Battalion Tuning Team (Refurbishment situation, part 2)

[Kampfzerstorer]

As development of the BattleCruiser continues, news about the test driver job offer came through.


Kampf: Time to wrap up guys. It's already 8pm. The engine's keeping itself good despite the high power output, for a 4.5 litre engine.


Ukyo: Guess sizing down the engine from 6 litres was a good idea after all. Though I would run more tests on it just to be sure it's actually outputting that much power.


Bristol: I didn't even expect it to even reach such power, to be honest. But nevertheless, that GT wing seriously needs to go. It just looks unsightly on the Princess Royal.
I'll see what I can do to make it look, and perform better.


Lean: This Princess Royal sure is taking its time. The amount I sweat with the suspension settings and tweaking the engine is enough to fill a 2 litre PET bottle.


Kampf: Oh God, quit making me visualise that!


Erika: Guys? You know about the Test Driver position we put on the classifieds? Apparently, the HR were so impressed with 2 out of some twenty hopefuls, they decided to hire both of them.
The names are Raquel Schmidt, and Fiolina Venturi.


Kampf: Two test drivers? Sounds good to me.


Erika: But there's one thing I noticed though... One is a former test driver for Audi, and another is from Lancia.


Lean: Well, what about it?


Erika: You forgot? Audi and Lancia used to be rivals during the 80s. In Group B, and Group 4.


Bristol: And? It can't be that bad.


Erika: One drives an Audi Quattro S1, another a Lancia Stratos.




Erika: And both of them are on their way here right now to meet us. They just tendered their resignation from their respective companies as well.


Kampf: And I swear I can already hear them coming via the mountain roads too...

Fiolina's Route

Raquel's Route

[Kampfzerstorer]

Minutes later


Kampf: Well, it seems they're here, about the same time as well I'm afraid.


Erika: I'll invite them in straight away.

Moments passed


Erika: This way please, the team is waiting eagerly.




Erika: Right. Team, to the left is Raquel Schmidt, former test driver for Audi Motorsport, and to the right is Fiolina Venturi, former test driver of Lancia.
Both of them will be our team's test drivers, which will help speed up the tuning process.


Kampf: *thoughts* The air is heavy with the both of them standing next to each other...

[Kampfzerstorer]

Months has passed since then...


Hello and welcome to Battalion Tuning Team. For this car release, we have a collaboration with Airborne Automotive, who had sought for our assistance in making one of their hot-hatchback, the 2nd Generation xY, hotter. Having requirements that it need not have 4 seats, nor necessarily have the engine at the front, we have let loose our tuning team, who have done their best in making it even more... monstrous. With Group B Rally cars as the form of inspiration, the engine has been relocated to the middle, seats reduced to two, and an engine which will throw everyone off. The redesign of the xY, tuned by Battalion, makes the rear a very unassuming looking, ordinary hatchback, while the front reveals a wilder, fascia, matching the performance it provides. Without further ado, here is the Airborne xY Spec S.






Within that shell beats a 2.2 litre engine. Not the usual straight-4 configuration though. Inside this Spec S version of the Airborne xY lives a power hungry, 2.2 litre, turbocharged, crossplane V8, developing a monstrous 502 horsepower,
powered to all four wheels in a rear biased setup. And surprisingly enough, more economical than the Airborne xY GT, which came to our surprise as well.


This enables the machine to fly from naught to 100km/h in 3.6 seconds, then all the way to 300km/h.


However, ladies and gentlemen, this is not over. There is one more variant of the xY still in development, the Spec-R. The one built just for racing, and only for racing. Stay tuned!

[Kampfzerstorer]

The preview of the Airborne xY Spec-R1. It is amazing how this is still street legal, considering that it still uses the same tyre compound the Spec-S uses...

[Oskiinus]

Sweet ones! Great that you made that co-op
These cars are pretty montrous, with being inspired at Group B racecars. I like it
By the way, trust me or not, but engine in my Haiyan (still v8 turbo, but flatplane) is only 99cc bigger, lol.
Can I get the lua files of models, trims, engines and engine trims? :<

[Kampfzerstorer]

Weeks before the development, and collaboration of the Airborne xY...


Erika: Man, things has been slow. Ever since the release of the Yudachi Kai, and Tenryuu, there isn't much development going on. Sure, the All-Wheel Drive system on the
Tenryuu is remarkable on its own, and highly regarded, losing out only to the likes of the older Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X and the Nissan GT-R.


Bristol: Not only that, the bloody Kampf is away for two weeks. Something called reservist. It's been 8 days already. I want to develop a new flatplane V8...


Erika: But the thing about your kind of engines, they fit more on sports coupes and supercars...

Minutes passed by sluggishly, when a customer enters the showroom, somewhat intrigued by the Tenryuu. Erika, who have been staring blankly towards the ceiling, took notice of the
potential customer. She elbows the bored Bristol, who was slouching on the reception chair this whole time.


Erika: Customer. Hold on till our staff returns from lunch. I'll attend to this person. Seems interested about the Tenryuu, no less.


Erika: Hello, and welcome to Battalion's showroom. How may I be of service?


???: Ah, hi. I'm fascinated by the All-Wheel Drive system that's used on the Tenryuu. I've read rave reviews about its ability to grip the asphalt without understeering.


Erika: I see... What would you like to know more about it? As the sole developer of the All-Wheel Drive system, I can share one thing or two about it, though the mechanics behind it are the
company's secret.


???: Is it? Then allow me to introduce myself. I am Oskiinus, CEO of the AIrborne Automotives from Poland. I do apologise as this feels like a short notice, but I am seeking a collaboration with
Battalion for a hotter hatchback of our car, the xY. I believe we can book an appointment one day for further discussion? We first got to know about Battalion when the BattleCruiser first reached our shores.
A nice GT car to cruise, I must say.


Erika: Ah, that's great to know. Sure, we can hold a meeting sometime.... next week? Kampf, the founder of Battalion is currently on military service for two weeks, and will be returning the following Friday.


Oskiinus: But unfortunately... I'll only be in Singapore till end of this week...


Erika: I see... Well then, then I'll be leading this collaboration for the time being till Kampf returns. How does Thursday, 2pm, sound? That way, most of the core team members, minus Kampf, would be present.


Oskiinus: Yes, that will do. But for now, may I have a test drive on the Tenryuu?


Erika: With pleasure. Please, follow me to the test cars garage.

--------------------------------------------------------

Without Kampf, the remaining core members of Battalion, Erika leading the team, held a meeting with Oskiinus, who came along with his secretary, and engineer, to discuss about the collaboration. It was about their newly released
hatchback, the 2nd Generation xY, 24 years after the original ceased production. Seeking to compete with the likes of the Renault Megane Sport, Honda Civic Type-R, and the GT86, Oskiinus sought inspiration from the old Group B rallying days where hatchbacks packed a lot of power, almost supercar status off-road. And to add on that, Oskiinus was very interested with the All-Wheel Drive system used on the Tenryuu, and was hoping if the hotter hatchback xY would be able to use it.
This, however, raised a lot of concern for Battalion, more specifically, Erika. With most of the All-Wheel Drive system a company secret, she definitely did not want another company to reverse engineer it.

As a compromise, Erika offered to produce not one, but 4 variants of the xY; one being the sportier version of xY's top of the line GT class, dubbed the GT Sport, a Spec-R1 as a street legal, high end version of the xY, a Spec-R2 as a closed circuit only race car, and the Spec-S. The Spec S, which features Battalion's All Wheel Drive system, and power targeted to be around 500 horsepower. But in return, Battalion will have the rights to produce only the Spec S series. The GT Sport, Spec-R1, and Spec-R2 will be produced by Airborne Automotive wholesale. This, in turn, also debuts the Airborne branding into the Singaporean market. At first, Oskiinus was, as expected, unsure about the proposition given by Erika, considering that the xY name is and always, been linked to Airborne Automotives. But taking into consideration about Battalion's company secret being on the line, Oskiinus agrees, but in one condition; a portion of the sales on the Spec-S will be given to Airborne Automotives. Erika, and the team, after discussing among themselves on the company's financial status, agrees to the condition. Sales of the Yudachi Kai, and Tenryuu has helped Battalion out of the red ever since production of the original BattleCruiser ceased when the Courageous variant debuted.

-------------------------------------------------------

OOC: Don't worry, Oskiinus, I'm building up the back story a bit before I touch on the journey in Poland.

EDIT: Whoops!

[Oskiinus]

14 years after the original ceased production

Umm, Kampf, that's the only problem in the story. Xy's production (original one) was ceased in 1991, not 2001.
Other things are good

[Kampfzerstorer]

Fast forward to the day in Poland, checking the prototypes as they arrive at the Lodz Airport, after some... miscommunication.


Kampf: Damn it! I thought they would be air-lifted to Warsaw, not Lodz.


Erika: Yeah, though they were kind enough to hold our cargo till we arrive. Lean doesn't seem affected by this predicament though.


Lean: Man, it's been years since I last stepped foot in Poland, though not this region. If I remember correctly, it was in Debno, visiting my long lost relatives.


Kampf: Never mind that. We need to get these cars to Warsaw Chopin airport. Our link up with Airbone Automotive's CEO secretary is there. We already have
clearance to drive the Spec-R2 on road with semi slicks as well as a special case. Raquel, you get the Spec-R2. I'll ride shotgun. Lean, you in the Spec-R1.
Erika, the GT Sport. We have to leg it. All the cars are fitted with GPS; the one on the Spec-R2 is a temporary piece. We're all not familiar with the roads here.


Raquel: On it.


Lean: Aww, I wanted the Spec-R2.


Erika: Tell me after you need a change of underwear. You did poop a little when test driving the Spec-R2, and it spun out wildly at 280kmh. Who told you
to drive at that speed without a rear spoiler back then?


Lean: I was wearing khaki brown shorts! Khaki brown!


Kampf: Shut it, girls! We gotta fly!

It was during the mad rush to the Warsaw Chopin Airport, where he realised the terror of Raquel speeding down the A2 at incredible speed, weaving in and out of traffic, leaving Lean and Erika way far behind.
This somewhat brought out the Singaporean side of Kampf.


Kampf: What the, macam sial la perempuan ni! (This woman is crazy!)

------------------------------

45 minutes later...

Raquel and Kampf arrive at the rendezvous point with Airborne Automotive's CEO secretary, who was standing next to the company car's Haiyan. The screaming wails and growls of the Spec R2's V8 caught attention of the public,
somewhat attracted by the radical design. It was then the local citizens took notice of Airborne's Badge, followed by the military imprints of Battalion Tuning Team. Smartphones began popping out from their pockets as they started
taking photo after photo. This somewhat alerted Kampf. However, the secretary had other ideas; let it be. She wanted the public to use the social network to spread news about the new Airborne car, and gaining hype on it. 10 minutes
passed, and both Lean and Erika finally caught up in their respective vehicles. She then notified Kampf that Erika had sent an email in advance on the documents and blueprints of the GT Sport. Apparently the local consumers have been
demanding for a more sporty version of the xY GT, and have been holding back. The reveal of the GT Sport prototype has been released, and was met with positive reactions, all in more due to the usage of the small V8 engine.

Without delay, the secretary got into the Haiyan, and led the convoy to the showroom

-----------------------------
Airborne Automotive's showroom


Oskiinus:Oh boy, the media are already here, and they're getting jittery. Hope they arrive in time-

The growls of the Spec-R2 was heard, even though it was still a distance away from the showroom. Half of the media personnel turned to look at the source of the sound. One asked if that was one of the cars.


Oskiinus: Yes, that's one of them. That's our xY at its extreme.

*Story continues on Oskiinus' thread, on the unveiling of the cars.*
-----------------------------



OOC: Oskiinus, it is your turn. All green on the reveal. The GT Sport, Spec-R1, and Spec-R2 are all yours to go.

[Kampfzerstorer]

Few months after the reveal of the xY hotter hatchbacks...

29th January 20XX

The team has been co-operating with a local taxi company, Singapore Cabs Association, or SCA, to produce a a new vehicle to replace their aging models. Of their requirements would be able to
use the cheapest type of petrol; Octane 80, and horsepower no more than 150hp, regardless of engine type. Fuel consumption is recommended to be as efficient as possible, and production costs
should not exceed $10'000 before price mark up. Such a long term contract would meant the cars be reliable enough to last, and easy to maintain. Usage of any form of V8s was out of the question.
That left no one having the ability to produce a cheaper, inline engine. Past inline engines developed were outsourced to local engineering companies, which cost Battalion a lot in terms of funding.
Until Raquel stepped up to take the role of developing the inline engine.

Our test driver, developing an inline engine. Sure, her Audi Quattro S1 does use an inline engine, but it's a 5 cylinder; an uncommon take for a configuration. But nevertheless, she pulled it off,
though funds were a bit wasted when the prototype of an inline-4 engine had its engine block exploding in the test chamber. The 2nd prototype, nicknamed the Gerbil Turbo, is a petrol, 2 litre straight-4
turbocharged engine running on octane 80 fuel, commonly known to the members of Battalion as 'piss petrol'. Maxing out at 175 horsepower, it was able to propel the 1.2 ton shell and chassis of
the car to 220kmh; more than enough for a taxi running around Singapore. The car itself, named the Serene, was designed by Lean, who wanted to give it a more sporty look; a possibility to
attract younger generation customers for the taxi drivers. Though, she does admit that the rear is left to be desired...











Other than the long term contract with SCA, VosNox, current CEO of Normandy Automotive, got in touch with us, asking if there was a vehicle we were in need of improvements. Looking back on the sales,
The Archer and Zerstorer GT were listed as the poor performing ones. Though the Archer was built to be as cost effective for a sports car, the Zerstorer GT only sold 10, despite being a limited edition by itself.
This urged Kampf to provide plans and documents to VosNox, with a phrase.

"Surprise me."

And surprise it did. The Zerstorer GT returned weeks later as the Zerstorer RS. Rally Sport. A 1.2 ton, 4-Wheel Drive monster, outputting 974 horsepower, able to hit 400kmh on tarmac with chunky, off-road tyres.
The level of lunacy was the trademark for Normandy. Anything that seemed impossible was possible to them. Even Raquel, our Group B rally car expert and company test driver, was thrilled by the sight of it that it had
her running to the changing room for a change of underwear, claiming she was 'moist in her pants' with excitement.





For the Zerstorer RS by Normandy reveal, please head to page 5, VosNox's response.

And finally, some bad news, not for the consumers, but for the company. An automotive paparazzi had managed to break into the prototypes garage, and managed to take a picture of our
BattleCruiser Princess Royal, which is still in development. Built to be the company's race car for the GT500 series, and other possible competitions, it had been under wraps for the longest time...
Till now. Fortunately, he was only able to get just one picture, and it has been leaked through the social media... We believe he snapped the shot just seconds after Bristol, one of the core team members,
caught sight of him. The unknown automotive paparazzi was able to get away, unfortunately.

[VosNox]

So the body didnt work?

[Kampfzerstorer]

So the body didnt work?

Well, it is a huge improvement speed wise. So far, I've yet to even break the 400kmh barrier myself. Let alone using the off-road tyres to produce such grip. Have been reliant on sports compound. If you meant that there were changes in the body work, well, that's what I got when I load it up.

[VosNox]

Here you go. The Zerstroer by Normandy.

[Kampfzerstorer]

Whoa, now that's a Zerstorer RS by Normandy. A vast difference in looks and design.

[VosNox]

The game glitched out when I reloaded the car and wouldn't let me tweak the tire width, so that's why you have those comical bicycle tires.

[Oskiinus]

The game glitched out when I reloaded the car and wouldn't let me tweak the tire width, so that's why you have those comical bicycle tires.

This bug is also reason why my Tornado has 125 mm tyres when having over 300 hp.
Great cars Kampf, nice Cab.