At last… A third hypercar enters the contest, and… It looks like a McLaren P1, but is more powerful still, and actually feels like a Hennessey Venom GT (manual transmission and mechanical LSD) in spirit. However, I would like to ask one question: Can Kai tinker with air suspension as easily as standard or progressive springs, if at all? At any rate, you have made a very convincing case for replacing Mephisto, which I could not bring myself to do.
Believe it or not, I actually had a plan C for this round: submitting a muscle car that could handle really well in the corners, defying Kai’s preconceived notions about American iron in the process. I built just that, and even used the factory tabs, but ultimately did not submit it because I feared it would incorporate too many advanced suspension components (semi-active dampers and sway bars) for Kai’s liking, and although its MOHV crossplane V8 developed over 400 bhp (on 91 RON), it was also thirstier than expected, leading to higher running costs. At least it was lighter, since I used the smaller version of the body that my actual submission (powered by a turbo I6) would use.
@strop is right about the economy benefit provided by DOHC, and even if fuel consumption were not a concern, I was worried that the extra power and torque, combined with narrower tires on each corner, would compromise drivability, although the simplicity of MOHV confers greater reliability. Oddly, the hypercar I originally wanted to enter was even less economical, though it was due to the turbos being configured for huge power rather than economy.
Moreover, @strop is spot on regarding the drawbacks of any kind of spring not made of steel - in my own companies, the increased cost, fuel consumption and weight, combined with the loss of reliability that it causes, negates any stat improvements they provide to the point that they are never considered, even as options. Tinkering with them is a nightmare for Kai, so I went with passive springs on each of the three cars I proposed for this challenge.
Finally, @thecarlover settled on a basic interior and entertainment suite, but I never considered this Spartan consideration to be sufficient - he criticized a car from @asdren in the previous round for an inadequate entertainment system, which jarred with the otherwise upmarket interior. Prestige cars need a premium interior and infotainment system at least to be competitive. A really competitive hypercar should use a sport interior, which weighs as much as a standard one but offers more prestige, and at least a premium infotainment system to go with it. Luxury (or even handmade) interiors and entertainment systems add too much weight and cost for me, and compromise reliability to boot. Safety is also a key component for competitiveness - the weight savings provided by inferior safety suites are not worth the loss of safety, which can make sales in some regions impossible.
