Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 90: Executive Express

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 90: Executive Express

With the Automation world mostly on hold, not because of a global pandemic (which will only serve to allow Automationeers like us to devote more time to their hobby), but because of the imminent arrival of a new update for the stable release rendering every mod incompatible without significant reworking, I think it's time for me to share some more retrospectives from my second career as an Automationeer. Here is one of them.

Not so long ago, I discovered another challenge on the Automation forums: the Executive Sports Car Challenge. Set in 1985, it required entrants to build (and later submit) a four-door sports sedan with four or five seats to a strict, but realistic set of requirements. After some deliberation, I decided to submit something that would fit into the lore of my company, the Hampton Motor Group. The result was the 1985 Valiant Sprint - a high-performance version of the base model.

What made this contest unique was the fact that, in addition to the .car file for their entry, all entrants were also required to submit a text file about the design philosophy of their car and its manufacturer, including its country of origin. As a British manufacturer, the Hampton Motor Group's philosophy generally sacrificed some reliability for a quieter, more prestigious and dynamic car, and the '85 Valiant Sprint reflected that to a degree, with an alloy-head, dual-overhead camshaft version of the company's long-serving straight-six driving the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential.

It is worth noting that no mods were used in the exterior design of any of the Valiant trims shown here. Not only were mod bodies prohibited altogether, but links to each mod fixture used had to be provided with each submission. By not using any mods, I could simply skip this step and concentrate more on the engineering aspects of my entry.

The 1985 Hampton Valiant Sprint, as originally submitted in the 1985 Executive Sports Car Challenge.

As befitting its positioning as an executive car, it was given a full premium interior and sound system, with all-season tires and anti-lock brakes as standard, as stipulated by the regulations. Aesthetically, it was distinguished from lesser Valiants by black plastic grilles, a subtle aero kit, and larger alloy wheels. All in all, it was a stealthy yet rapid machine that could go from comfortably cruising down a freeway to thrilling its occupants when hustled along a twisty back road.

Two more variants of the '85 Hampton Valiant: the comfort-oriented Valiant 3.2 (left, in white) and the rare Valiant Sprint Evolution (right, in black).

In preparation of this car's incorporation into Hampton's company lore, I also created two other variants: the volume-selling Valiant 3.2, fitted with smaller wheels, a detuned engine and an automatic gearbox, and the higher-performance, limited-production Valiant Sprint Evolution, which was introduced in 1987 (two years after the other variants) came solely as a 2-door coupe and was distinguished by an even more highly tuned engine than in the original Sprint, as well as high-performance tires. However, neither of these trims would have been eligible for the challenge - I only made them after I had submitted the standard Valiant Sprint.

Update #1 (25th April 2020): The Executive Sports Car Challenge is still ongoing as of now - scrutineering and preliminary reviews for each submission (including mine) are pending. At a time when many other forum challenges are on hold, such an announcement is particularly welcome.

Update #2 (6th May 2020): The 1960 Automation Detroit Motor Show has just concluded; the next historic motor show on the Automation forums will be the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show. As such, I have considered the 1985 Valiant range for display when the show begins.