Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 207: Wedged In
After finishing the LVC LS35 earlier this year, I chose to revise its distant ancestor - the 1979 LVC LS30 - for use in a recent Discourse challenge, having chosen not to enter it in a different one which took place more than a year ago. To be fair, I had to clone the entire car, engine and all, and backdate them from 1982 to 1979 for eligibility purposes, and adjust the tech pool distributions accordingly. However, the basic ethos of the design - a small, light sports car which would've qualified for genuine supercar status in its day - remained unaffected. The only aesthetic changes I made were some minor aesthetic revisions and the fitment of a fully detailed interior.
Above, from top: The 1979 LVC LS30 leveraged its light weight and small size to maximize the potency of the 220 horsepower from its 3.0-liter V8 engine.
The 1984 facelift introduced larger brakes and wheels to more easily harness the 30 extra horsepower from its fuel-injected engine, now with four valves per cylinder (instead of two), dual throttle bodies and electronic multipoint injection.
Above, from top: The 1984 QV (Quad-Valve) facelift introduced four-valve heads and multi-point electronic fuel injection for 250 horsepower (up from 220 in the original) and enlarged wheels and brakes.
In many ways, this was the last old-school LVC - it was the last one not to have any electronic driving aids at all, nor did it even have fuel injection at launch. However, it laid the foundations for a dynasty of mid-engined offerings that upheld the brand's reputation for automotive excellence to this day. And its immediate successor - the subject of the next post in this series - is no exception.
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