They may look nice, but those tires on the Brimmer are a far cry from utility, especially for 1980.
…And definitely not helping overall price or running costs either…
I am from the city, so my work depicts that background. Mostly in the city a pickup truck …wait, let me rephrase that …a personal or privately owned pickup truck in the late seventies to most likely even the present day, was owned for one of two reasons …a side hustle or to look good. Off road driving was done for recreation of course but not to the degree it is in today’s world. And surprisingly, in Michigan back in the seventies and eighties, SUV’s like Ford Broncos and Chevy Blazers were used more often to off road then a pickup truck. In the city, a guy could buy a 4x4 truck, put a snow plow attachment and winch on the front and wait for winter …instant hustle!
As for that running cost stuff and what was the other one you mentioned …oh, overall cost …I honestly do not concern myself with that stuff. I simply enjoy the act of bringing what is inside my head to the masses …that covers overall and operating cost for me.
Please, keep in mind also,overall cost and operating costs are mere guide lines. They are not set in stone, just written on copier paper …toss it in the trash and we can print you another one pronto.
Put another way …these terms help you the consumer gauge your finances against the automakers need to make a profit. They are not a check nor are they a balance, these two terms are a gate. Most folks I know, myself included at one point anyway, look at the cost up front but failed to look at the operating cost after purchase, which can be a real life sock it to me moment!
Saint - Enjoy the Experience
A Division of
Retro Age Motors
Parking Memories in the Driveway
No worries, you build your cars how you want them. That’s the point of the sandbox mode 
I should have been a bit more descriptive, I was originally talking about your wide, low profile tires. If you wanted to follow real life a tad more the tires should have more sidewall (60-75 range). Or if the truck was “custom/modified/etc” then mid 1990s would make the tires a bit more realistic for an era.
Either way its moot now, enjoy making cars (truck in this case lol) as you want, that’s the beauty of the game.
(Side note: I do like the styling on it)
1980 - RETRO AGE MOTORS
Diamond - Luxury’s Best Friend
1980 Diamond GL
4-door, 5-seats with luxury interior and luxury 8-track
Engine: Legacy Auto Works v-Sei Spinner - Easton-Phillis 292-267.
202 cubic inches v-6, 291 horsepower
Transmission: 4-gear advanced automatic / FWD. Top Speed: 148 mph
Class: GT / Luxury
1980 Diamond Spectre
5-door, 5+3 seats with luxury interior and luxury 8-track
Engine: RAM 430 Tomcat Easton 408-432-80 producing 408 horsepower
Transmission: 4-gear Advanced Automatic / RWD. Top Speed: 148 mph
Class: Utility Sport Luxury / GT
Retro Age Motors - 80 Diamond GL.car (36.3 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 80 Diamond Spectre.car (61.2 KB)
Retro Age Motors
Parking Memories in the Driveway
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1985 - RETRO AGE MOTORS
Sidewinder Division
For the 1985 model year, Sidewinder introduces the All-Wheel Drive System into their lineup via the Sidewinder z85. With insurance companies threatening to list the z-85 as a “super” car, which would have driven insurance cost to heights unheard of for any Sidewinder vehicle to date. The division limited the power output of the RAM 293 SOHC-16 valve engine, to just 340 horsepower, which in turn, lowered insurance rates for buyers.
1985 Sidewinder z85
2-door, 2-seats with sport interior and premium cassette player
Engine: RAM 293 SOHC 16 valve, 293 cubic inch, v-8. Horsepower: 340
Transmission: 5 gear manual / AWD. Top Speed: 159 mph
Class: Light Sport Premium / Muscle Premium
1985 Pro AM
2-door, 4-seats with sport interior and luxury cassette player
Engine: RAM 350-76 Easton Twin Turbo 420-480-85, 350 cubic inch v-8. Horsepower: 420
Transmission: 4-gear manual / RWD. Top Speed: 171 mph
Class: GT Premium / GT
1985 Classic Sidewinder
2-door, 5-seat, with sport interior and premium 8-track player
Engine: RAM 350-76 Easton 353-354 350 cubic inch v-8. Horsepower: 352
Transmission: 4-gear advanced automatic / RWD. Top Speed: 161 mph
Class: GT / GT P
Retro Age Motors - 85 sidewinder z85.car (41.1 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 85 Pro AM.car (43.0 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 85 Classic Sidewinder.car (45.3 KB)
Retro Age Motors
Parking Memories in the Driveway
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1985 RETRO AGE MOTORS
Saint Division
Material cost had been climbing upward since the mid seventies, escalating the overall cost of manufacturing automobiles and sending shock waves through the wallet of middle America. In a effort to limit the impact of these costs to its own customer base, Saint Division put an emphasis on parts commonality. 1985 was the trial run year for the “Commonality Incentive” program. Taillights, marker lights and even engines were used across multiple platforms. Interiors shared common parts as well, changing only the interior badges for trim level or model type. There were exceptions of course but overall, “what parts are in common with which model”, became the most asked question in inter office memos.
Commonality Incentive Program - Engine
Common to all makes and models:
RAM 293 SOHC 16 valve, 293 cubic inch v-8, Producing 294 horsepower.
1985 Saint 300
4-door, 5-seats with premium interior and premium cassette player.
Transmission: 3-gear advanced automatic / RWD. Top Speed: 146 mph
Class: Muscle / Family Sport Premium
1985 Saint 300 Convertible (Roadster) Coupe
2-door, 2-seats with luxury interior and luxury cassette unit.
Transmission: 3-gear advanced automatic / RWD. Top Speed: 146 mph
Class: Convertible Sport / Muscle Premium
1985 Saint Eagle GT8
2-door, 4-seats with luxury interior and luxury cassette unit.
Transmission: 5-gear manual / RWD. Top Speed: 142 mph
Class: GT Premium / GT
Retro Age Motors - 85 Saint 300.car (34.8 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 85 Saint 300 Coupe.car (44.7 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 85 Saint Eagle GT8.car (43.5 KB)
Saint a Division of Retro Age Motors
Enjoy the Experience
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1985 RETRO AGE MOTORS
RAM Truck Division
America is emerging from a long gas starvation syndrome. Once the American consumer can see light at the end of the tunnel, that’s it! America will go right back to her old habits …gas guzzling, powerhouse engines packaged inside long river barges on wheels …with a twist. The American consumer will demand more comfort, more safety, more speed and they will want all this packaged in a pickup truck. Retro Age Motors will have the truck America will demand. 1985 is the turning point all automakers have been dreaming of and we will are well placed to make America …Fast Again!
Excerpt from speech given by The Truck Division president, Abraham Cross.
Retro Age Motors - 85 L50 Dilaw.car (44.0 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 85 L50 Mabuti 4x4.car (45.4 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 85 L50 Antonio AWD.car (54.1 KB)
Retro Age Motors
Parking Memories in the Driveway
1985 RETRO AGE MOTORS Diamond Division - Luxury’s Best Friend
Retro Age Motors - 85 Diamond Crown.car (50.0 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 85 Diamond LT.car (47.1 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 85 Diamond FLEET.car (56.5 KB)
The designs are nice, but the idea of luxury SUV’s wasn’t prevalent at all until the late 90’s or so, the LT and Fleet models are far ahead of market trends
The designs are nice, but the idea of luxury SUV’s wasn’t prevalent at all until the late 90’s or so, the LT and Fleet models are far ahead of market trends
Not really. In 1985 the Chevrolet Suburban was built on the frame of a pick up truck but given a station wagon body. I believe but am not sure, many states and insurance companies classified the vehicle as a station wagon but some called it a truck. Also, the term sport utility vehicle is a product of the mid nineties but not the vehicle itself. I think it was the Jeep Cherokee of 1984 that actually kicked off the SUV craze. The 1984 Cherokee has the body style that follow on designs are more or less based upon today.
So in 1985, the Diamond Fleet and Diamond LT would most likely have been classified as trucks but the idea of calling the Fleet a station wagon is not far fetched.
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Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the tip.
Oh …yeah, anytime, sure …ah, what tip?
About how the term SUV wasn’t really used till the 90s. Cause I would usually classify a vehicle as an SUV even though from the Tim I made it it wouldn’t be called that. Now I know what to use.
2 Likes
1990 RETRO AGE MOTORS
Saint Division
U.S. automakers were switching to the metric system in mass …except Saint Division never ran with the masses! But fear is a powerful motivator and loss of sales could be deemed a huge reason to have late night anxiety attacks. They have medicines for that or …alcohol works too, I guess.
The Commonality Incentive Program, began back in 1985, was doing very well in keeping cost from rising too fast to be managed effectively. So consumer pricing for Saint vehicles were not going up by as large a margin as other automakers. This did pose some issues to Saint Division which was traded on the stock exchange. It meant that there was an artificial sense that Saint Division was not growing. Other automakers were posting large dollar sign sales numbers but this was fueled by their increase in cost to the consumer. Because Saint had managed to keep from passing large costs to the consumer, it also meant Saint’s dollar sign sales figures were not as high, which in turn implied lack of growth to the uninformed. Overall, Saint broke even on the stock exchange when perhaps it should have seen a large jump.
Commonality Incentive Program - Engine(s)
RAM 293-267-90 DOHC-32 valve, 267 cubic inch v8 developing 300 horsepower.
Common to these models: 300 sedan, 300 ES station wagon, 300 RX coupe, Eagle GTX
RAM 2.1L v6-S DOHC-24 valve, v-6 developing 140 horsepower.
Common to these models: 300 SX coupe, Eagle STX
1990 Saint 300 Sedan / 300 ES Station Wagon
4 door-5 seats with premium interior and premium sound system.
4-gear automatic / RWD. Top Speed: 152 mph
Class: Family Sport Premium / Muscle Premium
1990 Saint 300 RX coupe / Saint Eagle GTX
2-door, 4-seats with premium interior. Premium sound system (RX), Basic sound system (GTX)
5-gear manual / RWD. Top Speed: 160 mph (RX), 171 mph (GTX)
Class:
300 RX - Convertible Sport / Muscle Premium
Eagle GTX - Muscle / Fun Premium
1990 Saint 300 SX / Saint Eagle STX
2-doors both models. 2-seats in 300 SX, premium interior, 4-seats in Eagle STX, sport interior.
300 SX, 4-gear automatic / FWD, top speed: 124 mph.
Eagle STX, 5-gear manual / RWD, top speed: 140 mph
Class:
300 SX - Convertible Sport / Convertible Premium
Eagle STX - Fun Premium / Sport
Retro Age Motors - 90 Saint 300 ES.car (42.7 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 90 Saint 300SX.car (45.9 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 90 Saint Eagle STX.car (42.2 KB)
Saint - A Division of Retro Age Motors
Enjoy the Experience
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1990 RETRO AGE MOTORS
Sidewinder Division
We Didn’t Start The Fire …but we didn’t bring water to put it out either …our bag!
I Wish It Would Rain Down …wish granted …snap-blam-poof!
Love Will Lead You Back …nah, he took the Z …girl …he gone!
Retro Age Motors
Parking Memories in the Driveway
1 Like
1990 RETRO AGE MOTORS
Diamond Division
Luxury’s Best Friend
As the 1990 model year approached, Diamond Division was in a bind. The division was looking to replace the Diamond Fleet with a redesigned Diamond SPECTRE. The problem, existing Retro Age Motor engines did not have the torque / horsepower needed to carry 7 people and pull a fully loaded trailer. There were two possible solutions, use an older but bigger displacement engine from the past as had been done years ago. The other option was to adapt to the modern convention of using turbo charging as a means to increase power output. Turbo charging was used in the early to late seventies by Retro Age Motor’s Sidewinder and Saint divisions. It was largely seen as a gimmick which attracted the young, thrill seeker crowd, not exactly the market Diamond was after.
Enter …Phyllis Stein-Phillis, the new president of Diamond Division. After taking the reins, she had just two years to get a turbo charged engine designed, tested, government approved and finally, mass produced. She did this in one year and four months. Her secret …her past. Formerly, Mrs. Phillis worked for Legacy Auto Works, a specialty division of RAM. Her job was to adapt various bits, pieces and parts into a working whole. Her work is first seen under the hood of the 1980 Diamond GL Sedan, which is powered by the LAW Easton-Phillis 292-267 v6. She used the same idea of adaptation on the 1985 RAM 293 SOHC-16v v8, turning this into the …
RAM 293-267-90 v8 / Easton-Phillis 430-449
1990 Diamond SPECTRE
1990 Diamond LT
1990 Diamond LV
Retro Age Motors - 90 Diamond Spectre 4WD.car (50.4 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 90 Diamond LT.car (46.2 KB)
Retro Age Motors - 90 Diamond LV.car (49.9 KB)
Diamond - Luxury’s Best Friend
3 Likes
1995 RETRO AGE MOTORS
Diamond Division - Luxury’s Best Friend
The debate within Diamond Division for nearly three years running …Easton engines versus Easton-Phillis engines. Many felt the extra power from turbo charging was not worth the performance loss on the low end of the RPM gauge. Further more, while turbo charging boosted horsepower, there were fewer and fewer places in America where one could let their horses run free. Many felt, turbo charging would fade away but make a comeback within five to ten years. Easton - Phillis engines were placed on the back burner …for now. While Retro Age Motors continued to develop the Easton-Phillis engine, this was mostly for research and specialty market sales but not mainstream motoring.
The 1995 model year would see RAM release its first purpose built “metric” engines. Internally, these engines were still referenced by their cubic inch displacement, publicly they were listed by their metric equivalent.
Diamond LT
5-door, 5-seats with Premium interior and CD sound system.
RAM 2.1L v6-S / 166-153, producing 166 horsepower.
Automatic 4-gear transmission / AWD. Top Speed: 121 mph
Class: Premium / Family Premium
Retro Age Motors - 95 Diamond LT.car (44.5 KB)
Diamond LV
5-door, 5+3 seats, luxury interior with premium CD sound system.
RAM 2.1L v6-S / 166-153, producing 166 horsepower.
4-gear automatic / FWD. Top Speed: 127 mph
Class: Premium / Luxury
Retro Age Motors - 95 Diamond LV.car (45.4 KB)
Diamond SPECTRE
5-door, 5+3-seats luxury interior with luxury CD sound system.
RAM CV262 90v6 / 4.3L Easton 288-285, producing 287 horsepower.
Advanced 5-gear automatic / AWD Lt. truck frame. Top Speed: 139 mph
Class: Utility Sport - Luxury / Offroad Premium
Retro Age Motors - 95 Diamond SPECTRE.car (58.2 KB)
Retro Age Motors
Parking Memories in the Driveway
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1995 RETRO AGE MOTORS
Saint Division - Enjoy the Experience
Cohesion - A word the modern day world takes for granted. Unless, of course, you are the one having to sign-off on production of this thing or that thing. Met Chad M. Moonski. By all accounts, a hard working, wage slave of middle management. Seeking both a promotion and time off for the 1993 holiday season …he has just crossed the invisible threshold of …Working Late Zone!
Chad: …hello sir, I was wondering if you had a moment of time, I’d like to …
BossDude: …Moonski, you have those fuel consumption figures I asked for …?
Chad: Yes sir, they 're right there on your desk …I was wondering, with the holidays approaching if I might have …
BossDude: …this is incomplete …I need the figures for all three engines and their respective three to four configurations …each!
Chad: Yes, but sir …that would take …well all weekend and maybe part of next week too.
BossDude: I am aware of that Moonski, you’re authorized to work the weekend but put in no more than ten hours per night.
…and off BossDude goes to enjoy the holiday season, while Mr. Moonski is putting in overtime, calculating and re-calculating fuel consumption figures. It is because of dedicated employees, like Chad here …making sacrifices, day in and day out, to bring to the motoring public, one of the finest automobiles to cruise the roads anywhere in the world. A fact you never would have known about if you had not slipped behind the scenes into the …Working Late Zone.
If we air this commercial on national television …there will be riots in the streets …dealerships will burn …!
1995 Saint 300i6
5-door, 5-seats, premium interior with premium sound system.
RAM MB i6-95 / 3.2L Easton 275-233 inline six. Producing 166 horsepower.
Automatic 4-speed / AWD. Top Speed: 151 mph
Class: Fun Premium / Family Sport - Premium
Retro Age Motors - 95 Saint 300i6.car (46.2 KB)
1995 Saint 300S
4-door, 5-seats, premium interior with premium sound system.
RAM CV292 90v6 / 4.3L Easton 288-285, producing 287 horsepower.
Automatic 4-speed / RWD. Top Speed: 164 mph.
Class: Premium / Family Sport - Premium
Retro Age Motors - 95 Saint 300S.car (40.6 KB)
1995 Saint 300 Sport
4-door, 5-seats with sport interior and premium CD sound system.
RAM 4.375L v8 / Easton 340-302-95 producing 340 horsepower.
Automatic 5-speed / AWD. Top Speed: 164 mph
Class: Premium / Family - Premium
Retro Age Motors - 95 Saint 300 Sport.car (46.8 KB)
Saint - Division
Enjoy the Experience
1995 RETRO AGE MOTORS
Saint Eagle GTX
4-door, 4-seats with luxury interior and sound system
RAM 5.9L v8 / Easton 494-411 PP Plus, producing 493 horsepower.
6-gear, manual / RWD. Top Speed: 193 mph
Class: Muscle Premium / GT Premium
Retro Age Motors - 95 Saint Eagle GTX.car (53.7 KB)
Saint Eagle SX
2-door, 4-seat premium interior with standard sound system.
RAM CV292 90v6 / 4.3L Easton 288-285, producing 287 horsepower.
6-gear manual / RWD. Top Speed: 166 mph
Class: GT / Muscle Premium
Retro Age Motors - 95 Saint Eagle SX.car (60.6 KB)
Retro Age Motors
Parking Memories in the Driveway
Saint Division
Enjoy the Experience
1995 RETRO AGE MOTORS
Saint Vasia’s vs. Sidewinder Z’s
For the record, I am, professional diver …driver (hiccup). I drive both cars and I teel you truth. The Sidewinder is a serpent (hiccup). You know the Sidewinder? No, no, not the car the snake? When it goes a shirt distance …it moves in a line, like this …"______", yes? (Hiccup). But, when it wants to move fast …what does it do? “", like this, "”! Car and serpent …same! They both …kill you! (Hiccup).
1995 Saint Vasia Spider
2-door, 2-seats with luxury interior and sound system
RAM 5.9L v8 / Easton-Phillis 669-602, producing 669 horsepower
6-gear, manual / RWD. Top Speed: 209 mph
Class: Muscle Premium / Super
Retro Age Motors - 95 Saint Vasia Spider.car (49.3 KB)
1995 Sindewinder Z95
2-door, 2-seats with sport interior and luxury level CD system.
RAM 5.9L v8 / Easton-Phillis 612-612, producing 611 horsepower.
6-gear manual / RWD. Top Speed: 213 mph
Class: Super / Muscle Premium
Retro Age Motors - 95 Sidewinder Z95.car (43.8 KB)
I drive the Vasia …she is a Saint …(hiccup)! Like the most beautiful of woman …perfect-oh! If you treat her like the queen she is …(hiccup), she will treat you like a king! Treat her like a …dickhead! She kill you! Like …a Woman!
1995 Sidewinder Zephyr
2-door, 2-seats with sport interior and luxury level sound system
RAM 385 v12 / 6.3L Easton 658-499, producing 657 horsepower
6-gear manual / RWD. Top Speed: 223 mph
Class: Super / Muscle Premium
Retro Age Motors - 95 Sidewinder Zephyr.car (55.7 KB)
1995 Saint Vasia v12
2-door, 2-seats with luxury interior and sound system.
RAM 385 v12 / Easton 658-499, producing 657 horsepower.
Advanced, 5-gear automatic / RWD. Top Speed: 206 mph
Class: GT Premium / GT
Retro Age Motors
Parking Memories in the Driveway
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