1967 M.A.C Interceptor
hired some fat british blokes to work at kentucky.
3 Likes
Okay… now is the proper closing of the submission. All the previously tagged members as well as @sutarttt are submitted. I hope to have the results up by the next weekend.
1 Like
So… just need to mention the elephants in the room before the reviews come out.
I made a little bit of an oopsie when it came to this rule:
My intention was to have the V8s only have OHVs, and allow I6s to use either OHV or SOHC. But the wording was vague enough that there was at least half of the entries had used V8s that were not OHV. As a result, instead of binning half the field for my own inability to clearly define what I had intended for this, I will keep those cars since they did in fact follow the rules regarding that since it did not explicitly exclude V8s with SOHCs.
Second, my original intention for judging was to reuse one of the spreadsheets from my previous hosting and plug in those numbers to determine the winner that way. But the more I had been thinking on the judging the more I thought that an objective judgement didn’t fit the scope of this challenge since these are not vehicles that someone would look at objectively (in my mind at least), but rather ones that would be viewed at subjectively. It’s not a logical car but rather one that is more defined by impulse, first impressions, etc. More from the heart than the head.
I think this should be the more appropriate way to judge these cars even if it may make it harder for those that were building their cars to be more judged on raw stats as what was outlined in the brief which while I don’t believe has happened here, I can understand if someone was feeling like I’ve put their car at a disadvantage by this change behind the scenes.
I’m not overly experienced with hosting comps overall but I’ve generally seen them as something more casual, easy going and nothing to get overly worked up about. Most of the time, when I’ve been entering the competitions here it has been less about trying to get a first but more making something that either has peaked my interest within the ruleset or could allow me to expand an existing car brand I have in a way that is thematic and semi-reflected by the real brands that they are based on.
I don’t believe there is anyone here that would act negatively to this, I just wanted to explain my thoughts on this so that people aren’t caught off guard when it comes to my own decisions as to how the competition will be concluded, and explain the thought process behind it.
3 Likes
To preface, I feel like the absolute last person to make any comments when it comes to visuals and aesthetics knowing my own shortcomings in those aspects. But I hosted this comp, so without further ado…
Reviews:
@abg7 - WM Wight V8 5.0 SP:
HP: 220.0
0-62: 6.39s
1/4 Mile: 14.77s
Proportionally looks good, though potentially does have maybe a bit too much chrome that could make people feel like it’s more luxury than performance. It does evoke a slightly European feel for the front, while keeping it simple and restrained for the sides (if a touch understated), and continues to a well defined rear with subtle hints of its nature.
The engine is on the lower end of power but still gives good low end grunt for the car. The rest of the car is well equipped, though does tend to feel more like a cruiser inside the cabin with the more plush interior and higher weight that could be seen to hold back the potential of the car for the more performance minded buyers.
@AKA_NOBUDDY - Fierce Baby SNX:
HP: 233.7
0-62: 6.80s
1/4 Mile: 14.90s
Very loud and vibrant, but feels like some details do need to be fleshed out a bit. The front does have a nice touch of the hidden headlamps to make a more streamlined appearance, though the sides do feel too empty and the rear feels a touch plain with basic shapes and little cohesion across it to compliment the front styling.
Features the smallest V8 of the selection, but isn’t the lowest powered due to it’s high strung nature (relatively speaking), and as such makes the car feel more unforgiving to drive in normal situations. That also does mean some sacrifices were made to other parts of the car to keep it within budget too, such as a lower grade interior and suspension compared to most of the entrants.
@bang6111 - Alcaeus Venus GT 307:
HP: 271.9
0-62: 5.84s
1/4 Mile: 14.06s
Nice little 2 door sedan, with appropriate sporty touches all across it to hint at it’s potential. Equipped with a bulging hood, side stripes decals and overly large dual exhaust tips, it ticks most of the boxes for appearing like it’s breaking the speed limit standing still. Only minor gripes are the side badging not lining up well with said decals and the bumpers feeling a bit too high.
Has a similar sized engine to the Wight but manages to turn faster and make noticeably more power, at the expense of low down torque. It also features similar levels of comfort and appointment (and in some cases, better) within the interior as the Wight too.
@Ch_Flash - Miller Boar II 302:
HP: 228.9
0-62: 6.34s
1/4 Mile: 14.74s
A real mean, green machine, that also takes a bold step in terms of styling with the lack of a rear decklid. It retains styling cues front and rear and gives a very cohesive look overall, while also giving nice chrome accented details to infer some class from it’s more full size brethren. Definitely a real head turner.
Package wise, the car does offer more sporting credentials with form hugging bucket seats inside, but counters that with slightly softer suspension and a more numb feeling hydraulic recirculating ball system. Engine wise is slightly edging out the Wight’s with slightly more power from slightly less capacity.
@David_Herrera - Harris Navajo:
HP: 379.0
0-62: 7.59s
1/4 Mile: 14.94s
Another bright entrant, and one that does make it’s presence decently known but does feel like it could have used a little more in the way of small details. The front does feel mismatched with different parts being angled against one another, while the side does feel quite empty and uninspiring. The back does feel nice with the two tone of body colour and plastic cladding but again could use some more minor details to bring things together better.
While some of the other entrants go for precision, the engine here is very much a thinly veiled sledgehammer. But it comes off as a dyno queen by focusing on getting as much power as it can without considering it’s affect on the car. As a result it ends up performing more poorly than cars with nearly half of it’s power level while also being more of a handful for more inexperienced drivers.
@GassTiresandOil - Armor Hurricane S/C:
HP: 251.6
0-62: 6.16s
1/4 Mile: 14.73s
Much more understated and will talk the talk if needed. The front and rear are quite sleek and feel very futuristic for the era, making the car stand out and peek interest among those in the know. However the side does give it a slight let down for more large areas of blank panels that while not as bad as some, do make it feel a little empty and plain.
A little bit of a goldilocks engine that sits nicely between the Wight and the Venus, giving a healthy performance in this segment. It does have more comfort oriented seating, and interestingly has full sized seating for the back row as well, but overall has a well balanced platform compared to it’s competitors.
@karhgath - Angus Lionhead - Octane 391:
HP: 282.5
0-62: 6.24s
1/4 Mile: 13.93s
One of the shorter of the offerings here, and looks lovely in this particular shade. But the overall styling does feel somewhat dated and doesn’t tend to feel like a sporty choice among the competition, in spite of it being well designed and having a lot of good parts to it to make the car feel wholly cohesive.
Not as big an engine as the Navajo, but one that is much easier to use and abuse even if the rev limiter tries to be rather optimistic in comparison to the character of how it makes power. The rest of the car works well if being a little more on the lazy side with more plush seats and a softer sprung suspension.
@Lorgot - Chavaer:
HP: 273.0
0-62: 5.72s
1/4 Mile: 13.66s
Another brightly coloured car, and one that has much more of a unique choice of styling compared to the competition. However it does not feel like it is styling that suits what most buyers would find easy to live with, due to an overabundance of chrome on the front, and a general mishmash of design cues that do more to point out the differences across the car that bring cohesion to it.
Featured here happens to be the only non-V8 entrant here, taking engineering cues from contemporary domestic and foreign makes alike. But the blend has left an engine that is more akin to an out and out race car, with an idle over 2000rpm, and a redline at nearly 8000. The rest of the car continues with this tread of blending influences with the inclusion of particular advanced tech, but ultimately leading to a car that struggles to define itself.
@sutarttt - MarshallAutomotiveCompany - Interceptor:
HP: 377.2
0-62: 5.84s
1/4 Mile: 13.73s
Low and slow this one is not. Though while not as much chrome as some other entries on the front, the choice of colour blends with what is there and makes for a very dazzling car. Also like a couple of others, the general styling is there but it could use a few more details to pull everything together and make it really stand out. Lastly, the rear does feel a little overbearing with it’s chrome facade/badging combo and light placement.
As the third biggest engine shown, it does well power wise due to being rather high strung which makes it suffer in the lower rev range as a result. But it ends up being almost the opposite of a cruiser due to a lesser quality interior, much stiffer suspension, and rather unusually the use of a more rudimentary front axle (and the only one here to do so).
@zeromight - Soldier GTG:
HP: 250.4
0-62: 6.68s
1/4 Mile: 14.73s
Finally on our list, this one-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater, which is another sporty 2 door sedan but with a more coupe like appearance. Like the Venus, this has some sporty details to separate it from lesser models. However it doesn’t have as much cohesiveness and makes it feel a little underwhelming for buyers interested in the very best of ‘surface over substance’. And again, the rear chrome facade/badging feels a bit too overbearing.
This engine and the one featured in the Hurricane are similar in terms of power output and characteristics, though it can feel a bit more racey due to a narrower powerband. Again, the interior leans more towards a comfort orientated build akin to the Wight, while also having a less forgiving suspension like it. It also happens to feature 5 full seats unlike all the other entrants.
Final Standings
10th: David_Herrera
9th: Lorgot
8th: sutarttt
7th: zeromight
6th: AKA_NOBUDDY
5th: abg7
4th: karhgath
3rd: Ch_Flash
2nd: bang6111
1st: GassTiresandOil
I wanted to type out a paragraph for each position and try to offer some form of constructive notes or offer perspective as to why I positioned the cars where I did. But my brain is not working well enough right now to not end up repeating myself and not ending up giving anything actually worth saying.
What I will try to do is respond if any participants DM me with regards as to why I made the decisions I did with regards to their specific car. It may take me a while to piece together a more complete response and try to offer advice as best as I can. My goal is not to tear down anyone’s car, but to try to make suggestions that I would hope can help them with future comps and to grow their own skills as a result.
At the end of the day, I hope that people ended up making cars that they enjoyed making and maybe even want to keep working on and improve as they see fit. And thank you to all that participated in my silly little comp. I’m not overly happy with how I have done with the judging but will try to improve if and when I get the chance.
6 Likes
Welp, at least im not binned. Thats an improvement
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Totally good call, it was indeed an older model facelift, tried to make it sportier but still was still old-ish.
Not bad placement in the end, clearly not fully on brief so happy with it! Grats to the winner and thanks for hosting this, you did great!
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Holy cow I can’t believe I won! Thank you, there were a lot of great cars this round!
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I’ll take not last place, and also being the fastest car around. Sorry for being a bit outlandish with all my choices, I atleast made sure most of them made sense timewise, if not maybe a bit too high tech for a lower trim model. It was more of my take on if a Japanese car manufacturer would take a swing at making a muscle car.
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Nothing wrong with being outlandish, I’ve done it before as well.