“Mosckvich, since you’re working on an automobile designed by the IDS, what are your insights about the design?” Alexander asked as he propped his arm up on the table and leaned forward with interest. “Because I’m sure you’ve realized this by now,”
Mosckvich gulped as he looked up at his boss who was eager to hear what he had to say. Alexander was right, he noticed something different in the design that he had never seen in his entire lifetime. He cleared his throat before answering.
“I did find something…Your Majesty,”
“Hmm…” Alexander hummed as he nodded his head, just as he expected. “Okay, share it with me,”
“Okay then…the humvee for example is wider and heavier than the cars introduced in this world so far. Its body is made of composite materials I haven’t heard about and judging by the composition, it can take a hit, which is understandable because it’s a military vehicle, however, the design is somehow the same, to say the least, It features a box design but on the end, it has slopes for aerodynamic purposes.”
Mosckvich paused momentarily as he recalled every detail about the humvee’s specifications of the engines, the tires, the materials used on it, et cetera.
“One of which piqued my interest is the tread pattern of the tires. Instead of having a similar size and shape and aligned, it’s randomized. Not only that, the tires feature new materials and layouts new to me for example, radial design, where layers of fabric are arranged radially for fuel-efficiency. As for the engines, the V8, 6.5-liter turbocharged diesel is more powerful than any commercially-produced cars…”-.
“Still, you were able to make one right?” Alexander asked.
“Of course, Your Majesty. As long as we have the tools, materials, and knowledge, we can make anything the IDS wants us to make,” Mosckvich said with conviction.
“So according to you, it’s everything,” Alexander said.
“Kind of, Your Majesty,” Mosckvich rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly.
Though this question may be sudden, Alexander just learned something from the conversation. Mosckvich emphasizes the design of the humvee. Given that it’s different from the mainstream design of this era’s automobile, the assurance or the fact that he can make it just proved that the car’s design hasn’t changed much for over decades or nearly a century.
If anything, that would be the design along with its contemporary issues. Let’s take 1920s cars for example. They are boxy and aerodynamically inefficient, causing them to burn a lot of fuel due to drag. Some engineers thought of replacing an engine with a more powerful one but that is costly. So, what did they do? Simple, they changed the layout of the body by having the rear-end of the roof sloped downwards, basically making it curvy, thus making it aerodynamically efficient.
Also in this world’s era, there are not many car enthusiasts or people that care about the specification or performance of the vehicle. The one leading factor in why the vehicle sells is due to the design. It’s basically a war of aesthetics. The more regal and majestic the car is the better.
Now cars in the 70s and 80s may not be aesthetically pleasing compared to the cars in the 1930s, but they are a lot safer. Alexander will prioritize safety in car designs. Meaning every car produced in the Ruthenia Empire must comply with the new safety standards and regulations he’ll impose. For example, the car must pass the barrier test, it must also have seatbelts, airbags, bumper shock, et cetera. Which he’ll work on once he returns back to St. Petersburg.
But why opt for the 1980s or 1990s design? Because car design evolves every decade, and those designs complied with the safety standards. Plus, it’s a personal preference of Alexander. If there is one challenge that could bar him from making a car out of the 80s or 90s, that will be the fuel injection system and the electronic control module.
It’s too early for that, for now, he’ll settle at carburetors and probably adopt a design from the 60s or 70s with added protection.
‘The people into retro cars back on Earth will cream themselves over looking at the cars here.’ thought the Thomas inside Alexander.
Alexander tapped the table of Mosckvich with his finger as he waited for Rolan to come back.
“He is taking too long huh?” Alexander muttered under his breath as he crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot against the ground impatiently, waiting for Rolan to come back with the briefcase…there was a knock on the door.
“Come in!” Alexander called out, he didn’t need to look behind him to know who the person was, because there’s only one person in this factory that is permitted to enter the office.
“Sorry, sir! Here you go,” Rolan handed Alexander the briefcase.
“It’s fine,” Alexander took the suitcase and placed it on his table.
Alexander opened it and checked through the contents. Everything that he wanted to show to Mosckvich is inside. He grabbed the papers and set the briefcase down on the floor, getting it out of the way.
“So, these are the hand-drawn designs conceptualized by the IDS, what do you think?” Alexander showed the papers to Mosckvich who then checked them carefully.
He frowned slightly when he saw some of the diagrams on the paper. They all seemed very new. By very new, it means he hadn’t seen it on the road, not even in foreign countries.
Just like the humvees, Misckvoch is having this odd feeling of doubt towards the IDS. Everything that they are creating right now doesn’t follow today’s paradigm. And yet when the IDS showed or briefed them on the schematics or blueprints, it suddenly made sense scientifically, even though there wasn’t a study or an experiment on it.
Just who are the mysterious engineers employed by IDS that is working so secretly to the point His Majesty has to be the one presenting it? Not only that, it seems as though His Majesty knows what he’s talking about like he was briefed beforehand.
However, the schematics are too technical for the young prince who hadn’t prior education in mechanical engineering. If he can understand the inner workings of what the IDS anonymous engineers are trying to convey, then the prince in front of him must be smart.
“What’s the matter? Is there something wrong?” Alexander noticed
“Well, sir, the design got me again,” Misckovich let out a forced chuckle. “This concept design…without schematics…I wouldn’t be able to ascertain its feasibility,”
“Is that so? Don’t worry, we will provide it to you in the next few weeks,” Alexander said.
“I understand, Your Majesty,”
The drawings Alexander presented to Misckovich are actual designs from various car manufacturers in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Ranging from Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Audi, Rolls-Royce, BMW, Chevrolet, and many more. The problem is that these companies already have their counterparts existing here.
This means in the next 50 years; it’ll be envisioned by the engineering mavericks of each company. He can copy it to save his company money from research and development costs. Harrier Industries doesn’t have a car model from the late twentieth century. Their cars are electric, just like Tesla. It houses many state-of-the-art features that it’s impossible to recreate in a technological dark age.
‘Shit…looks like I’m gonna copy again from the future…’