Your reviews are actually pretty good
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Reviews Round 3: A step beyond
Greetings,
Today I bring the cars that were a more compelling option through excellence in engineering. These cars are all competently engineered vehicles that were easy to add to the list.
Without stalling any further, here is the first one that ended up on my list.
// 1995 FMW 660 L12
(OOC Notes: Excellent, but a massive shame of the oversteer at speed. Also for some reason the headlights didn’t import over correctly.)
Long form
When I first started looking, the FMW 660 L12 quickly entered my view, for it was an excellent match to my criteria: high comfort, very prestigious, and quite fast. Powered by an alloy V12, it features cast internals, and is perfectly cromulent, besides a partially choked exhaust, although the switchover from the two variable valve lift settings is very pronounced. Beyond that, the engine is remarkable for being very reliable, and puts out a respectable 452 horsepower.
The power is sent to all wheels through a five-speed computer-controlled automatic transmission and open differentials, but due to the 245/265mm tires, no excessive squealing was heard, and the vehicle remained planted in spite of any maneuvers I could throw at it.
What was concerning, however, was the tendency to oversteer at higher speeds: At 100 miles per hour, the vehicle suddenly gained a tendency to lose the back end, which was quite the surprise, considering it handled excellently at low speeds, nearing dedicated sports-car levels.
Unfortunately, due to that, it had to be taken out of consideration, even if the electronic stability control did a good job of keeping the vehicle in check, it’s still not a desirable tendency to have.
It’s a shame; the vehicle would have been a real finalist if it weren’t for that.
In short: An excellent shot at the podium, unfortunately let down by a tendency to oversteer at higher speeds, which is a dealbreaker in this case. For the rest, it was an excellent entry, and nailed the brief.
Verdict: Not taken in to consideration, hate to see it.
// 1995 AMS Ventnor V12 Ultimate
(OOC Notes: Also suffers from ‘Something’s wrong, but I can’t put my finger on it’ front styling syndrome. Otherwise, nothing is off about it. Well, the blank space below the lower grille gives it a kind of Habsburg chin look, which I’m not particularly fond of.)
Long form
Another vehicle that quickly entered my sights: The AMS Ventnor V12, more specifically, the Ultimate trim. It’s powered by another 6 liter alloy V12, and unlike the FMW, doesn’t use any kind of variable valve lift. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing strange, nothing outrageous, just a well-engineered V12 putting out 425 horsepower.
Those 425 horses are channeled through a five-speed computer-controlled automatic transmission and regulated using an electronic limited-slip differential, before being sent to the rear wheels exclusively. The tires are matched to suit this configuration, riding on 225/255mm tires, which resulted in a squeak when I launched it, but due to the electronic LSD, it managed it fine. The stagger does result in some understeer at higher speeds, but not to the level as some of the other cars.
The brakes are also well-suited to the task, not fading a single bit during the braking run, no complaints there.
The interior is furnished with hand-made items, and is of an okay quality. It is also equipped with a state-of-the-art satellite navigation system, which will most likely have to be disabled, unfortunately.
It’s equipped with state-of-the-art safety as well, and electronic stability control. Along with that, it’s computerized in the suspension as well, being an active comfort type. It does ride a bit low, but still has good capability off-road, despite being rear-wheel-drive and having only 64mm of ground clearance.
All in all, an excellent entry, which has little in the forms of weaknesses, besides the unfortunate understeer situation, but compensates with an excellent comfort rating, and good prestige.
Verdict: Passed to the semifinals, a competent entry.
// 1995 FMC Gannet 450L
(OOC Notes: Too sweet, too cheap. This is the second-cheapest entry, just barely scraping by the manual point reduction threshold. An excellently designed machine, and definitely a looker, however, it’s just too affordable. Weird to say, but not the look you want in this class.)
Long form
The FMC Gannet initially flew under my radar. When I went to the Otori dealer, and was disappointed to find out the Neptune was well over 80,000$, they suggested I head off to the people at FMC for a more affordable option. Otori shortly after slashed their production costs and thus sale price, but I decided to take a look anyway.
The Gannet is an extremely affordable option, powered by an alloy 4.5 liter V8. Unlike some which went for a billet crank and cast conrods and pistons, the engine in the Gannet opted for a cast crank and forged conrods and pistons instead. The technology is quite conservative, opting for a single overhead cam, and no variable valve lift. Other than being a V8 (and thus a slightly rough runner), it has no things to exactly remark of, as it’s all well-engineered.
All 293 horsepower is sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed computer-controlled automatic, aided by a viscous limited slip differential. The tires are not staggered, and are 225/225mm, which is still good enough to handle the power, with very little whine from the tires. The brakes are good as well, not fading at all, and providing good braking force.
Non-staggered give it okay handling, though the lack of any undertray, lip or spoiler did reduce performance at higher speeds. Not particularly an issue, since it still turns regardless, but something to note.
The interior seats five, and is hand-made, of good quality, and features a CD player. Along with that, it comes with high levels of occupant protection, though it’s lightweight construction does make it comparatively less safe than most of the others. Electronic stability control aids in preventing accidents, though.
Finally, the vehicle rides on air suspension, while most use active comfort or are hydropneumatic. Not an issue in particular, since it still is okay, but the extremely stiff front sway-bars do result in some discomfort if driving over uneven terrain.
Overall, it’s a good car, and very cost-effective, but the price does not exactly contribute to the prestige, which is understandably low, which means I’ve decided to pass on this one.
Verdict: Not taken in to consideration, due to being very cheap, and below average in comfort and especially prestige.
// 1995 Harrington 300 by Knightwick
(OOC Notes: Not much to complain about, really, besides sharing a similar ‘unfinished clay model brown’ paint.)
Long form
The Harrington 300 was revised for the 1995 model year, following the first sales in 1994. It’s powered by a 5-liter all-aluminum V12, with forged crank and conrods with a cast piston. It’s also a bit conservative in the technology department, though it uses a dual overhead cam valve train instead. It does choke the exhaust down a little bit, but as previous vehicles have shown, it’s not particularly a trait that is extraordinary in this class. What is extraordinary is the use of baffled mufflers instead of reverse-flow, but it’s not an issue that will be noticeable, since it’s still quiet.
The 348 horsepower is sent to all wheels, courtesy of a five-speed computer-controlled automatic transmission and viscous limited slip differentials. It rides on 255/255mm tires, keeping it planted in most circumstances.
The brakes of concern. At slow speeds, the front brakes are not powerful enough, but at higher speeds, the aerodynamic lift reduces the tire grip so that the brakes are now too powerful for the job. What results is a brake that works…mostly.
For the interior, it’s furnished in standard luxury upholstery and other bits, but is not hand-made, when others are. It is of very high quality however, and features an excellent CD player.
It comes with advanced safety, but no electronic stability control, which can be seen as a plus or minus, but it does come with computerized active comfort suspension, which is an unconventional configuration.
In conclusion: Statistically the most average entry. It is The opulent luxury car. It just is. All is just average, except for service costs and reliability, where it scored a good margin below average.
Verdict: Passed to the semifinals. Like the Fowler Baltimore, it is An Car.
// 1995 Avion Imperia V12
(OOC Notes: Looks much too modern in my opinion. Also killed my computer three times while reviewing lol)
Long form
“Welcome to Avion”, the brochure read at my request from the Avion dealer. An extremely futuristic design, maybe too much of a departure for your enjoyment.
What’s under the hood is an alloy 5 liter V12, with cast internals and modern technological gubbins, like variable valve lift. Despite being a lower displacement and not featuring any turbo- or supercharger nor combination in between, it still made 400 horsepower.
That power is routed through a six-speed computer-controlled automatic transmission, with a geared limited slip differential delivering it to the rear wheels. Those tires are quite staggered, at 225/255, and despite that width and a limited slip differential, it still spun the wheels a bit. Other than that, the handling is okay, but due to very high rear downforce and the stagger, it also suffers from higher speed understeer.
The brakes are fine, a bit on the weaker side, but no fade means that they’ll provide whatever force is asked from them. No complaints on that front.
Inside, it seats five in a very high quality hand-made interior, featuring a CD player along with all the climate control gubbins and gadgets. To be honest, I have little to say, because I was playing with the electric curtains too much to notice much.
On the safety side of things, it features advanced safety technology and things like electronic stability control, along with a lot of attention being paid to shifting weight to the rear; that includes things like moving the battery to the place where a spare tire or equipment would usually be, in the rear.
Along with the computerized stability assistance, it also features computerized active comfort suspension, which aids in being quite comfortable.
All in all, a good, quite affordable entry for what it brings to the table, though I’m not completely convinced on the styling.
Verdict: Passed on to the semifinals.
// 1995 IP Royalist VIP
(OOC Notes: The headlights seem a bit large compared to the grille, but nothing else that’s odd or bad. I like the C pillar window swap.)
Long form
The IP Royalist has been known in this generation since 1990; last year, it received a revision to bring it up to modern smack. It’s powered by an all-aluminum 4.7-liter V8, with forged and cast internals. Despite missing four cylinders from the usual V12, it still runs quite smoothly. It skips some things, but in general, it’s a perfectly fine engine.
The engine’s 294 horsepower is put through a four-speed computerized automatic and geared limited slip differential, before being sent to the rear wheels. The low power figure and relatively high weight make it a slow accelerator and doesn’t help the top speed, being below the average by some 15 miles per hour.
It rides on 215/215mm tires, which gives it acceptable cornering. The brakes are suited to the task and do not fade. The vehicle does however have a slight tendency to understeer at speed however, which is a bummer.
The vehicle seats four in a good quality handmade interior. Along with that, advanced safety and fancy things like traction control are provided, with computerized active comfort suspension being among those fancy gubbins.
In short: Quite slow (if you can call 166 mph and 7s 0-60 slow), quite comfortable, but not very prestigious, on account of the V8 and only costing 35100$.
Verdict: Not taken in to consideration, mostly because the competition is much faster, and because it’s a bargain price, much like the Gannet.
// 1995 Kunshu QS530
(OOC Notes: Same body as the Arum, same small windows. It does have good styling to back it up, but the side is a bit empty.)
Long form
The Kunshu QS530 ended up on my list fairly late. It’s powered by a very conservative, but very reliable all-aluminum V12. Unlike most, this engine still uses a single overhead cam and 2 valves per cylinder, while most have gone to 4 valves per cylinder. This impacts the engine’s performance, which is 280 horsepower from 5.3 liters of displacement, below even the V8s. It does compensate by running very smoothly, but its speed suffers.
The (meager) power is sent to the rear wheels by a five-speed computerized automatic transmission and a geared limited slip differential. It’s strangely enough limited to only 160 miles per hour, which puts it behind most other cars. It rides on 225/225mm tires, giving it okay handling, even at speed.
The brakes fade a little, but nothing outrageous, and the amount of brake force puts that to rest.
The interior is hand-made and of good quality, and features a CD player. Additionally, it comes with traction control and advanced safety, plus computerized active comfort suspension.
In short, a very affordable entry, with good looks, but comparatively very slow.
Verdict: Not taken in to consideration, the speed limiter being a shame, and acceleration not being much to write home about either, being 7 seconds (that’s only half a second faster than the V8 minivan). Otherwise, very good comfort, and good prestige.
// 1995 Jidosha Kogaku Basha-Shi - Awai Noru
(OOC Notes: Didn’t follow the naming convention, loöÖöööööooong. Side is a bit devoid of detail. Otherwise it’s okay.)
Long form
Well, I certainly had a stroke remembering, reading and writing that name. The…vehicle was introduced in 1994 and received a revision for 1995. It comes with a 6.2-liter cast iron-aluminum V12, and despite having dual overhead cams, it uses only two valves per cylinder, impacting efficiency. Forged internals line the inside, and a variable intake lines the outside. Despite suboptimal valvetrain configuration, it still produces a respectable 425 horsepower, and has no flow issues whatsoever.
Despite conservative styling, the vehicle is not conservative on its drivetrain, with the power being sent to all wheels via a computerized automatic with six speeds, and distributed with electronic limited slip differentials. It’s slightly front-biased, however, not in line with most others with AWD systems.
265/265mm tires provide excellent grip and cornering, hovering exactly on the line of oversteer, but never exceeding it. The wide tires also result in no wheelspin, and the brakes are suited to the high performance application. Even at high speed, the addition of a sporty undertray results in excellent cornering performance, and it never departs stability.
On the inside, it is furnished with a satellite navigation system, and is hand-made, of good quality. It comes with traction control, and advanced safety. It rides on a traditional hydropneumatic suspension system, even if the dampers are a bit hard for the hydropneumatic system.
In conclusion, a decent looking, very performant entry, and very prestigious as well, although it is quite heavy.
Verdict: Passed on to the semifinals
// 1995 A.G. Tigresse Esprit Prestigieux
(OOC Notes: Cool name, infinite points. Just kidding, it’s French, zero points. Also kidding, a brave wildcard entry, with the V6 and all. I’m not sure what’s going on with the rear, but disregarding that, the styling is good.)
Long form
When I said I was going to France for a special visit, I meant giving the A.G. dealer a visit. Yes, the French oddball was compelling enough to take in to serious consideration. Unfortunately, I only realized after the trip that they have establishments in the U.S. and Gasmea.
Yes, home of the word ‘monocoque’, pioneer of the hydropneumatic suspension, whatever else.
The engine is an interesting all-alloy 3.3-liter V6, with a cast crank and forged conrods and pistons, and absolutely tiny little twin turbochargers. Despite twin turbochargers, it still uses an intake with very long intake runners, and a small intercooler. It does get excellent fuel economy though.
All the power is sent to the rear wheels by a five-speed computerized automatic and a viscous limited slip differential. Tires are 215/215mm, giving acceptable handling, though it does tend to understeer at speed. The brakes fade quite a lot, though, and aren’t exactly up to the task.
The oddball features electric power steering, knocking out most of the road feel, and electronic stability control, with 2000’s safety and satellite navigation lining the inside, alongside a good quality hand-made interior, despite it looking ten years out of date.
Like other French executive cars, it comes with hydropneumatic suspension, and semi-active sway bars.
In short: A quirky entry, with old styling, an interesting shape, excellent comfort, but lacking prestige due to using a twin turbo V6 instead of a V12 of some kind. Consequently, it also gets the highest fuel economy of all of them, at 25.4 miles per gallon.
Verdict: While I like this car, it is maybe too quirky to be a proper contestant, and a bit slow, thus I’ll have to let it go. Not taken in to consideration.
22 Likes
Eeeeep… I worry the Overlander won’t be too low in top speed. The 0-60 time should be reasonable though. Bring on the two SUVs!
3 Likes
Another great review round, honestly surprised I’m still in!
3 Likes
No wonder the Ventnor made it to the semifinals with ease. In fact, from what I’ve heard and seen so far, it’s looking more likely than not that it will be a finalist.
2 Likes
So, my main rival, the Ventnor, passed on. Lets see if I can follow.
4 Likes
These reviews are so cromulent they make me feel all supriphrental in my insides.
The care to go out of your way to explain the details and comparisons is greatly appreciated by myself as a newer user, surely for others as well.
6 Likes
noice reviews!
too bad i didn’t move forward, probably would have been fine with a small lip spoiler in the back 
i used materials from the Tinty! - dark & colourable light materials mod to simulate the colour of halogen headlights, since all vanilla lights are completely white. (or maybe yellow but it’s way too yellow)
4 Likes
Reviews part 4: The Bold, and the Beautiful
Greetings,
This part of the list is dedicated to those who went with unconventional designs, yet still ended up on my radar, and those who were exceptionally good looking; perhaps both at the same time.
Without further ado,
// 1994 Hammardiin Overlander 4.8
(OOC Notes: Looks like a tank, isn’t as reliable as one, and doesn’t offroad like one. Overall, it’s a good looker, though the markers are a bit large. Sorry about the speed thing by the way.)
Long form
The Hammardiin Overlander has been on the market since 1991, and received an update in 1994. It’s large, and spacious, coming equipped with a 4.8-liter all-alloy V8, with cast internals. It comes with individual throttle bodies, and strangely for its size, it’s only got one reverse-flow muffler, though that doesn’t make it unacceptably loud.
You’d think that an SUV of this size would come with part-time four-wheel-drive, but no, it comes with all-wheel-drive and geared limited-slip differentials instead. Along with that, it’s gearing limited to 150 miles per hour, which puts a serious damper on any escape attempts that hacking in to the ECU won’t fix.
It rides on 235/235mm tires, which, due to its size and shape, don’t give it exactly optimal cornering ability. Along with that, it quickly turns to understeer at speed, which is another shame. Fortunately, the brakes are up to the task of stopping the SUV once you’re bored of understeering at every possible corner.
The interior is hand-made and seats four, with a satellite navigation system coming to aid them in remaining entertained. It does strangely enough come with only basic safety, which includes omitting an airbag for both driver and passenger, a feature that most of these executive models have. It does come with electronic stability control, strange enough.
The vehicle rides on active comfort suspension, which cushions any impact quite well, though it doesn’t actually help it off-road, since it gets an offroad score that vehicles like the Ventnor can beat (25.0 vs 28.3).
In conclusion: Quite comfortable, not very prestigious, and also the slowest vehicle in the list based off of top speed. It is, however, cheap.
Verdict: It’s a good car otherwise, but a police interceptor or some maniacs in Evos would be able to keep up with ease. So unfortunately your concern was right, and it has to be dropped. Not taken in to consideration.
// 1995 AW Lis 500TT
(OOC Notes: Very clean design, no complaints about it, details where they are needed. Very good, though the lack of quality in most places did impact stats like reliability and such.)
Long form
The AW Lis is another SUV that came to mind while thinking about which vehicles to give a try. The Lis is equipped with a 5-liter all-alloy V8, of forged and cast internals. Twin turbos boost the power to an impressive 600 bhp, while advanced gasoline direct injection technology provides very good efficiency, though it is prone to failure. The headers and exhaust are a bit big for the job, but they do, even if it’s a bit loud on the inside.
Just like the Hammardiin, the AW Lis uses all-wheel-drive instead of four-wheel-drive, but this time it uses viscous limited-slip differentials instead of those of the geared variety. Along with that, the five-speed computerized automatic is again limited to a speed, this time 168 miles per hour, by both an electronic limiter and the gearing.
Due to the use of all-terrain tires, it gets the same cornering performance as the Hammardiin, which used medium compound tires. They are however 255/255. The brakes are well-capable of stopping the vehicle and don’t fade unless it’s carrying a large load of bodi-Groceries, yes. Groceries.
Because of the fact that it’s a big lumbering SUV that weighs a good margin over 5000 pounds, it doesn’t particularly like turning. At speeds beyond 60 miles per hour the turning becomes pitiful at best, so that’s that.
It uses a standard quality hand-made interior with satellite navigation, while seating five. Along with that, it does use advanced safety, and comes with electronic stability control to keep the SUV tendency to flip in check. Additionally, it comes with a traditional hydropneumatic suspension setup, with disconnectable off-road sway bars. Unlike the Hammardiin, it is unsurprisingly competent off-road, despite not featuring 4-wheel-drive, being the second most capable, besides the vehicle following this one.
In short, a car which is basically the previous one but better in most respects, except for weight, comfort and reliability, although the latter isn’t a huge margin.
Verdict: Unfortunately, it’s just too heavy and too unwieldy and unmaneuverable to drive at the limit. The good off-road is a plus, however, it doesn’t excel in comfort or prestige, thus it will not be considered.
// 1995 Rhania Derogator
(OOC Notes: Very brave, though it seems this car is entered for the wrong competition; we’re looking to go faster and arrive classier than the police and everyone else, not kill everyone in high-speed police chases.)
Hurr Durr Rhania Brrr
What do we need in this list? Of course, a nearly 6000-pound mega-SUV. The Rhania Derogator is a vehicle that we’d bring to a gunfight. It’s massive, weighs nearly 3 tons and has a menacing profile. Despite its “no fucking about” looks, it still uses aluminum for the hood and boot, while riding on a ladder chassis.
A 6.4-liter V10 sits at the heart of the beast; Forged internals, individual throttle bodies, direct injection, all work towards an impressive non-turbocharged 533 horsepower. It uses nothing in the way of variable valves, since its pure power is enough to get it moving.
The Derogator is what the Overlander and Lis weren’t; it features four-wheel-drive, manual locking differentials, and giant, pillow-like tires, riding on steel rims.
It seems that the engineers at Rhania were too busy having fun with their giant SUV ramming things out of the way, since they forgot that the front actually has more grip while braking, and thus the front brakes are some 30% too weak, which results in a stopping distance from 60 mph in 174 feet. For reference, the Helron, which was crossed out for comparatively awful brakes, stopped within 130 feet from the same speed. Well, I guess, who needs brakes when you can use the surrounding environment as your brake?
Four seats, satellite navigation and a hand-made interior line the inside of the Derogator. Along with that, as if it needed to be safer with it weighing twice that of a normal car, it received advanced safety and electronic stability control, and electric power steering, most likely to take out the feel from hitting rocks at speed. Along with active comfort suspension, it achieves a very high comfort rating through a ridiculous amount of room everywhere and being heavier than most yachts.
In short: Big, bulky, heavy as shit, and not really what the brief called for, along with looks that don’t exactly invoke class, but rather “I am about to run over your 1984 Toyota Corolla in a fatal accident because I don’t give a singular shit about the things that happen around me in my 6000-pound Rhania Derogator.”
Verdict: I mean…it’s just too heavy. It handles like crap, it’s comparatively slow, and it’s just too big to enable any smart driving besides ramming whoever you don’t want to share the road with. Thus, not taken in to consideration, which puts an end to the giant SUVs.
// 1995 Manda Divine 600 SE S
(OOC Notes: Blacked out much? It’s very, very good looking, and ended up here because of the excellent styling, but the black made it hard to see detail. Speaking of that, it’s lacking such on the side, and it seems to use the same amber marker on both the front and rear, which would make it illegal in the US.)
Long form
The Manda Divine seems to both take my enjoyment and your enjoyment in to account. An all-aluminum V12 of 6 liters with CnC’d crank, forged conrods and cast pistons complete a little staircase of capability. With a throttle per cylinder, it seeks to achieve optimal airflow as well, with the long tubular steel headers also assisting in that.
The 560 horsepower output of the V12 is put through all four wheels with a six-speed manual transmission. Yes, manual. So far, the only vehicle with a manual transmission for me to fiddle the gearshift with. It comes with viscous differentials, by the way.
Over 1G of acceleration and cornering make it engaging to drive, and very fast, with an impressive 0-60 time of under 4 seconds. This is courtesy of the 245/245mm tires, which additionally provide it with good handling at low speed, with the high speed handling trailing off a bit due to the rear downforce. Fortunately, slowing down to take a corner is no issue with the brakes which do not fade in the slightest.
The vehicle seats four in a hand-made cabin, entertained and informed by a satellite navigation system, of good quality. Electronic stability control is provided, along with advanced safety. Active comfort suspension keeps the ride quality high.
In short: A highly performant vehicle which puts speed and power front and foremost, though poor efficiency and poor comfort put a damper on that. Turns out, driving a slushbox automatic for most of my career has degraded my smoothness driving stick.
Verdict: Despite amazing looks, it’s let down by comfort, courtesy of the manual, which means I won’t have any manuals to drive anymore. Sad. Regrettably not taken in to consideration.
// 1995 Zephorus Rossi
(OOC Notes: Another looker. I’m not experienced enough in design to comment on anything wrong with the styling, but this is a case of being great in styling which isn’t excessive opulence. As moroza who wrote a bit about Jay put it, “I’m hauling my boss, not manure.”)
Long form
The only truck here, the Zephorus Rossi does not disappoint in the speed and power fronts. A 7.2-liter V12, lined on the inside with forged materials and on the outside with gasoline direct injection. It puts out nearly 600 horsepower, which is sent to all wheels through a six-speed computerized automatic, and distributed using electronic limited-slip differentials.
Beyond pure power, it’s pretty poor. Despite having 235/235mm sports compound tires, it achieves 0.9G of cornering and starts understeering quite fast, already crossing the threshold at 55 miles per hour. It tops out at 183 miles per hour as well, while blazingly fast for a truck, it’s not that great in comparison to some of the others. It does have good brakes to get itself stopped, though.
The interior seats four and is a standard luxury affair, along with a satellite navigation system for entertainment and directions. Additionally, highly advanced safety is provided, with electronic stability control being present as well. It comes with hydropneumatic suspension too, for added ride comfort.
In conclusion: A truck…SUV…thing, which looks good, but doesn’t particularly signal a sense of prestige, even though everything inside does signal that. The performance is good, just don’t touch the round thing to the left of the cabin where the driver sits.
Verdict: Too much of a wild card to seriously consider, despite good styling, it just wasn’t what we were looking for.
// 1995 Fanella Costa Molto - Executive
(OOC Notes: @xsneakyxsimx put it best, looks like a luxurious EV1. No upper grille does hamper its ‘luxury’ feel, though.)
Long form
Another oddball, the Fanella Costo Molto features a transversely-mounted 4.4-liter all-aluminum V8, along with the strange 2 valve dual overhead cam. Cast crank and cast piston, with lightweight forged conrods. Runs rough courtesy of not having any additional balancing mass, and despite direct injection and a throttle per cylinder, the 2 valves restrict the efficiency to a merely average percentage.
All the power of the engine is channeled straight to the front wheels, along with all the torque of the 4.4-liter V8. Fortunately, it has electric power steering, so you basically feel nothing of the road, or the inevitable torque steer.
Now, this is another unfortunate vehicle. Despite being front-wheel-drive, it is like the FMW, for it also oversteers at high speed, and does so very suddenly. It also has electronic stability control to keep it in check, but it’s again not a desirable tendency to have in a vehicle driven at the limit more often than most are.
In short, very odd, funny styling, not that prestigious, but quite comfortable, and another case of high-speed oversteer.
Verdict: Not taken in to consideration for the above mentioned reasons.
// 1995 Panther Scharfer GT-C
(OOC Notes: Very good looking, but also too modern in my opinion. The bottom grille being positioned close and being larger than the top grille, along with the side shaping, is what makes it feel more like 2012 than 1995.)
Long form
When I said it was over for the big SUVs, just imagine this to be a small SUV. It isn’t, but it’s convenient for me to not consider it a big SUV.
Oh well, the Scharfer is powered by a 4.5-liter all-aluminum V8. Forged internals line the inside of the engine, with two turbos, one on each bank, to line the outside. Despite using one muffler, it still is very quiet, though what isn’t quiet is the noise of the engine failing due to a suboptimal reliability rating of 53.6.
All the (sometimes functional) horses are sent to all the wheels through an all-wheel-drive system, connected to a computerized six-speed automatic transmission, and viscous limited-slip differentials. It’s electronically limited to 168 miles per hour, but it tops out at 160 miles per hour anyway. 255/255mm tires give it good grip, but the front brakes are weak, at least compared to the rear brakes. It handles okay, and also understeers a bit once up to speed.
It seats four in a decent-quality hand-made interior, equipped with satellite navigation. It also comes with advanced safety and electronic stability control. A hydropneumatic suspension system is also provided.
In conclusion, an unreliable, but very comfortable and good-looking entry, which is quite slow.
Verdict: Not taken in to consideration, due to being quite slow, which is a shame because it looks very good.
// 1994 Planar SM48 Danazine EX-S Stealth
(OOC Notes: Boss asked for proven designs, and you can’t get much more proven than a 16-year-old chassis, I guess. I don’t have much to comment about on the styling either, it’s just plain…cool. Pop-ups, a fast shape, and detail where there should be detail. It’s very nice.)
Long form
They say only the greatest of automobiles stand the test of time, and after 18 years of production, the SM4X Danazine has certainly proved its worth over the years, warranting a final edition to say goodbye to the series.
A 4.4-liter V12 powers the vehicle, made of aluminum, and features forged internals, along with the addition of variable valve timing and variable valve lift for the EX-S. Tubular headers ensure the exhaust is ejected quickly. The 22-year-old engine platform does show its age through that 2 valve single-overhead-cam head, but it is what it is, and efficiency is not a huge deal. The 307 horsepower that the engine puts out, however, is.
All that power is routed to the rear wheels through a five-speed computerized automatic, aided by a viscous limited-slip differential. It does feature a large amount of overdrive, which aids in the fuel economy it can get, despite low engine efficiency.
Speaking of the rear wheels, the tires are 205/205mm, and considering the weight of the vehicle, at just under 3500 pounds, it isn’t a shocker. It provides decent cornering, but also has a tendency for understeer at speed, unfortunately. The brakes are perfectly cromulent, and have no issue stopping the vehicle.
It seats five in the very high quality hand-made interior, and features a CD player. It strangely enough has hydraulically assisted recirculating ball steering, which takes even more road feel out of the steering than even electric power steering. At least it has traction control and advanced safety, to console you about not being able to feel much through the wheel. It features hydropneumatic suspension as well.
In conclusion, a comfortable, good entry, save for some odd engineering choices, though the age factor certainly makes the boss feel a bit more at ease.
Verdict: This one was a really hard decision to make…it’s just so cool, but it’s not particularly a bright star in any of the stats, and it’s damn expensive as well. So I’m unfortunately going to have to leave it out of consideration.
Additional notes
You may have noticed the fact that none of these have passed in to the semi-finals. I am as surprised as you are, and I’m honestly kind of unsure how an entire review round can just end up as all vehicles in the round not progressing. The bar was set very high with design and engineering, so I’m kind of saddened to see these excellent designs go. However, there are still seven cars that have been left out…we’ll see those tomorrow, perhaps.
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Ohhhhh the suspense!
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Too bad the Lis 500TT didn’t make it, thank you for the review.
Edit: I don’t like using quality sliders, always seemed like cheating for me. Next time I will take this in consideration
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Honestly, the Derogator despite its flaws did provide the look that the boss wanted which was to be intimidated because you never know when a Derogotor may end up being the last thing you see…
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In this challenge especially not using the quality sliders is pretty much game over. There’s a stupid amount of budget to work eith, and thus it’s not uncommon to see +15 or roundabout that high. For any challenge, using quality can mean the difference between an ‘okay’ car and a ‘good’ car. (I speak from experience, as my cars used to, and still do have reliability issues, which quality helps alleviate.)
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If the Ventnor’s front tires were 10mm wider, it would be even nimbler through the bends, but I didn’t think of that for long enough to consider it. Besides, most customers (except for Jay) don’t usulaly consider top-spec luxury limos to be drift machines.
In retrospect, I should have moved the entire lower grille/foglight/vent assembly a bit lower, but I never thought about that either.
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Yeahhhh I had a feeling the stats were pretty mediocre for the price lmao. I was hoping the extreme proven-ness of the age would offset that a bit but it was still a gamble.
As for the steering, I’m pretty sure that was just “It was the most comfortable option when I built the earliest model and I completely didn’t bother to change it when I made newer versions” so that’s entirely on me lol.
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I guess I should have waited and slapped a supercharger and a couple hundred more cc to that motor. Oh well.
Edit: also, which of the SUV do people think was the best? I rather thought @lztd15 entry was quite swish and classy.
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In all fairness, when I saw better looking entries after I submitted, I kind of expected an early bin. Somehow I felt I didn’t make a fully functional and satisfying entry. And then I got surprised that it lasted this long in the reviews. So I am pretty much satisfied with the results I got…
I fiddled too much with the power unit to make a better design (and handling), so I guess that is something to improve on. Nevertheless it was a great round and I enjoyed making a powerhouse for it and participating. 
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That makes it similar to my WM Deus - and your summary of the Desire also applies to the Deus:
In view of that, I was right to submit the revised Ventnor in place of the Deus.
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I liked the review of the Avion. You point out the advanced design for the time frame. I would say that the design was pushed for the time, and still reminescent od the 90s. Glad you liked the curtains. Also, sorry about the computer. I do go overboard with the interiors and detailing a bit.
As for the driftey tail, it is built for getaways, and would help maneuver the tight 90 degree turns a bit easier.
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Correction: the front tires are actually 235mm wide, not 225mm wide as you originally stated.
Also, had I set the front and rear camber angles to -0.6 and -0.2 degrees, respectively (instead of the -0.4 of front camber and -0.6 degrees of rear camber I eventually went with), I would have removed much of the understeer without losing too much drivability or even causing uncontrollable high-speed oversteer.
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