Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 107: The New Cult of Personality
The recent re-launch of the Cult of Personality challenge on the Automation forums got me excited about creating a company with lore for the first time in a long time. Similar to the earlier Generations II tournament, this was focused on the American market, but focused on a narrower time period, from 1960 to 1992. With this in mind, I decided to concentrate my attention on some of the most significant cars from the Madison Motor Car Company, an American manufacturer which I had specifically created for this challenge.
My first submission (for the period between 1960 and 1966) representing Madison was the top-end trim of their intermediate-sized muscle car, the 1966 Trebuchet 427. Its 7-liter pushrod V8 engine delivered a searing 330 net horsepower and 440 foot-pounds of torque, yielding a 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 14.7 seconds - formidable numbers for the era. For the second round (which spans the years from 1967 to 1973), I submitted an even faster and more powerful trim, dubbed HP (short for Handling Package). In addition to having 20 more horsepower, the HP option (introduced in 1970) added front and rear spoilers, specially tuned suspension, alloy wheels, and front disc brakes, with radial tires, a wider front track and rear disc brakes also being available for the first two years in which it was offered.
A 1970 Madison Trebuchet 427 HP (left, in yellow) next to a pre-facelift 1966 model (right, in blue).
The third round (which covered the years 1974-1979) was set in an era where the entire automotive industry was struggling to adapt to new laws that had been hastily passed in the aftermath of the oil crises of the 1970s. To prove a point, I submitted a completely new model that would serve as a halo car for the next decade - the Ballista. My submission was the top-shelf 350 GT model, powered by a 5.7-liter pushrod V8 delivering 205 horsepower mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. To harness what seemed like a sizable amount of power back then, I fitted vented disc brakes and A-arm independent suspension at each corner. Although the otherwise clean exterior design had to be encumbered by separate rubber bumpers, I managed to integrate them more cleanly than I expected. Then again, the Ballista was all about performance, and with a 0-60 mph time of 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 156 mph, it was never going to disappoint anyone.
Front (above) and rear (below) three-quarter views of the 1979 Madison Ballista 350 GT.
In the fourth round (set between 1980 and 1986), I chose to submit an updated version of the Ballista - the 350 GTS, powered by a 285-bhp fuel-injected version of the 5.7-liter V8. I also made a cheaper variant, the 305 GT, whose engine was a fuel-injected 5.0-liter V8 developing 225 horsepower. All trims had a mechanical LSD and five-speed manual gearbox as standard. In addition, the facelifted Ballista could be distinguished by pop-up headlights, integrated bumpers, a full-width rear reflector, and (from 1986) a central high-mounted stop light. For the first time ever, customers could order the option of a contrasting pinstripe around the lower bodywork, below which a second, different contrasting exterior color could also be applied. To distinguish it from the 305, the 350 GTS also had a more flamboyant aero kit, complete with a large hood scoop and rear wing - helpful when exploiting its improved performance (0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 170 mph) compared to lesser Ballistas.
1985 Madison Ballista, shown in 350 GTS (above, black/red/silver) and 305 GTS (below, red/black) trims.
For the fifth and final round (which spans the years 1987 to 1992), I submitted yet another version of the Ballista, the 500 GT. Unlike the earlier trims, this was based on a completely new model, redesigned from the ground up, and powered by an all-new, 5.0-liter all-alloy dual-overhead-cam V8 developing 345 horsepower with the aid of variable intake and exhaust valve timing. As befitting its halo car status, the new Ballista came with a raft of new technologies, such as anti-lock brakes, traction control, and dual front airbags, mostly to improve safety, but also to enhance the driving experience. This car is different from my other submissions in this challenge for another reason - it is the only one of the five to have a fully detailed interior. To be fair, it is somewhat rudimentary compared to some of the examples I have seen elsewhere on the forums, but it's a far more comprehensive job than any of my previous attempts at a detailed interior in Automation.
Above: 1992 Madison Ballista 500 GT - a more capable, civilized and curvaceous offering compared to its angular predecessor, and now boasting a menacing yet pretty feline face.
And what did the host think of my submissions? According to his lore compilation, the original Trebuchet 427 proved to be a formidable force on the stock car and drag racing circuit; this was also true of the later HP version, whose chassis tweaks yielded a surprisingly effective road course racer. Speaking of which, it was a role for which the original Ballista had been explicitly designed to excel in - a tradition carried on by the second-generation car, and indeed all subsequent Ballistas, although all Ballista versions after 1992 (and, by extension, anything from Madison after that date) are too new to fall within the scope of the competition.
And so another compelling challenge on the Automation forums comes to a close. But this is not quite the end of the Madison story, for I have one more version of the Ballista to show here - the 540 GTS, introduced in 1995 and powered by a 5.4-liter engine developing a heady 405 horsepower. As I've previously stated, it's actually too new to be eligible, but is even more capable than the 500 GT from which it was derived, thanks to forged alloy wheels with an extra inch of diameter, adaptive dampers, small front and rear spoilers, larger brake discs, and a six-speed manual gearbox.
Above: 1995 Madison Ballista 540 GTS - too new for Cult of Personality II, but worthy of mention here on account of its improved performance.
As a side note, the second-generation Ballista is the first car in a long time that I have made in Automation with a highly detailed interior (which is something I rarely do, and even then, only if I really want and/or have to), and to be fair, it's somewhat crude and rudimentary compared with some other cars I've seen on the forums, but it's my best attempt yet.
