Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 249: Sharpening the Knife

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 249: Sharpening the Knife

As a continuation of my work on the 1992 Kodai Kunai, I started looking into what a more highly tuned version of it could be. However, since the donor car was already a highly capable sports car, I knew I had to make the new trim more like a supercar, at least in terms of power output. So I took the GT trim (which I had just made) and created the GT400 trim out of it.

The engine received the most comprehensive changes, developing 400 horsepower on 98 RON super unleaded (up from 276 on 95 RON premium unleaded) thanks to increased boost pressure (1.0 bar instead of 0.5 bar) and larger turbochargers, as well as a high-flow intake and exhaust (catalytic converter/muffler). A shorter final drive ratio (to better harness the increased output) yielded a significantly faster 0-60 mph time (4.2 seconds, down from 4.7), but it wasn't the only factor. Staggered tires (245/40R18 up front and 265/35R18 at the rear) wrapped in 18-inch forged wheels (to accommodate 350mm vented front disc brakes with 4-piston calipers - the rear brakes are 325mm-diameter vented discs with 2-piston rear calipers) also account for the quicker acceleration, and extra grip to go along with it. Also, by setting the weight optimization slider to its lightest setting, I saved 70kg even after installing an aerodynamic undertray (to generate additional downforce in conjunction with a front spoiler in place of the lip fixture, which was moved to the rear). Finally, I retuned the suspension to maintain the base car's sporty feel, albeit sharpened.

Above, from top: The GT400 trim takes the standard Kodai Kunai and turns it up to 11 inside and out.

Aesthetically, this new trim was distinguished by different interior materials (to better match its performance-oriented positioning), hood vents, larger frontal air intakes, a taller rear wing, wider wheel arches, and deeper side skirts. However, such giant-killing performance doesn't come cheap - with the base car having a price of $40,000 AMU, adding the GT400 package resulted in something that cost half as much again ($60,000) when new. Then again, when you consider that its performance figures put it in the top flight of its era (with only very the fastest hypercars remaining out of reach), all that extra money is guaranteed to be well spent.

There could, in theory, be even more potential lurking within the platform - probably in the form of an even more extreme road-legal trim level, or an actual race car - but for now, the GT400 serves as the ultimate expression of the Kunai line, blending agile handling with addictive turbo thrust in a shapely package that can compete with the best that the rest of the world can offer. And it does all of this at a lower cost than others in its class, in both stock and tuned forms.

What next for the Kunai line, then? As good as it is, pitting it against a Parana P600 would be too much of a stretch, given the Parana's far greater prestige. However, it might be possible to throw it into the lion's den of a future group test featuring at least one other factory or aftermarket tuned car from the same year - and if anything like that were to occur in the future, I'd be looking forward to it.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 248: Eastern Winds

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 248: Eastern Winds

With the Automation Beam Championship currently on hold, even though I've successfully submitted an entry for it, I decided to turn my attention to another Discord challenge. This one was themed around 1990s JDM cars (a favorite of mine since childhood), but was hosted on the official Automation Discord channel. No AI-generated/enhanced imagery was permitted, nor was use of anything that had already been used in any previous design competition, but otherwise, I had free rein as to what I could enter.

This time, I created something completely from scratch - the 1992 Kodai Kunai - and immediately set about getting it ready for the challenge. Built on an AHS (advanced high-strength) steel unitary chassis with some aluminum panels, its dual-wishbone front/multilink rear suspension, tuned for road-biased performance, endowed it with sporty handling and a surprising level of compliance. Combined with large ABS-assisted vented disc brakes at each corner, it could also perform repeated hard stops from highway speeds with no fade whatsoever.

Regarding propulsion, I settled on a 2.5-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six (chosen to simulate a rotary engine as closely as possible within the game engine's limitations) developing 276 horsepower, sent through a 5-speed manual gearbox and helical limited-slip differential to the rear wheels. Other standard equipment included a set of front and rear spoilers (specifically, a front lip and rear wing), 17-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in high-performance tires, a premium interior with a 6-speaker CD/cassette stereo sound system, variable-ratio hydraulic power steering, traction control, and dual front airbags.

Above, from top: Although originally intended for a Discord challenge, the 1992 Kodai Kunai also serves as a passion project in that it serves as my idea of a contemporary Asian performance car - small and light, with a modest output by today's standards - that can go toe-to-toe with Western equivalents.

In short, the Kunai may not be the most powerful car in its class, but its light weight and small size make it very wieldy and agile on the road, where it's most likely to spend its time.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 247: The Ultimate Summer Toy?

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 247: The Ultimate Summer Toy?

For my last post before my spring vacation in Japan (again - I haven't been there at any time of the year other than summer or fall, so my spring visit will be my first), I'll show you a variant of the 1992 Parana P600 that I somehow haven't yet made - until now. The P600 Spyder (an open-topped roadster variant with a detachable soft top) takes the basic recipe and lops the roof off, with minimal loss of performance, precision, or aesthetics. If anything, it's even more extrovert than the original car, and puts its occupants on display for all the world to see and hear.

Above, from top: Removing the roof from the Parana P600 to create the Spyder variant hasn't diluted its style or performance one bit - on the contrary, it has enhanced it even more.

As I am writing this, the astronomical start of spring is just over a week away; however, it feels like it's summer outside, and in such hot, dry conditions, a car like the P600 Spyder would be the best way to have fun in the sun on four wheels (budget permitting - it still costs $100k AMU in-game, which would've translated to at least $500k in real-life 1992 dollars), at any price point. It may have been reserved for the rich and fortunate few, but those who could've afforded it would not have been disappointed in the slightest.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 246: Rivage Duo

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 246: Rivage Duo

While revisiting my backlog of fully detailed Automation builds, I stumbled across the 2005 SVM Ravager I had made almost two years ago in Ellisbury, and asked myself: "What if this had come out a decade earlier?" To that end, I cloned the entire car (including the base model and engine family) together, backdated all the years to 1995, and downgraded to a 3.2-liter 32-valve flat-crank V8 developing 380 horsepower in the base GT trim (or 400 horsepower in the 100kg lighter GTS trim) - more than adequate in a car as small and light as what I eventually called the Rivage (which was what the Brussels corner at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium used to be called) - and adjusted the trim options and settings accordingly to retain the razor-sharp handling feel without being unnecessarily wayward or sloppy.

Above, from top: As part of my thought experiment to see what the SVM Ravager would've looked like in the mid-1990s, I cloned the whole car and created the 1995 Rivage, powered by a 3.2-liter normally aspirated flat-crank V8 developing 380 or 400 horsepower depending on trim level, and mid-mounted in a compact, lightweight all-aluminum alloy body/chassis. The red car with a red interior is the GT trim, intended to be more usable on a daily basis; the yellow car with a yellow interior is the lighter, track-focused GTS, which can be distinguished externally by the presence of additional vents up front.

With the engine capable of revving to 9000 rpm courtesy of variable valve timing and lift, even the base GT trim was a visceral experience; this was even more true of the GTS, which shed 105kg (1160kg vs. 1265kg for the GT) due to a lightweight sports interior (replacing the premium item found on the base car), high-flow exhaust (catalytic converter + mufflers), and unassisted steering in place of the variable-ratio hydraulic rack, among others. In terms of philosophy, the Rivage follows the principles of my earlier KMA KX8 line, but takes those ideas to even higher extremes due to it being three years newer overall, and thus less encumbered by heavy techpool usage.

In short, the Rivage would've been a lot like the KX8 to drive in general, being a small, light mid-engined V8-powered junior supercar, but with an even more exciting feel due to its larger, more powerful, and higher-revving engine.

MechDB Misadventures, Part 26: BattleMaster IIC?

MechDB Misadventures, Part 26: BattleMaster IIC?

Although the BattleMaster IIC is not actually part of the canonical lore of BattleTech or MechWarrior, a recent update to MechWarrior Online has introduced a BattleMaster variant that's as close to it as you can get: the BLR-1GBc "Red Corsair", based on a Star League-era all-energy variant, but remanufactured with Clan tech. Being a pure energy 'Mech, it can run hot if you're not cautious, but it has no ammunition dependency or explosion issues whatsoever (unless you fit regular AMS and some ammo to feed it, and even then, integral CASE - Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment - in each component will mitigate the effects of AMS ammo detonations), which can be a big plus in long matches in which the risk of ammo depletion is highest. And as with the original BattleMaster, it has an engine cap of 400, allowing you to create surprisingly fast builds for its size, if you're brave enough - the fact that this is a Clan-tech variant (for which XL engines weigh less and require 1 fewer critical slot in each side torso) only sweetens the deal.

One of the possibilities resulting from this energy dependency is a quad ER PPC variant, reminiscent of the Warhawk/Masakari, but with each pair of ER PPCs placed in the side torsos instead of the arms. With a Clan 340-rated XL engine, it can match the Warhawk in speed, and fitting 24 Clan double heat sinks (including those built into, or externally attached to, the engine) gives it more than enough cooling as long as you fire them in pairs. Fit 16 tons of standard armor over an endo-steel frame, add a MkV Clan Targeting Computer, install a Clan Active Probe, and you're good to go.

Above: Emulating the Warhawk/Masakari WHK-Prime on the BattleMaster BLR-1GBC "Red Corsair" by fitting a MkV Targeting Computer and 24 Clan Double Heat Sinks in an Endo-Steel frame encased in 16 tons of Standard Armor creates a 'Mech that, though not as effective as its inspiration due to a lack of weapon-related quirks (or even secondary weapons), can still be a deadly sniper, and may actually be a better option in long battles due to its side torso-mounted dual ER PPCs (two per side torso) being placed high up on the 'Mech, and no ammunition dependency or explosion issues whatsoever.

However, it's also possible to turn this variant into a zombie 'mech by fitting a standard engine and an energy weapon of some sort in the lone center torso-mounted hardpoint. One suggestion with this in mind is as follows:

Above: An all-Pulse Laser zombie 'Mech loadout on the Red Corsair BattleMaster such as this one would be devastating at short to medium range, and crucially, it would remain a threat unless its center torso, head, or both legs were destroyed. Swapping the arm-mounted Medium Pulse Lasers for Small Pulse Lasers to save enough spare mass for a Clan Active Probe or Mk1 Targeting Computer (which would most likely occupy the free critical slot in the head) could be considered, if you want a more heat-efficient take on the same theme.

Using the Red Corsair as an ER Large Laser boat (with six such weapons in total, three in each side torso) with the largest targeting computer available (a MkVII unit) will also give unparalleled accuracy, but with slightly better heat efficiency than the quad ER PPC loadout, albeit with a lower maximum speed, as follows:

Above: Although slightly slower than the quad ER PPC build, the 6x Clan ER Large Laser Red Corsair build with a MkVII Targeting Computer is even more accurate, and easier on your heat gauge.

There are other loadouts that the Red Corsair can accommodate, but these are among the best known.

In short, the Red Corsair Legendary variant of the BattleMaster may not be an actual BattleMaster IIC, instead being closer to the Inner Sphere's Warlord (which also has an all-energy loadout, but weighs 5 tons less than the BattleMaster) in concept, but it takes some of the best bits of both 'Mechs and combines them into an ammunition-independent assault 'Mech that can fulfill many roles.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 245: Horse Heresy?

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 245: Horse Heresy?

One of the body sets introduced in the Al-Rilma build of Automation is called the Horse (available from 1959 onwards, assuming body set tech pool is set to 0), and as far as builds from the 1960s and later are concerned, it's among my go-to builds for muscle/pony cars as well as other, more mundane stuff (family, premium, and luxury sedans, among others). My love for it got to the point where I created a new candidate for a fully detailed build: the first-generation SVM Bearclaw, which debuted in 1967. This is a reimagining of a model that had been built on a different, more angular body set in Ellisbury, but I realized that I could do a better job with a total redesign instead of an update of the original build.

Given that the original version had a fastback profile, it made perfect sense to give the remake the same feature. This was made easier on the Horse body set that I'd chosen, since I'd have more morphing zones (and a wider adjustment range for each one) to work with. And without the need to tailor it to the needs of a Discourse challenge (for which the previous iteration had been intended), I could afford to go all out and fit the biggest, punchiest engine that the flagship trim level could offer, instead of a smaller engine that would make more sense on some lesser trims. This meant fitting a 7.5-liter V8 engine breathing through two four-barrel carburetors and driving the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual gearbox and clutched limited-slip differential. In its most potent state of tune, it developed 410 net horsepower thanks to long-tube headers, high-flow heads, an aggresive cam profile, and forged internals.

In keeping with the technology of the era, the reimagined Bearclaw was built on a ladder frame with dual A-arm front suspension and a leaf-sprung live rear axle, with disc brakes up front and drums at the rear, along with bias-ply tires wrapped around steel wheels (although magnesium wheels would be optional). And to further justify its placing at the top of the range, it came with a premium interior and AM radio as standard in place of the mid-grade standard items that would otherwise have been fitted. An advanced safety suite was also part of the standard equipment list, while the roomy interior had seating for four full-sized seats (not a 2+2 arrangement with 2 smaller rear seats, as is the norm for the segment).

Even at an all-up price of $25,000 AMU in 1967, the 455 SC (standing for Special Competition) was great value for money; with a 0-60 time of as little as 5.1 seconds (depending on gearing) and a theoretical top speed of 165 mph (again, gearing-dependent) - enough to lead its class, especially when the quarter-mile time of 13.36 seconds was taken into account. Careful suspension tuning led to an 0.8g skidpad grip rating (on a 200m skidpad), while its braking distance from 62 mph was a solid 40.3 meters, despite some brake fade at the rear.

Obviously, such excess could not remain part of the lineup forever; I would expect this particular generation of Bearclaw to go out of production completely by 1974, when the next one made its debut. That, however, would be significantly downsized along with its engine - but a more detailed writeup about it (if I ever decide to make such a thing) would have to wait for another post.

Above: Here is what the 1967 SVM Bearclaw (the first generation of the nameplate) looks like in its current form. Its fastback roofline, squared-off rear end (with a functional, though discreet, ducktail rear spoiler above a set of paired circular taillight clusters on each side), and an imposing front end (complete with airdam and hood scoop, along with fog lights) leave no doubt that this is as much of a muscle car as it is a pony car - especially in its flagship 455 trim level, as shown here.

Going forward, my future plans for the Bearclaw lineage could include any, or even all, of the following:

• A rework of the third- and fourth-generation Bearclaws (for which I've already made fully detailed interiors), to account for the changes made to the game since the Al-Rilma version of Automation was introduced last year - and follow on from the proposed second-generation car, as stated above.
• The installation of a fully detailed interior on the original Bearclaw, possibly in combination with minor exterior revisions (if necessary), commensurate with the trim level's mechanical setup.
• Expanding the range with lesser trims (all of which would have lower power outputs, due to smaller, less aggressively tuned engines), different body styles (such as a convertible, or a notchback coupe, to sit alongside the fastback), and/or facelifts later in the production run (most likely in 1970, given that the Bearclaw debuted in 1967 under the revised timeline).

In short, my redesigned OG Bearclaw, remade for Al-Rilma, is a much more convincing rendition of the first generation of the model line, especially when compared to anything I'd made in Ellisbury.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 244: A Fiery Love Letter to Horsepower

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 244: A Fiery Love Letter to Horsepower

The Valentine's Day/Chinese New Year long weekend has come and gone, and to celebrate I made a new trim of something I'd previously cooked up for a BeamNG-based Discord challenge: the Parana P600. In its original, Beam-friendly form, it had 580 horsepower from a 6.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 driving all four wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and a luxury interior/CD stereo. However, the lore-accurate version is strictly rear-wheel drive, with 650 horsepower and a fully hand-built interior to better reflect its bespoke nature. Essentially, it's what my LVC LS60 (which follows a similar retro-futuristic aesthetic) would've been if it had an engine closer in size and RPM limit to what its chief rival, the AMS Archangel (another one of my original '90s hypercar designs), was fitted with, and was a true hand-built product in the vein of the WM Amadeus (which competes with both the LS60 and Archangel, despite making its debut five years before both of those cars did, according to my lore).

Since 2026 is the year of the Horse, or more specifically the Fire Horse, here's a set of screenshots showing the P600 with a red exterior and silver wheels (the Discord submission had a blue exterior and gold wheels of a different design), which fits the theme best (and also goes well with the Valentine's Day weekend that began three days before the official Chinese New Year celebrations) considering the topic of this post:

Above, from top: What if the LVC LS60 came out earlier, utilized an engine more like that of its chief rival (the AMS Archangel), and was fitted with a hand-built interior to match what the WM Amadeus had? The Parana P600 would've been the answer to that question.

This was my first fully detailed build to be based on any of the '88 Copy Cat body sets, but when revising the interior for the original version, I replaced the dashboard, center console, and door cards, while some of the other interior fixtures either had to be removed entirely. or were resized and repositioned to accommodate the constraints of the new interior fixtures.

In short, the P600 combines all the best aspects of all three of my favorite '90s V12 hypercar designs into a single build, while also incorporating lessons learned during their development.

Update (2:20 pm, Monday, March 9, 2026): I have revised the P600 with a scoop fixture on the rear deck between the vents, as follows:

Above: Both trims of the P600 Lusso after the latest revision, with the text on the rear bodywork moved very slightly upward, and a subtle scoop fixture between the vents on the engine cover.

In addition, the text has been moved slightly upward on both sides for a more harmonious look.