This thread is an experimental take on the Open Source car thread with some fundamental differences. I wouldn’t be surprised nor disappointed if it doesn’t take off or crashes spectacularly.
Everytime a new model comes out, the car company’s marketing division comes out beating their drum and telling the media just what’s so awesome about their car and who it should appeal to. Sometimes they’re right on the money. Sometimes they’re way off the mark. It goes a long way to determining whether interest and sales live up to hopes and expectations.
The Automation sandbox affords us the luxury of making major engineering decisions with several mouse clicks. It also makes talking about cars and what could be ‘changed’ about them easy, ignoring the limitations and sometimes ethos of the company that made them. Come to think of it that’s not too different from real life, especially in this day of the internet where everybody has a platform to be an armchair expert. Now the world isn’t so much about one reviewer, it’s about the amalgamated opinion of the many consumers.
Thus, the purpose of this thread is simple: as a car creator, are you willing to stake your reputation and put up a car for scrutiny, to be dissected by the masses?
#How It Works
Attach your car to your post (or link to the post where it is available for download)
In the post, describe your company, and the car. Different companies will have different approaches to PR and marketing, therefore, you are free to approach this as you like, but obviously the more context we have the better. Feel free to use your post to plug your company, too. That’s kind of the idea.
Wait for other users to comment on your car
Hilarity ensues
This time around, I’m not going to ask people to post a car before commenting on other cars. But there should be a few house rules:
You must attach the car to the public post, meaning exporting it using the export button. No attachment, no reviews. We don’t really need screenshots, you just tell us what you think matters and we’ll tell you if we agree.
You should specify what mods or modpack you are using (or you could just say “hope you have ALL THE MODS”) to limit people who don’t use certain mods from trying to access your car and failing
If you’re commenting on a car please link to the post of the car, especially if the thread starts getting messy because this is a “come all come everybody” thread, not a “one at a time you barbarians” thread
donut steel i.e. do not steal. This isn’t quite the Open Source thread. Cars are available for download, but standard etiquette rules still apply: no plagiarising and reposting as your own, or posting modifications without permission.
Right that should be pretty simple. I’ll come back with a car of my own later, but if anybody wants to give it a shot feel free.
Dimension Motors is an American based megacorporation. I initially intended it to be a GM/Chrysler parody but eventually it just became a let’s build whatever I liked company, but still maintaining heavy doses of cynicism especially for cheaper models. It’s really like a GTA car company in that I usually rip my own cars a new one but I still have plenty of pride in them.
The Hypero is our new flagship coupe not counting the limited production Nine-50 hyper GT as a replacement for our Paradox 6. Powered with our new for 2017 RN series V12 first seen in the Nine-50 hyper GT, Dimension claims that it is the most efficient V12 of all time while producing some of the highest specific outputs of any large capacity motor.
This is the finest car I think I’ve built in Automation. Destroy my confidence in my cars pls.
Mods used to my best of knowledge:
-Razyx Volk Coupe
-Razyx Colored Stripes
-NormanVauxhall materials combo
-NormanVauxhall plastic stripes
-Prylix RPF1
-Razyx square taillights
-Razyx WR Wing
-VMO Aero Pack 1
-VMO Race lip
-Razyx Exhaust grille
-VMO Gallardo Side Vent
-VMO NSX grille
Tell me what you think and I’ll try and justify any decisions the company has made with the car.
For an American company, one could possibly be forgiven for spotting some inspiration from the classically-styled Ferrari F12 M on the front end. But the rear end is a more modern concept altogether. It’s a little more straight-edge and plain speaking than its real-world competitors. This is by no means a bad thing; it speaks of a certain forthrightness, declares its intention to get down to business. My main curiosity is wondering whether the quad side pipes are legal.
The 6.1L V12 is also an interesting proposition coming from the US, but nonetheless a welcome one. It is indeed a lean-green machine, running lean with one cam profile for city driving, and an extra dollop of torque as the other one switches in past 4k rpm. 634bhp @7800rpm is really quite The redline is a bit too generous, however, as torque and power drops off significantly past the peak. There is, as a result, a fair bit of redundancy in the gearing, especially considering first is as tall as in a Murcielago. But one certainly can’t complain about resultant emissions and economy, especially that mileage from a high power high displacement NA in a 1750kg car.
The Hypero’s sporting character starts shining through starting at the shifter, which is a row-your-own 7 speed mated to an advanced E-diff: modern but keeping in touch with the classics. That it has such wide front rubber, on stanced wheels (straight off the floor!) indicates its intent as a track machine, to the point that it scrapes fairly often (too often) coming out of driveways and over bumps. Still, the handling is superbly balanced, piling speed upon speed in the corners with barely any scrub, aided by the near perfect weight distribution.
Track performance and statistics are fairly impressive. 11 second quarter mile from an engine that is tuned to be just as much a daily is very brisk. A Green Hell time in the 7:30s marks it as a serious sports car, perhaps held back by its hefty stature, and perhaps, not quite as hardcore as the hardest of the hard Vipers. But it is likely much easier to drive.
Which brings me to the sticking point. Who is this car really for? A hardcore enthusiast, or the more casual rich guy who wants to see how fast they can push themselves without slipping a disc? On one hand, hefty engine, big thick tyres that will tramline horribly on bumpy and grooved back roads, proper body aero kit and rather stiff suspension with a wonderfully direct steering feel but all the joys of bone-grinding ear-chilling bumper scrapage. On the other, the brakes are standard vented disc, and it comes standard with luxury seats, and more confusingly still the internal tech is otherwise pretty standard, a slight headscratcher. Is it trying to be a track Mercedes without the touchscreen? Maybe you don’t need more than six speakers in a 2 seater relatively hardcore track… muscle car? Lexus LFA competitor? The arena of FR high end sports cars is a relatively rarefied one, so perhaps some degree of confusion as to the identity is to be expected.
But the kicker for a car like this is the price. American engineering has really come into its own while maintaining a price point that is for the most part seemingly a fraction of that of its competitors. This remains the case here, and how do they do it?
(I assume you aren’t using the factory settings, or if you did, they don’t carry over, so that’s a qualified opinion I suppose!)
Now, Potto’s onto a good thing with his quick rundown of pros and cons. I’m going to take a leaf out of his book.
Likes:
Efficient yet powerful
Well balanced steering characteristics
Fantastic value
Oarsmen rejoice!
Dislikes and stuff I would consider adjusting:
Not sure if track machine because if it is, it hasn’t quite committed to the job
And the parts it has make road usage a bit difficult, namely the ride height
Questionable whether 7 speeds for a top speed of 330km/h is too much
Unnecessarily high attack angle on active rear wing (the way the game works currently, it won’t do very much if you set it higher than 25 except worsen drag)
Redline is too high, there’s some redundancy in the engine and it can be minorly tweaked to give just a little more for less
That’s all I got time for right now, I’ll come back later for more quickfire opinions and post my own car!
Holy shit, I’ve built a Mercedes Mclaren SLR unintentionally!
Yeah, I was too caught up in trying to be the best at everything that eventually gunning for track times just kills road use. Automation needs to punish camber more as I’ve been abusing it without much repercussions as I would have in real life. As is, I’ve used it to give higher drivability and sportiness values with only a very mild comfort hit.
I used 7 speeds since my old Paradox 6 and Entropy use a 7 speed boxes too thus to save engineering costs.
And I didn’t factor in production costs as the game pulled a fit because the engine was shared with three different cars.
Thank you so much Mr.Strop for the review ! Very well written too I must say.
Edit: Now I see why Strop thinks I’ve built a track car. I forgot to ramp up the ride height so the poor thing is bottoming out constantly.
######Not to worry, I’m still fresh off of my basic legal education that includes civil law, and I’m pretty good with torts because of my mock trial experience, so I do understand civil law. I just much rather deal with the criminal system. Oh, and you’re both from different countries so I probably cannot help either of you anyway. #Murica!
I contend that the element of the format itself replicated in my opinion piece does not and can not constitute intellectual property belonging to a single entity.
@strop and @PottoGadd you sound like you both need to shut-up about your “claims” before someone with actual intellectual claims to your writing strategy actually causes an issue.
(Besides, there are no tangible damages here.)
######DISCLAIMER: I am not yet an attorney and, thus, not licensed in your jurisdiction. Therefore, you cannot rely on me for legal advice.
I’m happy with that. The only outcome I needed was invalidation of Potto’s premise (and not to get sued for real by anybody else, but I’ll take my chances on that).
The JHW Gulfstream is like it’s namesake jet in that it offers it’s occupants a very comfortable commute through long distances, and that’s where the similarities end. For one, the car certainly doesn’t look like a plane, if I had to pick the closest thing it resembles, it would be a Hammerhead shark. That very long pointy front overhang just sharpens up that I really can’t see anything else. Makes for a pretty side profile though. I do wish the rest of the car was more detailed as even for a budget luxury car it looks abit unassuming, pointy front end aside.
Ride was quite smooth and supple, the car floats through most bumps effortlessly thanks to the soft setting and air suspension. Which I must say is a bold move especially in a rather lower priced segment, as these can be a nightmare to repair. Might tank resales, but if you’re not too bothered about that it offers such a comfortable ride even high end luxury cars would have trouble matching.
Interior is rather decent, what you’d expect from a mid-priced luxury car, the standard leather and wood trim combo. And with a high quality surround sound system too. The infotainment and navigation system is quick to respond and very easy to use without any of the iDrive nightmares from the early 2000s. It seems rather safe too, with airbag tags almost everywhere in the cabin. However what’s with the manual transmission? Is this intended to be a limousine? Otherwise what an odd design choice to make a luxury car driver row their own gears. A slush automatic would’ve delivered a significantly smoother drive.
The engine however is quite over worked, making 210 hp and 266nm of torque. Tests have shown that significant power increases are possible with just a higher VVL profile with almost no real loss in fuel efficiency or low end performance. Why even bother with VVL then if you’re going to use such a low alternate profile? Also an Inline 6 motor would’ve been better suited for operating smoothness, especially in a car where space constraints in the hood is a non issue. It is quite a revvy engine however, with excellent throttle response for an economy tuned V6 (and personally I’d go with a three way convertor if I were you, really saves on costs and PUs.)
Performance is quite underwhelming if I’m honest, 0-60 in 7.6 seconds and a top speed of scarcely above 130 mph will have you outrun by Samindas on the stop light. More power would do wonders for this machine, perhaps about 300? Also longer gears might help too for economy. Which is great, 26.4 mpg for a near two ton machine is nothing to scoff at. It does handle quite well though thanks to the all wheel drive and excellent suspension tuning, possessing great dynamic response for such a heavy car on very skinny tires too. The oddly equipped mechanical LSD certainly helps with handling as well.
It’s great value certainly, but with just a little bit more improvements it could certainly be a world beater.
Likes
-Great suspension tuning
-Decent interior and sound system
-Quiet ride
-Smooth engine for a V6
-Decent mileage
Dislikes
-Engine is really lazing about here (up the VVL)
-Manual transmission? Geared LSD? Strange choices for a luxury car
-Skinny tires
-(Meta: Excess PU, this car has more PU than my Hypero coupe)
Australian volume manufacturer Albury Motors is best known for well-built and reliable front-engined, rear-drive volume and sports cars, but in 2007 they sprung a surprise with the CMS-16 Coupe, a small mid-engined lightweight sports car designed to compete with the Lotus Elise. They took what was basically a small economy car engine, turned it into a pint-sized monster, and placed it in the back of the car for maximum effectiveness. This is a hardcore track car (albeit an affordable and economical one), no question, but it’ll deliver endless thrills on your favorite track or back road as you push your car to the limit by exploiting its incredible power density and stratospheric redline. The CMS-16 was produced until 2013 and remains a common sight at trackdays everywhere across the globe.
For the record, no mods were used in the making of this vehicle.
From Redline Nation Magazine (RNM) [A fictional Magazine]
Reviews: 2007 Alburgy CMS-16
Author: Steve Wandle
The Albury CMS-16. A car from Albury Motors in Australia showed up at our door today. As buisy as we were, we couldn’t ignore the glaring sports car…
Because it was Bright Yellow! Everyone in the office took a look at it, mainly because it was so bright! So we got Bob, Harry, and myself over to do a simple write-up on the thing, and our first impressions were not good!
The looks:
The first (and only) thing that stands out about this car is its attention-clawing color. That bright yellow is screaming out, “Look at me! I am Here! I want attention!” It’s not my, Bob, or Harry’s forte, but our editor would sure like it! Now, upon closer inspection we found the simple headlights were well placed, the front valance well designed and overall the look was very agressive. The side scoops were well molded into the curves of the body, and because it was also well molded into the body lines, we almost couldn’t find the door handle!
While the front was agressive, and the sides were a little plain, the rear just didn’t make any sence! Bob even asked out loud, “Did the designers just give up after the work on the front?” The single pair of tailights with reverse lights inside are so understated, it makes the otherwise sporty car look Fat! In the rear we have just these two little lights, a badge, and lots of body-colored empty space. Sure there’s a deffuser on the rear, but it’s body-colored so it all bends in like a bowl of soup. The huge, molded in body-color wing doesn’t help the massive empty feeling between the taillights. And there’s also some body-colored vents to help cool the Mid-mounted engine.
Mid-mounted engine? Yes you heard that right.
The Engine:
The mid-mouned engine happens to be an inline 4 that comes in at less than 100 cubic inches in displacement: That’s 1.6 Liters. With such a small engine, we really expect it to be something of an engineering marvel. And it may be. The inline 4 is a DOHC 16 valve motor (with 4 valves per cylinder), built in an aluminum silicon alloy. It comes with VVL and VVT. That’s some high tech stuff! We asked our engines expert to take a look at the engine, and boy is it built! She told us the engine came with a Billet Steel crank, Titanium conrods, and LF pistons! We wondered if maybe all that was for a future turbo, but it’s actually due to the high rpms this engine can see! The engine has a redline of 9200 rpms! So the next logical question was how much power?
Just shy of 200hp, from a 1.6L NA engine!
But to achieve that, the high VVL profile was a race-spec deal with a race-spec ignition timing to go with it!
So I asked the question, “What about the rest of the engine?” My answer was this: A direct injection system with a throttle per cylinder, 11.2 compression, long tubular headers with an exhaust that goes through a high flow cat and duel reverse flow mufflers. It, of course, had a bypass valve for those wot moments.
So it’s basically a race-spec engine built for high-end power. So, how does it actually do on the street?
The Drive:
So we took this beast of a “Sports” car onto the streets, and it is sorta drive-able. I say sorta, as I would never use this as my daily, or for long road trips. It has nice sport seats and a little touch-screen for the GPS. The 6-disk CD player is slightly better than what’s found on most premium cars right now. The safety seems very advanced… to the point of annoyance. I hate all the modern cars with their dings and beeps when the seat belt is not buckled in, and this car is no exception. At least the CMS-16 has a nicer warning tone than most.
Anyway, we got this thing onto the street, and I was immediately greeted with a gear change! The 6-speed manual constantly reminded me this is a sports car, and not anything else. While tiring to constantly row through the gears in the cities, I felt like the final gearing was slightly off. Sure 5.6 seconds to 60mph sounds good on paper, but I had to go through 3 gears to get to it, and even then I was at the redline in third! This is not helped by the narrow powerband the car has due to its race engine, as it really doesn’t take-off until 6,000rpm where the high end VVL profile takes off. Luckily the transmission was built to keep it in that power band when at wot. While I was battling the 6-speed with my hand, my back was battling the suspension on every bump.
The suspension is definitely tuned more for the track than the streets. Make no mistake about it. That’s why we are rating the comfort at a 32.3, including the sport seats and premium satnav. Even more, the brakes were so good, I would even say they were too good! In the worst part of the city drive I had to get onto a freeway, and just as I got on the traffic stopped! I instinctively went to the brake and left four huge black streaks without even trying!
So we decided to take the CMS-16 to the track to really test it’s limits. We were able to fly to Fuji Speedway and test the CMS-16 to its limit. We had a professional driver, only know by the name “Gits”, take the CMS-16 on the track and tell us- err, he wrote down for us, how it did.
It did OK
When asked for further comments, Gits wrote down this:
Brakes too grabby
So, we compaired the flying lap time Gits was able to achieve to some other cars. The Albury CMS-16 got a 2:10.16 flying lap time at Fuji Speedway. While Albury Motors has stated this car is to compete directly with the Lotus Elise, so, we got a basic Elise Sport and had Gits take that around the track to compare lap times. The Elise Sport got a flat tire.
So without a lap time to compare to, is the Albury CMS-16 better than a Lotus Elise? Maybe…
The Comparison:
The Albury CMS-16 has 199hp and a curb weight of 2463lbs (due to the glued aluminum frame and aluminum body).
The Lotus Elise has 190hp and a curb weight of 1975lbs (with a 1.8L I4 DOHC 16 valve engine)
CMS-16 claims a 0-60mph in 5.6s and a quarter mile time of 13.98s.
Elise has a 0-60mph of 4.8s and quarter mile of 13.6s
Not a direct comparison, but Elise braking from 70mph took 162ft. The CMS-16 braking from 62mph took 104ft. This is probably due to the insanely big brakes the CMS-16 has.
Now the big question, what does an Albury CMS-16 cost compared to the Lotus Elise? Well, we were given some data from Albury, and it may shock you! They would sell the CMS-16 at production costs! That’s about $13,000 usd per car [in 2007 using the gold method] compared to the $45,000 base price of the Lotus Elise. There is no way they would make any money, let alone break even with that pricing! As Albury Motors claims to build this car in “volume” the chassis and body materials say otherwise [limited production flags]. There have been no definitive numbers given by Albury about how many CMS-16 coupes they plan to build, but, either way the material costs and manufacturing times coupled with the glued aluminum chassis and aluminum body mean this is not a mass production by any means.
Now if Albury Motors wants to make a profit, they could markup the cars from the factory say, 70%. The CMS-16 Coupe would still be very competitive in the Gasmea markets, at about $22,000 usd per car. With a 50% markup (at $19,500 usd) they would be very competitive in the Fruinia markes. But that does not include the fees for exporting the car from Australia.
Is the Albury CMS-16 better than the Lotus Elise? Depends on who you ask. Bob and I prefer the smaller, lighter Elise over this, overly-bright beacon.
Harry is caught up in the cost differences, and our editor would love the “burn-your-eyes-yellow” CMS-16 for its color alone!
Sorry, had to wrap it up, as I got carried away with writing this review.
(and not to get sued for real by anybody else, but I’ll take my chances on that).
