Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 259: A Birthday Gift to Myself

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 259: A Birthday Gift to Myself

On the weekend of my 34th birthday, I decided to treat myself to a special gift, or rather, four of them, with four fully detailed, 3D fixture-interior builds from the year of my birth (1992), each of which used a variant of one of two body sets (the rounded and curvaceous '87 Fatale, or the angular and wedge-shaped '86 Rosso) for their exterior. Some of them are reworked versions of earlier designs, while others were built entirely from scratch, but all have manual transmissions and helical limited-slip differentials on a rear-wheel-drive layout. Here are a few group shots showing all four of them:

Above, from top: This is my idea of an Automation Class of 1992, as far as sports cars are concerned - the Kodai Kunai (red), Reuterberg R91 GT (yellow), WM Warlord R (green), and Macale M125 (blue) all showcase different design and engineering philosophies, but share a common goal and providing a unique and memorable experience for any enthusiastic driver.

The Kodai Kunai GTP Twin Turbo (red), with its 2.5-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six (chosen to replicate a two-chamber rotary engine as closely as possible), may be the slowest and least powerful (280 bhp) of the four, but is the most affordable at $45k AMU, with a five-speed gearbox as standard.

Above, from top: The Kodai Kunai GTP Twin Turbo may not be the quickest of the bunch, but it is among the prettiest, and it's also the lightest (1250kg) and cheapest.

Also using a flat-six for propulsion (except larger, at 3.6 liters, and mounted at the rear) is the Reuterberg R91 GT (yellow), which is slightly heavier (1340kg), but more powerful (360 bhp) and hence faster overall (thanks to its 6-speed gearbox), to justify its $50k AMU price.

Above, from top: The Reuterberg R91 GT is rear-engined and proud of it, leveraging its unique mechanical configuration for immense traction and fast launches.

Next up is the WM Warlord R (green), whose 7,0-liter normally-aspirated V8 sits up front and sends 450 horsepower to a six-speed manual gearbox. Combined with a full luxury interior instead of the premium setup seen in the previous two cars, it stickers for $55k AMU and weighs 1470kg.

Above, from top: Combining aspects of a sports car, supercar, muscle car, and grand tourer, the WM Warlord R has immense presence to match its oversized engine and its huge torque output.

Finally, the Macale M125 (blue) is the heaviest, most powerful, and most expensive car here, at 1500kg, 500 horsepower, and $60k AMU respectively. Much of this is down to its mid-mounted naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V12, luxury interior, and close-ratio 5-speed manual gearbox combo.

Above, from top: There is nothing quite like the exquisite high-end feel of the Macale M125, whose sonorous V12 engine gives it unmatched speed and acoustics on the road and at the track.

Whereas the Kunai and R91 are built on advanced high-strength steel monocoque chassis (with the latter having treated steel bodywork, as opposed to the former's partial aluminum construction), the Warlord and M125 utilize a more traditional approach, with a galvanized steel space frame clad in fiberglass and aluminum panels respectively. The Kunai and Warlord, being front-engined, have multi-link rear suspension in place of the dual-wishbone rear ends of the R91 and M125. All four of them have double wishbone front suspension for reduced camber changes during cornering.

In short, building my vision of an Automationeer's Class of 1992 was a very fun experience, and something that I can build on by adding additional variants to each model and/or making the base trims even more detailed than they already are.