So having made a 1970s car combat character, it then occurred to me that NATURALLY this could segue into the 1980s, and it'd be an absolute waste not to take advantage of that.

New decade, new style, new car - Kit's made it, and wants everyone to know about it, with a sexy sports car and wardrobe informed by MTV and influenced by her own roughneck background.

Nevada

Nevada was placed into an awkward position after the collapse of the Federal Government following the 1976 Bicentennial Bombing. It had a low population - mostly centered in the cities of Las Vegas and Reno, a severe water scarcity issue, and agriculture focused almost entirely around ranching. While rich in mineral resources, and having inherited a respectable military, as well as the Hoover Dam, Nevada didn’t have the logistical base or the economy necessary to support itself as a viable state.

The mostly supported itself via the gaming and hospitality industries, centered around these twin oases in the Mojave desert - which were now at greater risk than ever as Creepers roam the highways and tourism began to collapse as the interstate commerce faltered. On top of that, with federal pressure, the Nevada Gaming Commission had been engaged in a struggle with the Mafia - who at the time were deeply entrenched within the casinos that dotted the Las Vegas strip. The Mob was deeply entrenched within Las Vegas at the time - and had even been responsible for building many of the casinos themselves, using funds procured the International Brotherhood of Teamster’s pension fund. The Chicago outfit had for years been skimming off of the take of several of the casinos, and essentially controlled Vegas. By 1975 the Gaming commission had been taking steps to slowly dismantle the Mob’s stranglehold on the strip - even as Las Vegas became the site of several major battles of the Auto Wars, both Auto-Vigilantes and Creepers flocking to the city to blow off steam.

This all came to an end in 1976.

With the collapse of the Federal government, friction between other fracturing states, and the increase in Creeper activity, the Nevada government began to realize that an alliance with the Mafia might be one of the few ways to save the state. Regulation no longer mattered so much - Federal oversight was gone, and the Mob not only had deep pockets, but the resources to keep the Vegas and Reno (relatively) safe and secure - litigation of Mob associates like Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal was not only stopped cold, but reversed as the State government began to mate itself to the local Mob.

The main priority for Nevada is to keep Vegas and Reno safe and the flow of tourists flowing into the city, despite being in the middle of the desert and on the precipice of a potential regional war between superpowers California and Texas.

Under the new regime, this was accomplished by making Vegas a haven for Auto-Vigilantes and Mercenaries - comped suites, generous lines of credit at the gaming tables (often recouped), all-access to the best food and shows - anything to render the city lousy with Vigilantes - both in the hopes they’d naturally take care of problems with Creepers or other bandits, or at least keep a steady supply of mercs on hand that can be bought off and called up at a moments notice in case of emergency - a major cornerstone of Nevada’s national defense comes from the fact that any military threat would almost immediately be set upon by hordes of mercs.

The Vegas of today is a den of neon-lit excess - an oasis nestled within the Mojave, relatively peaceful compared to the endless warfare that plagues the Four Corners. People still flock from across the world for the shows, the food, and to throw their saving away at the gaming tables. It’s also functionally a mercenary clearing house. Everything from individuals to corporations to nation states send their representatives to Sin City to find someone willing to take care of their problems - wherever they are - for the right price. It’s common knowledge that deals are made and contracts closed at many of the city’s clubs - the discotheque Jubilation in particular infamous not only as a meeting point for guns for hire, but where many of the real decisions that shape Nevada are made.

Trouble’s brewing on the horizon, however - while Rosenthal is largely considered the defacto power over Carson City, Mob Boss Anthony Spilotro - flamboyant, ambitious, and with his own stable of Auto-Mercs - is chafing at his leash, and yearns to take over himself - even if it means starting a war with Rosenthal and the bosses back home, and even if it brings the whole house tumbling down around him.

Kit’s 1973 De Tomaso Pantera Custom

By the 1980s, many established Auto-Vigilantes and Creepers, especially successful mercs and bounty hunters, flushed with cash, were starting to feel the itch for bigger, more powerful, and ESPECIALLY flashier rides - while the country was tumbling around them, the American Dream was still very much alive, in a way - and in these days, “Greed is good”, as they say. Sleek, sensual Italian, German, and even British sports cars dominated the popular imagination of the day - cars such as the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari 308, Porsche 911, and even the Lotus Esprit - the "super spy’"s car of choice.

The De Tomaso Pantera was the result of a partnership by the Argentine-expatriate, Modena-based De Tomaso Automobili and the Ford Motor Company, meant to kill the Chevrolet Corvette - and while the lines were pure Italian glamour, they hid 351 Cubic Inches of thoroughly unhinged American muscle underneath, all for a tidy sum of 10,000$ starting. The squeeze of the energy crisis, however, and energy emission regulations helped to defeat this plot before it could even properly get started. However, despite early (and sometimes severe) teething issues, over 5,500 would be sold in the United States before the partnership dissolved in 1975 - and the country itself in 1976.

Comparatively obscure when viewed in light of it's more famous competitors, the Pantera would end up becoming an Auto Wars recipe for success - Compact, lightweight, maneuverable (while some other exotics were more agile, it's rear-mid engine placement and stance was still a night-and-day difference when compared to heavy, unbalanced American muscle and pony cars), and comparatively sturdy - built with steel body panels, as opposed to the Corvette and Esprit's fiberglass and Countach's aluminum. While the Corvette and Porsche might be more famous and more numerous, the Pantera is a powerhouse in the right hands and when properly tuned.

Kit, of course, had always wanted one of those sleek, exotic sports cars - maybe one of those Ferraris. However, even bounty hunting and mercenary work couldn't exactly foot THAT bill - both the purchase price and the maintenance - and especially not with how much she spent at the tables and clubs... So she had to settle for the next best, acquiring and refurbishing a Ford-Era 1973 Pantera in 1981.

Turns out she didn't "settle" much at all.

A custom-fabricated widebody kit - inspired by the small-batch GT5 models currently being made in Italy as well as earlier GR.4 models - helps to improve grip and also addresses several issues with overheating and front-end lift with the added air dam (and it's "Fuckin' sexy as hell", according to her), air ducts in the rear fenders help cool the brake pads, and a rear wing increases down force (Maybe - more importantly, to her, it just looks cool). Engine deck louvers add (minimal, but existent) protection from gunfire and shrapnel.

M1919 .30 caliber machine gun

The venerable .30 cal remains as much of an Auto Wars staple in the '80s as it was in the '70s.

While the amount of firearms the deranged and desperate have mounted onto their vehicles is legion in it's breadth, some other alternatives are starting to become more commonplace than exotic - squad support weapons chambered in 5.56 becoming more common, popular with some for the ammo capacity they bring with them - however, weight and powerplant issues continue to mean the GE Minigun remains a rarity on the highways. Meanwhile, weapons chambered in 7.62 are becoming increasingly more common than .30. The M2 .50 cal, while beloved, remains a relative rarity due to it's weight, size, and low ammo capacity.

In Kit's case, the armament is much the same as before - twin M37s - but this time mounted inside of the vehicle's nose, fed from sealed bulkheads mounted in the front compartment - a common solution in wedge-shaped sports cars that either don't have an appropriate surface for mounting or the barrels might not clear the headlights when deployed. Ejection ports have been cut into the quarter panels - roughly where parking lights would be - in order to give hot brass a means of clearing the vehicle.

Bullseye Rockets

These are perhaps the most prolific 'heavy' weapons of the Auto Wars - home-made, generally small-caliber rockets that vary wildly in quality - one pod might be bashed together out of trash and belch projectiles that can only really be called "rockets" in the academic sense, others might be made with a degree of basic competence, and yet others might be produced by dedicated weapon smiths in machine shops - with the asserts of Vegas behind her, Kit's are the latter. These lack the sheer punching power of Fire-Rites, but make up for it in spades with their ammo capacity - the example here, modeled on and downscaled from a Soviet aerial rocket pod, carries twenty rockets, giving a combatant with Bullseyes longevity one with other options lacks.

Interceptor Missiles

All-aspect infrared-guided missiles with supermanuevering capabilities - provided by thrust vectoring. These had been in the prototype stages in 1975 - and shipments had ended up captured by both Creepers and Auto-Vigilantes during attacks by the former during raids on Air Force installations. In the early stages of the Auto Wars these were rare, precious weapons. However, after being released into the wild, various arms manufacturers have managed to acquire examples and reverse-engineer their own copies, or something close. Even the firm that had original designed and produced the experimental version has long since began mass-producing and selling them.

The improvement the interceptor represents over the Aim Nein is one of orders of magnitude - envisioned as a quick-reacting AAM for high-intensity aerial engagements, it lacks the long range and sheer power of the Sidewinder, but more than makes up for it with a tendency to actually HIT its target. The seeker head is harder to spoof, its light and agile enough to stay with a moving target. Of course, it trades this accuracy for a loss of power. On top of that, they are usually mounted in launch tubes that limit the amount that can be brought to an engagement, and even now that they are proliferating, they remain an expensive option.

They are also capable of being used as an "Afterburner Rocket" - but unlike its predecessor, this is much more of a trade-off seeing as the Interceptor is an actual viable weapon.

Lovely piece by the wonderful Renneon