QFC60 - Hard to top the Hardtop - [DONE]

[Danicoptero]

QFC 60

Hard to top the Hardtop

Previous QFC

Brief:

It’s the late 2000s and hardtop convertibles are all the rage. Our customer wants an affordable car that won’t compromise practicality too much.

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Rules:

Trim:

• Model year: 2000-2008, Trim year: 2008
• Legacy and open wheel bodies are banned
• 2 or 3-door hardtop convertible body only.
• Automatic hardtop is highly preferred over manual hardtop.
• It has to look like a car. I won’t ask for specific fixtures but give it at least the basics like lights, mirrors, wipers, etc.
• The car needs to have standard size front and rear european plates
• Interiors: Won’t be judged
• Tyres: No semislicks or racing tyres.
• No racing parts
• Seats: 4 seats are preferred but 2 seats are allowed too. Front row must have 2 full seats.
• Safety: At least 50. Standard 00s or better.
• Traction aids: Must have ABS (TC and ESC are allowed too).
• Advanced settings are allowed but be sensible. Don’t turn the car into something it isn’t.
• Max price: $22,000

Engine:

• Family year: Free, Variant year: 2008
• Fuel: Unleaded 95
• Loudness: 50 maximum
• Emissions must pass WES10
• No racing parts
• No V16 engines

Other:

• Techpool: Maximum 50M combined. No negative techpool.

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Priorities:

Drivability

Comfort
(Calculated with just the 2 front seats. Rear seats will be removed to check this stat.)

Reliability

Design

Fuel Economy

Safety

Service Costs

Price

Practicality

Sportiness

Enviromental Resistance

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Inspirations:

Peugeot 207 CC

Ford Focus CC

Opel Astra Twin Top

Nissan Micra C+C

Mitsubishi Colt CZC

Chrysler Sebring Convertible

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Submissions:

• Model name: QFC60 - Your username
• Trim name: Car name
• Family name: QFC60 - Your username
• Variant name: Engine name
• Submissions will open on Monday, 7th July at 00:00 CEST
• Submissions will close on Sunday, 13th July at 23:59 CEST
• You need to submit your .car file to me via forum DMs and post an ad in this thread.

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Changelog:

• 3-door bodies allowed.
• No negative techpool allowed
• 2 seaters allowed.

[abg7]

What our client is looking for is not a dedicated sports car, but a boulevard cruiser based on the humble roots of a B- or C-segment car.

So a maximum wheelbase of 2.7m, along with a minimum wheelbase of 2.4m (both of which are rounded to the nearest 0.1m) may be advisable.

And most of the available body sets that look period-accurate only have provision for +2 small rear seats at most, which explains why the rear seats don’t have to be full-sized.

[moroza]

Let’s mandate two front seats only, for better scoring balance and wider body choices.

[Hilbert]

I agree that the 2+2 seats minimum requirement is quite restricting. I would allow 2 full seats only, but give a scoring bonus to entries that have more than 2 seats.

[Ritz]

I don’t think we should mandate a wheel base size. As options are already restricted.

However I do understand the 2+2 rules, only having 2 seat mandatory opens up for cars like a lotuses, opel speedster etc and that is not what the challenge is about. So i vote to keep the 2+2 rules despite it restricting body choices.

[xsneakyxsimx]

…I wouldn’t mind allowing 3 doors, but only if Danicoptero would like to allow it…

[Hilbert]

I concur on allowing 3 doors.

It’d allow us to use these bodies.

I don’t really even understand why they’re classified as 3-doors, that hatch is as usable as this.

[Ritz]

I agree on 3 door bodies, i wanna see citroen pluriel builds

[Danicoptero]

I’m fine with allowing 3 doors.

As for seats, I’m conflicted. I don’t want people submitting stuff like the Mercedes SLK, but I know allowing just 2 seats would increase the amount of usable bodies. I might allow them but give 2 seaters disadvantages. I’m not sure, I would like to hear more opinions on it.

[Ritz]

Maybe do a poll?

Keep 2+2
Allow 2 seaters but with penalty
Allow 2 seaters without penalty

Smth like that

[abg7]

I still insist on a minimum seating capacity of 2+2, which is closer to the original spirit of the rule set.

[mart1n2005]

That would make more sense if there was seat consistency in the game. There are some rather large convertibles that only allow one row.

How about allowing 2 seats if that’s all the game allows, +2 if the car has two rows. And then to even it out take the comfort score from having only the front seats in place on the four seats cars

[Danicoptero]

@mart1n2005

How about allowing 2 seats if that’s all the game allows, +2 if the car has two rows. And then to even it out take the comfort score from having only the front seats in place on the four seats cars

I like that idea. More seats would still be the preferred option though.

I’m going to make a poll anyways to see what people think would be best:

• 2+2 only
• Allow 2 seaters

If I end up allowing 2 seaters and someone actually sends a sportscar I’m going to bin them.

[abg7]

Just to be sure, I created a test mule with 4 full-size seats (2 each in the front and rear rows) - granted, I needed a larger body set than I was used to - but at least it meets all requirements. Whether or not I can make it truly viable, though, is another matter.

[mart1n2005]

Force front wheel drive maybe? Even something like a 1 series cabriolet would be more sporting than this segment anyway.

[xsneakyxsimx]

I don’t know if the drivetrain layout gives the entire story for how sporty a car can be.

[moroza]

@Danicoptero

If I end up allowing 2 seaters and someone actually sends a sportscar I’m going to bin them.

Why? Set the priorities right - which you did - and something too compromised for the sake of sportiness would just become uncompetitive, as it should be.

[Danicoptero]

1 - It shouldn’t be an issue, but I might have overlooked something that could be exploited. It’s nice to have that as a rule just in case.

2 - Saves me time not having to review cars that ignore the brief.

[Knugcab]

The question might be - where do you draw the line for what’s a sports car?

One example of a car that feels like it would be hard to classify in my eyes, if I got it sent to me as an Automation car. Yes, older and a soft top but still the right segment so the question still feels viable.

[moroza]

Anyone interested in a collaboration?