QFC55: Light Fantastic
A modern equivalent of QFC41 or QFC48 with elements of CSR36 and CSR116.
This is what a typical day on one of the beaches in the small independent principality of Palmeiras looks like - blue skies, warm weather, and cool coastal breezes blowing in from the sea. Perfect driving conditions? Certainly - until you read the fine print…
Background
March 2025 - The Federal Republic of Palmeiras, a small independent state and tax haven for the wealthiest, sits on the westernmost part of the border between Gasmea and Hetvesia. Its winding yet well-maintained roads running through breathtaking coastal and mountain scenery have long been the envy of enthusiasts everywhere. However, in 2020, its government began subjecting most of the new cars sold there to far heavier initial and monthly taxation fees than before, in an attempt to combat its growing congestion and pollution.
One specific category of cars defined that year, called the Light Passenger Car, is an exception. Focusing on light weight, small dimensions, high efficiency, and modest power outputs from low-displacement engines, these cars are not as heavily taxed as others. However, these tax breaks do not apply to SUVs, pickup trucks, crossovers, or even to hybrid or electric vehicles.
Dani, a 21-year-old college graduate and emerging car enthusiast, has just accepted a prestigious job offer at a major engineering firm headquartered in Palmeiras, and is about to celebrate the occasion by buying a new sports car (which will share garage space with a bland but reliable commuter car) – one that will bring a spark of adrenaline to every drive. However, it must also meet the criteria of a Light Passenger Car - these requirements are listed in the rule set below.
General Rules
- Stable (Ellisbury) version only (not the Al-Rilma open alpha)
- Default tech pool allocation (+5 in all areas) required.
- Trim/Variant Year: 2020 (model/family years can be older).
- 2-door coupes or convertibles only (other body styles made to resemble coupes or convertibles do not count). Note that convertibles will receive a minor stat boost, but must use an actual convertible body style, if available in the chosen body set.
- Maximum price of $35,000 AMU (as shown in markets section of overview tab). Soft cap of $30,000 AMU.
- No race car bodies, legacy bodies or meme builds.
- No V16 engines.
- No race parts of any kind (tires, interior, intake, headers, etc.)
- Wheelbase must be between 2.3m and 2.6m (after rounding to the nearest 0.1m).
- No 4x4 drivetrains; all other drivetrain types (including AWD) allowed, but RWD is strongly preferred.
- No manual locker or clutched race differentials.
- Tires must be non-race radial and have a width ending in 5 (not 0).
- Must be compatible with WES 11.
- Any engine placement/orientation combination is allowed. Exception: Boxer engines must be longitudinally mounted regardless of placement.
- Must meet minimum safety standards in Hetvesia (50 or higher).
- ESC required.
- Fuel must be unleaded, either 95 RON premium or 98 RON super. However, the latter will incur a slight cost penalty.
- Maximum loudness of 55.
- Advanced trim settings may be used, but in moderation.
- Cars may have positive downforce at either the front or rear, but not both.
- Fully detailed interiors will not be required or judged. However, exterior must be road-legal.
- Front license plates are not required. However, an unscaled (i.e., all measurements set to 1.00x) Euro-sized plate at the rear is required.
Light Passenger Car Regulations
In addition to the rules above, a car must also meet all of the criteria listed below to qualify for the Light Passenger Car classification and its associated tax breaks:
- Maximum weight of 1500kg.
- Engines must have no more than 6 cylinders, with a maximum displacement of 2500cc, and a power output of 250 bhp or lower. However, all forced induction engines (including turbocharged ones) receive a 1.5x multiplier for taxation purposes. So if you’re using a turbo, you must multiply your engine’s capacity (in cc) by 1.5.
- Minimum fuel economy of 30 mpg (US).
Any vehicle that fails to meet at least one of the requirements above will not be eligible for the Light Passenger Car classification, and therefore will not be considered.
Priorities
Major Priorities 
- Exterior design: This is no place for anything that’s bland, ugly, or both - if it looks right, then it is right.
- Performance/Sportiness: There’s no point in getting a paper tiger of a car that lags behind too much in the corners or on the straights. In addition, objective criteria (0-60 mph and 1/4 mile acceleration, skidpad grip, braking distance and fade levels) will also be factored in.
- Drivability: This is Dani’s first real performance car - surely it shouldn’t be too much of a handful to drive even in extremis, right?
- Realism: As long as it could realistically exist in real life, Dani won’t be able to smell the unpleasant odor of (design and/or engineering) cheese.
Moderate Priorities
- Overall cost (initial purchase price, fuel economy, and service cost): Money saved is money earned, so Dani won’t want something that’s too much of a money pit.
- Reliability: Fewer faults = more fun, whether on the road or at the track.
- Comfort: Even a small, affordable sports car should have a modicum of everyday usability – a smoother ride (to cope with rough roads) and a nicer interior would be helpful, without sacrificing too much sportiness in the process.
- Prestige: Dani would rather buy something from a brand with a good reputation, rather than an unknown quantity - or worse.
Minor Priorities
- Safety: As long as it’s compliant with Hetvesian safety standards, then it can be sold in Palmeiras (which uses the exact same system) - although every little bit of extra safety helps.
- Environmental resistance: Considering the warm climate and effectiveness of modern rustproofing, corrosion is not much of a concern, but such problems should not be ignored entirely.
- Practicality (specifically, cargo and passenger volume): Having some extra space for luggage and/or seating capacity for passengers may be useful at times.
- Engine Loudness/size: The people of Palmeiras have recently become tolerant of noisier and/or larger cars… up to a point.
Anything not listed as a priority here will not be judged.
Aesthetic inspirations
Mazda MX-5/Miata (ND)
Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ (2nd-gen)
Lotus Elise S3
Alfa Romeo 4C
Alpine A110 (2017-present)
Porsche Cayman (981/982)
Submission Guidelines
- Model/family names: QFC55 – (your Discourse username). Trim/variant names are free.
- A complete submission consists of a forum post with one image of the submitted car (to represent an ad) and a DM (containing the .car file) to me on the Discourse forums (not Discord).
- Resubmissions (to fix rule violations) are generally allowed.
- Rules discussion ends on March 9, 2025 at 12:00 am (UTC+7), after which I will accept entries until March 19, 2025 at 12:00 am (UTC+7).
Changelog
- License plate size and placement requirements added.
- Implemented minor penalty for using Super unleaded fuel.
- Size listed as minor priority - a smaller car is easier to place on the road.
- Clarified that neither 4x4 drivetrains nor manual locker (or clutched race) differentials are allowed, but AWD may be used.
- Increased absolute maximum price to $35k; added soft cap of $30k.
- Deadline extended by 48 hours to 12:00 am (UTC+7) on March 19, 2025.
- Typos corrected in deadline extension and soft price cap.
Good luck, and have fun!
