Nineties Econobox Challenge. *revisions and reviewing*

[asdren]

What i started with:



What i ended up with:



I can't help it.

[thecarlover]

Presenting the 1993 Solo Eco BM! A stylishly streamlined four seat hatchback for under $12,000. At such a low price you get a very reliable, moderately safe and comfortable economy car achieving over 50 mpg in combined consumption. Even with fuel consumption as a priority, it still manages 0-100 km/h in under 20 seconds and laps the N­ürburgring in less than 12 minutes. Get yours today!

[F17Francesco]

You have a family? You need space but you don't want spend too much money?
Raziel have the solution.

New Raziel B class - eco turbo

The most modern tecnology applied to economy
How many MPG? It's a secret, but we are sure it's a pretty good record for a car this big.

Full presentation on February 7th. Here's some preview.

[Vri404]

The front of this car blows my mind...

The 1993 Denki-Hogosha Entrz Besc is, well, shit. For $10,000 you can get this confusing looking thing.

[stensen]

we keep our promises. the best driving experience you can get when you need to do green hell... 25 times. for 11970 bucks.

we didnt bother to name this thing yet, though.

[DoctorNarfy]

[VicVictory]

Sensibility Is About To Get A Thrill

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The Suzume Hane. Its lineage as a frugal commuter is at the very core of its name, yet with an understated reputation for fun. That reputation is about to be branded into the very soul of the machine.

Meet the all-new, completely redesigned 1993 Hane G.

Don't let its tame, suburban demeanor fool you. Under the hood lurks a twin-cam turbocharged RK4-B, ready to unleash 73 horsepower at your command. It can tackle the vaunted 'Ring in under 11 minutes, and rocket to 100km/h in just 13.6 seconds. Yet the ReiseiMicro-series motor still gives the frugality expected from Suzume's economical offerings. Or step on up and choose the wickedly fun GS-R trim model, which accelerates to the same mark in just 11.9 seconds, thank to a specially tuned 83 horsepower variant.

Inside you will find seating for five with flip-and-slide front seats for easy access. Auto-off headlights keep your battery from draining if you forget to turn them off. AM/FM/Cassette radio, fuel gauge with low fuel warning, SuzumeSafe (TM) Antilock Braking System, and DuraWeave cloth seating surfaces are standard on all Hane models. Power steering is standard on all Turbocharged, GS, and GS-R models.

Starting at $11115.

See your local Suzume dealership today for a test drive. Sensibility never felt so alive.

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Suzume. Engineering For Your World.

1993 Suzume Hane G 1.2 Turbo with manual transmission shown in Sky Blue Metallic. Price as shown $11,445.

*Base MSRP for 1993 Suzume Hane models as follows:
G 1.5 - $11,115 (No automatic option)
G 1.2 Turbo - $11,445
GS 1.5 - $11,865
GS 1.2 Turbo - $11,970
GS-R 1.2 Turbo - $12,495

[carskick]

Welcome to the Kirk Lift!

Originally designed and built in 1986 to be sold to the military of third world countries, the Kirk Lift has been adapted to fit lifestyles around the world!

The version we are looking at today is the 1991 LX V6 trim.

Design

The 1991 Kirk Lift LX V6 was designed to bring a unique economy car to the masses in countries such as Austrailia, the US, Europe, and parts of Asia. To this end, it was designed to compete with the cheapest cars in those respective markets, running in the $8500 to $12,600 range. The body style is quite unique in it's segment. Effectively, it's a micro pickup truck. The "1.4L" V6 is kept up front and transverse mounted. (The engine was downsized to 1.3L when it was recently adapted to Multi-Port Fuel Injection. However, marketing kept the 1.4L name.) This is the FWD model, but AWD is available.

The chassis is shared with Kirk's other small cars, running MacPherson Struts up front and a Torsion Beam in the back, it drives more like an economy car than a pickup. It has been jacked up to 10.7 inches, however, which makes it far taller than it's car siblings. Drivability and Practicality are primary focuses here. This is an economy truck. And when we say economy truck, we mean it. The torsion beam in the rear has been reinforced over the car version, giving it a 3/4 ton capacity and 2000 pound towing limit. Not much compared to an F150, but great for it's size. That's all considering the micro truck itself weighs around 1400 pounds.

Overview

The Little Lift that could wants to be in your garage. It's easy to buy, easy to drive, easy to fix, easy to love. With good reliability, low maintenance costs, and great fuel economy, the Lift is highly accessible. But we didn't cheap out as much as you might think. Oh no. The interior rivals that of compacts costing twice as much, though it is half the size. 2 people will get to share this wondrous interior, all 10 cubic feet of it. The high durability fabrics are pleasant to the touch and easy clean up makes these great work horses.

Enjoy the the nice speedometer that proudly shows the 120MPH mark you may reach while going down hill all out. Enjoy a Tachometer that happily guides you through the 5 speed manual transmission. Enjoy a fuel gauge. Another gauge with a little sail boat symbol... Oh that's the coolant temperature gauge! Neat! That's about it. The cassette player's pretty cool! It's not just the run of the mill cassette deck. We're talking Dolby Hiss Reduction. Dedicated Tweeters Make this 4 speaker Pyle sound system work. Yeah it works. Usually. When it does it sounds pretty acceptable, too.

There's also a cigarette lighter and an ash tray, those are cool!

Since this isn't a trim for deployed militia, we have a few extra safety items. The side doors are reinforced, kind of. The steering wheel won't impair you in a collision. And it probably won't be totaled in a 5MPH fender bender. Oh, and it's made of metal. Not much of it, but it's metal!

Edit: Due to updated 1993 safety regulations, crumple zones and 5MPH bumpers were required to be added. That means you are slightly less likely to die when a Semi-Truck merges into you on the highway.

Engine

The engine is quite a beast. Almost 1.4L of pure fury! Multi-Port injection was added to make 40MPG possible! The little V6 is actually quite reliable. All the parts have been extensively battle tested, and are meant to withstand swamp, desert, tundra, etc. Between 2k & 5k RPM, you have a flat 70-75ft-lb of torque. It also happens to be where your engine is at it's best, so plan on running it there most of the time. The 24v SOHC allows the engine to rev smoothly all the way to 6.5k RPM.

Since this isn't a great deal of power, weight is a huge factor. Luckily, at around 1400 pounds, this guy is pretty quick with a light load.:


0-60 in 9.7 seconds will beat most economy cars (I mean, It's 1993), and pulling 0.88g in a turn is doable! To top it off, the 5 speed manual is a hoot, with easy & relatively short shifts. And it does have disk brakes, at least in the front! This means it will actually stop. And it might still stop with stuff in the back. There's no LSD or Power Steering & it's FWD, but does any of this matter when you only weight 1408lb and have 73HP?

The owner's manual does state that whenever towing, do not try to exceed 50MPH, and if towing over 1000 pounds, do not exceed 40MPH. Off-roading is also a blast in this car! While the AWD or 4x4 model work better for this, the ultra light FWD tends to float over obstacles anyhow. Loose sand, small rock and object, none of it stands a chance. This guy is HAPPY to take on a challenge.


The best part is Kirk can sell these cars at $12600, and still be make over $4000! That means they can be sold even less!

1991 FWD Kirk Lift LX V6: $10,395
1991 AWD Kirk Lift LX V6: $11,695

Base models start at $7,995

Goodbye for now!


Edited on 1/30: Updated images to contain revised model updated for safety requirements. Updated write-up slightly to reflect the changes, while also fixing many 4AM typos.

[asdren]

carskick, you'll need to boost your safety

[vmo]

The entries are open now?

[nialloftara]

Yup, send me a pm with your car by the 6th.

[strop]

I'm just going to say, I found a way to go max strop on this. I'm a bit bored of making cars that aim at the challenge. It's time to see just how much power one can cram into a shitbox that still gets 40mpg xD

[koolkei]

lol..... i quite literally just submitted the exact opposite of what strop is trying to do....

Logic F Ad.png (96.69 KiB) Viewed 23226 times

a facelift and a rebuilt version of the Komodo Logic from the 1990.
this time with an FF trans

[asdren]

I'm just going to say, I found a way to go max strop on this. I'm a bit bored of making cars that aim at the challenge. It's time to see just how much power one can cram into a shitbox that still gets 40mpg xD

Consider me as a competitor in your target market

[Leonardo9613]

Entering the brand-new for 1993, Baltazar Quark, here on mid-range trim 1.4 EX.

Based on the requirements of the american market, this fuel efficient car has a 74 hp engine and a radio fitted as standard. We felt that the 1.1 BS entry-level car offered in Europe and Latin america wouldn't be up to the american standards, thus we decided to use this higher powered, better equipped car.

I had this car lying around from the time I tested the formulas and limits for the somwos, and wasn't changed in any way to fit the requirements of this competition better. I only chose it over the 1.1 engined trims, despite it being more economical and cheaper, because those were too slow, at 18 seconds to 100.