Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 118: Bubble
Having already described my entry for QFC9, I am now going to showcase my entry for the preceding QFC, in which the design brief called for a 4-door, 5-seater executive car. With this in mind, I made the KMA K50 3.0 - a large sedan with a proper luxury interior and a sound system to match.
The KMA K50: proof that even in the luxury car market, the simplest solutions may be the best ones.
Built on sound underpinnings (a galvanized steel monocoque with some alloy panels and double wishbone suspension at each corner), the K50 is powered by a normally aspirated 200-bhp 3.0-liter straight-six driving the rear wheels via an electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission. Brakes are vented discs all around with ABS as standard, while a driver's airbag was also fitted.
The lavishly appointed interior of the K50 is packed to the gills with all the advanced technology anyone could expect from a car of this type and era.
I designed the K50 to be simple, and it shows: by eschewing the advanced adaptive dampers and hydropneumatic or air springs of some of its rivals, and tuning the suspension mainly for comfort, I ended up with a $35,000 car (in 1988 AMU) that managed to finish a very honorable third place overall. In short, the K50 is great value for money, and does well enough to satisfy the head as much as the heart.
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