TMCC17- The Courier (submissions closed)

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TMCC17- The Courier

by @vero94773 and @debonair0806



After 4 movies, 2 video games and countless other offshoots, the studio behind The Courier movies, Blackbird Studios, is partnering with The Movie Network to create a TV show adaptation of The Courier, to coincide with the launch of their new streaming service, coming in early 2023. There’s just one problem; they need a car for The Courier. Blackbird Studios and The Movie Network have agreed to spend $90,000 on a new, stylish sports sedan that will take the role of the hero car. This car should be memorable and exciting, while remaining classy and prestigious. In short, it should be the second star of the show, as the trusty counterpart for The Courier.


Rules

  • Trim/Variant Year- 2020
  • Maximum Engine ET- 200 ET
  • Maximum Trim ET- 180 ET
  • $90,000 maximum budget
  • No race parts, no V16s
  • 98 RON/93 AKI maximum (you can use lower grade fuel, but it offers no benefit)
  • A 3-way catalytic converter (high-flow is okay) and at least one muffler is required
  • Maximum of 45 engine loudness
  • Must be a sedan, or a liftback style sedan (bodies that are marked as hatchbacks in Automation but are in fact liftback sedans are allowed as well, however 4 door bodies that are marked as coupes in game will not be allowed due to inconsistent seating setups.)
  • 4 doors are required
  • At least 4 full seats, no + seats allowed
  • Your car must have a wheelbase in the range of 2.8m to 3.0m (Standard rounding rules apply.)
  • No semi-slick tires
  • An interior is highly recommended, but not mandatory
  • Advanced trim settings are allowed, but keep it reasonable

Inspirations

Gallery


Priorities

:star::star::star:

  • Drivability- While the stunt driver behind most of the action sequences is capable of keeping a car in check, even in the most demanding circumstances, they want a car that is capable of driving civilly and relaxed as well.
  • Comfort- The Courier doesn’t just carry packages; he also carries people. Thus, the car should be comfortable and shut the outside world out.
  • Design- The car should look the part of a luxurious and sporty sedan, and have a memorable design that draws in the audience.
  • Prestige- The car should be thoroughly premium inside and out; a commuter car won’t cut it here.
  • Performance- things like the car’s power, 0-60 times, top speed, 1/4 mile time, etc etc.

:star::star:

  • Sportiness- While the car doesn’t need to be supercar sporty, it should still handle well and drive with urgency.
  • Safety- Given the action-packed nature of the show, the car should be able to protect the occupants from impacts and other damage.
  • Reliability- The car should be able to handle long production days and rough treatment with little trouble.
  • Fuel Economy- While the studio doesn’t expect a fuel sipper, the car should be able to handle long shoots without having to stop for gas too frequently.

:star:

  • Service Costs- The studio is wiilling to cover any service visits and repairs during filming, but do try to keep things reasonable.

Notes

  • CSR level realism is expected here. Anything that’s too minmaxxed or outside the scope of the challenge will be binned, so please be sensible with your car.

  • Value is of some importance. If a cheaper car can do all the same things a more expensive car can, then obviously the cheaper car will win out. However, anything too compromised in the name of affordability may be looked down upon.


Submissions

An ad is required but it doesn’t need to be detailed, just the name of your car and some photos will suffice.

All submissions should be sent to BOTH @debonair0806 and myself over the forms only. Submissions over Discord will not be accepted.

The naming convention as follows;

  • Model/engine family: TMCC17- (forum username)
  • Trim/engine variant: whatever you’d like

This round will be held on v4.2 (Open Alpha) of Automation.
All submissions are final; however, given the relatively unstable nature of the alpha version of the game, resubmissions will be allowed in the event of an update that changes any relevant portions of the game.

Submissions will open on Thursday, April 7th, at 11:59pm PDT. Until then, the ruleset will be up for deliberation, and the rules are subject to change. After submissions open, the rules will be locked in.

Submissions will close 2 weeks later, on Thursday, April 21st, at 11:59pm PDT. No submissions will be taken after this point, and judging will begin.

Countdown Timer


Changelog

  • Clarified that 4 doors are required.
  • Added a clarification on advanced trim settings.
  • Updated seat rule for clarity.
  • Added more information on body styles.
  • Further updates to the seating rule and body style rule.
25 Likes

Does this mean that the glazing corresponding to the rear seats and passengers should be small, such as, for example, on a modern Skoda Superb?

um

no, seeing as the Superb is a little different from what the challenge is actually asking for

What do you mean by glazing? If you want, you can tell me what you meant on your discord server. I speak Russian as well.

1 Like

Can we use any advanced trim settings?

advanced trim settings are allowed, i’ll clarify that in the OP.

Also, does “liftback style sedan” cover bodies that are marked as hatchbacks but are, in fact, liftback style? Or is a ‘sedan’ Automation label required?

2 Likes

either is fine in this case. as long as you’re not submitting an actual hatchback it counts.

2 Likes

Oh yes, I forgot to translate my sentence into the language of the Automation Forum.
I meant that comfort and remoteness/unwillingness to see this world is displayed in the fact that you are aboard the ship where must be such a feelings as if you are in the presidential luxe, accordingly the areas of glass through which you can see the streets of cities should be minimal. I like it very much when view from the car is maximal as much as possible, because it is very important for me to control the situation qualitatively. At least in Sweden they probably don’t want to see the streets, though me seems they have all as beautiful and refined as in Italy.

I understand what you are asking now. The term we use for that in English is “window tint”

Looking at the “Inspiration” cars provided, some of them seem to have very little window tint, whereas others are very heavily tinted. I don’t think how dark or light the windows are will have much of an effect on the car’s performance in the challenge

2 Likes

No, I was talking about volume, that is, the total amount of glass. If I had mentioned tinting, I would have said windows tint. By the way, I don’t like it either, I only like the specific spraying.

1 Like

Every car listed as inspiration is front-engined, with a longitudinally mounted engine, and either RWD or AWD. To that end, front longitudinal engine placement should be mandated, as are RWD or AWD configurations.

Oh, ok. My bad.

I don’t believe Automation has a direct way of modelling the thickness of the class. Higher-grade interiors come with improved sound insulation, which implies nicer materials and therefore, thicker glass. And for this challenge, having a very good interior should help your score.

Hope this helps!

2 Likes

while the inspirations may largely consist of cars as you described them, i’m not gonna limit people in that specific way. i don’t feel the need to add extra rules merely for the sake of adding them.

3 Likes

Nobody actually reduces window area to “increase isolation”. You use curtains and all that stuff.

3 Likes

So this would exclude wagon-style sports sedans like the M5 Touring and RS6 Avant, correct? Where would production fall on something like the Panamera?

correct, wagons and actual hatchbacks (like a Golf) aren’t allowed. as for the Panamera, i’m gonna call that a liftback sedan. (though i think Automation calls the actual panamera body in game a coupe, which means you couldn’t use it.)

One reason why modern cars have small side windows are side impact regulations. Steel is better than glass at keeping other cars out of your front seat. Has nothing to do with privacy for the passengers.

1 Like

One sad thing is since we haven’t seen a new sedan -ish body since…2011 (and that thing is hideous), it does severely limit our choices without going to the boxy 80’s and older. I think I found one I like but I was a little sad scrolling through so few that would fit a modern design.

The most fitting new(ish) sedan body choices in 4.2 (within the 2.8m-3.0m size range required for this round) date back to 2006 (for the BMW-esque bodies - they had an unlock year of 2009 in 4.1), 2007 (for the Audi-esque bodies), and 2008 (for the Tesla/Atenza-esque bodies). The Lancer-like bodies, which are unlocked in 1995, are even older still.