in game it has both front engine and mid engine options, its just put in a mid engine folder as that is what it was first
That’s good to know, thanks 
I still cannot get the mod file to be recognised by Automation though… Can someone please show me a screenshot of the mod in the place where it’s meant to go so I can see if I’ve inadvertantly misplaced the location. 
EDIT: The zip doesn’t seem to include a metadata file like all the other mods… Is that the problem?
We are now open for entries, you have 3 weeks to enter. exact deadline at op
@HighOctaneLove are you extracting the mod into this folder? C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Automation\GameData
Yup, that’s where I extracted the file to.
When I open the extracted file, the file only contains a folder named “cars” whereas all the other Steam Workshop mods have a file called “metadata.dat” as well.
I am really sorry I can’t help you as I am clueless about mods not working.
It might be good to pm @thecarlover and see if you can get it to work
Can you please look and see if your mod entry has the metadata.dat file?
If it does then I’ll know what to ask thecarlover for and if it doesn’t then I can rule the difference out!
Metadata is just the Steam workshop info, standalone files don’t have it. Have you tried restarting the game? It should appear after being placed in the Gamedata folder. Make sure it’s the whole “thecarlover10RacingVan” folder that gets placed there.
I’ll try the game again, thanks!
For reference:
EDIT: Massive derp on my end! The body was on the first screen and I scrolled past it, expecting the body to appear lower down in the list! 
Thanks @UMGaming and @thecarlover for your help and patience! 
The metadata isn’t anything done by the modder, it gets added by the Steam workshop. I have no idea what it is, really, except maybe information to auto-update the file.
Sometimes we, at First Order Automotive, cock stuff up by not reading the rules, get good reviews but end up making a turd out of a goldmine.
Meet Chuckles…this time we read the rules…step by step…and didn’t worry about prettiness…and created a turd, albeit a FAST turd.
We didn’t take too much time on trying to be clever…
We stuffed a massive engine into the back of a van and hoped for the best…
0-62 in 3.3 seconds
184mph top speed
The incredible handling capability of diarrhea on ice!!!
Total thinking out of the box…because we lost it, along with the instructions on building a racing van!!
5 Likes
I could give you plenty likes.
###And now presenting…
##The ErinSport Formula Van Proto1!
Over to Lead Engineer Harvey Godnosewat for some premium quality motorsport guff!
“One of the key things we learnt in the design process was that we don’t have a clue how to set up the suspension on a van. That’s before we even get to the problem with chassis stiffne…”
…That’s quite enough Harvey! Let’s focus on the positives of our creation!
Here’s an official interview with automotive magazine Splendid Auto Monthly!
How fast does it go?
Surprisingly fast. Top speed is 177 mph and it does 0-60 in just 2.7 seconds. Even we’re amazed!
Crikey! That’s chuffing supersonic! What’s powering this thing?
Well, we had a leftover engine from our Group C days, namely a 7.0l V12, which we’ve modified a bit and modernised so’s that it produces 813 bhp and can at least be considered somewhat efficient!
Bloody hell-fire! A V12, in a van? How do you tame this beast?
With the same transmission system as our AECII entrants, that’s how! Who cares if they’re multi-million pound, extensively developed and tested, full-on race vehicles, our 6 speed DCS gearbox changes gears in the blink of an eye, and is completely unnecessary on such a vehicle!
You didn’t actually answer my last question…
Oh. Ooops. Apologies. The short answer is…no. The transmission system makes half the cost of our budget and it still wants to spin it wheels and oversteer all over the place!
Jesus, you didn’t mention this thing likes to oversteer!
Oh yes it does! We’ve tried to mangle some active suspension bits but even they can’t fight against the horrific centre of gravity. It’s a like a Baboon on steroids!
A baloon on what did you say?
A Baboon on steroids! We may have tried to make it look like this is some serious racing machine by adding “Formula” to the name, but truth be told, we don’t have a clue what this thing is like to drive because nobody’s brave enough to test it.
Well then why are you entering, my dear boy?
Erm. I don’t know actually. We’re not doing marketing for Erin by racing with a new car, we aren’t trying to achieve some sort of motorsporting record with a super-advanced design, we aren’t even specially developing any of the parts…hmmm
Then what the hell are you doing at all?
Uh…uh…messing around with some left over parts and sneakily taking some money from the ErinSport budget?
Cut the interview, quick. Just tell the journalists they’ll have to read through the handouts rather than coming to the press release.
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Hahaha people don’t seem very confident in their creations 
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Storm Automotive is here with a full team for this one. Someone managed to get their hands on an official memo from Luke in the head office.
“Seems like this may be a good time to test that project. Vans don’t typically go so fast, and they’re closed-cockpit vehicles anyway. Won’t scare any spectators, to everyone in the stands, the orange one just has really dark window tint. The legally-required writing is small enough that it can’t be read by anyone in the grandstands, but it should be enough warning to fellow racers on the track… Still, perhaps it’s best if we also have a proper driver on the track as well. Don’t put all the eggs in the self-driving basket, after all.”
Seems like Luke’s made two different versions of the Blunderbuss. One short, one longer, but one’s fitted with an awful lot of sensors, and weighs a surprising amount for how small it is.
So, an interview with Storm Automotive’s rather mysterious CEO, Luke Light, conducted by Combustion, the Automotive magazine for car guys, by car guys:
Luke, is everything set up right in this conference? I can barely see anything.
Perfectly fine. You don’t need to see me to hear me, and that’s somewhat the way I’d prefer it right now.
(Editor’s note: Luke had the lights in his office so dim that our reporter could only see his silhouette.)
Okay, fair enough. Privacy is privacy, and everyone has their limits. Would you mind telling us what’s meant by this memo we’ve heard rumors of?
It’s simple, really. One of our two vans is an experiment with our self-driving technology. You see, we’ve tried time and time again to get proper permissions to road-test it, but surprisingly, no one wants to risk an accident with a self-driving car. Who do you blame in that situation? But, I had the most brilliant idea after hearing about a race with vans: No one wants to crash in a race, and we all know racing is stressful. If our self-driving AI can handle a few races, then it’s better than road-tested.
So this is just a test?
Precisely. One could consider it a semi-controlled environment. The other drivers will obviously provide a challenging, ever-changing situation for the AI to compensate for, but I feel 99.978% sure that it can handle anything that’s thrown at it.
Not 100%?
Obviously, there are some variables I cannot predict, and I cannot predict how the AI may react to situations on the track with guaranteed certainty that it’d do the same thing every single time. Response testing on our testing track showed that most of the time, it will do the same maneuver, but every now and then, it took a different method to avoid the same situation. It’d turn left instead of right, or apply the brakes before swerving. I’m not entirely sure what calculation changes between every other test and the odd one out, but given that the testing has shown the AI to drive defensively, I believe it’s safe to send out on a track with other drivers.
So why two vans?
An act of good faith. We have as much to lose as anyone else if our AI-driven van has an accident. It wouldn’t be right to send out an AI van and not have someone else driving a similar vehicle.
And why are they different?
Same chassis, mostly the same body panels. The AI van was shortened from the original to shed weight. Even with that, it’s still the heavier of the two. Barely, but it is. Having nearly 200 kilograms of servers and cooling equipment onboard does that.
So you’re saying that no one’s in control of the second van?
No. Technically, there’s no one in control, but I’ll be in the pits as the crew chief, and if I see or sense something not quite right about the AI, I will call it in for a pit stop. As much as I’ll be monitoring telemetry from both vans, I’ll also be running a code-check on everything the AI is doing. At any point, I can over-ride the AI and assume manual remote control, at which point, it basically becomes a full-size remote-control racing van.
That sounds like a lot of stuff on your mind. Are you sure you won’t miss a problem?
I run most of the equipment in my factory, deal with the finances, warranty claims, designing new cars, and still manage to keep control of an interview here. I think I can handle a little racing. While I’ve been talking with you, I’ve also managed to construct 12 cars, order more aluminum and magnesium, determine that the reason one of my high-dollar supercars came back was user error, and I’m 27% complete on the next car I want to build. Now consider that while I’m away from my factory and playing crew chief, I won’t have to keep track of inventory, assemble cars, deal with warranties, or spend every spare CPU cycle working on my next design. Suddenly, I have more resources to work with.
Ah, I see the reason for the secrecy now.
Yes. While I don’t tend to keep it entirely secret that I am an android, I also don’t tend to show myself to just anyone who happens to contact me. Suffice it to say, I’ll be there during the races, but I’m only a crew chief. I’m not allowed to put fuel or tires on the vans, nor allowed to use the jack. Physical advantages, after all. I am allowed to read telemetry and to remotely pilot the orange van in the event that the AI puts someone in danger. However, I’m doubtful that I’ll be required to do any emergency takeovers. In every situation I’ve tested with it, the AI will pick the option that does the least harm.
So it’s safe?
As safe as it gets when racing. I’d be more worried about someone oversteering into the wall than the AI causing an accident. I’ve heard some crazy people are putting their engines in the wrong spot.
Well, I suppose we’ll see you at the track, then, Luke. Wishing your team the best of luck.
Thank you. We’re going to need all the luck we can get. Even if the AI does work flawlessly, anything can happen on the track.
(Sorry for the long post. Kinda had a bit of story behind my designs. Both vans are set up just a little differently, use the same exact engine, and play a dangerous balance of “anything you can do, I can do better” between them. One’s got a higher top speed, the other a faster 0-60 time. Plus, this would be something Luke, the robotic current CEO of Storm Automotive, would do. Can’t get approval to test his prototype driverless cars on city streets? Not a problem, put the driverless car on a race track and prove it’s safe.)
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Bogliq Automotive, ever eager to enrich the lives of young Moldovans, was looking for a chance to collaborate with the University of Moldova’s engineering school in a way that would involve as many car building and design disciplines as possible. It was determined that a racing team would best serve the needs of both the University and Bogliq Automotive. however there were no race competitions to enter as Leeroy Racing had taken up all the recent contracts to date.
When the Super Gran Touring Van world championship was first announced, the University contacted Bogliq Automotive and the Speedstars were formed. Their mission was to build two bespoke vans to homologation spec ready for the start of the season, with one van powered by a turbocharged V8 and the other running a NA V12.
Van #1: Bogliq Cargostar Maverick
A mid 2000’s American market Bogliq Maverick engine was installed, along with a pair of turbo’s for 490Kw of V8 power!
Van #2: Bogliq Cargostar Ungoliant
A 2016 spec Ungoliant V12 nestles in the Cargostar’s load area with a sweet 490Kw of power on tap.
Regardless of results achieved, the partnership has started well and Bogliq Automotive is determined to work with the University on many projects in the future…
Buy better, buy Bogliq!
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Those name boxes! 
Almost all of the entrys so far are under power by quite alot so I’ll make it simple for you
If your van weights 1000kg, you can have 500hp
If your van weights 1500kg, you can have 750hp
If your van weights 2000kg, you can have 1000hp
Heres a simply excel converter for you: Simple converter.zip (7.1 KB)
The Van is Heavy. It becomes hard to get up to that limit when the van is already 1500kg and won’t go lighter.
EDIT: I would enter this, but my game won’t let me export. Fucking thing. So, If it doesn’t end up fixed before the deadline then GL to all, if it does start working, then ignore me.
I understand even my revised versions are a little underpowered. I’m not good enough at suspension tuning to try to steal back the lost points in drivability if I went any more powerful. It’s a bit of a trade-off, honestly, and I’m trying to walk the very-fine-line between having a really fast accident or having a slow car that’s safe.