The Mara Irena appeared in the late 1960s and size-wise was definitely a step up from the diminutive Tovarish. However, it was still designed and engineered for maximum cost efficiency in order to be competitive on the Archanan market. Initially, it was available as a sedan and a panel van.
Generous space for cargo, and initially available for just under the magic $10k barrier*
The main engine for the Irena was a new 2 litre OHV inline four. For the most cost-conscious buyers, however, the Irena sedan and panel van base models were also available for a while with a 1.3 litre I4 - which had its roots in the 1940s Konyk engine - in a particularly economical tune for the higher octane fuel available in export markets.
The extra roof height allowed an easy transport of bulkier goods
The Konyk 1.3 engine was only discontinued in the Irena after the third attempt; the first two planned discontinuations coincided with the First and Second Dalluhan Oil Crises in the early and late 1970s, and market demand for frugal cars both times threw the 1.3 an unexpected lifeline.
The Irena remained Mara’s main car for domestic and export sales until the fall of the Closed Curtain. Over time, it became also available in 5-door wagon, hatchback, coupe, ute and convertible variants, receiving only modest upgrades over the years and decades.
* or whatever a meaningful price barrier in this ballpark would be in 1970s kronas…
Introduced in 1967 as a new model, the Mons Astral was a true turning point in Mons Automotive history. While still mainly focused on the North American market and following the main trends on their home continent, the Canadian maker started to incorporate European engineering into its cars. This resulted in some hybrid cars with a mix of North American and European style, that were well received domestically as well as internationally. The Mons Astral was no exception: it competed in the North American muscle market with its brawny looks, powerful V8 engine, and live rear axle, but had a modern Eurpean-inspired unibody chassis, brake system that didn’t fry after at each stop light, and a more understated styling than its North American rivals.
For 1969 (OOC: the car submitted for judging) several updates were made to the Astral. The original I6 engine and drivetrain was upgraded to a more traditional North American affair: a five-litre OHV V8 putting out just over 240 BHP at 5000 RPM. Its staggered tires made sure that the power made its way onto the tarmac, propelling this 1.3 ton beast 0-100 in 7.6s with its 4-gear manual gearbox. The side exhaust was added to cater to the more extreme domestic market.
The updated premium interior for 1969 featured all the amenities normal for the time found in any premium trim muscle car: quality leather seats, electric windows, a sporty and ergonomic dash. Although the first true cupholder is now attributed to the 1983 Dodge Caravan, the Mons Astral was actually the first car to include cupholders (although they were called “snack trays” at the time) - a true pioneer of its time!
The Mons Astral also stands out in the history of Mons as the catalyst behind Mons Automotive’s decision to open its fully-owned subsidiary branch: Mons Racing. With a growing cash flow following the boom years of the 1950s and early 1960s, and seeing the growing popularity of auto sports, Mons Automotive saw an opportunity to show off and advertise their cars in various racing leagues. But in order to do so, they needed their own in-house race engineering and manufacturing division. So, in 1972 Mons Racing was born. Their first car to enter the racing world was the Mons Astral R, a modified version of the street-going Astral C. The Astral R raced in the 1973 25th anniversary Nascar series. The car was a little rushed to production and reliability was not stellar, but Mons Racing was firmly on the scene!
Before the time of luxury cars from a brand that would outperform their flagship performance range for years. The Schnell C-1600 was a truck that could. Production moved from a factory in Germany to more places in mainland Europe to reduce the waiting list of previous cars. The workhorse that can. The rear engine New 1400-Series has been rendered obsolete due to more cars in the model range. As of now the brand produces Crossovers and performance cars and the bland versions of performance cars to suit their wide variety of demographic. But this was the first and last pickup truck they ever made.
There’s no rule against it. According to my lore, we use the boxer from 1946-2003. The rules only say that variant can’t be newer that trim, so theoretically, you could use the same engine every round until it is outlawed by muffler/emmissions.
Unfortunately for Tack, lightning didn’t strike twice. Sales of the 23F were healthy but never threatened to upset more popular brands such as AEKI with their very successful AEKI 100.
Money was tight for a completely new design so Tack chose to refresh the classic A Series inline six in order to ensure there was enough funds to afford the more substantial changes required elsewhere.
The result was a sedan which was quicker, easier to drive and more fun to hunt the backroads in. Comfort was improved and the high compression six was better on fuel than before. The Tack 230F had all the ingredients needed to woo buyers back; now all the public had to do was buy 'em!
The 1960’s were a strange time for Moravia’s home nation of Czechoslovakia. The communist government that had been in power started to loosen restrictions on it’s population and a period of liberal views began to sweep the nation in a movement that was to be called the “Prague Spring”. It was during this time that the company saw an opportunity to introduce a few new models to it’s lineup. The first was to be the replacement of the rear engined 850DA. The other was a larger family sedan called the Jestrab.
The Jestrab’s basic layout was fairly contemporary with what was being built at the time, with an 1278cc OHC inline four mounted at the front with power going to the rear, although it did feature an independent rear suspension design.But there was room for improvement, so the Moravia engineers brought it onto them selves to make a racing version.
So in 1970, the 1600 DCS entered the picture. They started with, in essence, adding an extra cylinder to the Jestab’s engine to create a 1.6 liter inline five. It also recieved a new cylinder head featuring dual camshafts. This allowed the DCS to make 98 horsepower at 6,100rpm and 101 foot pounds of torque at 3,900 in street trim. This propelled the 2100 pound car to a 10.4 second sprint to 62kph and a top speed of 111mph.
The 1.6l proved successful enough on the track that it was decided to continue to produce the engine for use in export markets, as well as governmental positions back home. Pricing for this speedy hawk started around $15,000 AMU.
The second-generation KAI K1 built on its predecessor’s virtues and improved them, thanks to a new platform and an extensively galvanised bodyshell. Under the hood, there was now a 1.4-litre single-cam inline-four breathing through twin carburetors. For the first time, radial tires and front disc brakes were fitted as standard. In some markets, the engine was tuned specifically to be capable of running on unleaded fuel.
The K1 was originally aimed at the North American market, where demand for smaller, more economical cars had taken off in the aftermath of the oil crisis. In particular, the HE (High Efficiency) variant shown here was built with efficiency in mind, and this it duly delivered with an average fuel economy figure of 33 US mpg - a vital asset as petrol prices stayed high for most of the rest of the decade.
Priced at $11,000 AMU in 1974, the K1 Mk2 soon became a common sight on American roads - and it was also a strong seller in other regions, including Europe. As the battle for efficiency raged on throughout the 1970s, the K1 Mk2 proved to be more than good enough to remain profitable for its maker, despite its competitors’ attempts to surpass it during its lifespan.
Buoyed by the success of their Specials, AIM looked to the 70’s intending to make a world beater to market in Europe, and decided upon the Sparrow, a tiny budget-oriented supermini aimed squarely at European city dwellers wanting a cheap runabout.
Coming in at just $9,890, AIM had to cut many corners to get the car to that price point while retaining more “premium” features like a standard radio and “fantastic plastic” trim around the bottom of the car. Power came from a new 1.3L I3 with a budget carburettor, making a modest 42kw, more than sufficient for around-town use.
The price shaving was so widespread that ex-AIM employees would later admit that the vents on the boot weren’t for increased cabin air circulation as marketing suggested, but rather to “Stop the cheap boot lock from breaking when you drove above 90[km/h]”. The paint was another cost cutting measure, with the Sparrow only being available in three popular colours from the Special to cut down on paint orders.
Chancing onto a perfect release date, the Sparrow arrived in Sweden shortly after the 1971 train strike. AIM pounced on the opportunity, circulating the below picture to the press and ad agencies with the tagline “More reliable than the trains.” (I don’t trust google translate enough to translate that so just pretend it’s Swedish).
The 1968 ITA Corbeta became a significant milestone in the brand’s history; it was presented to the public as an affordable luxury class, aimed mainly at the growing upper-middle class of the country.
It was sold in two body configurations: 2-door (GT) and 4-door (GS) sedan. Performance wasn’t it’s strength, as the 2.5L I6 that powered both versions produced only 107hp. However, the car proved to be very confortable and fairly easy to drive, and the safety equipment on the top trim level was superior to other competitors. Apart from that, it’s unique design, with smooth lines and subtle chrome details, stood out among other more traditional designs for it’s time.
Learning from their mistakes made when exporting the Cuter (forcing international clients to buy the car directly from the factory and deal themselves with the shipping, thus heavily limiting export sales), ITA set a small number of dealerships in Europe. The highest trim level of the model, the 2500 GT, became ITA’s most exported car during the 60’s. It’s reasonable price (from $11000 up to $13500 AMU) and a well received ad campaing (under the motto ‘the car for the ones that deserve more’, the brand aimed directly at european overpriced sedans) made it a popular choice in Europe.
ITA’s 1968 export line up. Left: Cuter, Rear: Goleta II, Right: Corbeta
In 1974 the Corbeta received a noticeable update in order to abide to international regulations, but also adding a few trims and engine options. The new top-trim of the model became the Corbeta 3000 GT:
Again, shout if you can’t find yourself in here. And remember that you can jump in at any round, even if you have missed one, more or all earlier rounds.
The midsize car of Cabrera´s lineup, the Boreas wasn´t an innovative car by any means. It proved to be a reliable mean of transport, though. Reliability and low cost were the main points of the car.
But that couldn´t sell cars alone. In Spain, national carmaker SEAT already had a similar model to this, the SEAT 124, which was as reliable but had more appeal thanks to it´s more powerful cousin, the 124 FU, equipped with a FIAT twin cam engine.
So, in 1970, Cabrera released their own “sports” saloon, the Boreas COPA, with a pretty similar (or identical) engine.
While the spanish market was still not ready for large quantities of these models, in Europe people was craving for them, and so, Cabrera exported the COPA
The Trekmaster II had been in production since 1960, but '69 was the first year for the hardtop. This example uses the tried-and-true Masterforce 8v motor. With 99hp, the SUV was easily able to handle the occasional trail.
12 long years it took for a replacement. Now I’m not 100% on the reasons but I think the big one was sports cars moving to mid engine layouts. Would they follow suit? No, of course not. So after one year of being dominated by the mid engined crowd they ran away. But they couldn’t leave the field of motorsport; they’d get bored. Boredom rots the mind, so to stave off the rabies they shifted to Group 2 and the European Touring Car Challenge in the mid 60’s. And you know what, the endurance skills transfered well and they didn’t do that bad with the MKI.
The other big reason is that they couldn’t decide what the Rattler should be. A soft GT crusier or a hard edged sports car. I was told Gaz and Matt nearly came to blows trying to answer that question. But in 1972 they displayed their answer.
The executives at AMM were left humbled by the complete and total failure of the Lyxig. An answer in search of a question, the car completely tanked. While the company believed that it could handle a failure, they had severely underestimated the degree of failure of the line. The late sixties and early seventies, then, were a time of austerity and pragmatism. The company launched a line of vans, but disaster threatened to strike again when a major contract fell through. Left with an excess of inventory, the company began the work of converting these vans into family-oriented minibusses - somewhat bland affairs, with a 2L inline 4 putting out a barely adequate 55 kW, a ladder frame (galvanised, after the Lyxig debacle), and a 3-speed slushbox. AMM has continued to build upon the one positive of the Lyxig - the crashworthiness - by installing the most modern and advanced safety available. The car boasts eight seats (although the rear three are jump seats for tax purposes and to maintain usable coverage). The converted vans are targeted towards families, hence the name - Familj. These converted vans come in at a very attractive 12,500 AMU - a far cry from the expensive, brash Lyxig and a price that is acceptable to the average consumer. Ultimately, the Familj isn’t fast, or luxurious, or high-tech - but it has three extra seats, and costs close to some five seaters, and that’s what it offers. Enough seats for the whole family, plus all the things you need to carry, and able to get you all there in one piece.
note: i was gonna make something like this bad boy for this round but i checked too see how long i had and i had two days. pair this with lots of personal life stuff and the fact that it takes me typically a week or so to make a car due to bad time management and it was clear that it was never going to happen. so, i cannabalised an older project to bring you this. enjoy.
In the early 70’s Maestrum expanded their range of cars to include the “C” model series: larger, rear-wheel-drive saloons that were aimed to be affordable and yet comfortable at the same time. Among the most interesting of these was K-50, essentially a rebadged Karuma Sevance (hence the “K” in the name) that had been sent to Maestrum as part of a trade deal that had been going since the 1950’s. Karuma didn’t sell anywhere other than Japan (and in some cases other Asian countries) and Maestrum didn’t sell in Asia.
Maestrum, upon recieving the first shipment of new '73 Sevance B’s took out the original 900cc engine (which was later used in the poorly selling MB55 model) and implanted the 1900cc “crate” motor used for most of Maestrum’s C-Series cars. They also used newer, wider tires and larger brakes.
The Luxe was the top-of-the-range luxury trim, featuring air conditioning, power steering, a 4 - speed automatic gearbox and many other commodities generally expected of a £7000 - £8000 car (roughly £20,000 - £21,000 in AUD), however the Luxe cost just £6600 (£17,100 AUD) making it more affordable for more families.
The K-50 didn’t perform well in the British market, and despite being sold to many private businesses and even the police force it died after just 3 years in production. It was eventually replaced with the K-60, a rebadged Karuma Duvance, a front-wheel-drive hatchback version of the Sevance that had exactly the same amount of cabin space and was significantly cheaper.
