QFC41 - A Replacement for Displacement?
Essentially my answer to the question, “What if QFC1 were set in the same year as QFC2?”
This is what Denny’s been dreaming of ever since graduation - the feel of razor-sharp handling and quick acceleration experienced by any driver at the upcoming Long Beach Grand Prix, but on a modest budget.
Background
Long Beach, CA, May 1975
Denny, a 23-year-old college student, has just earned his Bachelor’s degree at USC. Having driven his parents’ Honda Civic for the past few years, he’s decided to treat himself to a new car as a graduation gift. and not just any car, but a sports car for weekend drives and track days at Riverside, to make him feel as if he’s racing in the upcoming Long Beach Grand Prix. There’s just one problem: the oil crisis. It may have officially ended a year ago with the lifting of OPEC’s embargo on oil exports, but it’s still fresh in his memory (and those of many others), so he won’t want his new ride to use more fuel than it should - thus forcing him to shelve his dream of driving any of the muscle and pony cars he lusted after in his teenage years, for now. He’s also a bit short on cash, and so wants as much bang for his buck as he can. With these in mind, his priorities and requirements for a small, light and cheap sports car are as follows:
Rules
- Trim and variant year: 1975 (model and/or family years may be older).
- Body style: Coupe only (must not be a convertible - a coupe made to look like one will count as a convertible - and Denny’s parents explicitly told him not to buy anything with an open top, for now). Note that hatchbacks with fastback shapes and 2-door sedans will count as coupes, but 3-door wagon/estate body styles won’t.
- Minimum of 2 seats in front row; maximum of 4 seats (a 2+2 configuration counts as a 4-seater).
- Maximum wheelbase of 2.5m (after rounding to the nearest 0.1m).
- 91 RON regular unleaded only; a catalytic converter, though not required, is recommended (an exhaust reactor counts as the latter), given that the Clean Air Act came into force a few years ago.
- Minimum standard 70s safety (to reflect contemporary Federal regulations).
- Minimum emissions standard of WES 5.
- Minimum fuel economy of 20 mpg (US).
- No V16 engines (I don’t have the DLC yet).
- Must be road-legal (i.e., headlights, taillights, brake lights, indicators, reverse lights, side markers, fuel filler cap, door handles, wipers, and wing mirrors must all be present). On that note…
- Headlights must be of the sealed-beam variety - two or four each of circular or rectangular units at the front. Although covered headlights were not yet legal in 1975, I will not be enforcing this rule, nor will I require an exact size requirement, in keeping with the spirit of the QFC.
- A fully detailed interior will not be required or judged, although you may make one for your entry if you like.
- Radial tires only, preferably with a diameter ending in 5 (TRX tires, which have a diameter ending in 0, may be used, but with a penalty).
- No race/off-road parts of any kind.
- Minimum top speed of 100 mph; maximum 0-60 mph time of 14 seconds (to keep up with traffic, even though the national speed limit is now 55 mph).
- No legacy/open wheel bodies (I don’t have the former and have no plans to download those yet).
- Default techpool settings (+5 in all areas) required.
- Maximum price of $15,000 AMU. I wanted this to be only $12k AMU, but had to increase it by 25% due to user demand.
- Advanced trim settings may be used, but sensibly and in moderation.
Priorities
Major priorities 
- Drivability - This is Denny’s first time owning a sports car, or indeed any high-performance car, so it shouldn’t be too much of a handful for him.
- Sportiness - Even with limited power outputs, it should be a blast to drive on winding roads and at the track.
- Styling - In general, f it looks right, it is right.
- Value for money - Denny will prefer a cheaper car (in terms of both purchase and service costs) if it can do the same as a more expensive one, but he’s not afraid to use all of his budget if doing so yields the best possible choice available to him.
Moderate priorities
- Prestige - Denny wants to seek out a car from a brand with a good reputation, instead of anything that’s an unknown quantity.
- Comfort - It may not be his daily driver, but Denny’s new car shouldn’t be too difficult to live with on a daily basis.
- Fuel economy - Denny would normally take anything as long as its economy figure is above the minimum threshold, but the more fuel saved, the better.
- Safety - With legislation tightening in recent years, Denny would rather not be in a crash at all, but he still wants to be sure that he can walk away in the event of an accident.
Minor priorities
- Practicality - This new car won’t necessarily be used for everyday duties, but a little extra luggage space would be appreciated.
- Reliability - Sports cars of the 1970s were definitely not as reliable as those of today; even so, it’ll be a boon if Denny’s new car starts up first time, every time.
- Environmental resistance - Living in a dry climate after growing up in a wetter, more temperate one has made Denny aware of the benefits of adequate corrosion protection; it may not be absolutely essential to him, but it’s still nice to have.
Inspirations
Although not all of the cars shown here were offered as fixed-roof coupes, you may use them as aesthetic inspiration for your builds.
Datsun 260Z
Triumph TR7
FIAT X1/9
Porsche 914
MG MGB
Lotus Elan
Ford/Mercury Capri
Alfa Romeo Spider
Changelog
-
8:36pm, February 25th, 2024 (UTC+7): Further clarified what is a coupe and what isn’t. Also corrected the submission period, before which the ruleset may be subject to change.
-
8:30 am, February 26th, 2024 (UTC+7): Minimum 0-60 mph time increased to 14 seconds. Also increased maximum price to $15,000 AMU to allow for more upmarket stuff.
-
1:00 pm, February 26th, 2024 (UTC+7): Catalytic converter now merely recommended instead of being outright required, due to the possibility of WES 5 compatibility even without them being fitted.
*12:00 am, February 27th, 2024 (UTC+7): Sealed-beam headlights are required - exact shape stated in OP, but no specific size requirements due to this being a QFC. Also added notes on resubmissions.
- 7:00 am, February 27th, 2024 (UTC+7): Opened the round for submissions.
Submission Guidelines
- Model and family names: QFC41 - your forum username
- Trim and variant names: free
- Submissions will open on Tuesday, February 27th, 2024 at 7:00 am (UTC +7) and close on Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at 7:00 am (UTC+7). Rules discussion will continue until submissions open
- All submissions must be sent through Discourse (not Discord) via forum DM.
- You must post an ad on this thread showing at least one picture of your entry within 24 hours of the submission deadline.
- No resubmissions will be accepted, except in the case of rule violations and game updates.
