1967 Voyager V90 SL
France’s best 7-seater passenger van!
11 Likes
With the high-beams on that might as well light up the whole way to Paris.
1 Like
With the number of MPVs we’ve received even though this is a 60s challenge, I’m convinced the 4x4 ban is the only thing that prevented somebody from submitting a family crossover 35 years too early. Were VW Type 2s actually used as family cars rather than just for fleet passenger transport?
Probably not as much as it appears here. However the smaller in game bodies don’t allow the tiny third row you would want for the jump seats. Leaving the more unrealistic option of two sets of three seat rows in small hatchback cars. Maybe a body like the honda life step van would have helped.
3 Likes
I can at least confirm that a 1960 Fiat 1100 had two bench seats:
3 Likes
You would have to be very good friends in that size of car 
3 Likes
9 hours to the deadline
So far I’ve got the following entries:
-
correctly entered:
@Ch_Flash
@Happyhungryhippo
@xsneakyxsimx
@mart1n2005
@passengerpigeon
@Mad_Cat
@yakiniku260
@Vento
@Knugcab
@Maverick74
@lotto77
@Danicoptero
@Ludvig
@Bbestdu28
@Atomic
@moroza -
entered the .car file, but missing an ad:
@Texaslav
@Restomod (I’m waiting for your resubmission!) -
posted an ad, but not entered a .car file:
@crwpitman1
@shibusu
@VanZandt_Breda
The last five folks, please fix 
The ads might be posted with a slight delay, but please post sth before tomorrow. So far I’ve got the first 8 cars examined (would be more if I’d had electricity yesterday…), and now I’m gonna process the rest.
2 Likes
MPV were common enough for families back then, though 4WD were quite rare until the 80s, from what I gather.
The tight budget and note of no need for 4x4 would’ve been enough to keep my entry 2WD. Starting at ~13k and without a mention of it, I might’ve indeed subbed an honorary prequel to one of the most impressive vehicles I’ve had the pleasure of working on and owning: the Mitsubishi L300 Delica 4wd.
2 Likes
2 hours till the deadline!
I’m still missing the .car files from @crwpitman1 and @VanZandt_Breda, and also missing the ads from @Texaslav and @Restomod (I’ve examined both cars, but if you don’t post an ad they won’t be included in the final judging).
All the rest are in and examined.
Well then, I hope I didn’t abuse your “slight delay” stipulation too much.
1967 WALDERSEE RITTER KOMBI
Waldersee is German, and it’s owned by Americans. Maybe not a very traditionally French package… But we insist that it’s a good one. the new-for-1967 Waldersee Ritter is proof of that, with the ‘American’ part of the equation being the widetrack chassis capable of seating three across without much trouble, and a stylish, coke-bottle-flared body to match - and the ‘German’ part being the implementation of the independent “Diagonal Axle” rear suspension, the least crap four-on-the-tree on the market, and the trusted Waldersee large-bore straight-four engine. Though the original design of the block is not brand new, this engine - sharing a production line with Waldersee’s upscale straight-six - is built to a higher grade than that found in most economy cars. This year’s 1.6 (9CV) model is equipped with a variable-venturi chokeless carburetor, allowing improved fuel economy and a vastly bolstered torque curve compared to a standard unit.
Aside from more flashy styling inspired by the firm’s Lancier pony coupe, the rear of the Waldersee Kombi has a gas-strutted tailgate which rises at the turn of a key - another German touch, distancing fron the traditional American side-opener. And of course, like any respectable family car of the late 1960s it has four passenger doors.
Waldersee is widely considered an in-between marque, not Opel but not Mercedes - not Renault but not Citroen. But you aill find no suggestion inside this trendy wagon. Detailed instrumentation? Yes. Quality cloth? Yes. Two side mirrors and a middle one inside? But of course. HEADRESTS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
3 Likes
The entries have closed half an hour ago
This means that I have 19 valid entries from:
@Ch_Flash
@Happyhungryhippo
@xsneakyxsimx
@mart1n2005
@passengerpigeon
@Mad_Cat
@yakiniku260
@Vento
@Knugcab
@Maverick74
@lotto77
@Danicoptero
@Ludvig
@Bbestdu28
@Atomic
@moroza
@shibusu
@crwpitman1
@Texaslav
Expect the judging post in around 20 hours.
5 Likes
Reviews pt. 1/2
OOC: by now only the simple, classic QFC-style ones, but later this week I’ll try to provide more detailed reviews for the 5-10 top cars (depending on the time available), remarks on other cars and additional tech info. I’m not taking styling into account, but I will comment on it. The second part with the final ranking will come tomorrow, probably in the morning (~12 hours from now) as I’ll have a lot of time and access to my table with all the necessary data.
Jacques has collected info about all the suitable cars he could find, and has visited several dealerships. He was surprised by how varied the options were, and curious to see them.
Martinet Correur Break
Very elegant, very large and thus extremely practical, very expensive to both buy and run, partly due to a quite performant engine. And judging by the brand’s history, pretty unreliable. At least it seems really safe. Quite average in other aspects.
Valiant Trundle
A van should be practical, right? Well, such a small one maybe not that much. So maybe a small car will be cheap to run? Definitely not this one - out of all cars examined by Jacques, this is the most expensive to run, mainly due to it’s immense thirst - the price of good performance. It seems safer than the Correur, and nicely built, but also not very durable - while it might be really reliable, it doesn’t seem to be well protected against rust.
(OOC: I like the CIH idea 
)
Hemsley Asteroid
Now this is odd - a rear-engined hatchback capable of fitting 6 people. Unfortunately, such construction seriously hampers its practicality. It’s rather inexpensive to buy and run… in theory - as it’s known for breaking down quite often (in fact, Jacques hasn’t heard any of the cars having worse opinions in that regard). Safety seems neglected too, while performance is rather swift.
Salon Touring Super 18 TC
Another oddity - the only sedan that Jacques has on his list. A very elegant and modern looking sedan, but that’s not what they’re looking for (although Mathilde really liked the look). Aside from the prestigious but utterly impractical form it’s also a quick and safe car (those Finns seem to like rallies… maybe that’s the reason?), and a bit on the expensive side with the running costs, due to the large and not the most efficient engine (not the least either, but…).
VME Sparrow 200 Plus Wagon
A 6-seater wagon muscle car. Ok, Jacques only heard of those and saw some photos in magazines, but the boxes check - quick, poor handling, cheap to buy and not much else. Even the practicality is not really good for a wagon, due to the small size. Surprisingly it has pretty ok safety features. Oh, and a nice radio!
Enso Repertoire
Quite inexpensive to run (moderately sized, advanced 16-valve engine, super cheap to service) and dynamic, but also not that practical, easy to drive nor cheap. Also probably not the most reliable or safe. Comfort is a mixed bag, as on one hand the very basic interior harms it, but on the other a very nice radio helps it. And what is that manual locker? Is that for off-road driving?
Globus Chief Cruiser Wagon E-46
Sacrebleu, that is enormous! Huge! Gigantic! Jacques didn’t expect THAT reading the magazines. Yes, it’s practical, but very expensive to buy and to keep running (although not the least efficient, even despite an automatic transmission). And quite unwieldy to drive. And apparently somewhat prone to rust. Jacques is definitely impressed, but also definitely not looking for this… not this time at least.
Clari Amen’Voi Carga Plus
It looks just as weird as it’s named, and even Jacques will admit that. However, it’s very nice to drive, surprisingly comfortable, quite cheap to run (with just the economy being average), very cheap to buy and those engines are said to be very durable - the car seems too. The practicality isn’t stellar at this small size, but it isn’t bad either. Overall, Jacques quite likes it, but convincing Mathilde might be hard…
Norðwagen Midgard DT-4/222
An unusually looking van with a… phonograph?! Well, that might explain why it’s expensive. Other than that, it’s an overall solid car, with nearly everything being slightly better than average. The two exceptions are the running cost - raised a bit by a somewhat large engine and pricier than average service - and performance, hampered by the van form.
CESMA Colombe TL CinqPorte
Another solid contender, this time a hatchback - very easy to drive and comfortable, with clever space usage (that transverse engine layout seems like the future!), decent running cost, nifty performance (low weight helps!) and overall nice quality feel. However, Jacques couldn’t obtain absolutely any info about rust protection - suspicious (OOC: absolutely worst env. resistance).
12 Likes
Not surprised, RR cars can be too much of a compromise when it comes to Automation and even in this time period they would have started going the way of the Dodo in favour of cars like the Mini or the to be released Fiat 127. But still I like the challenge of trying to make RR cars try to work and it hopefully did kinda well in some regards.
Edit: also, did it transfer correctly? Because the faux front grille doesn’t look to be there in the pic.
2 Likes
Going for a sedan seems to have been a mistake, but at least Mathilde liked the car 
Yep, the whole idea, which I didn’t have the dexterity to type at the time, was to aim slightly above average by car standards, while having a shitload more passenger and cargo room. The phonograph, well… its spiritual successor, the Mitsubishi Delica, had a factory option of a karaoke machine; it was the least I could do.
I thought 8.4L/100km for a van was about as good as one could imagine…
How could the Sparrow’s handling be improved for the future? And if Jacques thinks it’s a “muscle car” with 87 piddling horsepower he’d be absolutely blown away by the GT version, with a 325hp V8.
Aw I tried to make a more standard looking car this time. I think the Amen’Voi looks fun
The body looks more like a 1940s or early 1950s car than something from the late 60s, but the wheels look too modern for 1967.
Yea it’s a 1940 body but that’s only because it was one of the only wagons with a <2.2 meter wheelbase. And I forgot to change the wheel fixture lol