You can’t even make a contemporary USSR car with these rules.
Like a Moskvich 412.
The rules are made so as to make russian cars look worse than they actually are.
You think I am not from a formerly socialist state?
I even have a soviet car. And a newer western one too.
What you see on the internet is not how it was.
If you think there’s a problem with the rules you can point it out specifically, instead of insulting the host and making a non-informative “rules bad” comment. Also there’s no point in assuming bad intentions, since any potential flaws in the rules might be just a result of misinformation or poor testing. To be clear - I can’t personally test the rules now, as I don’t have 4.2 installed.
And no, I don’t base my opinion on the topic on average random “what you see on the internet”, but let’s leave it at that.
If you have a bad day, making it bad for someone else won’t help you.
I’m not really having a bad day, but this challenge annoyed me.
1000 dollars more and fuel consumption in l/100km and it would just about be right
Maybe Arstotzka desires your “freedom units”, look at the glorious peoples calculator.
After researching this car, the only major mechanical differences I could find between it and my entry were an aluminum engine (unusual for the time) and unibody (I think) construction. I was well under budget with no negative quality.
The heads get turned as the all new and innovative Car for the People coasts along. With its supreme Suspension you cant hear anything rattle and even listen to your favorite politician over the included AM Radio. Dont worry if youre ever in a hurry the 1.2l Engine will pull you along with more than 140km/h and you hardly feel the engine because it is a Boxxer and it runs super smooth and super reliable enough to justify the added complexity.
it comes in an very practical 3 Door Wagon Bodystyle to maximize practicality while keeping a small and lightweight package witch allows the Car to be stacked on it self for easy Transport and Storage.
Made only from Steel and simple Casts the Engine and Car are super cheap to make even if it doesnt sacrifice modern Tech only for the sake of cheapness. it even incorporates advanced safety to ensure every one keeps paying taxes.
what’s your suspension like?
what brakes do you have?
Double wishbone front, coil sprung live axle rear. Single piston discs front, drums rear. Looks pretty similar to the Moskvich except for what I’m guessing are rear leaf springs, I think this is a slightly later model:
Okay, yeah, yours is pretty close.
The 412 has 4 piston front calipers and leafs in the rear.
Can you make that in automation, with its 1500cc aluminium engine and monocoque chassis without going over budget?
(yep, that’s a later model, 2140, basically an updated 412)
Nope, I don’t think I can, at least not at standard quality. But then again, my understanding is that the 412 was an upper-middle class car for the time, not quite a Volga but way, way above a Trabant or Wartburg or something similar. It seems to me that this competition is specifically seeking a far more basic “people’s car” for the masses. The fact I was able to get extremely close to an upmarket vehicle seems to demonstrate there’s nothing really wrong with the budget limit.
In the “communist car inspirations” tab, there’s both a Lada and a Volga.
They tried to build a hierarchy in which the brands went (from bottom to top) :
zaz - most basic (the modern equivalent would be dacia)
vaz - basic (a bit less basic, something like modern škoda)
azlk - middle (vw)
volga - upper class (audi)
zil - luxurious (bentley)
But that never happened.
The Moskvich brand fell behind and couldn’t survive the collapse of the USSR.
Lada(vaz) barely did
ZiL and GAZ stopped making passenger cars in the 00s.
ZiL was restructured a few times and ceased to exist in 2019.
GAZ currently makes only commercial vehicles. One of which is just a rebadged chinese truck…
This may become confusing because the company name of the car I’m making is also Vulkan xD
Haha, it looks like there’s been a bit of a flame war in here! Someone is awfully passionate about the quality of Russian cars for having a BMW avatar. 
But seriously, I’m pretty happy with where the rules are at. The brief demands a car which is for everyone, and the economy of Arstotzka (or Russia, or even capitalist countries) means that a car for everyone must be a rather inexpensive car. The budget is enough to make a replica of the best-selling cars in the east or west during this time. I’m also keeping the calculator in US-MPG because that’s the only units I can quickly understand in my head, haha. You can always do the math or use an online calculator or just change your game settings to convert it.
I also don’t think this challenge is really “making fun” of communist cars, or at least not unfairly. It challenges players to provide the most they can on a tight budget, not make a complete joke car- we’re proving we can do better than the Cominturismo I showed in the video. 
I was also sent a couple PM’s with articles about communist cars. One described the process of developing the LADA, including that a lot of research was actually done to reinforce it effectively and that few if any changes were made primarily with cost-cutting in mind (contrary to what many people today think). Another article also discussed the Moskvich S-Series, a very advanced-for-the-time car of which a few prototypes were made before some minister with no technical knowledge canceled the project and demanded the engineers make a crude copy of the arguably inferior foreign Simca 1307. While this does show that some advanced cars were engineered in the USSR, it also rather precisely reinforces the stereotype which Americans like myself have of the Soviet Union.
Consider the Trabant: We laugh at it now because it’s basically a motorcycle-powered tiny car with few features. That’s not really fair though: at the same time, West Germany was producing similar cars (even including leather body panels) and, according to German review magazines, the Trabi was better. We even still have awful scooter cars, and still make fun of them. The Trabi was the only car most East Germans could get, and it stayed in production until 1990, by which point it was disgustingly outdated. That makes it worth laughing at, although it’s not really the fault of the car itself. Meanwhile in West Germany most people looking for a cheap car would buy a beetle. While this too stayed in production until it was very old, it received many more improvements, and was defnitely a nicer car to own than any scooter car.
What’s this mean for the competition? Not much, but it does mean that your car might actually be good for the era, and people won’t start making fun of it until it’s 20 years old and still in production. 
I also gained some more respect for soviet cars as I did research for this challenge (I was dispelled of the notion that the Lada was just a “Fiat 124 but cheaper” a while ago). But, I’m going to keep making fun of them from time to time. It’s okay, you can make fun of our malaise cars. 
The jpeg compression artifacts sent me into a laughing fit, oh god.
Glad you read those 
As for the picture, I like many cars, I am not biased.
I like german, soviet, french, italian, even american cars.
I’m just tired of hearing the same old stories and jokes about soviet cars, how they are copies, fall apart and so on.
Sorry about that! I submitted my submission quite a while ago as well so I don’t think I can make any changes. I would have renamed it if I could. In this case, lets see who made the better Vulkan then 
The jolly cooperation from Fruinia design with Arstrozkan engineering
Stellantina Automobili di Fruinia (“Stellantina”) has provided the engineering assistant to the Arstrozkan Engineering Committee by sending the prototype of locally made of the famous “Stellantina 1200 s” named as “Blinka 1200 Az”.
The Blinka 1200 Az is the locally made prototype under supervision between Stellantina and Arstrozkan Engineering Committee within the concept of “Quickly made, cheap to maintain yet proud to own”, while the Stellantina agreed to provide the engineering consultant to the Arstrozkan Automotive Council if the car has been awarded for the mass production for another 10 years along with the automotive engineering education for further Arstrozkan own R&D in the future.
Powered by 1200 cc. inline 4 engine, tuned for fuel efficiency and reliability with the goal for the low upkeep and low cost of maintenance.
“Interior picture”
ZRD P
P for… pover- I mean premium.
I have like 0 time because its exam week this week, so I am going to throw this car at you with no formatting sorry.
A massive 35.9hp from a 984cc I4, 4 gear manual and only weighing 809kgs. 31 US mpg.
Last time I entered one of these I got forcibly removed because of -15 quality, so I learnt from my mistakes and only used -11 this time :)))))
Qualitative, refined, and truly trustworthy
Here at Bazard, we have a great deal of experience making cheap pieces of shi- I mean simple, low-budget transportation. As the leading American automaker of budget and commercial vehicles, we know a thing or two about making high-caliber transport for low-caliber prices. So when we heard about your request for a new, affordable, dependable vehicle for the Arstozkan people, we knew right away that we could help!
Our design staff have spent the past week putting their experience into researching your needs and your nation, and preparing a production-ready prototype for your consideration; one which we feel will offer your citizens an unmatched level of build quality, dependability, and capability. We hope our engineering will exceed your expectations as to what is possible in this price range, and that you will partner with us to provide transport to your people.
This refined automobile is driven by a cheap, high quality, 1.5L Pushrod Inline-4 using complete cast-iron internals. The simplest construction available is not just the cheapest, but almost always the most reliable too. This does not mean it sacrifices in other aspects, however; We’ve put our signature attention to detail towards refining every part of the engine, so that just about every component is at above-average quality. This refined, dependable engine efficiently makes 50hp and 70lb/ft of torque on low-ron fuel.
The L14M is built on a traditional ladder chassis, allowing for cheap and easy construction and repair, while being better suited for utilitarian purposes- further reinforced by its high ride height and versatile suspension. The wagon body style has been chosen for its improved practicality and versatility, and its shape has been engineered around aerodynamics to make the car extremely fuel efficient. The chassis is fully corrosion-treated, to extend the vehicle’s life significantly; expect to see models from this year still on the road 20 or 30+ years from now!
The prototype’s 4-speed transmission sends power to the rear long-life tires, accelerating the car to a top speed of 142kph. The radial tires are thin for reduced rolling resistance, but high profile and reinforced with steel wheels to make them both comfortable and utilitarian. Braking is managed by 4 drum brakes, which are identical on all 4 wheels to reduce manufacturing costs; though the front ones are applied with significantly more power, to allow for an optimal brake force balance.
It has been made as visible as possible, being painted bright red and fitted with marker lights & reflectors on all 4 sides (as well as other industry-standard safety features, including power-steering to makes driving easier and more accessible). At Bazard, we strongly believe in making vehicles well lit, as this allows drivers to easily identify the location and orientation of other cars, and to avoid crashing into them; or, in another case., it allows police officers to better keep track of and work against potential lawbreakers
But more than that, the lighting makes the L14M seem more prestigious, and the improved visibility makes sure that citizens can constantly see just how many nice cars their government has given them. Do they need more reminding? Well, how about the fitting of an AM radio, which can only tune to government-run stations! The ability to enjoy state-sponsored music and media while driving serves not just as a propaganda tool, but as an enhancement of their quality of life; and it reduces fatigue over long drives, leading to less tiredness-related accidents!
And all this comes in at over $500 below your projected cost limit! To repeat, that’s $15,500 for a cheap, efficient, and modern car unmatched in build quality and reliability, with features not even standard in most western countries yet. This level of value for money is possible thanks to our decades of experience in low-cost transportation; and though we can’t predict what other proposals will be presented to you, we highly doubt you will find a better deal for your people anywhere else.
Thank you for considering our prototype so thoroughly. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
Sincerely,
-Bazard Motor Company
(side note: the concept is indeed called “Liam.” Bazard expects the client to rename and rebadge the car to their liking before production.)
i wanna make some variation of the trabant
