Overview
Following the release of my 2010s Prototype II mod car body for Automation and the rework of the vanilla 1980s Group C prototype body, I wanted to fill the gap between the two with a similarly versatile body that could cover the late 1990s to the early 2010s.
Sports prototypes from this era are characterized by sleeker body and fender shapes compared to their '80s and early '90s predecessors, along with narrower front fenders and, usually, protruding noses. By the mid-2010s, the majority of upper-tier sports prototypes had switched to a more bulbous front fender design (as reflected by the Prototype II), but wedge-like front fenders from the decade prior are still present on track and hillclimb prototypes like the Radical SR3.
This project was primarily based on two cars: the sleek and competitive (if not entirely successful) Toyota GT-One, and the legendary Audi R8 LMP (not to be confused with the supercar by the same name). Inspiration was also drawn from Audi's earlier LMPs (the R8C and R8R), as well as the cancelled Nissan P35 from the end of the Group C era.
Steam Workshop link
A few of many inspirations
Alternate fender shape with obligatory periscope-like brake duct (Automation)
Morphs
I decided on a squared-off base fender shape, which would allow for morphs that could taper the front and rear fenders off GT-One-style, or add curvature to the front fenders like with the R8R and R8C. The low-set section between the rear fenders normally curves up to meet the fenders at the very rear, forming a single straight edge like on the GT-One, but a morph target allows the trailing edges of the rear fenders to be raised. In addition, since the GT-One's rear wheels are larger in diameter than the front wheels, another morph target was added to the rear wheel arches to make them the same size as the front arches.
A couple morphs were implemented primarily for GT-One replicas, as recreating the car's "triple-pronged" front with its two deep vents flanking the windshield would be nothing short of a challenge with only fixtures. I also dedicated one paint slot towards opening up said vents and another slot for the exposed insides of the front wheel arches, making cutting those parts away as easy as "painting" them invisible. This would be a waste of paint slots were it not for the fact that these two areas are near-vertical surfaces that are occluded by other parts of the body, making the regular use of cutaway fixtures difficult.
Last but certainly not least, I added two morph targets to the canopy to narrow it out in different ways. I wanted this body series to be more usable for extreme time attack cars and envelope-pushing fictional prototypes, like my replica of the Gran Turismo Red Bull X2011 below.
A morph was planned that would make the inner fenders more cylindrical (akin to the rear fenders of the Acura ARX-01 and Courage C60), but concerns about impacting the existing fender geometry led to it being spun off as an alternate body variant with its own set of inner fender morphs.
Fixtures
Like the Prototype II, the Prototype Y2K comes with its own set of tub and nose pieces, though these ones are less generic in nature, and a "road-going" tub variant with leather trim and different door panels (modelled after the GT-One road car, of course) is also included.
Bundled with my "Modular Wing" mod fixture pack are wing endplates specific to the GT-One, which include the horizontal part that connects the endplate and rear fender. Other parts were made for my Automation replica, including the front fender brake ducts, the front vents' curved inner walls, the side mirrors, the roof scoop, and special "modular headlight" housings for the custom headlights (the latter of which were from another esteemed Automation modder, Cyborg Silvia).
This non-skeletal fixture was designed and rigorously tweaked to assume the shape of the GT-One's roof scoop when placed on the Automation body's curved roof; a more generic variant for other use cases is also included
Gallery
