America and Japan
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the lights 
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2000 Cavaliere Nobile Freccia and 2004 Cavaliere Nobile Arco
After the end of the cooperation with Yamaguchi in 1992, Cavaliere Nobile transferred more back into a premium niche manufactor, but kept its upper models in production. But the 2001 Freccia hardly reflected exclusivity in terms of the visuals. The most interessing was the turbo integrale, sending 260 horsepower to all four wheels, a novelty the Yamaguchi-related chassis of the old Freccia was not able to offer, and the modest 1.6 liter FWD base model was an accessible commuter car for all those that wanted to spend a bit more to drive a new Cavaliere Nobile that offered more fun and exclusivity than your usual Globus or IP.
To change this, Cavaliere Nobile dared a very radical redesign of the Arco, positioning it further upmarket and offering it with a 250 hp 3.0 B6 or a 5.5 liter V10 with 560 hp. Both cars have a complete trim level, offering the most luxury available.
The huge second-generation Arco was known for its trick to look a lot smaller and sportier than it actually was, but high prices kept the volumes low, and the very unusual design both of exterior and interior was not everyone´s cup of tea, but it sold good enough to keep the brand alive that spent all its savings on the supercars.
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I guess your recent purchase of a Thesis didn’t inspire you to a build like this at all? 
It’s 1951 and your local dealer shows you the lot’s base models: the entry-level Van Zandt family transporter and the upscale Mayflower executive sporter are both attractive options. Lucky you!
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1973 Cita Strata, rear engined luxury family car with suicide doors and a 3.6 flat 6 slung under the trunk. Hope you’re storing nothing in there that can melt.
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I had a ‘fey mood’ strike me, and attempted to make some form of generic 90s american compact sedan. I think the front and rear look decent in isolation but maaaaybe not as well together.
Also, I don’t tend to use the body molding tab too much apart from cutouts for license plates, so see some basic uses of them inspite of not being keen on how they tend to cut and mesh with the body.
Also, the colour is not meant to be the final choice. Is a shade I have named “Primer Grey” that I use for seeing better detail.
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The body set chosen, with its 2.7m wheelbase, would have been too large for the compact size class at the time, and would have made more sense for a mid-sizer. Also, single-point EFI would have been generally outdated by 1994, except at the bottom end of the market, and a standard non-galvanized steel chassis combined with untreated steel panels would have given it poor environmental resistance even for the era. Finally, a transverse-engined platform on its own would have suited this body set quite well, but a semi-independent torsion beam may not be the best option even for a lower-end model.
That aside, if you wanted to make a generic '90s/'00s American sedan, then you’ve definitely nailed the look.
1 Like
All fair points on the engineering. It was something I just half blindly clicked through so definitely is worth having another go through. I was more looking for criticism towards the visual aspects however.
1998 AMS Acolyte 420SP
My first attempt at making a 5-door wagon with a fully detailed 3D-fixture interior.
Originally made for QFC47, with a 340bhp 4.2L NA V8 driving all four wheels via either a 6-speed manual or, as shown here, 5-speed advanced automatic gearbox.
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1982-2002 ARVA KONDOR
In the early 80s, ARVA started to face some challenges. Not only was the Chernaya starting to look dated even by Archanan standards. The fact that some of the people being “more equal than the others” went for the Mara Kavaler was kind of a prestige loss for them.
The 1982 Kondor was an attempt to show that ARVA still were a notch above Maras on the prestige ladder. Larger than the Chernaya, but smaller than the limos used by government officials, the Kondor was the largest ARVA that had ever been offered to the general (cough…) public.
Under its imposant, squared off bodyshell, there was rather simple technology, a McPherson front suspension, solid rear axle and rear wheel drive.
The attempt by ARVA to build an all aluminium 90 degree V6 was maybe not their brightest moment, it was seen as shaky and unreliable, and the ancient 3 speed auto that the top of the line cars got ate a fair bit into the power. 4, or later 5 speed manuals were offered too, though, and got a somewhat better reputation.
By western standards, the Kondor was a rather hopeless case of a car, but it was still exported in small numbers. It should also be said that the two facelifts in 1990 and then in 1998 to some extent improved the car, that was in production until 2002.
7 Likes