Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 82: Vanilla Nice

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 82: Vanilla Nice

When the Automation developers announced that they would be remaking the game' trailer with purely vanilla cars from other users (in the sense that they did not use any mods, instead being made using content that is included in the base game), I was intrigued, to say the least. Although I submitted a variant of the DMS Imperia GT for this challenge, it is worth noting that this car has already been discussed in an earlier post in this series, so I will be focusing on something else instead.

For my second (and last) submission for the devs, I decided to rework an existing car, and ended up with the first-generation DMS Cuneo. This was another mid-engined sports car, but smaller, lighter, less powerful and considerably cheaper. I positioned it as a purists' machine, with no driving aids or power steering. Powered by a high-revving, all-alloy, normally aspirated 2-litre straight-four, delivering 180 horsepower and 140 foot-pounds of torque to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential, this was a machine intended for serious drivers only.

The 1992 DMS Cuneo is as straightforward as contemporary drivers' cars could get - no assists, just you and the road, taking advantage of a well-sorted chassis and an engine with enough power for its lightweight body.

Aesthetically, the Cuneo is very much a product of its time, with a somewhat minimalist exterior design. Mechanically, it follows established sports car principles, with double-wishbone suspension at each corner. However, although it was originally intended to have a steel bodyshell, I opted for a fiberglass one to make it as light as possible. The omission of driving aids and power steering also helped, as did the fitment of modestly sized, 15-inch alloy wheels, with a staggered fitment. In addition, a close-ratio gearbox and a suspension tune configured for highly precise handling cemented its track-focused reputation.

Obviously, in making it so uncompromised, I had to make some sacrifices in drivability and comfort - but that wasn't the point of the design. Overall, I was very pleased at how well it turned out. This was quite a fun challenge to design a car for - especially when taking into account the explicit prohibition of any and all mods - and even if neither of my entries is included in the new trailer, I remain as proud of them as ever. Stay tuned for the next post in this series, in which I take a look back at a major milestone not just in the history of CSR, but also Automation as a whole.