"Production Selection"
Tiramisu: Hello again lovely people, It has been a while since you heard from me, and you are probably wondering what’s been happening, in which you will receieve a letter from the higher up’s mailed along with the tapes that you are watching now.
Tiramisu: With that out of the way, I am recording this to you the next segment in the selection process in which we have sifted a good 20 entries to proceed to this very process.
Tiramisu: To make things spicy (and easier for myself), I have invited someone from the cast who will look through with me the nooks and crannies.
??: Hello there~!
Tiramisu: Behind me is Amy Aoki, a journalist for a local automotive magazine, acting being her side gig.
Amy: Y’know… I was gonna enjoy this month’s off that I asked my boss for.
Amy: Aaaaaand day 1 of said off, look who told me to join in on the stage…
Tiramisu: Let’s just say Amy and I have some history with each other…
Amy: Get to it!
Tiramisu: Besides the point, I have hired Amy to tap into her automotive expertise as she has driven a lot more cars than I ever have, so she a better say of things…
Amy: I have already looked up the current candidates’ review article in my database and did some cross-checking and referencing, at least according to when previous experience and the actual review of a car from either me or someone, so more or less my opinion mostly stands true now.
Amy: Alright, let’s start us off, beginning with the AMS Antares…
Tiramisu: Quite expensive huh?
Amy: Not the most pricey out of the bunch, but it is up there…
Tiramisu: Out of the bat, this looks like something that goes toe-to-toe with a car I have in mind…
Amy: Precisely, it would have been in fist-fighting range with the Sendo, more on that car later… Going back to the Antares
Amy: Personally I think it drives a lot more than it looks thats for sure, no less thanks to its fine-tuned variable hydraulic steering. Paired with stellar suspension geometry and state-of-the-art driving aid technology, it carries around that weighty and big body through the corners just fine.
Amy: But I will be real, while no doubt a very good car, but seeing the price and where it sits in the market, this car has a lot to prove against the top dogs in this demographic…
Amy: Uhh, funny thing is that I remember calling up a dealer for service quotes.
Amy: And lets just say, it really does add up overtime…
Tiramisu: I can definitely see that.
Tiramisu: I will let the Antares through though, it does sound capable and a decent-looker as well, though obviously I am eyeing on a couple of interesting cars in this batch…
Amy: Up next, the Capable Amplitude GTI…
Tiramisu: From what I read from the spec sheet, definitely befits the name…
Amy: One of the few 4WD monsters in the group…
Amy: 50/50 power distribution, a highly advanced electro-5.speed automatic, and a semi-actuated dampening suspension geometry…Driving feel is good, though I think the road texture is a bit lost in this one due to its power-steering, which isn’t really its Achilles’ heel…
Tiramisu: Mhmm…
Amy: I remember being flown to the Swiss Alps to test one of these for a shoot…
Amy: I do however remember how awfully it rolled, like there was just a lot of lean when pushed too hard.
Amy: Not that its a bad thing, the dampers certainly helped there. But I wished they dialed in that system in more so it rolled a lot less…
Tiramisu: I see…
Tiramisu: Despite accounts of excessive lateral roll, I do think its not too bad, and its only 36k, its definitely good value for money.
Amy: As you will see others like it soon enough.
Amy: Hey Joanne…
Tiramisu: Don’t call me by that name!
Tiramisu: I don’t want others to know, surely the editors will cut that out…
Amy: Right, you wanted to be called by your code name…
Amy: Anyways, perhaps you will like this next one…
Tiramisu: I definitely like the look of this one, it stands out in a good way.
Amy: A bit too much really… I remember I was on a test drive with one of these in Detroit…
Amy: I really shouldn’t have driven in the ghetto parts of the city, caught too much attention with it.
Tiramisu: Hot women driving hot cars, yeah no wonder.
Amy: What?
Tiramisu: I definitely do think this car should be given a pass, even before reading at its spec sheet and feature list…
Amy: R-rright… (She really didn’t just let that slide did she?)
Amy: It definitely has the looks, its as flashy as it drives and while the engine is simple but as proven as a 5.7L V8, its chassis setup ladden with driving aids and a rather balanced tuned variable hydro power steering setup, it tames the wild heart this beast enhouses.
Amy: I want to get this one out of the way…
Tiramisu: Which on-
oh…
Amy: Well, it certainly looks familiar alright.
Tiramisu: Hey, I’ve seen this one!
Amy: Stop referencing popular media!
Tiramisu: Can’t help it, it really looks awfully similar.
Amy: Other than unoriginal design, a better-than-standard interior with a CD stack and a 6-speed box is something to note.
Tiramisu: Definitely better than the “inspiration” car…
Tiramisu: I know all of this sounds good…
Tiramisu: But lets face it, I dont want a lawsuit up my ass just because our car is similar to a franchise’s main car…
Amy: Point taken, perhaps you’ll like this one better…
Tiramisu: I will just call this mouthful the Kanarie…
Amy: The Kanarie uses the same rear engine placement as the Omertosa previously, but the similarities end there…
Tiramisu: It certainly looks better for one.
Amy: Powering this 1-ton cookie is a 3.1L turbocharged Boxer 6 making a really healthy 370hp and revving all the way past 7 grand.
Tiramisu: Sounds solid to me…
Amy: I definitely would want to drive one again if given the chance.
Tiramisu: Don’t worry, I will sort something out in the near future, but for now this will go through the next segment.
Amy: Alright let me kill two birds with one stone here…
Tiramisu: Now that you show me these two cars side-by-side, they do look like cars that would go head-to-head with each other.
Amy: I did do a comparison test with these two cars at some point… They are two similar cars in two very different price ranges.
Amy: You wouldn’t believe that the Katana cost only $19900, but has like 80% of the capabilities of the more expensive Ghiraga (at around $49100) …
Tiramisu: You think so?
Amy: Well, honestly its kind of poor hindsight, but if the guys at Hikaru give the Katana a gearbox designed to take full advantage of the transplanted V12 and god give it some thicker tires 'cause it really needs it badly, then I would honestly think the Katana can match the Ghiraga…
Tiramisu: The Katana does look like good value for money, there has to be a catch…
Amy: Well…
Tiramisu: You know what? If I could, I would daily drive the Katana.
Amy: But for the television?
Tiramisu: Unfortunately just like the Ghiraga, sadly I can’t but I would honestly love to own a Katana someday. But with that, rejecting the Ghiraga and Katana…
Amy: I am kinda feeling parched, don’t you agree?
Tiramisu: I concur
Amy: Let’s do one more car then we’ll head out for a short break yeah?
Tiramisu: Sure…
Amy: Alright, let’s end it with this…
Tiramisu: Ah yes, Sendo…
Amy: The prestige that carries with the brand name is no less definitely a privilege available to a lucky few…
Tiramisu: Its definitely up there along with the Arachnid on looks alone.
Amy: It goes head-to-head with the Antares with a similar Double wishbone and Multilink suspension geometry aided with adaptive dampers… Speaking of which, I haven’t exactly compared the Antares and the Sendo GT side-by-side I would definitely like to make an article of it…
Tiramisu: Either way, this goes on to the next segment effortlessly…
Amy: Pheeww… I am beat.
Tiramisu: Same…
Amy: Lets head to the local diner nearby, on me…
Tiramisu: You’re too kind!
Amy: Always have been…
THE FOLLOWING ENTRIES PASS THROUGH TO THE NEXT SEGMENT:
Tiramisu: Hello again lovely people, It has been a while since you heard from me, and you are probably wondering what’s been happening, in which you will receieve a letter from the higher up’s mailed along with the tapes that you are watching now.
Tiramisu: With that out of the way, I am recording this to you the next segment in the selection process in which we have sifted a good 20 entries to proceed to this very process.
Tiramisu: To make things spicy (and easier for myself), I have invited someone from the cast who will look through with me the nooks and crannies.
The camera slowly shifts to the right and focuses on a slender womanly figure behind Tiramisu
??: Hello there~!
The tape cuts back to Tiramisu in the frame
Tiramisu: Behind me is Amy Aoki, a journalist for a local automotive magazine, acting being her side gig.
Amy: Y’know… I was gonna enjoy this month’s off that I asked my boss for.
Amy: Aaaaaand day 1 of said off, look who told me to join in on the stage…
Tiramisu: Let’s just say Amy and I have some history with each other…
Amy: Get to it!
Tiramisu: Besides the point, I have hired Amy to tap into her automotive expertise as she has driven a lot more cars than I ever have, so she a better say of things…
Amy: I have already looked up the current candidates’ review article in my database and did some cross-checking and referencing, at least according to when previous experience and the actual review of a car from either me or someone, so more or less my opinion mostly stands true now.
Amy: Alright, let’s start us off, beginning with the AMS Antares…
AMS ANTARES 5.0 V8 GTS
- 5000cc Crossplane V8 DOHC-4 N/A
- Front Long. 6 Spd. Manual RWD
- 400.0 hp @ 6400 RPM / 549.2 Nm @ 4400 RPM
- 7000 RPM redline
- $48000
Tiramisu: Quite expensive huh?
Amy: Not the most pricey out of the bunch, but it is up there…
Tiramisu: Out of the bat, this looks like something that goes toe-to-toe with a car I have in mind…
Amy: Precisely, it would have been in fist-fighting range with the Sendo, more on that car later… Going back to the Antares
Amy: Personally I think it drives a lot more than it looks thats for sure, no less thanks to its fine-tuned variable hydraulic steering. Paired with stellar suspension geometry and state-of-the-art driving aid technology, it carries around that weighty and big body through the corners just fine.
Amy: But I will be real, while no doubt a very good car, but seeing the price and where it sits in the market, this car has a lot to prove against the top dogs in this demographic…
Amy: Uhh, funny thing is that I remember calling up a dealer for service quotes.
Amy: And lets just say, it really does add up overtime…
Tiramisu: I can definitely see that.
Tiramisu: I will let the Antares through though, it does sound capable and a decent-looker as well, though obviously I am eyeing on a couple of interesting cars in this batch…
Amy: Up next, the Capable Amplitude GTI…
CAPABLE AMPLITUDE GTI
- 3646cc Crossplane V8 DOHC-4 N/A
- Front Long. 5 Spd. Adv. Auto AWD Hel. (50/50)
- 264.6 hp @ 6700 RPM / 354.1 Nm @ 4400 RPM
- 7700 RPM redline
- $35900
Tiramisu: From what I read from the spec sheet, definitely befits the name…
Amy: One of the few 4WD monsters in the group…
Amy: 50/50 power distribution, a highly advanced electro-5.speed automatic, and a semi-actuated dampening suspension geometry…Driving feel is good, though I think the road texture is a bit lost in this one due to its power-steering, which isn’t really its Achilles’ heel…
Tiramisu: Mhmm…
Amy: I remember being flown to the Swiss Alps to test one of these for a shoot…
I do love how it holds the road and how it is easy to drive, with small hints of understeer despite a front-biased weight distribution.
Amy: I do however remember how awfully it rolled, like there was just a lot of lean when pushed too hard.
Amy: Not that its a bad thing, the dampers certainly helped there. But I wished they dialed in that system in more so it rolled a lot less…
Tiramisu: I see…
Tiramisu: Despite accounts of excessive lateral roll, I do think its not too bad, and its only 36k, its definitely good value for money.
Amy: As you will see others like it soon enough.
Amy: Hey Joanne…
Tiramisu: Don’t call me by that name!
Tiramisu: I don’t want others to know, surely the editors will cut that out…
They didn’t cut it out
Amy: Right, you wanted to be called by your code name…
Amy: Anyways, perhaps you will like this next one…
HOFFSMAN ARACHNID (KONIGWERK)
- 3646cc Flatplane V8 DOHC-4 N/A
- Front Long 6 Spd. Manual RWD
- 351.3 hp @ 5900 RPM / 479.3 Nm @ 4700 RPM
- 6700 RPM redline
- $38400
Tiramisu: I definitely like the look of this one, it stands out in a good way.
Amy: A bit too much really… I remember I was on a test drive with one of these in Detroit…
Amy: I really shouldn’t have driven in the ghetto parts of the city, caught too much attention with it.
Tiramisu: Hot women driving hot cars, yeah no wonder.
Amy: What?
Tiramisu: I definitely do think this car should be given a pass, even before reading at its spec sheet and feature list…
Amy: R-rright… (She really didn’t just let that slide did she?)
Where was I…
Amy: It definitely has the looks, its as flashy as it drives and while the engine is simple but as proven as a 5.7L V8, its chassis setup ladden with driving aids and a rather balanced tuned variable hydro power steering setup, it tames the wild heart this beast enhouses.
There is definitely a bit of an oddity with power delivery with that viscous LSD, but nothing too bad to say. I do say that air suspension system is top-notch…The guys at Hoffsman got it just right, masterfully crafted that it is just as a reliable as a run-of-the-mill standard chassis setup. Not even that to service as a local dealership here reckons.
Tiramisu: This car is definitely up there…
Definitely passing through, alright what’s next?
Amy: I want to get this one out of the way…
Tiramisu: Which on-
oh…
KVT OMERTOSA GT
- 3601cc V8 (Flat) DOHC-4 N/A
- Rear Long. 6 Spd. Manual RWD
- 290.0 hp @ 6400 RPM / 358.2 Nm @ 5100 RPM
- 7000 RPM redline
- $36000
Amy: Well, it certainly looks familiar alright.
Tiramisu: Hey, I’ve seen this one!
Amy: Stop referencing popular media!
Tiramisu: Can’t help it, it really looks awfully similar.
Amy: Other than unoriginal design, a better-than-standard interior with a CD stack and a 6-speed box is something to note.
Also something to note is that it has got a 3.6L V8 akin to ones made by the Italians.
Tiramisu: Definitely better than the “inspiration” car…
Amy: Its a really potent engine up to boot as well.
Tiramisu: I know all of this sounds good…
Tiramisu: But lets face it, I dont want a lawsuit up my ass just because our car is similar to a franchise’s main car…
Amy: Point taken, perhaps you’ll like this one better…
TARSKE SW612B GTS KANARIE
- 3104cc B6 DOHC-2 Single Turbo
- Rear Long. 5 Spd. Manual
- 370.0 hp @ 5800 RPM / 525.8 Nm @ 4100 RPM
- 7200 RPM redline
- $39500
Tiramisu: I will just call this mouthful the Kanarie…
Amy: The Kanarie uses the same rear engine placement as the Omertosa previously, but the similarities end there…
Tiramisu: It certainly looks better for one.
Amy: Powering this 1-ton cookie is a 3.1L turbocharged Boxer 6 making a really healthy 370hp and revving all the way past 7 grand.
Fundamentally, its a simple chassis setup with Mcpherson Struts front and back, it is supplemented with a suspension system that can adjust dampening and sway bar stiffness on the fly. It is also the only car in this batch that comes with state-of-the-art Electronic Stability Control (ESC). Best of all, steering feel is simply superb with a simply rack and pinion steering setup.
Tiramisu: Sounds solid to me…
Amy: I definitely would want to drive one again if given the chance.
Tiramisu: Don’t worry, I will sort something out in the near future, but for now this will go through the next segment.
Amy: Alright let me kill two birds with one stone here…
PLANAR GHIRAGA III Mk.IV EX-S
- 4353cc V12 SOHC-2 N/A
- Front Long. 5 Spd. Manual RWD
- 345.8 hp @ 7100 RPM / 403.0 Nm @ 5100 RPM
- 8000 RPM redline
- $49100
HIKARU KATANA
- 4705cc V12 DOHC-4 N/A
- Front Long. 5 Spd. Manual RWD
- 317.5 hp @ 6000 RPM / 415.3 Nm @ 4900 RPM
- 7000 RPM redline
- $19900
Tiramisu: Now that you show me these two cars side-by-side, they do look like cars that would go head-to-head with each other.
Amy: I did do a comparison test with these two cars at some point… They are two similar cars in two very different price ranges.
Amy: You wouldn’t believe that the Katana cost only $19900, but has like 80% of the capabilities of the more expensive Ghiraga (at around $49100) …
Tiramisu: You think so?
Amy: Well, honestly its kind of poor hindsight, but if the guys at Hikaru give the Katana a gearbox designed to take full advantage of the transplanted V12 and god give it some thicker tires 'cause it really needs it badly, then I would honestly think the Katana can match the Ghiraga…
Tiramisu: The Katana does look like good value for money, there has to be a catch…
Amy: Well…
During testing, both of them overheated in our performance segment at a track day, surprisingly enough the Ghiraga was overheating a lot more often than the Hikaru, and I had one of the dash fixtures starting to fail, just the analog clock but its telling of its build quality…
Tiramisu: You know what? If I could, I would daily drive the Katana.
Amy: But for the television?
Tiramisu: Unfortunately just like the Ghiraga, sadly I can’t but I would honestly love to own a Katana someday. But with that, rejecting the Ghiraga and Katana…
Amy: I am kinda feeling parched, don’t you agree?
Tiramisu: I concur
Amy: Let’s do one more car then we’ll head out for a short break yeah?
Tiramisu: Sure…
Amy: Alright, let’s end it with this…
@66mazda / @Falling_Comet / @Portalkat42 / @variationofvariables / @Tzuyu_main / @chiefzach2018
SENDO GT
- 5133cc V12 DOHC-4 N/A
- Front Long. 6 Spd. Manual
- 400.2 hp @ 6000 RPM / 536.0 Nm @ 4300 RPM
- 7000 RPM redline
- $50000
Tiramisu: Ah yes, Sendo…
Amy: The prestige that carries with the brand name is no less definitely a privilege available to a lucky few…
Tiramisu: Its definitely up there along with the Arachnid on looks alone.
Amy: It goes head-to-head with the Antares with a similar Double wishbone and Multilink suspension geometry aided with adaptive dampers… Speaking of which, I haven’t exactly compared the Antares and the Sendo GT side-by-side I would definitely like to make an article of it…
On paper, they are awfully similar in performance stats with barely any difference. From my experience, while the Antares is the more engaging car to drive, the Sendo is more comfortable and easier car to live with day-to-day…
Tiramisu: Either way, this goes on to the next segment effortlessly…
Amy: Pheeww… I am beat.
Tiramisu: Same…
Amy: Lets head to the local diner nearby, on me…
Tiramisu: You’re too kind!
Amy: Always have been…
* static *
THE FOLLOWING ENTRIES PASS THROUGH TO THE NEXT SEGMENT:
- LETTER OF APOLOGY -
Dear Entrants,
I would like to personally apologize for the delay of production. Personal circumstances in life have lead to a slump in motivation, but that will not deter me to complete this challenge. I just ask for your patience in waiting as I do not want to sacrifice quality for the review segments of the entrants
I am sorry for the inconvenience and hope for your understanding.
Sincerely,
“Unknown”
I would like to personally apologize for the delay of production. Personal circumstances in life have lead to a slump in motivation, but that will not deter me to complete this challenge. I just ask for your patience in waiting as I do not want to sacrifice quality for the review segments of the entrants
I am sorry for the inconvenience and hope for your understanding.
Sincerely,
“Unknown”
