Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 24: Guardian Reader's Motors
After CSR53 proved to be a disappointment with its lack of entries compared to previous rounds, the latest round of CSR provided a return to form. This time, entrants were asked to build and submit a bargain-basement car for the 1985 model year, costing no more than $7000 without markups. With the production unit and engineering time limits also accordingly low, it would be a grade-A challenge to create the most sensible and effective entry-level car for budget-conscious buyers. Despite my initial skepticism, I took the plunge and made plans for my entry in this round.
Uncharacteristically, I submitted my entry much closer to the deadline than previously, although considering that I had spent a whole week in Toronto accompanying my parents on an e-learning conference, the long delay was most certainly a necessity. When I finally got around to designing a car to submit for this round, I decided to eschew my usual choice of a straight-four for a smaller, cheaper but less powerful triple. My rationale for installing such a puny engine was that any money that would otherwise have gone into adding an extra cylinder could be spent on additional standard equipment.
The resulting car, the WMD Lepido, met all the eligibility requirements for this round - but only just. Even so, it offered a stereo, a five-speed gearbox, electronic fuel injection and disc brakes all around as standard. On top of that, it could run on regular unleaded gasoline, and, due to its use of a catalytic converter, actually required this new, more environmentally friendly fuel type.
Surprisingly, it made the first cut with ease, and drew praise for its surprising handling and straight-line performance, such was its low weight. Yet it did not even make the top five this time - the "buyer" in this round wasn't looking for a junior hot hatch, but an ordinary entry-level commuter capsule that he could theoretically own and drive for the rest of his life. That car, not surprisingly, was the Znopresk Zap - although quite a few cars ran it very close in the final reckoning.
Uncharacteristically, I submitted my entry much closer to the deadline than previously, although considering that I had spent a whole week in Toronto accompanying my parents on an e-learning conference, the long delay was most certainly a necessity. When I finally got around to designing a car to submit for this round, I decided to eschew my usual choice of a straight-four for a smaller, cheaper but less powerful triple. My rationale for installing such a puny engine was that any money that would otherwise have gone into adding an extra cylinder could be spent on additional standard equipment.
The resulting car, the WMD Lepido, met all the eligibility requirements for this round - but only just. Even so, it offered a stereo, a five-speed gearbox, electronic fuel injection and disc brakes all around as standard. On top of that, it could run on regular unleaded gasoline, and, due to its use of a catalytic converter, actually required this new, more environmentally friendly fuel type.
Behold WMD's tiny Lepido - there's more to it than meets the eye.
Surprisingly, it made the first cut with ease, and drew praise for its surprising handling and straight-line performance, such was its low weight. Yet it did not even make the top five this time - the "buyer" in this round wasn't looking for a junior hot hatch, but an ordinary entry-level commuter capsule that he could theoretically own and drive for the rest of his life. That car, not surprisingly, was the Znopresk Zap - although quite a few cars ran it very close in the final reckoning.
It's safe to say that the opposition got 'zapped' by this little thing!
And so another budget car challenge came to an end, with a deserved win for the best all-round car in the contest. Yet Automationeers never stop thinking of new ideas, either for their cars or the contests they enter them into, and it would not be long before CSR resumed as scheduled. This time, it would be in a much more recent era, with a totally different premise - and a unique set of priorities.
