Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 77: Screen Time

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 77: Screen Time

The Automation Gamer Challenge was not the only spin-off of the Crowd Sourcing Competition to achieve major success in recent times. Since last month, there has also been a TV and Movie Car Challenge, in which the objective is to build a car suitable for a major role in a TV show or film. The first round of this new challenge was set in 2007, revolving around a social worker living in Sheffield and in need of a thrifty, practical and reliable car for daily use, with good drivability. Comfort, sportiness and aesthetics would be relatively minor priorities by comparison.

Shortly after the rule set was finalized, I set about developing a suitable entry. After testing several configurations, I settled on a small compact sedan with a front-wheel-drive chassis and a mildly tuned four-cylinder engine. The resulting car was named the GEC GC2 2.0 - a sleek, modern and simple design.

Above and top: The 2007 GEC GC2 2.0 as submitted in the inaugural TV and Movie Car Challenge.

The GC2 acquitted itself very well in judging due to being as cheap to buy and run as it was easy to drive, with highly reliable mechanicals and decent handling to boot. In fact, its relative lack of practicality was its only real weakness, and if the TV crew hadn't given as much thought to it, the GC2 may well have won. In the end, though, it finished second to a far more practical car - the Forea Connecta.

The winning car for MCC 1 - the Forea Connecta.

However, I was able to hold my head high in this challenge, given that I had simply made a very good entry. And since the winning user declined to host the next round, I decided to accept hosting duties in his place. As of now, I am considering a multitude of options for MCC 2, and will devote the next few days to determining an appropriate rule set for the theme I choose to use.

And since holiday season is in full swing, I would like to wish all my followers - especially my fellow Automationeers - a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!