Aurora Motors - Vassal 3800 S 1995 1.0

Hi folks. This is my dream car: the Aurora Vassal 3800 S.


Engine and performance:


A longitudinal 24v Inline Six, with cast iron block and head, for maximum reliability and performance. The undersquare ratio and good displacement gives the six a broad torque band on low range, while the top end, with it's finely tuned 24v DOHC and MPFI, sings it's choir high and strong at 6500 rpm, rating maximum of 300 hp and 270 ft/lb torque. Mileage suffers though, with 12 mpg (5 km/l) city, 16 mpg (7 km/l) highway.

Drive and Gearbox:


Power flows through a precise, short throw, 5 gear manual gearbox. Of course, this is a RWD. Need i say more? This baby was meant for mean driving. But know her limits, or she'll throw you out of the curb before you can beg her sorry. ECS is available, but mostly as a handicap for keyboard users.

Suspension and Brakes:


Front struts and rear trailing arms. Why raise costs of production and replacement parts on overly complicated multi-links or double wishbones? Unless into some serious racing, regular folks shouldn't fidget with stock suspension geometries at home. Simple mechanics serves for simple maintenance, so simple folks can do simple jobs at it. The engineers at Aurora Motors took their time and money to fine tune the suspension for optimal road performance so you don't have to, while giving you affordable price, good reliability and minimal maintenance costs, mm'kay?



Four disc brakes with ABS. Vented front discs and solid rear. Gives you adequate stopping power without burning a hole in your pocket.
While being a purist, ABS gives you that extra peace of mind so you won't be sorry when you instinctively smash the brakes because some idiot decides to zoom through a red light in front of you. But you can switch it off for testing your braking prowess in the track. =)

Design and features:


Exterior: Conservative and clean. Fads come and go, but classics are forever. Might not appeal to some, but some connoisseurs will dig it. Aerodynamic winglets are present, but carefully placed below, so it won't interfere with the design. Weight sits at 1485 kg (3200 lb). Exterior length: 4,16 meters.



Interior: 90's staple, consisting of power locks, windows, A/C, good quality stereo and progressive hydraulic steering assistance. 90's advanced safety features included. It only seats comfortably four so, if grandma's coming for a holiday trip, well, tough cookies. She'll ride shotgun while the rest of the family crams in the back.

Driving characteristics:


Broad range power that will bend asphalt under the rubber. Too much throttle and rubber will burn happily on the two first gears. It takes down most similar cars on street light drag racing, and will only lose to some serious performance ones. Relatively safe when entering corners with mild understeer, but has a twitchy tail when throttling on exits, although seems easier to recover than equivalent RWD cars. The average-sized, honest-priced 205/50r15 tires provide adequate grip, without requiring tears and/or muffled angry sounds when replacing a set. Top speed of 145 mph is more than enough, even for spirited driving, but will make a good bragging point at our (imaginary) 90's yuppie's bar table. 0-60 in 6,55 seconds, 1/4 mile in 14,7 seconds. Good numbers, even for today standards.

Price and Conclusion:


MSRP: $23900 Not bad. Considering either 90's or today's money, it is still a lot of bang for your buck. High quality engineered parts and simple mechanics should make for a very solid, durable and easy to maintain car for many, many years.

This car was a labor of love, and it pretty much reflects of what i want on a car. I understand the market and technology has changed, but i still can dream for a throwback, eh?

Now take it for a spin, have fun and share your own conclusions.

Aurora Motors Company loves feedback from it's costumers, so be happy to rag about it, for good or bad, on the comments! =)