Normandy - Tastefully Refined Genocide

[SuperSportNick]

jesus that's awesome LOL!

[VosNox]

Took a minute, but here is the Syla race model.

[VosNox]

Normandy's bringing it back with our most famous model, updated for 1418. The Echo GT4

[VosNox]

Back in 1984, one of Normandy's financial backers got a wild hair up his ass and decided Normandy needed to eek out a share of the 4x4 market. Thus a challenge was created and fired at the boys in black ops. Their challenge, was to forge a beast that would attempt to steal the thrown from Jeep. In rides the Charlie. A very light, very versatile, very easy going AWD puppy.

Upon its' conscription into the fiery battleground of automotive sales, Charlie came with several options, all of which had 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic gearboxes.

LE: FWD 1.8L 12 Valve two-barrel i4, producing 75 HP
ST / ST4: An R / AWD 2.0L DOHC FI i4, producing 105 HP
SX / SX4: An R / AWD 2.2L DOHC FI i4, producing 124 HP

It came with many notable features. Most obvious of which were...
A sunroof.
Hood mounted pop-up headlights in addition to the primary set.
Hood scoop.
Directly below the hood scoop, is a secondary set of gills designed to cool a separate oil-cooler.
A tertiary set of vents mounted laterally to the primary grille to aid in cooling the front brakes.
Small vents directly above the tail lights to help move air through the vehicle.
Side mounted exhausts (one fake) to add to sportiness. (and because the exhausts don't work on the model)

Charlie was praised for its' ability to conquer nearly every obstacles in its' path. With the exception of the Valiant, the R, The Espera, and some of Normandy's Higher-End performance models, no car was shown to have as much of a following as Charlie. Unfortunately, wars aren't won with love. And as such, the car paled in sales with Jeep. Interestingly, the car found massive sales in South America.

[jhd1124]

I really like the Charlie. If I were to choose one of the variations, I'd probably chose the ST. I would want AWD, but I feel 75 hp wouldn't be enough for that, but 124 would be too much. I really like how well thought out the variations are. Also, in terms of the design, I like how you kept it rugged. It's not really meant to convey an emotion other than simply a "workhorse"-like vibe. Good job on all of that!

[strop]

It looks like the kind of car you'd find in a fascist neo-socialist despotic regime. In south america.

[jhd1124]

^in a good way

[VosNox]

A now, the rich story of Normandy's first car. It will be a gripping, heart racing, edge of your seat thriller. There will be laughter, there will be heart break. It might even win an Emmy!

In 1955, Normandy's first car was, as all cars start, a prototype. It's was labeled with the moniker "Prototype: Mobility Solution 1.0-3" or simply, as "P:MS" for short. It had a 1.0L twin-carb i4 SOHC engine, producing a whopping 35 HP, bolted to either a 3-speed manual, or 2-speed automatic. For about $100 more, you get could get one with a 4-speed manual. With a top speed of 60 MPH. It was a shitty car, don't even try, but it was the start of something better. Unfortunately, the name was it's downfall... Or so Normandy thought.

An intern by the name of Kevin (fucking Kevin), was under the impression that the vehicles name was actually PMS104, and signed off of shipping the car. Bear in mind, that this vehicle was intended for sale in America during the Women's Lib movement. The outcry from women everywhere washed over Normandy like a molten metal tsunami. Even with the ire of women everywhere, the PMS went on sale. It turned out to be mildly popular with single men, if only just to piss women off. The PMS was a steady and stable sale for nearly a year, given Normandy more than enough to try their hand at building a more... Publicity friendly mode of transportation.

Stay tuned for part 2!

[VosNox]

Afterword, Normandy did everything it could to bury the PMS. Over the next decade they released a torrent of newer and better models in an attempt to remove the PMS from the public consciousness. In the spring of 1977, amid the gas crunch and the failing economy, the people were praying for a savior. Realizing that the Kodiak, Normandy's then answer to American Muscle wasn't going to survive, the boys in the basement put their heads together once more and, for the first time in Normandy's history, look back instead of forward. They realized there was still a great following for the original PMS. So, later that year, they re-released and updated version called the MS 104, which increased it's power from 35 to 45 and sold for $6000.

In redesigning it, the boys saw an opportunity that hadn't hit them before. Since there was a decent size following for it, why not make a more sporty version to sell on top of the base model? As such, they released the MS 104R, which came with an updated i4 engine that bore the initial trappings of what would eventually become Normandy's famous AT4 i4 engine. The size was boosted to 1.2L and due to some engineering trickery, the power was boosted from 45 to 62, and the top speed was increased to 90MPH with the addition of a fifth gear. It also came with bigger rims, bigger breaks and wider wheel wells. The "R" version sold for $6500. With customer loyalty secured anew sales increased dramatically. It wasn't built with much quality or care, but nonetheless, the people loved it.

Eventually, the name got Normandy into trouble yet again, when Microsoft discovered the cars name. A lawsuit was filed, and Normandy was ordered to either cease sales of the car, or change its name. After a protracted court battle, the car was eventually re-branded to simply, the "R".

Stay tuned for part 3!

[VosNox]

After letting the second shit storm die down, Normandy released the successor to the MS 104. As it turns out, the following for the car started referring to it by its make and engine model. Instead of simply calling it the "R", they called it the "R-AT4" or "RAT4". Normandy took heed of this, and, in 1984, released the newest version, calling it the RAT4.

Upon release, there were three versions to choose from.

RAT4 LE: 1.2L Dual-Carb DOHC, producing 80 HP, with an available 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic FWD gearbox.
0 - 62: 10.1 / Top Speed: 103 MPH
31 MPG
$7200

RAT4 Sport: Upgraded 2.0L fi DOHC, producing 138 HP, with a slightly higher geared 5-speed manual, or 4-speed automatic gearbox. As well as fog lights, sun roof, secondary grille, secondary and tertiary venting, hood scoop, bigger rims and fatter tires and better breaks, and a small wing on the tail.
0 - 62: 7.3 / Top Speed: 122 MPH.
27 MPG.
$8500

RAT4 Turbo: Upgraded 2.0L fi DOHC turbocharged engine, producing 205 HP to a better gearbox, allowing for quicker acceleration and higher top speed. The body modifications listed previously are their, as well as venting in the rear for better air flow and a front mounted lip.
0 - 62: 6.8 / Top Speed: 130 MPH
27 MPG
$11,000

* Pictured : RAT4 Turbo

[YugoSpy]

The Echo GT4 looks amazing. I really like the tail lights on it.

[VosNox]

The markets are shifting, as they are want to do. Gone, are the days of mega muscle, and rolling tanks. When Mazda came out with their Miata, the world collectively shit its pants. It was a super star. It was the perfect road car. It beat out the S2000, the Del Sol, and the MR2. As of today, it's only surviving competition is the Z4 (which, let's face it, is total shit by comparison).

So what do you do when Mazda's success with the Miata left you with a bad taste in your mouth? You rouse the boys back at black ops from their tequila induced slumber, You fly your friend from DARPA, and you're newest friend from Boston Dynamics down for coffee and a pow-wow, you queue the music and get to work.

After six months in development, Normandy released what it claimed to be the mighty Echo's little brother, The Fox. It shipped with four packages, all of which came with either 6-speed manual or 5-speed automatic gearboxes, with an optional paddle-shifters for an extra $1000.

ST: 2.2L i4 producing 215 HP, and 34 MPG.
$15,000
GT: 2.2L Turbocharged i4 producing 324 HP and 38 MPG.
$18,000
NT: 4.0L Flat plane V8 producing 435 HP and 34 MPG
$20,000
NTX: 4.0L Flat Plane V8 producing 435 HP and 34 MPG to an AWD gearbox.
$20,500

A cursory search on google for the 2015 Miata bears pricing ranging from $23,000 to $32,000.

*image is of the NT model.

[VosNox]

During the BSLL, the media became somewhat transfixed on Normandy's contribution to Gryphon Gear. the GG Van, as it became known, became insanely popular. As such, the vehicle was released to the public, in a much much more modest fashion or course, and sold like hot dogs. Eventually, the US Postal service contacted Normandy and asked us to create a vehicle for them as well. In that vein, I present the Vexi, which roughly translated from latin, means something related to transport.

Continuing the Normandy tradition of the idea that simplicity doesn't mean barren, The Vexi shipped with three options. All of which included heating, AC, a sun roof, fog lights, secondary climate control for the storage compartment, a decent sound system and modular dash. All three options came with either a 5-speed manual or automatic gearbox.

4.5L Flat Plane v8 producing 311HP. $17,000 for the Automatic and and $16,500 for the Manual.
4.0L Flat plane v8 producing 245 HP. $16,000 for the Automatic and $15,500 for the Manual.
3.0L i6 producing producing 200 HP. $15,000 for the Automatic and $14,500 for the Manual.

[VosNox]

Introducing Inagura

320 HP Turbocharged I4

[VosNox]

I present, for your approval, Hasira II.