QFC37 - Checkered Carriage
The year is 1986. The setting… Well, let’s just call it “The Developed World”. Many people drive and many others use public transport - but if you want to get somewhere in a hurry and aren’t next to your car or a bus stop, you hail a cab. A big sedan appears, and a grizzled professional throws your things in the trunk and holds your door. He then proceeds to use the only computer available to him - his brain, so focused on its job that it’s notably different from a normal human’s one - to figure out the best way to get you to your destination.
You are now tasked with supplying the kind of vehicle that a professional cab driver would use in places like Germany, Japan, and the US. In this case, we are not looking for a hyper-practical dedicated vehicle like a London Taxicab - instead, it is to be a regular sedan with a fleet package. It needs to be dignified, spacious, and dependable. Good luck.
RULES
Car Model Year: 1975+.
Car Trim and Engine Variant Year: 1986.
Body Type: Sedan; Coupes with 4 doors are also allowed.
Door Count: 4 doors.
Seat Count: 5 or 6 full seats.
Engine Placement: Mid-Engine forbidden.
Safety: Standard 80s or better.
Fuel Type: Regular or Premium unleaded. The latter will incur a small penalty.
Emissions Standard: WES 6 or higher.
No Racing Parts.
Approximate Cost: $16,000
Techpool: $45M (Your value is the sum of the 2 underscored values below; keep that below $45M)
Style Guide:
Make sure your car has lights (headlights, taillights, turn signals), wipers, side mirrors - you know, make sure it looks like a car that could exist.
You are not required to hook up every light properly with automation’s lighting feature.
A center-mounted third brake light will not be required.
Do not make the car look like something it isn’t, either via fixtures or advanced trim settings. If you lose the roof, use ATS to raise the suspension by 10 whole inches, or somehow manage to have your car only have 2 visible doors - you’re out.
You may or may not make a taxi livery or an interior, but extra points will not be assigned for either.
PRIORITIES
Reliability
One car is expensive. Many cars for a fleet, more so. An operator won’t spring for a more expensive car than they need to, unless it proves to be manifestly better.
Capacity
Taxi customers don’t care that much about gizmos and niceties of the cab - but if they or their luggage have to squeeze to get into one, that’s a problem. The passenger compartment and trunk need to have a good size to them.
(This is not a game stat, and will be evaluated using the dimensions the game gives me, as well as visually).
Like with the purchase cost of a fleet car, a cab that’s thirsty or repair-intensive is hard on a taxi company’s bottom line. Keep the expenses low, and the profits high.
A cab that at least looks like a million dollars helps the perception that it is a dependable and dignified machine that will get you to where you need to go.
Drivability
Taxi drivers tend to be skilled at their craft, but a taxi cab still needs to be easy enough to drive so as to not hurt the credibility of the experience from the passenger’s POV. Would you board a taxi if your last ride had you carsick from sliding around?
A taxicab driver will often perform maneuvers to avoid getting stuck behind lights, slow drivers, etc. The car doesn’t have to be fast (and I will explicitly not award any points for a 5-second 0-60 run or something like that) but it has to move somewhat well and hold the road, too.
While not as important as just being spacious, a taxi will have a somewhat better reputation if it’s nice - and employee retention will also be improved if they don’t have to sit on scalding vinyl all day.
INSPIRATIONS
Chevrolet Caprice
Toyota Crown
Ford Granada
Mercedes-Benz W123
Nissan Cedric
Ford LTD Crown Victoria
Opel Senator
SUBMISSIONS AND DEADLINES
Submissions Open: 12/17/2023 11:59 PM CST
Submissions Close: 12/26/2023 2:00 PM CST
Extensions: There will be a single (maximum 36-hour) extension in case a patch drops on December 23 or 24.
Name Convention: QFC37 - [yourname] as the Engine Family and Car Model name.
Engine Variant and Car Trim are free.
Submission Method: DM your .car file to me on this forum; Make a reply on this forum post with at least one picture of the car.
Resubmissions: Unlimited until the deadline, provided the same DM thread is used.
