Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 245: Horse Heresy?

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 245: Horse Heresy?

One of the body sets introduced in the Al-Rilma build of Automation is called the Horse (available from 1959 onwards, assuming body set tech pool is set to 0), and as far as builds from the 1960s and later are concerned, it's among my go-to builds for muscle/pony cars as well as other, more mundane stuff (family, premium, and luxury sedans, among others). My love for it got to the point where I created a new candidate for a fully detailed build: the first-generation SVM Bearclaw, which debuted in 1967. This is a reimagining of a model that had been built on a different, more angular body set in Ellisbury, but I realized that I could do a better job with a total redesign instead of an update of the original build.

Given that the original version had a fastback profile, it made perfect sense to give the remake the same feature. This was made easier on the Horse body set that I'd chosen, since I'd have more morphing zones (and a wider adjustment range for each one) to work with. And without the need to tailor it to the needs of a Discourse challenge (for which the previous iteration had been intended), I could afford to go all out and fit the biggest, punchiest engine that the flagship trim level could offer, instead of a smaller engine that would make more sense on some lesser trims. This meant fitting a 7.5-liter V8 engine breathing through two four-barrel carburetors and driving the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual gearbox and clutched limited-slip differential. In its most potent state of tune, it developed 410 net horsepower thanks to long-tube headers, high-flow heads, an aggresive cam profile, and forged internals.

In keeping with the technology of the era, the reimagined Bearclaw was built on a ladder frame with dual A-arm front suspension and a leaf-sprung live rear axle, with disc brakes up front and drums at the rear, along with bias-ply tires wrapped around steel wheels (although magnesium wheels would be optional). And to further justify its placing at the top of the range, it came with a premium interior and AM radio as standard in place of the mid-grade standard items that would otherwise have been fitted. An advanced safety suite was also part of the standard equipment list, while the roomy interior had seating for four full-sized seats (not a 2+2 arrangement with 2 smaller rear seats, as is the norm for the segment).

Even at an all-up price of $25,000 AMU in 1967, the 455 SC (standing for Special Competition) was great value for money; with a 0-60 time of as little as 5.1 seconds (depending on gearing) and a theoretical top speed of 165 mph (again, gearing-dependent) - enough to lead its class, especially when the quarter-mile time of 13.36 seconds was taken into account. Careful suspension tuning led to an 0.8g skidpad grip rating (on a 200m skidpad), while its braking distance from 62 mph was a solid 40.3 meters, despite some brake fade at the rear.

Obviously, such excess could not remain part of the lineup forever; I would expect this particular generation of Bearclaw to go out of production completely by 1974, when the next one made its debut. That, however, would be significantly downsized along with its engine - but a more detailed writeup about it (if I ever decide to make such a thing) would have to wait for another post.

Above: Here is what the 1967 SVM Bearclaw (the first generation of the nameplate) looks like in its current form. Its fastback roofline, squared-off rear end (with a functional, though discreet, ducktail rear spoiler above a set of paired circular taillight clusters on each side), and an imposing front end (complete with airdam and hood scoop, along with fog lights) leave no doubt that this is as much of a muscle car as it is a pony car - especially in its flagship 455 trim level, as shown here.

Going forward, my future plans for the Bearclaw lineage could include any, or even all, of the following:

• A rework of the third- and fourth-generation Bearclaws (for which I've already made fully detailed interiors), to account for the changes made to the game since the Al-Rilma version of Automation was introduced last year - and follow on from the proposed second-generation car, as stated above.
• The installation of a fully detailed interior on the original Bearclaw, possibly in combination with minor exterior revisions (if necessary), commensurate with the trim level's mechanical setup.
• Expanding the range with lesser trims (all of which would have lower power outputs, due to smaller, less aggressively tuned engines), different body styles (such as a convertible, or a notchback coupe, to sit alongside the fastback), and/or facelifts later in the production run (most likely in 1970, given that the Bearclaw debuted in 1967 under the revised timeline).

In short, my redesigned OG Bearclaw, remade for Al-Rilma, is a much more convincing rendition of the first generation of the model line, especially when compared to anything I'd made in Ellisbury.