Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 91: Revisiting Old (And Breaking New) Ground

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 91: Revisiting Old (And Breaking New) Ground

As the year 2020 A.D. rolls on, it's becoming clear that there may not be many (any?) real-life motor shows left to base Automation forum motor shows on, given that the game does not support designs made in 2021 and later. However, a few devoted Automationeers have come to the rescue by revisiting the idea of historic motor shows. It's not a completely new idea, though: it dates back to the Kee era of Automation, but ever since the shift to UE4 a few years ago, many longtime users have wanted it to return, and given the current circumstances, it has made more sense than ever.

This trend started off on the right foot with the 1960 Automation Detroit Motor Show, which had a decent turnout and provided me with a chance to showcase some of the new or revised models from the Hampton Motor Group, which I created specifically for the Generations II tournament. I chose to send four of its model lines to Detroit: the Shrike (a small entry-level sports car), the Peregrine (a larger, more upmarket sports car), the Valiant (a mid-sized sedan, coupe and wagon), and the Vanguard (a large luxury car). A detailed description of these 1960 models can be found in an earlier post in this series.

Moving forward, the next historic motor show on the forums is the recently launched 1985 Automation Frankfurt Motor Show, which concludes early in June. It was here that, according to company lore, the Hampton Motor Group returned to the sports car market with an all-new Peregrine, powered by the same 3.5-litre straight-six as the Valiant Sprint. Speaking of which, that model could now be ordered with a Performance Pack (which included more aggressive gearing and high-performance tires) for the first time.

The 1985 Hampton Peregrine II, in coupe (left) and convertible (right) forms.

According to company lore, the original Peregrine was in production between 1956 and 1974, but there was initially no immediate successor due to the oil crisis. It wasn't until the early 1980s that the Hampton Motor Group contemplated developing a replacement, but eventually it arrived within a few years. At launch, the Peregrine II was offered solely as a two-seater, with the only available body styles being a fixed-roof coupe or soft-top convertible. Unlike other rear-wheel-drive model ranges in the Hampton lineup, it was built on a bespoke platform, with a shorter wheelbase and double-wishbone suspension at each corner to set it apart under the skin. Clever suspension tuning made it very agile in the corners, and it was even faster than the Valiant Sprint, thanks to a lighter curb weight.

Another one of Hampton's new arrivals at the 1985 Frankfurt Auto Show was the fourth-generation Vanguard. This full-sized four-door luxury car was offered with either a 3.2-litre or 3.5-litre straight-six, with the latter being a detuned version of that found in the Peregrine and the Valiant Sprint. To distinguish the Vanguard from its lesser brethren, its interior was much more lavish, and hydro-pneumatic suspension was standard across the range, as was a four-speed automatic transmission.

Two trims for the 1985 Hampton Vanguard: the 3.5 Supreme (left) and 3.2 Deluxe (right).

The higher-end Supreme trim was also offered as a two-door coupe, something that was never considered for the previous Vanguard. Unlike the smaller Valiant, no attempt was made to offer this generation of Vanguard in convertible or wagon form. As with the Valiant, a Sprint version was offered as the flagship of the range, with a driveline taken from the Peregrine, but mated to the Vanguard's automatic transmission and viscous limited-slip differential.

A 1985 Vanguard Supreme Coupe in dark metallic green (left) and a Vanguard Sprint Coupe in silver (right.

Even more significant was the presence of the 1985 Valiant range. Available as a coupe, sedan, convertible or wagon, this executive car was available in four trims:

• Prime: The base model, with a premium interior and audio system, powered by a 3.0-litre (91 RON) engine.
• Deluxe: Another premium trim, but with more features than the Prime, including optional ABS; 3.2-litre engine (95 RON) optional.
• Supreme: The flagship of the regular Valiant range with 3.2-litre engine and ABS as standard; 3.5-litre (95 RON) engine optional.
• Sprint: Dedicated high-performance variant, available only as sedan or coupe, with a more highly tuned version of the 3.5-litre straight-six, a 5-speed manual transmission, mechanical LSD and sportier suspension tune as standard features; Performance Pack (including high-performance tires and more aggressive gearing) optional.

Some of the 1985 Valiant variants. Above, left to right: 3.0 Prime wagon, 3.2 Deluxe sedan, 3.2 Deluxe convertible, and 3.5 Sprint coupe with Performance Pack. Below, left to right: 3.5 Supreme coupe and 3.5 Sprint sedan without Performance Pack.

Sitting below the Valiant was a redesigned Ferret, built on a shortened Valiant platform and powered almost exclusively by the same engines as its larger sibling, except for a twin-cam, alloy-head 2.2-liter version of the straight-four engine first used the original 1956 Ferret. This would be reserved for the entry-level Prime trim, though: all the others were available only with six-cylinder engines. Unlike the Valiant, there would not be a Sprint version of this generation of the Ferret; that would have to wait until its successor arrived several years later.

The 1985 Hampton Ferret range, from left to right: 2.2 Prime wagon, 3.0 Deluxe sedan, 3.2 Supreme coupe, and 2.8 Deluxe convertible. 

With this expanded lineup, the Hampton Motor Group was able to fill a wider variety of niches, catering especially to a broader spectrum of high-end buyers than it was able to at the start of the decade. However, to safeguard its position, all of these models would be significantly updated for the 1990 model year. As part of this plan, Hampton's venerable straight-six was given a comprehensive redesign, incorporating an aluminum alloy block and four-valve heads with variable intake (and later exhaust) valve timing, providing significantly improved efficiency and performance - but that is a story best reserved for another time, and another post.

Update (June 7th 2020): The next historic motor show on the Automation Discourse (not Discord) forums is the 1994 New York Auto Show. Expect a blog post discussing this show to be published soon.