oversteer at any speed and was exceptionally hard to drive as a result. There were just too many issues with this car and the Letaran customer was not kind to it as a result.
Taking another large step up the price bracket, the Liberty New Yorker II slotted in next to the Levante Lusso at the top of the premium market. Just like its cheaper sibling, the New Yorker was a large sedan. But, according to its price, it was more exclusive with only four seats - hand-stitched too! It also featured a phonograph, so Liberty really went all-out with the New Yorker. It retained the other premium features too, such as the automatic gearbox and hydropneumatic suspension. With these features it became one of the most comfortable vehicles on Letaran roads, only outclassed by a few luxury vehicles that would come out four years later. Indeed, as the Demoiselle was the king of comfort at the top of the standard bracket, the New Yorker was the king at the top of the premium bracket and even of the luxury bracket for a few years. It was, of course, also a quite prestigious car, especially considering its price. It was not very exciting to drive, but considering its size, it was easy to drive. The only downside of this car was its reliability as it broke down with quite some regularity. But if you could afford it, and didnât mind spending some time at the garage, this was the best bang for your buck if you wanted ultimate comfort and a hint of prestige. So in a way, it became one of the symbols of the growing economy and the upward movement of the middle class.
Three more cars were released in the premium segment, all three in 1968. Right at the bottom of the price bracket came the Saeta Albor Sprint. This medium-size sedan had five premium seats and premium radio. This car had similar sporty aspirations as the Swanson 225 PO with its sports tires and relatively hot engine with DCOE carbs and performance intake. It was quite nimble too and had an acceleration that matched the Swanson, but its top speed was just slightly lower. The car did lack a certain refinement and was not comfortable. In that sense, it was closer in set-up to a true sportscar than a premium sedan. It also had a rather brash yellow-black colour scheme, allowing no illusions about its true nature. So this car was more for sportscar enthusiasts who still wanted that added practicality of a sedan and four seats, but it was not really regarded as a family car. Indeed, its nearest rival was the Garland Valiente, but where the Garland was a large ungainly car that went fast in a straight line, the Saeta was smaller and more nimble - more of a driversâ car. So the Saeta was appreciated by the rebellious youth who were also into the emerging âhot-hatchâ phenomenon, and the Saeta was often seen tuned-up and revving at red lights alongside its equally tuned-up hatchback friends.
Slightly more expensive, but still at the bottom of the premium bracket, was the Anhultz Dione I-2400. The more expensive sibling of the I-2000, the I-2400 featured five premium seats and a premium radio - an upgrade here. It also had a larger V6 engine compared to its cheaper siblingâs I4, giving it a definite performance advantage. It was nowhere near the Saeta Albor Sprint in that regard, but it was more on par with the other âregularâ premium cars. For its price bracket its comfort was perhaps a little on the low side, but it was quite easy to drive, and it was exceptionally reliable. Indeed, it became known as the indestructible car, requiring very minimal maintenance throughout its expected lifespan. So it was regarded as a very good long-term investment by families who just managed to âescapeâ the lower economic brackets and move up into premium territory, but were still leery of having to spend much in the long term on premium items. So while not exceptional in other ways, it did provide a safe platform for the people who finally had more to spend, but were still risk averse with their money.
The Anhultz Dione I-3000 automaat was another step upward. Priced in the middle of the premium bracket, this car offered more upgrades to its siblings: an automatic gearbox and a larger V6 engine. So it offered more comfort and more performance for an appropriately higher price, but at the cost of some reliability. But, comparatively, this was still a very reliable car, so the drop was only relative - compared to other cars in Letara it could still boast of a very good reputation in this regard. Given that price-wise it slotted in between the Swanson 225 PF - a sporty sedan, the Walkenhorst - which was not well liked, and the New Yorker - a most comfortable boat of a car, the Anhultz seemed like the most down to earth, normal premium family sedan. So for that it was quite well liked by the upward mobile growing upper-middle class of Letara, and did quite well in its segment.
âŠto be continuedâŠ
24 Likes
Rd. 3 RESULTS
Chapter 12: Racing results, R1 class
1964
The weekend following the R2 races was reserved for Letaraâs premier event: the R1 class. Cars in this class were virtually unrestricted and were the pinnacle of power, speed, and handling. These were truly awe-inspiring machines that made peopleâs hearts thump faster. The sights, the sounds, the smells⊠it was all an overwhelming cacophony of sensations for those attending the race weekend, in the best way possible. Masses of people attended each race weekend making use of all the new facilities around the track. The camp sites were fully booked months in advance, the stands sold out, and the line outside the Ferris wheel was never less than two hours long - except during the race itself of course. To say that auto racing was a success is an understatement. In this era the R1 class was closer than ever, and the fights for victory were even hotter contested than in the R2 class, which made for truly exciting rivalries, unexpected twists and turns, and unpredictable results. Here is how the racing went.
The first race of the era was off to a good start for most teams, only the Zephorus bogged down a little at the start. After some initial squabbling the teams settled into a rhythm with the pack in a relatively tight formation. On lap six the Rhania pulled into the pits for some repairs, but managed to get going again trailing the field. Then the Knightwick had a few smaller issues and fell behind the main field, but then was embroidered in a battle with the Zephorus as they trailed the main pack at a small distance. On lap 11 the Rhania gave up the ghost and retired at the side of the road in a cloud of smoke. At the rear the Zephorus encountered another issue and fell behind the Knightwick, which in turn had issues around lap 11. The two cars traded places a few times until the Zephorusâ retirement on lap 19, leaving the Knightwick to finish last. At the front of the field the Benetsch managed to take the lead on lap 11, which it held onto for many laps keeping a steady lead until lap 20. Behind, the Vizzuri fell off the main pack with issues around lap 13 and another major mishap on lap 19, taking it out of contention and giving it a sixth place finish. The Wolfe and Mocabey cars also had their own reliability woes in the second half of the race. After swapping places a few times, the Wolfe did manage to out-pace the Mocabey for fourth place, giving the Mocabey fifth. At the front the last five laps were quite an exciting affair. The Kamaka caught up to the Benetsch on lap 20 and the two were in a tight battle for a few laps, allowing the Mons to catch up by lap 22. Then the Kamaka made some minor mistakes and fell behind the other two. The Benetsch driver kept his cool and fought off the offensive, and despite a small issue on the last lap came in as the victor. The with a last-lap dash the Mons managed a close second place and the Kamaka finished in a solid third, well ahead of the rest of the field.
1965
In 1965 the race was again off to a good start for most teams. Only the Rhania had issues right from the start requiring it to come into the pits almost immediately. After several attempts to repair the car, it retired on lap 8. It was pretty clear running for most cars at the front with cars swapping places in the main pack. Just the Mocabey fell behind a little, joined by the Knightwick on lap 9 for a battle in last place. Zephorus was having a good race at the front, even leading the race a few times until its retirement on lap 11. On the same lap the Vizzuri had to peel into the pits with a major issue, which made it fall to last place. This didnât last long, as the Mocabey had its own problems a lap later. For a few laps the Mocabey, Vizzuri, and Knightwick cars were in a race together, but one by one all three retired from the race. At the front the Kamaka took the lead on lap 12, closely followed by the heavily fighting Benetsch, Mons, and Wolfe. On lap 16 it seemed that the Mons would pull away from the fight and join the Kamaka at the front, but then it had an issue and fell well behind the lead pack. Despite heavy battling, the Wolfe and Benetsch duo slowly reeled in the Kamaka and overtook it on lap 20, but then disaster struck both cars - the Wolfe on lap 22 and the Benetsch on lap 23, leaving the Kamaka with a relatively easy victory. The Benetsch came home second, followed by the Wolfe and the Mons at quite a distance.
1966
1966 saw one of the cleanest starts to racing thus far; only the Mons encountered some issues on the first few laps putting it in last place. The pack settled into a steady rhythm with some minor squabbling up and down the main pack. The first signs of trouble for Rhania started on lap 8 and it fell back to join the Mons at the rear, but then the issue escalated and it retired on lap 11. It was joined at the side of the road by the Knightwick. After these two retirements the main pack was slowly pulled apart, but most cars ran with relatively no issues. The Wolfe and Mocabey were in a fight at the very front until the Wolfe encountered some issues around lap 14 and 15, and it fell to last place. This left the Mocabey up front, followed at a small distance by the Benetsch, Vizzuri, and Kamaka. The Zephorus had slowly fallen behind the leading pack, and was overtaken by the Mons car, which was slowly reeling in the leaders after its early setback. On lap 19 the Mocabey team had a major issue to fix on the car, and they fell to last place and were now fighting the Wolfe. At the front, the Kamaka and Benetsch duo were fighting hard for first place between laps 18 and 21, with the Benetsch slowly pulling ahead, leaving then the Kamaka battling with Vizzuri for second. Behind, the Mons was pulling away from the Zephorus and slowly reeling in the front runners. The last lap saw some more drama, as the Benetsch, Vizzuri, and Zephorus slowed down, allowing the Kamaka to clinch the race win, and the Mons to sneak by for second, leaving the Benetsch to limp home in third. The Wolfe and Mocabey duo, who were fighting for last place until then, blew past the Vizzuri and Zehphorus to claim fifth and sixth.
1967
After a clean start for the entire field, the Benetsch and Zephorus cars had some minor issues on lap two and fell to the back of the pack, but both managed to fight their way back to the main pack quickly as the other cars squabbled and jostled for position. The race was mostly uneventful with the lead pack in tight formation until lap 12. Then the Rhania retired unexpectedly from seventh place. The Zephorus and Knightwick were bringing up the rear of the field, but on lap 12 the Benetsch fell behind them following a major technical issue. However, eventually the Knightwick retired on lap 18, and after many lengthy repairs the Zephorus retired from last place on lap 22. The Benetsch had a woeful race of its own at the rear with a myriad of issues, and had its worst race finish well behind the rest and several laps down. At the front of the field the Wolfe was looking to be running away with the race, building a sizable lead for itself. Behind, the Mons and Kamaka were in a heated battle for many laps for second place, followed by the Vizzuri at a small distance. The Kakama started to show some problems around lap 21, though, making it slow down and allowing the Mons to escape. Then on lap 24 the Wolfe encountered a major issue, and it fell behind the three chase cars, leaving the Mons to take the checkered flag. Kamakaâs issue slowed it down enough for the Vizzuri to overtake it, giving the Vizzuri second, Kamaka third, and the Wolfe limping home in fourth.
1968
The Benetsch had a slow start this year, but the rest of the field got away well. Again, there were very few issues in the opening laps and the field was battling in a tight formation and only slowly getting stretched out. The first issues where for Zephorus, initially pushing it to the back of the field, where it was quickly joined by Rhania as they also encountered their own issues. Then the Rhania fell well behind after a major repair job, and ultimately retired on lap 11. Meanwhile, the Knightwick was slowly being shaken off the rear of the field, but then the Mocabey had an issue and fell well behind the pack on lap 11, joined by the Knightwick on lap 14 after a series of smaller mishaps. Just in front, the Zephorus also slowly fell behind the lead pack. On laps 14 and 15 the Benetsch had some major issues to contend with, and it fell to last place again. This left four cars in a very tight battle for the lead: the Kamaka, Mons, Wolfe, and Vizzuri. On laps 15 and 16 the Mons and Vizzuri made mistakes and fell behind the leadersâ fight, leaving the Kamaka and Wolfe to battle it out. But then on lap 18 the Kamaka also started showing some reliability issues, leaving the Wolfe to run unopposed in first place. In fact the Kamaka fell behind the Vizziuri, Mons, Zephorus and Knightwick even, and was running in sixth on lap 20, after being in the fight for the lead just a few laps before. But then on lap 21 the Vizzuri retired from second place, the Mons had a major issue on lap 22 setting it back behind the Kamaka. Then the Zephorus retired from its inherited second place on lap 22, and on the same lap the Knightwick retired from third. So the Wolfe ran to a clean and dominant victory, and due to some luck (or rather, uffortunate retirements from others) the Kamaka came in second and the Mons third. The Mocabey had more issues of its own at the rear of the field, allowing Benetsch to come home in fourth.
1969
This time the Mons completely bogged down right off the start, and its second lap was also pretty slow, so for the first four laps it was well behind the rest of the field, which got away quite well. On lap four the Rhania joined it at the rear for a short and intense fight, however. Then they were joined at the rear by the Knightwick. In the end the Rhania fell slightly behind, and the Knightwick had the measure of the Mons for a good number of laps. Until both the Rhania and Knightwick retired on lap 12, leaving the Mons to run in clear air, still well behind the main pack. In the main pack the Wolfe and Mocabey were leading the Kamaka and Benetsch duo, followed closely in fifth by the Vizzuri and Zephorus. Until lap 12 that is, when the Kamaka had an issue and fell behind the pack a little, and due to continuous small issues with the car it was forced to slow down and was slowly reeled in by the Mons. The Zephorus had its own issues closer to the front, but retired on lap 15 with a terminal failure. The Mocabey and Wolfe duo were fighting hard until the Mocabey had to let the Wolfe go on lap 15, falling behind the Vizzuri and Benetsch. This left the Wolfe race ahead in clean air, and the chasing trio in a tight fight for second. This battle lasted until lap 20, when the Benetsch encountered a major issue, and it fell behind the fight between the Mons and Kamaka at the rear. Drama ensued for the Wolfe team as their car encountered a major problem on lap 21 and it fell to third behind the Vizzuri an dMocabey. But as fate would have it, they themselves also had some issues on lap 24, and fell down the order and mixing the field for the race finish. So in the end the Wolfe did manage to clinch a surprise victory, followed by the Kamaka and Mons cars who were running in last place just on lap 20. The Vizzuri just fell to fourth, followed by the Mocabey and Benetsch came home last after a slow last lap of its own.
1970
The race was off to a good start for most teams, just the Rhania had some issues getting off the line. But it too was back in the fray by lap three and fighting among the main pack of cars. The Knightwick fell behind a little on lap 5, which was the start of its reliability-plagued race. But the Rhania started to show major issues first, and it fell well behind the pack on lap 6. At the front the usual suspects were battling for the lead: the Wolfe, Benetch, Mons, Kamaka**, and Mocabey, closely followed by the Zephorus and Vizzuri, the latter two slowly falling behind the leaders. The Knightwick encountered a major issue on lap 11 and joined the Rhania at the rear, with which it was in a tight battle until the Rhaniaâs retirement on lap 16; a lap later the Knightwick also retired. There was also some drama at the front as cars slowly started showing some reliability woes. Only the Wolfe seemed to be immune this year to any issues, and it peeled away from the pack by lap 12, and never looked back taking a very comfortable victory. After the mid-race dust settled, the Mons emerged in second place, and despite losing time on the last few laps to chasing cars, it managed to come home in second. The Benetsch, in a fight for third with Kamaka since lap 16 and swapping places a few times, managed to pull away on the last few laps for a third place finish. The Kamaka, then, finished fourth. THe Vizzuri and Zephorus had some major issues in the second half of the race, both forced into the pits for long repairs. After swapping places a few times, the Vizzuri team managed to get their car home in front of the Zephorus.
1971
This year the first few laps of the race proved to be quite messy for many teams as the pack fought hard. It was hard to call who was where, but notably the Rhania was in the fight for the lead until lap three, until it again had to go to the pits for major repairs and it fell behind the pack. Wolfe and Kamaka were leading the race from Knightwick, as all other teams had minor mishaps on the opening laps. The running order on lap five was Kamaka in a clear lead, followed by the **Wolfe and Knightwick duo, then the Vizzuri, Benetsch and Mons trio fighting for fourth place. The Mocabey and Vizzuri were slowly getting dropped by the pack, and the Rhania was lapping a ways down in last place until its retirement on lap 9. Near the front, the fight for second place was settled as the Wolfe pulled away from the Knightwick and slowly caught up to the Kamaka, while the Knightwick fell down the order until it retired from seventh place on lap 12. The Kamaka managed to hold onto the lead and the Wolfe had some technical issues around laps 12 and 13, so it fell to fifth place behind the Benetsch now running in second, Vizzuri in third and Mons in fourth. But then the Kamaka also started to show problems, and it fell behind the Vizzuri, Mons and Benetsch, which was also slowing down a little and was overtaken by the Vizzuri and Mons. Near this time two more retirements occurred from the rear of the field: the Zephorus on lap 17 and the Mocabey on lap 20. The Wolfe encountered a major issue on lap 17 to, setting it well back in to last place, where it would finish the race. At the front, the Benetsch managed to re-overtake the Vizzuri and Mons, and ran in first until lap 24; the Mons itself overtook the Vizzuri for second and was trailing the Benetsch at striking distance. But both drivers pushed their cars too hard, forcing them to limp home on the last lap, and relinquishing the victory to Vizzuri and second place to Kamaka; Benetsch took third and Mons fourth ahead of the much-beleaguered Wolfe.
1972
Once again it was a slightly messy race start for many teams. Early on the Benetsch, Mons, Zephorus, and Mocabey pulled away nicely, giving them a slight lead over the rest. The Mocabey had the worst start and was relegated to the rear of the field, where it was joined by the Knightwick on lap 4; eventually the Knightwick did manage to break free, leaving the Mocabey at the rear. On lap 8 the Rhania came in for its by now almost customary large repair, setting it back to last place in the standings. The car ultimately retired on lap 14, once again leaving the Mocabey carrying the red lantern. At the front the Benetsch was pulling ahead of the field by lap 10, followed by a fighting Kamaka, Zephorus and Wolfe. The Mons fell behind a little and had a short fight with Vizzuri on lap 11 and 12, but then managed to rejoin the fray up front fighting for second by lap 13 and 14. Then on that lap the Benetsch and Zephorus had some bigger problems with the car, both falling to the rear of the lead pack, just in front of the Vizzuri, and leaving the Wolfe and Mons duo fighting at the front. The Zephorus never fully got their car problems under control, and after falling further behind retired the car on lap 20 from last place. The fight for first place between Wolfe and Mons raged on from lap 14 to 21 with many swaps of position, but a small mishap for Wolfe left the Mons in the lead by lap 22. The Benetsch had fought its way back to the leadersâ fight on lap 20, almost overtaking the Mons on that lap, but then had another major issue which set it back to the very rear and fighting with Mocabey. The fight for third between Kamaka and Vizzuri was decided on lap 22 when the latter car was forced into the pits for major repairs and setting it well behind the rest into last place. In the end the Mons managed to hold off the Wolfe at the front giving them the 1-2, then came the Kamaka in third, itself almost caught by the now charging Benetsch who managed to overtake the Mocabey.
1973
This year the start of the race was a very clean one with remarkably close racing until lap 4. Then some teams started showing some reliability issues: the Rhania slowed first, followed by the Knightwick and Zephorus as these three cars fell behind the main pack. The Rhania continued to slow down until it retired on lap 11. The Zephorus and Knightwick duo fought hard at a small distance behind the main pack, which was so tight that it was anyoneâs race. Small chinks in the armour started to appear for Benetsch on lap 11, and Kamaka and Mons on lap 12, as they all fell to the rear end of the main pack. At this time the Knightwick was being dropped by the Zephorus, which found itself fighting with the Benetsch, Kamaka, and Mons. At the front the Mocabey and Wolfe were very slowly pulling ahead. On lap 16 the Knightwick retired from last place. There was quite a bit of squabbling and place swaps in the midfield during the third quarter of the race, with the Mons slowly pulling away from the Benetsch in third place and reeling in the front two cars by lap 19. But on lap 21 the Mocabey was forced to retire, leaving the Wolfe unopposed in first place, where it remained for the remainder of the race to take another dominant victory. Behind, the Benetsch had some major issues on lap 20, sending it to the back of the field behind the Zephorus, and Mons and Kamaka also had major issues on lap 21, which sent them to the back of the field. This left the Vizzuri to finish an unopposed second and the Zephorus - despite a last-lap slow-down - third. Behind the Zephorus, the Mons and Mocabey fought hard till the end, but but Mons managed to clinch fourth. The Benetsch continued to have issues and very slowly limped home in a distant last place.
1974
The last race of the era was off to a good start, just the Kamaka got stuck on the start line a little bit; nevertheless it was back in the fight quickly. The Rhania started showing reliability issues on lap 4 with several costly trips to the pits in the next few laps until its retirement on lap 11. The rest of the field was very close together until lap 10, when the Zephorus and Mons both started to encounter some reliability issues. The Zephorus in particular had large issues; first it fell well behind the main pack, then out of the race on lap 13. At the frong the Wolfe was slowly pulling away, followed closely by the Benetsch and Mocabey. The Kamaka, Vizzuri, Mons and Knightwick were fighting amongst themselves for fourth place. Around lap 13 and 14 the Benetsch slowed and joined the fight for fourth, while the Knightwick fell well behind the rest of the field**. Now the Wolfe really started to pull away from the Mocabey up front, establishing a clear 1-2. Over time the Wolfe did start to show some reliability issues, making it periodically slow down, and the Mocabey was slowly catching up between laps 17 and 21, when the Wolfe had to finally pull into the pits for major repairs, sending it to the rear of the field (after the Knightwick retired on lap 21). This left the Mocabey in the lead. Unfortunately for it, the glory didnât last long as the car was forced to retire on lap 21. relinquishing the lead to the Kamaka, now followed in second by the Mons, then Vizzuri and the Wolfe and Benetsch pair fighting for fourth. But then on lap 24 the Kamaka also pulled into the pits for last-minute repairs, leaving then the Mons with the race victory, Vizzuri second, and as the Wolfe slowed on the last lap, Benetsch in third. Wolfeâs slow-down was so severe that in the end the Kamaka managed to finish ahead in fourth.
With the last race finished, the track was quiet once more. Letarans clearly enjoyed attending and watching the races that unfolded in this decade of steady rules, but was a change perhaps in order? Has the track become a bit stale? Would different cars make for even better racing? These questions were popping up with increasing frequency as Letarans started looking toward the future of car racing in their country.
@happyfireballman @Texaslav @mart1n2005 @SheikhMansour @Aruna @Riley @karhgath @LS_Swapped_Rx-7
âŠto be continuedâŠ
23 Likes
Mara goes Letara, Ep. 3-9: Politics, sales and rivals
12th January 1970
Boardroom, Mara main factory grounds, just outside the town of Mara, Archana
It was a sombre mood with which Maraâs comrade directors entered their boardroom this year for their usual meeting at the beginning of the year to discuss whether any modifications to the most recent five year plan had to be made.
In the late autumn of the previous year, Maraâs long serving and well-liked Comrade Executive Director (CED), Henri Nordhov, had unexpectedly died of a heart attack and Fedor Piechov, Comrade Director of Engineering, had taken over as an interim CED for the time being.
Personnel changes and Letaran sales review
The first agenda item was the confirmation of the new permanent CED as appointed by the Archanan State Planning Commission. Afterwards, the board would continue to review the previous year sales and any necessary adjustments in production that had to be made.
Sitting in the - for him - unusual position at the head of the table, Fedor Piechov open the meeting with his sonorous and gravely voice. âGood morning comrades. You should all have a sheet with todayâs agenda in front of you. As you can see, the first item is to announce the new CED.â
After a short unceremonial pause Fedor continued. âIâm happy and proud to announce that the State Commission has appointed me as the new permanent Comrade Executive Director of Mara.â
Another pause. âThis of course means that we have to appoint a new Comrade Director of Engineering as well. Iâll sort out the details with the State Commission and then inform you of the results.â He looked to both Yenna Bielicka and Rodyn Gumprov who both knew that they are where the ones in line for the coveted CDE position as Maraâs most experienced engine and car design engineers, respectively.
Fedor continued In the most business-like tone he could muster. âNext agenda item: foreign sales. Letâs start with Letara.â
Inna Horyova, Comrade Director for Letaran Operations began. âAs most of you know, our Irena sedan, wagon and panel van has been on sale for the last few years in Letara as well.â
She paused for a second and then began, in line with Fedorâs well known preferences, with the worst news. âSales of our van started quite well but also dropped off quite quickly after some competition arrived. The Knightwick K45 Courier was a bit smaller but more drivable, the Kessel K-20 van a dedicated heavy hauler and the TIV Mungo an all-round better similar sized van.â
Alexandra Koroleva, Comrade Director of Sales, chimed in. âUltimately, this was no real issue, however, because the Irena van has been selling well - or, as Comrade Inna would say, like sliced bread - especially in Fruinia. The three competitors mentioned are not for sale there.â
Fedor shot a disapproving look towards Alexandra. His own memory was as good as hers on the sliced bread tangent he had gone off in a board meeting a decade ago or so, and he wondered why she needed to refer to this now.
Inna continued. âIrena wagon and sedan sales have been quite low but rather steady over time. Again, we got some competition their over time.â
Alexandra chimed in again. âWhile not fantastic, our Letaran exports helped us to smooth out peaks and troughs in sales across all markets.â
Inna started again. "For the wagon, it was Kessel again, with their Sperling Tradesman Wagon which turned out to be even better off-road than the Irena wagon, and also the Stellar Dragonet Estate, slightly better on paper but with worse driving characteristics. Guess they need to sort out their new fancy FWD drivetrain.
She quickly took a look at her notes, then continued. âThere is a similar story for the Dragonet sedan, and also the Suma M312 Selecta which again is even better off road than the Irena sedan due to a locking diff. Popas also tried to compete, mainly on price, but ultimately wasnât successful.â
Now was Alexandraâs turn again. âAs you can see, we can say that we have two main rivals in Letara: Kessel and Stellar - but there are also other different competitors in different market segments.â
âIt was quite odd, but also intriguing to watch new competition unexpectedly appear at seemingly random timesâ, Inna concluded. âSomething we donât have on our home market. Guess other companies in their free market need to react more quickly then us with our long planned production cycles in a stable market.â
Fedorâs eyes had repeatedly shifted between Alexandra and Inna during their reports. He asked them: âYou two would make a good tag team, wouldnât you?â
Inna and Alexandra exchanged surprised and insecure glances but did not say anything in return.
It was hard to tell from Fedorâs stoic outward appearance whether he felt a little smug about his comeback to Alexandraâs earlier side remark.
5 Likes
Rd. 3 RESULTS
Chapter 13: Consumer car segment 1964-1974 - family pt. 3
Left to right: Levante Nuova 130 - 3.0 Li @TanksAreTryhards, Benetsch Kralewitsch @Texaslav, P&A Sportsman Mk.III Flat 6, Planar Danazine F6H @lotto77, Mayland Meteor @TheYugo45GV, Wolfe E320 2+2 Roadster @karhgath, Planar Danazine F6S, Benetsch Lerance 8000ZR, Benetsch Kralewitsch Imperator, Wolfe E540 V12 396, Capital Monarch Liberitas, Capital Monarch @Prium
At the top of the family segment are of course the luxury cars - the most expensive and opulent family vehicles on Letaran roads. In this decade there were more luxury vehicles on offer than premium vehicles, so the market was quite saturated. Only the best or most unique could stand out from the crowd. Letâs see which cars made an impression on the most discerning buyers.
The first - and only - luxury car available for three years was the 1964 P&A Sportsman Mk.III Flat 6. With a price tag about $10k over the next cheaper car, the Levante Nuova Lusso, it was firmly in the price range of the elite at this time. It was quite an elegant looking car, but the tacked-on reverse light did seem like an after-thought, especially at this price range. Interestingly, it was a more practical five-seater, but with beautiful hand-made interior and a luxury radio. It was the most comfortable car on the market until the release of the Liberty New Yorker two years later, as a luxury car should be. Its performance was not earth-shattering, but more than adequate in this segment. It was hampered by some reliability issues, but nothing catastrophic - just what youâd expect form a car with the most advanced and intricate features. It made cars from the previous era seem quite outdated, and with half of the upkeep costs compared to any of the older models, it was a significant step in the right direction. As it had zero competition for three years, it rightfully claimed its spot among luxury buyers for a few years.
After a three-year hiatus, three cars were released in 1967. The cheapest car was the Planar Danazine F6H. It was priced slightly higher than the Sportsman, and for all intents and purposes it was just an update to the previous trim with a different name badge. It had slightly updated fascia (but retained the tacked-on reverse light), a two-tone paint job, and the mirrors moved from the door to the front fenders. It also had an upgrade in the dash with a built-in phonograph, and mechanically it was upgraded with rear disc brakes compared to the drums of its older sibling. It also ran with a different boxer-6 engine that was updated for running on E-fuels. Overall, its performance remained about level with the older car, but in about all aspects the car was a bit better: better drivability, comfort, reliablility, and efficiency leading to slightly lower long-term upkeep. So it was a successful replacement of the P&A, displacing its older sibling in the luxury market and becoming the new âcomfortâ option for luxury car buyers.
The other two luxury cars were more performance-sedan oriented and were direct competitors. The cheaper of the two was the large and boxy Mayland Meteor. Priced just a little higher than the Planar, this car also had a full five seats, but of the luxury variety. It did have a phonograph in the dash, similar to the Planar. It had more aggressive yet luxurious looks, more reminiscent of cars youâd see in a diplomatic convoy (or in the garage of the nearest mafia boss). In any case, this car was more performance oriented than the P&A or Planar. It had a clutched limited differential to keep the power manageable from its large V8 engine. The car had some sportscar-like performance, but that came at a cost of drivability and reliability. It was also not the most comfortable car, more akin to a premium car than a luxury car. Most luxury buyers wanted more comfortable transportation, but those that wanted a sporty sedan, this was a good option.
The other car was the Planar Danazine F6S, the âsportyâ Danazine. It was priced slightly higher than the previous car, but not significantly so. In most aspects it was very similar to the F6H with the same interior, similar two-tone paint job and overall looks, it even ran the same engine. The engine did receive quite a performance boost with a 10 Hp gain, putting this carâs performance on par with the Mayland. It also had a more sports-oriented manual gearbox in contrast to the previous three carâs automatic ones. While it did lose comfort to the F6H, it was still more comfortable than the Mayland, and also more reliable and drivable. So on paper it seemed like a logically it was a better choice for those who wanted a sporty luxury sedan. But it ended up splitting the âsports-sedanâ corner of the market with the Mayland, simply because that car was more unique; the Planar F6S just looked like the other Planars and P&As (in other words - all* other luxury cars) that were already on the luxury market, and in this segment being different is usually a good thing.
The following year the Wolfe E320 2+2 Roadster hit the market. This luxury convertible slotted in between the Mayland and Planar F6S price-wise, further crowding the âmid-luxuryâ price point. It did have significantly higher upkeep costs, but still much lower than anything from the previous era. This car had a 2/+2 seating arrangement with smaller jump-seats in the rear as the room was taken up by its automatically retracting soft-top. The interior was of luxury quality and it had a phonograph. Despite its seating arrangement, a large all-aluminium V8, a decent 0-100 km/h time, a semi-clad floor and sports tires, it could not be considered a sports car as it had a very sensible 160 km/h speed limiter. As could be expected from a convertible with jump seats, it was not the most comfortable car - but still on par with the Mayland and Planar F6S. It was quite easy to drive and had good handling too. To top it off, it was really good looking too with quite modern features. So it immediately captured the luxury-convertible market - not only because it was completely unopposed, but because it was a good car for what it intended to be.
All other seven luxury cars in this era were released in a single year: 1970. This was the largest launch year in Letaran history for any segment, and it instantly flooded the luxury segment. Given that no other luxury cars were released hereafter, it was a âmake-it or break-itâ moment for all manufacturers. The cheapest car was the Levante Nuova 130 - 3.0 Li - an updated version of the 1964 Lusso. This car just broke into the luxury market price bracket, and by all rights bridged the gap with the premium market. In many respects it was similar to the Lusso - it had four full luxury seats and luxury radio, automatic gearbox, and the same I6 engine albeit with updated components. Performance wise it was actually slower than its predecessor, but it was a bit more comfortable (on par with the P&A) while being easier to drive and more reliable. So overall the Li took off where the Lusso left off. However, it was better situated now to take advantage of the upward mobility of Letarans. It wouldâve done exceptionally well taking the lower end of the luxury market by storm, had it not been for its close rival released concurrently, theâŠ
Benetsch Kralewitsch. The Kralewitsch slotted in next to the Nuova Li at the bottom of the luxury market. This was a much larger and angular sedan, reminiscent of the Mayland, but even more imposing, aggressive and refined. It had two full bench seats - a segment-unique feature - of the luxury variety and luxury radio. It was not a very agile or fast car, naturally topping out at 180 km/h. It was slightly more comfortable and reliable than the Nuova Li, but was not quite as easy to drive - not unexpected from a much larger and heavier car. It was simply a solid car all-round that exuded prestige and luxury, but under the skin delivered just enough to rival its competition. The two bench seats seemed on paper to be an outdated feature, but considering all other cars in the last two decades, they were in fact a quite unique and interesting feature that became a selling point for the car rather than a detractor. So it managed to outcompete the Nuova at the bottom of the luxury segment, but it could not attract people âdownwardâ from the more expensive option that were objectively better cars.
The other two Benetsch cars, the Lerance 8000ZR and Kralewitsch Imperator were priced higher than the Planar Danazine F6S, so were priced above the midpoint in the luxury segment and aimed at a slightly different audience. The Lerance 8000 ZR was the performance luxury sedan of the decade. It had a huge V8 engine that propelled this beast off the line with supercar acceleration (indeed, only one sports car got to 100 km/h faster than the Lerance 8000ZR), and it reached a top speed no other car could match: 286 km/h. Its sporty nature was further accentuated with its manual gearbox and sports compound tires. Despite this, the car retained its luxury sedan characteristics: four luxury seats and a luxury 8-track in the dash. It was surprisingly comfortable too - not âriding on a cloudâ level, but quite acceptable considering the sporty nature of the car. It was remarkably reliable too, and relatively easy to drive again considering just how sporty it was. Given the racing pedigree of Benetsch at the Lerance Raceway, it is then not surprising that this car with its face-melting performance took the sporty-luxury-sedan by storm, virtually making all other rivals disappear overnight. It even attracted the attention of luxury-sportscar buyers, as it was indeed faster than all of them, albeit less nimble.
The Benetsch Kralewitsch Imperator took a completely opposite tack to the Lerance 8000ZR. It was priced about $6000 higher, but had a much lower maintenance costs (saving much on the **8000ZRâs engine upkeep and fuel costs - all that speed comes at a price!). In any case, where the 8000ZR aimed (successfully) to be the sporty luxury sedan, the Imperator aimed to become the comfort luxury sedan. It had a capacity-reduced V8 with a more comfortable tune, automatic gearbox, hand-made interior with four seats, luxury 8-track, comfortable steering assists, hydropneumatic suspension, and comfortable medium compound tires. The Benetsch engineers saved no expense in making this the most comfortable on Letaran roads - and that is not hyperbole. It was the most comfortable by some margin. All this comfort did not come at a cost to reliability or drivability either, making it quite an attractive proposition. This car too, just like its siblings, had great looks, this time with a rich two-tone paint job. Although not the most expensive luxury car - it was quite âaffordableâ in comparison to the most expensive ones - it was simply the flagship of what a comfortable luxury car should be, and the rich and famous ate it up.
Priced slightly higher than the 8000ZR, the Wolfe E540 V12 396 aimed squarely in between the two Benetsch cars. It had a hint of sportiness with its class-exclusive V12 engine that pushed the car with ease. It also had more comfort-oriented choices, such as the hand-made four seats, luxury 8-track player, hydropneumatic suspension and medium compound tires. Its overall comfort was second-highest in Letara, just beating the Liberty New Yorker - but significantly lower than the Imperator. On the other hand, it was faster and more nimble than either, and had better reliablity and drivability too. Overall, it was a very good car indeed, but it only really stood out in one way in the luxury market: it had a V12 engine. So when there started to be too many Benetsches on the driveways of Fiegheniâs villas, this was where luxury buyers turned, because objectively it was the next best option, and you could still show off your 12-banger to the neighbours.
The two most expensive luxury cars were the Capital Monarch Liberitas and Capital Monarch. The Monarch Liberitas was a further $7k more expensive than the Wolfe E540 and had an upkeep closer to the Benetsch Lerance 8000ZR than anything else in the luxury segment. So needless to say, it was quite an expensive car - the second most expensive to buy, but nearly the most expensive factoring in upkeep costs. It was a rather large wedge-shaped convertible car with high-quality four full-size luxury seats and a luxury 8-track. Similar to the other cars at the top of the luxury segment, this car too had hydropneumatic suspension, but was running on sports compound tires suggesting some sporty aspirations. The automatic soft top was a prestigious addition to the car. It have a large boxer-6 engine that gave it a small hint of performance, but the carâs top speed was limited to 200 km/h, leaving not much to brag about at the end of a highway straight. Considering its price tag, it was not the most comfortable car - basically on par with the cheapest luxury car: the Levante Nuova Li. It also was not the most reliable or easy to drive car among its peers. Then, it seemed that while not a bad car, it simply didnât offer anything better than its rivals, while being significantly more expensive. Its most unique feature was that it was a rather unique looking convertible. Just for that fact it managed to find a small market for itself among those who had money to throw around and wanted something that looked very unique - and being a convertible always helps, especially when there arenât many convertibles on the market period.
The Capital Monarch was a very similar car to its cheaper sibling, but adding another $8k to the price tag, making it by far the most expensive car on the market in any segment. It was a closed-top sedan version of the same car, but with a nice hand-made interior. This car had decent comfort, but still lagged behind the Wolfe E540 and even the Liberty New Yorker. Otherwise one was left to wonder where all that money went in this vehicle, why was it so expensive? Why could other cars be objectively so much better for so much less cost? It was a small mystery. One thing cannot be denied: this car too had amazing and unique looks, albeit without the convertible top it was less desirable even. So who bought it? Well, not many people, thatâs for sure. In a simple cost-benefit analysis, it was a very bad decision indeed. But every country has a few people with more money than brains, and think that they simply need to have the most expensive thing available and that will make them appear more ⊠well more something. So a few Monarchs ran around on Letaran roads, but they were a very rare sight indeed.
âŠto be continuedâŠ
16 Likes