HANZMUND V8

Hanzmund V8 represents the second generation of legendary aerodynamic Czechoslovak luxury cars. Equipped with an unique airship-inspired body, a robust backbone chassis, an air-cooled V8 engine in the back and a fully-independent suspension, the Hanzmund V8 was one of the most advanced and fastest production cars between 1936 and 1950. With a drag coeficient 0.36 it is capable of speed up to 160 kph while maintaining a surprisingly economical consumption.

The secret weapon
With only 38% of mass in the front, the steering is light and the car is quick and agile on rough country roads, but can be tricky to drive on the limit. The rear swing axle is prone to lift-off over-steer and the weight distribution does the rest. During the war, the factory was seized by Germany and the cars were used to transport officers. It is said, that the tail-happy car killed more high-ranked Nazi officers than combat, during the first weeks.

Around the world
After the war, the famous Czechoslovak adventurers Hanzelka and Zikmund driven one of these through the whole Africa and Latin America between 1947 and 1950. The car proved to be safe and durable in wastelands and wilderness. It traveled with ease, despite being twice overloaded.

Heritage
The car inspired one of the most successful German people's cars and its heritage is still alive in the sportscars such as FZ50. It was later replaced by a better-balanced Valuta V8

Driving tips
Keep in mind, that it is a 1930s car and it does not have a feedback of a modern car. Only the third and fourth gears are synchronized, so do not forget to double-clutch when downshifting to the second. A richer mixture must be used to start the engine (apply throttle when starting). The mod is kept as realistic as possible and it is not easy to drive on a limit. However, after some practice it is very rewarding. Early braking and little throttle through the whole corner should be enough to stay out of trouble during a high-speed cornering.

The mod is suitable to compete with the Lemon Adieu (the Adieu must be tuned to 84 bhp to keep up with the V8) and for rough rallying.

Realism note
Due to the fully independent suspension, this is one of a few 1930s cars which can be simulated in the LFS, without some rough approximations of solid axles. In comparison to the real car, this mod has a little stiffer suspension and slightly overinflated tires in the 'stock' setup. The suspension is stiffer to reproduce a non-linearity of a transverse leaf springing, while the tires are overinflated to approximate historic bias-ply tires. Using modern radial tires, the car can be easily flipped over. The additional racing setups are fictional, but preserve the original geometry (for example an additional camber cannot be set on a swing axle).