“The new Faenza spells a welcome retun to form for ITAL after a decade of immobilism. A thorougly modern car that finally propels this forgotten brand back into the modern age. A remarkable effort indeed.”
In the 1950s, the ITAL Prima helped propel Letara into a new age, an age were every family could afford it’s own means of transportation. Now, almost fourty years later, we once again stand in our purpose, to once again bring the people of Letara a car that everyone can not only own, but truly live with. A modern, fuel efficient, practical getaway for a family, with foward thinking looks. A car you’ll be proud to own.
The Faenza is that car
Born from a clean slate, using the latest tech avaiable, the new Faenza delivers once again on our promise. A lot of car, for little money.
We are ready for a jump back to the future. What about you?
Discover the New Faenza
The three models coming to Letara as of 1987, from right to left: 1.4 Notchback, 1.6 Plus Multispazio, 2.7 Turbo V6
The Faenza is built on a new unibody platform, up to 42% more rigid than it’s predecessor, and does away with it’s predecessor solide axle rear suspension, adopting a simple yet effective torsion bar design, which light and compact nature naturally worked towards the shared goal of a light, fuel efficient family car.
To lighten the car, the car body is now partially mad out of alluminum, with up to 35% of the car shell doing away with steel, including bonnet, doors, rear hatch, and a roof section. That stop the scales at just 1.05 tons, an incredible result of a 4.6 meter long car. Paired with either a new 5-gear manual transmission, or the proven 4Select automatic, it guarantees all around adequate performance even with it’s low displacement engines.
And the new PME engine is at the heart of the revolution. A fully alluminum, low capacity gem of a modern engine built to sip fuel and make miles. Aviable in either 1400 or 1600 cc variants, it’s stil more than capable of propelling the car to it’s 160km/h limited top speed, while getting asthonishing consumption figures, with the 1.4 manual models rated for a 16.8 km/l (40 mpg) combined cicle. To make this possible it combines new technologies like Multipoint injection and Variable Valve Timing, with new materials like hypereutectic casts, while sacrificing nothing in terms of reliability due to a new manufacturing process.
Well, unless you buy the turbo model. That thing has a turbocharged Standard V6, which is cool 'cause a similar sibling is also in that nice racecar down below, but yeah it’s not cheap on gas folks.
For our Letaran launch, the car is brought to you in three specs:
1.4 ECI NOTCHBACK
Here shown in the classic "Patch Broke Car, Disappointment Green Metallic". Yeah it's not it's official name, no i'm not sorry, i'm joking pls Killrob don't revoke my Steam privilege lol.
The (almost) bargain basement model. Featuring standard interiors, ABS, a manual gearbox, and an 80 HP version of the PME engine. It’s a classic family 5 seater design, a reliable, supremely practical box that will bring you from A to B without fail. It’s built like a tank, and sips fuel as a citycar, but gives you the space of a midsize family wagon. All wrapped in a new curvaceous look that breaks away from 80s convention and looks foward to the future.
The perfect car for the modern family on a budget
1.6 PLUS MULTISPAZIO
SILVER IS A TOTALLY UNDERRATED COLOUR THAT STANDS OUT OF THE CROWD, THERE IS NO WAY IN HEAVEN THAT THIS BECOMES THE COLOR STANDARD FOR CARS IN THE FUTURE AND EVERYBODY DRIVES AROUND IN A SILVER CAR
The main attraction. 1.6 liter PME engine, 100 HP, premium interiors, same old 5-gear manual, and other niceties like body coloured bumpers and alloy wheels. All rounded out in an MPV style for even more practicality!
A little less fuel efficient, but with much better comfort and even more space, it’s a sacrifice you are willing to make. Oh and it’s just 2k more than the standard!
2.7 TURBO V6
200 hp FWD cruiser thing. Everyday, we stray further from God
Powah baby. The 2.7 liter Standard V6 here is limited to 200hp by a small turbo, for great low end response and a boatload of torque. Coupled with a 4-speed automatic, this car is fast, but not a sportscar. It still somkes the 0-60 in 7 seconds, but it does so while cruising along in suppleness. If you have the money and don’t fear steep service costs, this is the closes thing to a bargain GT you can buy.
A bargain FWD GT? We must be fucking mad.
RACING HERITAGE: THE FLYING BRICK
'Cause let's be honest here, rules are for nerds, and AWD Super-Sedans with a turbo V6 are frikking cool. It's also as reliable as it's Alfa Romeo putative sister, lmao.
In the previous decade, the Letaran branch of Levante had achieved pretty mixed success with their endeavors in racing. Sure, some of it’s cars were fast, but they tended to finish races far from the noble places, when they finished.
In the late '80s things were changing. With Letara becoming a pretty important market for Levante, and cash finally running into the company again, funding for racing in Letara was finally a little more than “build something and hope it works”. The company had decided that racing made for good marketing, and so for the first time in history the racing team in Letara recieved direct factory support, including highly trained personel and a new technical director in Paul Walkins. ANd so, a new adventure now starts for Levante
There is only a catch: For marketing reasons, they have to race the 320 sedan. In a GT bound category.
That requires some work
How they did it
Starting from their Group A homologation car, TD Paul Walkins and Lead Designer Herbert Stalh, had to find a way of making a proper racecar, out of a brick.
First of all, the thing needed a proper engine. Possibly light, since the thing was heavy per se. Surely better than a 2000cc NA four banger.
The solution was the Standard V6.
Born in 1973 as a joint venture between Levante and american carmaker Hamman, the block was originally a classic case of 'Murica considering everything under four liters an economy engine. Slapped in every possible car to reduce cost, it’s salient trait was that it was a SOHC engine, pure witchery for the americans. That came in handy when, with the second revision of the engine, turbocharging was taken into account.
So, with the Rev II, we had a decent displacement V6 that was friendly to turbochargers. Take it’s smaller 2.7 liter configuration, and it was also reasonably light, and with a DOHC head it made the 450HP requested. Problem solved.
Now to make the thing actually go fast.
Now, that was the trickier part. The rear suspension was traded for a pushrod item, the shell replaced with a fiberglass one, and one hell of an aero package was devised. But the car needed one new party trick to shine properly. And so Levante went looking around, and they found this little cool thing called AWD.
Hahaha Quattro goes brrr
The new factory Quadra AWD system is fitted to the car, Torsen differentials included, for absolutely ungodly level of traction. Sure AWD is heavy, but the car barely breaks the ton, and with so much traction, the trade off is well worth it. Understeer is an issue, but it’s a classic case of “slow in, fast out”, and with the AWD, out is fast indeed.
The car is shaping to be a pretty fast little racecar, despite it’s humble origins.
The bois driving this thing, Antonio Maresca, Kalev Happala, and Marcus Bruhnner, laughing at the track before testing. Blissful ignorance.
Now, it still isn’t perfect. To lap fast, an aggressive set-up is required, and that makes the car quite less forgiving than AWD would make you thing. And the trasmission sometimes just simply loves to go kaboom when torque is applied. Ah well.
Levante still expects solid placement from this thing. It may be a bricky sedan in a field of sexy GTs, but it’s a fast bricky sedan in a field of sexy GTs.
So watch out for the green and white monster on the track. It might just come for you next.
The car is now lapping significantly under the 6:20 mark, so expect some fun on the racetrack at the 30th anniversary opener race at Lerance!
GOVERNMENT ASSIGNMENT:
FADIGA’S WONDERVAN EDITION
This van doesn't giva a fuck about trend or looks, it's all about substance. Kinda like me, minus the substance!
Fadiga is back into the heavy duty market with it’s newes generation Tuttofare. This passenger van edition it’s built on the third generation LTM platform, exchanging the solid axle of it’s Heavy Duty brethren for IRS. A new alluminum engine powers the workhorse, delivering 100 HP to a 4 gear Geartronic_Plus autobox.
The modifications include a new side access ramp that folds under the plastic cladding of the van, and the new FlexHelp modular wheelchair block, capable of accepting a vast selection of common commercially aviable wheelchairs, with a side foldable seat to accomodate the wheelchair even in an open position.
A 7 seat layout helps carrying a full complement of medical care personell and patients, while the 8 seat layout was ruled out to leave space for a center free corridor, should an operator need to assist a passenger during transportation. Ther rear jump seats can fold to accomodate a second wheelchair in the rear of the van.
The Van comes complete with a Hernet&Muller Astro III Wheelchair ready for use, and option for a foldable Astro Pro chair for a small premium.
My ink is dry, take photos instead
