TMCC26 - California Dreaming [Results!]


TMCC26
California Dreaming


Intro

2022

The film sees two young car enthusiasts hit the open road on California Highway 1 to escape the stress of the everyday grind. The kind of thing that only happens in the movies, or you wish would happen to you.

The hum of the engine fills the air as they navigate the twists and turns of the coastal highway, the ocean a constant presence on their right-hand side. The driver is quiet and contemplative, lost in thought, while the Passenger is animated and chatty, filling the silence with stories and their feelings. With each mile, the two bond over their shared experiences, the stunning scenery around them a backdrop to their growing connection. Each shared experience ends with a spirited drive of the car, to gain some laughter from both.

The filmmakers are searching for a car that will complement the Californian landscape while also providing an enjoyable experience for the characters. They want a car with a powerful engine and responsive handling that can enhance the scenic drive. Ideally, the car will have an open-top design to provide better visibility of the characters and allow the audience to fully immerse themselves in the breathtaking scenery with the characters.

The shots may look something like this (although slightly less spiritied driving):

Singer 911 Showcase | LA Canyons (Assetto Corsa Montage) - YouTube

Summary:
A set of directors for a small film need a late eighties car for the main character to drive down the coastal highway in California. A popular option among the directors is a low slung convertible sports car, but which one do they buy?


Priorities

starstarstar

Aesthetic

Driveability

Sportiness

starstar

Reliability

Cost

Service Costs

Prestige

Safety

Comfort

star

Practicality

Fuel Economy


RULES

1987 Trim year

2 seats Minimum, 2+2 Max, Coupe or Convertible body style only

$40,000 Max Price - Remember cost is a priority, the team is only small.

Realism, road legal visually for America - sidemarkers (can be a wraparound assembly) and rear license plate. Tyre width ending in “5”

No race parts - This includes Turbo and N/A Race headers, DCOEs and Semislicks.

Fuel - Unleaded 95RON

Techpool default +5 all round for engine AND trim

No limits on Quality

Catalytic converter required

Advanced trim options - Allowed within reason, no making the engine look like it’s a different config, no changing tyre width or diameter. Rim depth is allowed, suspension height is allowed, wheel offset max is 50.

You will get one resubmission before the deadline


Naming Scheme and Deadlines
Model name: TMCC26 – [your forum name]
Engine family name: TMCC26 – [your forum name]

Rules deliberation will be until Thursday 9th March 13:00 GMT
Entries will close Sunday 26th March 23:59 GMT


Other notes about rules, you may turn a coupe into a convertible by fixture abuse and this will be counted as an "aftermarket" hack job, however I will be applying a set buff to actual convertibles as they are currently behind in stats in that regard.

An Interior is recommended (Seat, Dashboard and Steering wheel counts)


Inspirations

Ferrari Testarossa

Porsche 930 Turbo
image

Ferrari 308 GTS

Ferrari 238 GTS

Lotus Esprit Turbo (S3)

Lotus Esprit Turbo SE (x180)

Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet

Chevrolet Corvette C4

Pontiac Fiero

Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA

Nissan 300ZX Turbo

Mazda RX7 FC Turbo II


Previous TMCC

First TMCC


Written with the help of ChatGPT, any resemblence to the dreams of real people is entirely unintended, I really hope my spreadsheet holds up ok.
A Zephorus production.
14 Likes

Do I get things right, ban is on turbo race headers, not on turbos?

Yes, turbos are allowed, just not the turbo race headers.

1 Like

Also, why do this feel like a movie version of “Rad racer”?.:rofl:

1 Like

Haha somebody knows part of my inspiration, the other half being based on my own experiences. I saw some art for outrun, and had an idea.

How exactly is this “buffing” going to work on open top cars? I’m happy enough to make a proper cabriolet as I have a couple of cars I already have anyway

For my testing I made a coupe, changed to the convertible body type and then adjusted my spreadsheet to compensate for the lost points + a tiny bit. It should be balanced in slight favour of convertibles, whether that be a manual soft top, or hidden auto hard top. For that reason a fixture made convertible won’t get that buff as it keeps the coupe stats anyway.

Overall stats still matter, and it being a convertible won’t automatically make it better than any coupe.

3 Likes

Is the premise of this round a period piece actually set in 1987?

The intro states the year is current year is 2022. The car the team is looking for needs to have a trim year of 1987

Considering the trim/variant year requirement, I would prefer 3-way catalytic converters to be mandatory.

Wish I knew how to bring in mod bodies. There’s a Mkiii Supra blueprint I’ve seen BradLee load up, but I don’t think he got to work on it. It would be perfect for this challenge.

I don’t know if this is asking too much but is a cabriolet more preferred?

Like if you had the same car and one a coupe and the other a cabriolet, would the cabriolet be the obvious choice.

Looks is important as well as stats, if you can make it “even” to the coupe counterpart, the Cabriolet would win. That’s not to say the coupe can’t win, the right stats in a few key areas could tip the scales. So, yes.

2 Likes

Do our cars have to be strictly two seaters? Nearly half of the inspirations are 2+2s.

2 Likes

A good point, 2 seats is what I’ve specified because I didn’t think +2 would help too much engineering wise. I’ll allow it because of the Inspirations I’ve listed. 4 full seats is too much though.

4 Likes

Seeing as nobody really had any large objections, the round is now open.

5 Likes

1987 Milano Fenice V8 Targa



The first in a line of bleeding edge performance cars, the '87 Fenice was the car to have back in the wild 80’s.
This Targa model brings all of the stiffness and performance credentials of a coupé, without losing the open-air allure of a convertible.



11 Likes

I take that as “wheel concavity adjustments are free - on both sides.”

Also, as for adjustments to chassis tunnel size and firewall positions, I’m assuming there are no restrictions on those, either.

1 Like

Presenting the 1987 Zellhof Opus 46 GTT

Gallery

Stats

10 Likes

1987 Globus Phoenix GT

New for '87 is the GT trim, basically an LT with the following changes:

  • T-Top roof, removable, there is a storage behind the seats
  • manual transmission
  • engine tuned for premium gas.

Not to mention the bulletproof reliability, don’t waste your time waiting for AAA because you got some fancy Italian convertible. And every hillbilly gas station knows how to service a Globus.

The driver’s choice among the Phoenix models.
New for '87 are also diverse colors, like this beautiful “Malibu Mint Metallic”.

The Globus Phoenix is the muscle that delivers sports car performance for a budget car price! Globus - buy clever, regret never!




4 Likes