Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 52: Cult of Personality

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 52: Cult of Personality

As a follow-on from Generations, Cult of Personality was a worthy successor, despite having a different theme. Specifically, it was open to cars from the Automationverse released between 1956 to 1989 (with the engine and variant years also both set to no later than 1989, along with the added stipulation that cars with a trim year from 1974 or later also required an engine whose trim year was 1974 or later), and covered various categories, from sports cars and muscle cars to mass-market classics and full-size trucks. Also, any parts which could not be mass-produced on a large scale or are otherwise reserved for high-priced exotics (such as full aluminum or fiberglass bodies, space-frame chassis, V16 engines and 100 RON/95 AKI ultimate unleaded gasoline) could not be used. Finally, unleaded gasoline would be mandatory for all post-1974 vehicles, unless the vehicle in question was explicitly stated to not have been sold in North America at all (and hence only eligible for the import/export category); under such circumstances, leaded gasoline could be used until the earliest year in the vehicle's country of origin for which unleaded fuel was mandated.

At first, I didn't give much thought to this challenge, given that whatever companies I had created for the UE4 Automationverse had little (if any) lore behind them. However, in the fifth week of the competition, well after many entries had been submitted, categorized and ranked, I had a change of heart and realized that it was in fact worth entering after all. That's when I remembered that I had already made something which was eligible as-is: the Morton Corsair III. This mid-80s pony car was chosen for its potential significance - after the nameplate lost its mojo after two fuel crises in quick succession, a replacement had to be developed pronto.

After a decade in the doldrums, the Morton Corsair III started a renaissance for the long-lived model line.

The redesigned Corsair retained the 5.0L pushrod V8 of its predecessor, but gained multi-point electronic fuel injection, bumping power up to a respectable 225 horsepower - heady stuff for 1985. Suddenly, it became clear that the Malaise Era (a term coined for the period between 1974 and, depending on the writer, any year between 1984 and 1990 inclusive) was coming to an end, and soon. Not surprisingly, it placed very highly in the muscle car category of the competition, but I was surprised that just a few other Automationeers had also submitted something for that category.

For the sixth and final week of the competition, I came up with something which was the polar opposite of the Corsair III in terms of powertrain philosophy. That car was the 1987 Genra GXM Turbo, a small, mid-engined sports coupe powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four hooked up to a five-speed manual gearbox and a mechanical limited-slip differential.

Owing to its low cost, immense tuning potential and great performance when stock, it was very popular among enthusiasts who wanted a fast, affordable sports coupe. It also proved to be a common sight at race tracks, whether they were campaigned at the amateur or professional level.

The GXM Turbo was yet more proof that the performance car as a whole was on the comeback trail after coming perilously close to extinction during the oil crises of the 70s.

It was also a decent everyday proposition as well - it came with a tape deck as standard and had a fully galvanized bodyshell with some alloy panels, ensuring that corrosion was minimized - but not at the expense of excessive weight gain. However, so many GXM Turbos have been modified or converted for racing duties over the years that few stock examples remain, and these are the most sought-after of all by enthusiasts.

At the end of the sixth week, the contest concluded with a list of rankings for each category. My first submission, the Corsair III, finished fifth in the muscle car category - a solid result, but one which I expected considering that it didn't enter production until well after the golden age of muscle cars had come and gone. The GXM Turbo, meanwhile, finished third in the sports car category, and also claimed fifth in the retro motorsports category.

Overall, this was a highly positive experience for me. It provided me with a chance to expand the lore from some of my brands, and provide some backstory for the two car models which I submitted. I would definitely want to enter a similar contest to this one - but with more modern cars (most likely from the '90s and '00s). Until then, see you next time.