Disclaimer : I don’t know how to make a nice presentation, but I’ll do my best to make it look clean and understandable. If you want to discuss this, feel free to DM me. Thanks for your understanding.
Also this is my first time hosting a challenge, please be kind 
The Miraculous First Companion [Part One]
Premise
Preamble
This is a two-parts challenge. This is part one. If it’s going well, there might even be a third part. The judging will take place at the end of Part Two. Which means everyone following the rules of Part One wins Part One. Though you can still be binned for troll entries or clear disrespect of the rules.
Introduction
2012, Val-du-Mauve, Gasmea. Our buyer just had his driving license and is looking forward to buy his first car. He is from a middle-class family that has so much in the middle that it’s actually lower than mid… Bourgeois with no money.
He loves old cars but doesn’t know anything about them, let alone modern ones… So his choice will spread across the eon 1960-2002. Older will be to old, newer will be too expensive. He has contacts to help him lower his service costs, and maybe more…
More info on part two.
Challenge (Part One)
You will have to design a car for any country you like and any year you like. Although it can come from any country, it must be available in our buyer’s region and therefore potentially be a special export model.
This car won’t be a muscle or a luxury one, at most a pony or premium if you want to go one of these routes, but our buyer is looking for an everyday car, one that he will bring to the end, may it be the furthest possible.
The car must be realistic, reliable, on the cheap side and if possible cute and/or attractive, or so ugly that it is perfect (Fiat Mutlipla, Pontiac Aztec type of ugly, trolls belong to another world).
A glimpse at Part Two
You will have to give life to the car you submitted on Part One. Imagine what its previous owner(s) have done to it before it gets to our buyer. Make the paint faint, make it rust, break things, customize some sensibly if you want… It must look used and on the decline, since our buyer doesn’t have more than $500 to buy it.
I think this part will be the most fun, as no other war than Looks and Credibility will be fought here, engineering choices having already been made in Part One.
Having no real rules except Looks and Credibility, you can already work on your Part Two entry once your Part One entry is done.
I think I will open this second part to newcomers, so if you are okay with the use of your Part One entry by someone else, say it somewhere and I’ll gather those into an auction at the beginning of Part Two.
A mirage of Part Three
Customization battle of the used entry that wins Part Two ?
Rules
| Build | Stable (Al Rilma) |
|---|---|
| Model / Engine year | any between 1946 and 2002 |
| Trim / Variant year | any between 1960 and 2002 |
| Country | Any (keep it in Automation world though) |
| Mod bodies | Allowed |
| Legacy bodies | Meh. |
| Body type | Any but van/utes (hatchbacks, sedans and wagons on top but if a body is rated SUV, MPV or coupe it’s ok). Convertibles can remove points if too fancy and adds none. |
| Door count | Any |
| Seats | 5 or 4, 2 allowed with penalty. |
| Techpool | Base (+5 everywhere) |
| Quality | No limit |
| V16 | Allowed, not recommanded. At all. |
| Race / Billet / Titanium parts | Banned (no race tyres either) |
| Fuel | Must be less than 98 RON. Take in consideration leaded fuel ban in country/year (leaded allowed for old cars) |
| Intake manifold | No performance parts (nor race still) |
| Mufflers | At least one |
| Gearbox | Manual only, max 5 ratios |
| Wheels | Try and make them as mass market as possible. Radial tyres mandatory after 1970. Soft limits : 12"-16" rims, 125-205mm tyre width, 60-95 tyre profile |
| Max Approximate cost (statistics tab) | $ 20,000 - can be much less ! |
| Emissions | Must pass whatever WES enforced in the country/year you chose (for example Gasmea 1972 → WES 3) |
| Advanced trim settings | Allowed but be sensible if possible, make it look right |
| Full 3D | Allowed. If you feel like it, good luck ! |
| Aero | Downforce must not be positive |
| Minimum aero fixtures | 0 |
| Maximum aero fixtures | 2 front, 2 rear |
| Interior | Required (no roof lining required but seats, dashboard, mirror, door cards…), left-hand drive (driver on the left, driving on the right-hand side of the road) |
| Number plates, mandatory stuff… | According to the country/era. If you don’t know regulations for your case, just try and think about it, maybe do some light research, but I won’t be an asswipe about it. Though if there is no effort and it looks definitely wrong, you’ll be closer to the bin than to the top. |
| Description codes for BeamNG | Appreciated, though not judged |
| Ad | Required |
Priorities
Realism & Details
The first and major priority is realism, plausibility. Be aware of the era/country you’re designing in for regulations and engineering choices (I will check if your car has the components of Advanced Safety or Premium Entertainment for example). Try and make proportions realistic and attractive (your car can be ugly, but in a good way, you know…). Don’t V8 a Clio, don’t 20" a Golf, make it look like an actual mass market car with standard choices.
Reliability / Repairability
The second prirority is reliability. Our buyer is not - and won’t be - rich enough to pay for many repairs and servicing. If a minor breakdown happens, he will probably just ignore it. If a major breakdown happens, he will have to repair it or just dump it if too expensive or technical.
That said, he might still prefer a car with.. character.. Even if it means pushing it to start it from time to time. The older the car, the higher the reliability should be (design wise at least) : don’t try selling a 1968 Lamborghini Miura, rather a 1968 Renault 4, but you can try selling a 1994 Ford Mustang if you really want to go this route…
Character
What I mean by that is something I can’t quite describe (“like p*rnography or a perfect turd” _Trevor, 2013). It’s the feeling you get when you look at it and go “Hello you little friend” or just “Wow”. It’s kind of a Cool Board feel too, an overall logical existence. The car is ugly ? Who cares ! It has a vibe, it gives me the same feeling as when I was driving my grandma’s couch as a child with a bucket for a steering wheel- kind of stuff. Also it’s a way for me to decide to put a certain car on top against the computer’s choice…
Service Costs
As I said for reliability, if it’s too expensive, our client would eventually have to dump the car or sell it for nothing. I will also have a look at Tyre multiplier.
Fuel Economy
Same reasons as for Reliability and Service Costs, not much money to put in the car regularly. Although he won’t necessarily use it daily, he might go for long trips with it or have a period of intense utilization.
Responsiveness
Our buyer doesn’t know it yet, but this will be an important aspect of his choice when testing the car. Throttle response, but also nimbleness, light weight, steering… Things that can make overlook a lack of power. Although those could be blurred away by a more powerful or drivable car that again has the right character.
Practicality / Cargo volume
Our buyer is not looking for a van or MPV. Not yet. But he is looking for an everyday car that can do anything. As much as he would be attracted by it, a sports car wouldn’t be his choice. Nor a Kei car unfortunately. He might accept a 2-seater with good character, but he’d prefer a 4 or 5-seater.
In-game values will be looked at for the sake of it, but I will judge by what I see/feel (you don’t have to do a trunk interior if it’s not visible (yes, just a parcel shelf is an ok move imo), although bonus points can be given for a full-full car, it’s always so impressive).
Drivability / Sportiness
Our buyer is young and able to steer some, yet he doesn’t want a truck nor a supercar. Also as much as he likes driving, he doesn’t know how to properly control what he’d be doing in a hairy situation, so build something that will give him chances to be alive after such a case. Given the wide spread in year choice, I’ll try judging it while taking that in consideration.
Comfort / Offroad
Our buyer’s idea of comfort is more suspension related than interior related. It might even work by giving him a soft chassis to play with without him even noticing. As long as he’s not shaken or sent to sleep by a hard or marshmallow suspension, and as long as he’s able to drive on uneven tracks without breaking his neck, he’ll be happy.
(may be overlooked or give random points)
Prestige / Innovation
(for the chosen era. Think 1955 Citroën DS or 1980 Renault 5 Turbo)
It’s always nice to have a remarkable car.
Safety
It’s always nice not to die because of a pothole.
Utility
It’s always nice to tow a friend in need. Note : he will do it regardless of his vehicle ability to do it, but if you want to give his clutch some love he won’t give himself, feel free…
Submissions
| Naming convention | |
|---|---|
| Model / Engine | TMFC1 - username |
| Trim / Variant | car/engine name (free) |
| Deadlines | |
|---|---|
| Rules deliberation deadline | 10th of May 2026 - 23h59 (GMT+1) |
| Submissions deadline (Part One) | 14th of June 2026 - 23h59 (GMT+1) |
Have fun
Changelog
- Added Radial tyres precision and Race tyres ban.
The buyer sure likes old cars, but he knows a newer car would probably save him, or cost him less in service.. at the cost of a lesser reliability due to the more advanced technologies in the car. So the old cars last longer and the new cars last less, but as they are newer, the dying point of both the old and the new will be much closer in the future than their birth. Especially considering the carelessness of its next-part owner. Maybe I could go for custom regulations for newer cars, but I feel that then the obvious choice is just to make a 1960 shitbox and that’s not the point. I’m happy to take some ideas if you have some !