Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 191: Flyweight Rival

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 191: Flyweight Rival

With the Al-Rilma update for Automation still a long way from open beta testing, despite having been in open alpha for a month, I have chosen to stick to the most recent stable release (which was based on the Ellisbury build of 4.27). Until then, all of my challenge builds will be based on that version. In addition to this, I used my spare time to experiment further with Ellisbury until I feel it's worthwhile for me to finally migrate to Al-Rilma.

One of these experiments, the 1995 HPG H2L, was intended to see how well its base body (a Steam Workshop mod called, somewhat generically, the 2000s Sports Coupe) would work when used as a basis for a serious sports car build. With a wheelbase of 2.28m, it was indeed small, and thanks to an all-aluminum body and chassis, very light, at just 910kg. Nestled between its rear wheels was a 2.0L normally-aspirated flat-six delivering 250 horsepower to the rear wheels via a close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox and a helical limited-slip differential. Given that this engine could rev to a stratospheric 9,000 rpm thanks to variable intake and exhaust valve timing, it seemed fitting to install it here.

To give it the braking and cornering ability expected of a lightweight sports car, it has staggered high-performance tires (205mm front and 245mm rear) wrapped around 17-inch forged wheels and wide vented disc brakes with 4-piston calipers up front and 2-piston calipers in the rear. A dual-wishbone independent suspension setup at each wheel, tuned mainly for a performance-oriented feel (without excessive loss of comfort), endows it with a sublime ride/handling balance. Its steering is unassisted to save weight, but ABS and dual airbags come as standard, to keep the occupants safer in a crash.

True to its lightweight nature, the interior is relatively spartan, being trimmed sparingly in lightweight fabrics, with some carbon-fiber trim. Both occupants sit in light, supportive bucket seats and enjoy the comfort of a premium CD stereo sound system, if they want to drown out the roar of that scintillating engine. The instrument cluster is mostly digital (to avoid cluttering the dash too much), and air-conditioning also comes as standard. And it even comes with a manual handbrake lever - not something you'd expect to find on most of today's cars.

Above: The HPG H2L may be small and light, but its razor-sharp chassis and screaming engine help it punch well above its weight.

Although limited in its morphing potential, I was surprised to find out how well the 00s Sports body set could work as the basis for a mid/late-90s build, but I decided to enlarge the side and rear glass window areas through the use of cutout fixtures, with their material being set to the same one as the windows. Crucially, I adjusted the fixtures' dimensions to yield a more rounded shape for the side glass and rear window hatch, creating a smoother transition from the roofline to the rear pillars. In addition, the aerodynamics were augmented by front and rear spoilers, along with a diffuser and undertray for even more downforce.

My only other complaint about this body set is the relative lack of additional sizes for this mod body - the only other wheelbase option is 2.82m long, when there should be others (most likely 2.37m, 2.52m, and 2.67m). This would allow for much greater versatility, and even more so if more morphing zones are added for all sizes. In addition, the longer variants should be able to accommodate wider and taller tires (in terms of diameter and width, respectively). But the best part of the build wasn't its speed, but its agility - it could generate 1.04g on a 200m skidpad and reach 60 mph from a standstill in just 4.2 seconds, which would have been amazing numbers in 1995, when it would've debuted.

And the reason I decided to revisit this body set in the first place? Some variants have provision for full-length stripes running down the middle. For example, the one I chose has separate colorable areas for the side and center (the latter of which is even split into seconds), representing stripes - so I gave it a white center stripe sandwiched between a pair of yellow over-the-hood side stripes, all on a metallic blue background with gold-finished wheels and yellow brake calipers. It's a flashy livery, but I liked how well it turned out on this diminutive body set.

Above: Pared back to save weight, the interior of the HPG H2L nevertheless retains some creature comforts to keep it from feeling too bare-bones. You could omit them if you wanted to, though.

In short, this was a surprisingly satisfying build for me to develop, especially considering its donor body's limitations. In fact, I liked it so much that, if I get a chance to work on a larger version of this body set (except for the one with a  2.82m wheelbase), I may consider doing it again, if only for the purpose of reimagining the HPG H2L (or at least its bigger brother from the same model range. as a full-fledged supercar, with a larger engine and more displacement. Until then, see you next time!