Sports Truck Comp

[xsneakyxsimx]

Synopsis

I have been getting back into enjoying the concept of the Sports/Muscle Trucks and I decided to try and have a little one-off comp if anyone was interested. I know there was a similar comp back with QFC13 but it has been about a year since that was held and there has been some new members that have turned up so now felt like as good of a time as any to give it another try.

Rules

The entrants must:

• Be between 1982 and 1992 Model, and up to 1992 Family
• Be a 1992 Trim and Variant
• Be a pickup/utility style of body
• Have a wheelbase of at least 2.75m (108’) or longer
• Use the default Techpool (+5)
• Use Regular Unleaded (RON 91/AKI 87)
• Meet the 1992 Gasmean Emission (WES 7) or better
• Have an as stated ‘Load Capacity’ rating of at least 1500kg (3300lbs)
• Attempt to meet a budget soft cap of $18,500 as displayed in the Detailed Stats

Judging

• Period Aesthetics: These will be Sports/Muscle Trucks from the early 90s, and as such I am looking for a certain vibe that should hopefully be seen in the visual inspirations I share

• Performance: These are, as the name suggests, meant to be more sporty versions of the base truck, so a combination of the stats in the performance tab as well as the drivability and sportiness stats will be looked at to determine performance

• Purchase/Running Costs: These are meant to be halo trucks that most people could actually look to buy and use as more of an everyday vehicle with a bit more spirit and enthusiasm, preferably without burning a hole in the back pocket

• Livability: If these are to be used like a daily driver, it should be easy to use day to day. This includes a combination of Drivability and Comfort, as well as l the overall usability that the truck has with practicality/utility and load rating

I’m just intending to have some simple, easy to get into fun so no heavy judgement.

Inspirations

These are mostly just for visual cues for what I am wanting to see, but if you have any ideas that aren’t shown here feel free to experiment

Other Notes

Once again, this is meant to be fairly easy going and nothing that should require a lot of going over before submission. As such I am not requiring everything to be ultra realistic or a complete interior, so the window opacity can be turned down to 0, just some fun builds that everyone can enjoy.

Also a quick thanks to @Lanson son whom partially inspired the revamp of this comp.

Deadline

I’ll give until Sunday, the 10th to make any tweaks to the ruleset, then leave a couple of weeks until Christmas Eve (24th) for actual submissions. Hopefully I can have the judgement out before the New Year but we’ll see how it goes.

For the naming, I would like both the Model and Family to have STC - (username), and the trim and variant can be named however is liked.

Finally, have fun and don’t die

[Snarklz]

I am into this, I would love to do a truck. I’ve done a couple, but they were either overpowered or underpowered. Something a little more real sounds really inticing.

[Texaslav]

Just so you’re aware, that load capacity pretty much rules out the Syclone as engineering inspiration. That was literally just a street rod as a truck bed.

Not that I mind, 454SS was more baller anyhow

[xsneakyxsimx]

I am aware, and there was a rumor that a magazine were paid off to not make the Syclone Truck of the Year, and they chose the load capacity as the reason why: if you believe Hagerty. But I don’t know if you can talk about sports trucks and not mention the Syclone.

Plus I think the 454SS is more baller too

[Restomod]

A syclonesque truck is certainly possible with respect to the towing capacity, and I personally think an even smaller import truck with a turbo 4 would be better. The wheelbase rules out the Hilux/Hardbody FYI.

'Cause, the Syclone is king forever

[xsneakyxsimx]

https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/the-1992-gmc-sonoma-gt-is-old-school-cool-video/

[Knugcab]

Since I am making one for the 1990 Letaran transport show, it would fit like a glove here too, interesting…

[abg7]

QFC13 was set in 2003, and was run in 4.2; this challenge, if I’m not mistaken, will use the 4.3 open beta (in addition to taking place a little over a full decade earlier).

Incidentally, this reminds me of a combined Beam/Automation challenge set in the exact same year in which we had to build the same type of vehicle - and have them put to the test in a series of time trials.

However, it seems that you have forgotten to impose a price ceiling - $18k-$20k should suffice. For reference, the first test mule I made for this challenge costs $17.5k.

[DuceTheTruth100]

I missed the first sport truck challenge, hopefully that wont be the case this time around.

[abg7]

After realizing that low torque limits for gearboxes in the 4.3 open beta can be a hindrance to builds running turbocharged engines (even in later years), I stuck with a naturally aspirated 5.0L OHV V8 for my test mule (another way to keep purchase and service costs down, especially since the engine has an iron block and alloy heads) - but I wouldn’t bet against someone entering a Syclone/Typhoon-like entry powered by a high-displacement turbo six-cylinder engine of some sort (regardless of whether it’s a straight, V, or flat six).

Also, initial testing showed that my first mule could reach 60 mph from rest in just 5.5 seconds - although some gearing tweaks gave it a huge bump in sportiness (probably due to reduced wheelspin) while losing only 0.3s from the 0-60 time in return.

And with the latest open beta update having been released, I’ve made a few changes to ensure that my entry remains viable even with the revised calculations for tire grip and emissions, among other things.

[xsneakyxsimx]

After having some time to think about it, I am considering adding a soft cap of 18,500$ for the trucks, and any truck that exceeds that will have their stats lowered by 15% percent in compensation. This may be too harsh so I am open to any suggestions as to how to handle a price soft cap.

And for fun, have a poll:

• Yes, I agree with the soft cap for truck price and penalty
• Yes, I agree with the soft cap for truck price but not the penalty
• No, I do not want to have a soft cap for truck price

[Knugcab]

How about ATS? The body I am using has the engine halfway into the cab, can’t do a decent interior without fiddling with them.

[xsneakyxsimx]

ATS is open to be used

[Restomod]

@xsneakyxsimx

@Larson

Is it Lanson you mean?

[xsneakyxsimx]

Heh, whoops. It was indeed. Curse my lack of double checking and writing this in notepad before copy pasting it as the thread.

[xsneakyxsimx]

Alrightly then, the majority has spoken about including a soft cap for pricing, but preferring a different penalty so I will think on what said penalty should be (and will listen to any suggestions anyone would like to offer either publicly or if they so choose, in private). But I am not seeing any need for any other major rule changes to occur so…

SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN

Also, soft cap is added to the main thread as well, so now is a good time to remind yourselves of the current rule set

[abg7]

1992 SVM Antelope ST8

The flagship of the Antelope line, the '92 ST8 was, as Highway & Raceway put it, “a lifeguard truck on steroids that escaped its sandy enclosure of Santa Monica Beach and gone feral onto paved roads to hunt sports cars in their natural habitat”. To this end, it was equipped with a highly tuned version of the company’s iron-block V8, developing 276 bhp and 295 lb-ft (on 91 RON regular unleaded!) at 5,500 and 4,000 rpm respectively thanks to aluminum heads, 3-inch dual exhaust pipes, and a more aggressive camshaft. Harnessing this power required a six-speed manual gearbox and helical LSD, thus allowing the ST8 to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 6.0 seconds onto a top speed of over 140 mph, while also yielding a quarter-mile time of 14.21 seconds.

To give the ultimate Antelope the handling and braking performance it deserved, 17-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in 225mm-wide high-performance tires were fitted to all four wheels, along with 4-wheel brake discs (2-piston 345mm units up front, with 1-piston 295mm items at the rear) and standard ABS (although traction control was optional). Suspension was by dual wishbones up front and a leaf-sprung live axle at the rear, but tuned for a healthy dose of sportiness without sacrificing too much comfort. An aggressive aero kit consisting of front and rear lip spoilers, a large rear wing, and a flush-fitting bed cover made it slipperier than any truck had any right to be. It was still a ladder-framed truck, though, so its performance envelope was limited.

Inside, the ST8 was distinguished by an aluminum shifter knob and body-colored accents in the interior, mainly in the seats (which were trimmed in cloth as standard, although leather was optional) and seatbelts. It also came with a standard radio incorporating an integrated cassette tape player, but a premium stereo with a CD player could be specified at extra cost. As for safety, a driver’s side airbag was standard, although a passenger’s side airbag was optional. Only five colors were ever offered for the ST8 (red, white, blue, black, or yellow, the last of which is shown here), all of which were solid colors; for added visual impact, you could even have the wheels color-matched to the bodywork!

Priced at $18,500 AMU, it may have been on the more expensive end of the sport truck scale, but it was worth it for customers who wanted the performance of a sports car and the practicality of a pickup truck. It definitely wasn’t the most economical vehicle of its kind, either (~12 mpg US combined), but then again, it was a truck, not a car, and hence exempt from CAFE requirements. Thanks to its use of a fully galvanized frame and treated steel bodywork. the ST8 was as rust-resistant as any other Antelope, and surprisingly reliable too, with its understressed engine. This generation of Antelope lasted for a decade before finally being replaced, by which time it had amassed a sizable following - and the sporty ST8 was no exception.

More pics

Personal note: This build had to be updated at least once due to a game update - hopefully it’s not broken anymore.

[DuceTheTruth100]

The REAPER

From Wells

[Restomod]

Does anyone wan’t to collab on this one?

[mart1n2005]

1992 Valiant T-50 Tornado edition

Based on the T-50 light duty truck the Tornado option pack turns this into a true muscle truck.
The engine is the 350ci V8 out of the Valiant Talon sports car, this has a cast iron block with aluminium heads, lightweight conrods, performance intake with multi point electronic fuel injection and sports mufflers and catalytic converters. Power comes through a four speed automatic gearbox with lsd, the Tornado package is only available on the 2wd single cab body.

The interior has been upgraded with sports bucket seats in place of the standard three person bench. A centre console with console shifter fits in the place of the central seat.