Bruckell Moonhawk
| Bruckell Moonhawk | |
 1973-1975 Bruckell Moonhawk V8 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Bruckell |
| Production | 1973 - 1978 |
| Internal Name | moonhawk |
| Body and Chassis | |
| Class | Mid-size |
| Body style | 2-door coupe |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 4.0L OHV I6 6.2L OHV V8 |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual 4-speed manual 3-speed automatic 5-speed manual (aftermarket) 6-speed manual (aftermarket) 4-speed automatic (aftermarket) |
The Bruckell Moonhawk is an intermediate-sized rear-wheel drive coupe with I6 and V8 engine options, produced by Bruckell between 1973 and 1978. It was added in the 0.3.0.4 update on September 11th, 2013. It can be upgraded with heavy duty coil springs, shocks, and front sway bar for tighter handling, as well as a sport steering box and steering wheel. The base I6 makes 151 horsepower, while the standard V8 makes around 183hp. The V8 can be upgraded to a supercharged version making almost 300 horsepower. The engines make peak torque around 2500 rpm and have smooth power delivery throughout the rev range. There are 6 different transmissions available.
“I fell in love with the 73-77 GM "Colonnade" cars recently and had to make something similar. It's an intermediate-sized Malaise-era "muscle" car (if you can even call it that)...”
—Gabester, BeamNG Dev Blog, 14 February 2013
Contents
Characteristics
Handling
The handling of the Moonhawk is heavy and unresponsive, but also neutral and somewhat balanced. It tends to understeer when pushed to its limits, however the sport models can handle well under regular driving. When its rear end is forced out, it can hold a drift well. However, its tall gear ratios do not allow drifting in higher gears with most of the engines. Locking the gear in automatic transmission is a must to pull off a continuous drift.
Suspension
The suspension is rather soft, but somewhat bouncy in order to hold its mass. Combined with good ride height, this allows the Moonhawk to take bumps well, even at high speeds. However, when multiple bumps are strung together, the bounciness of the suspension will make the car harder to control, and the front will scrape on the ground, possibly even leading to a crash.
Collisions
In head on collisions, the Moonhawk performs poorly. Though it has a long engine compartment as buffer, the vehicle is too soft to actually absorb much force. However, even after major impacts, the Moonhawk often remains operable and can still push itself around. When the vehicle is dropped from a height, the front suspension usually breaks, making steering impossible.
Factory Configurations
The base model I6 Moonhawk has an 244 CUI I6 with a 2-barrel carburetor producing 151 bhp and 236 lb-ft which in a car weighing 3594 lbs (3605 lbs for the Automatic) feels painfully slow. It comes standard with a 2.83 open differential and 15x7 steel wheels with a dog dish hubcap all around. It comes standard with a beige interior. It also has front disc brakes and rear drum brakes with basic brake pads. It offers a choice of a 3-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic and has a facelift version and a pre-facelift version. The facelift version has two rectangular headlights on each side stacked on top of each other, while the pre-facelift version has a single circular headlight on each side.
The standard V8 Moonhawk weighs 3902 lbs. It has a 378 CUI V8 with 2-barrel carburetor cranking out 183 bhp and 272 lb-ft. It feels slightly faster than the I6 and provides a good balance of power. It also has a 3-speed automatic and facelift/pre-facelift versions, but its manual option has been upgraded to a 4-speed. It still has the same steel wheels, but it comes with Bruckell Styler hubcaps and a 3.08 open differential. It also comes with fancy chrome stripping on the doors.
The V8 Sport version had the 2-barrel carburetor upgraded to a 4-barrel which improved the power to 197 bhp and 282 lb-ft. The car still weights 3902 lbs, but has a sport steering wheel and a red interior. This variant also includes heavy duty shocks, springs and front sway bar, and it has sport brake pads. This car also comes with a quick ratio steering box, a 3.08 PlusTrak limited slip differential, and, in the pre-facelift version, it has Alder Sporter 15x8 wheels in the front and 15x9 in the back. The facelift version has Alder Magnum 15x8 wheels in the front with 15x9 in the back.
The V8 Special is the top of the line model. It was only available in the pre-facelift variant with a 4-speed manual transmission. It comes with a custom color scheme with a lighter version of the main color running along the bottom of the vehicle. It has a black interior, the sport steering wheel, and had the chrome stripping and bumpers removed to save weight. (3759 lbs) It has a stage 1 supercharger, which along with a high-performance radiator, boosts the power to 294 bhp and 425 lb-ft. The car also comes with semi-race brake pads and Alder Rush 15x8 wheels in the front with 15x9 in the back. This is the fastest factory model.
Custom Configurations
The Terrible is a beater dirt racing version of the I6. It comes with the same 244 CUI I6, but has a 4-speed manual, and a right side-exit exhaust. It has had the front fascia, bumpers, hubcaps, door panels, passenger and rear seats, and rear panel removed to save weight. The car also comes with a custom Nomi Mod.301 racing wheel, quick-ratio steering, and a 3.08 welded rear differential. It weighs 3285 lbs and has the same amount of power as the I6. It is noticeably faster accelerating than the base I6.
The Detective Special Moonhawk is similar to the V8 Sport version, but has some features from the I6. It only comes in a 3-speed automatic with the facelift variant, and has a black interior with a red beacon light on the roof. The car has the same underpinnings and engine as the V8 Sport but has the wheels from the I6. It also had the sport steering wheel and chrome stripping removed. This version is marketed towards private detectives who are not police, but may need a pursuit vehicle.
The Elite Custom version is a supercharged street racer with a stage 2 supercharger producing 459 bhp and 617 lb-ft. It has a custom 5-speed manual and the same underpinnings as the Special version of the Moonhawk. It is only available with the pre-facelift headlights and comes with custom painted trim and a lip spoiler. It has a black interior, a Nomi Mod.307 wheel, and has no lettering or badges on the rear. It comes with Alder Dragger 15x8 wheels in the front, and 15x9 in the back. Unfortunately, unlike the Special, the Elite Custom does not have a high-performance radiator and is prone to overheating. The "Elite Custom"'s name in the config selector is "Drive". It's an Easter Egg referring to the Chevy Malibu in the movie "Drive"
The Drag is similar to the Elite Custom but has fat drag tires in the rear and skinny bicycle wheels in the front and it has a roll cage, wheelie bar, side exit exhaust, no bumpers, and it had the rear seats and passenger seat removed. It comes with a Nomi Mod.207R steering wheel, and it has a stage 4 supercharger which pumps out an incredible 1519 bhp and 1701 lb-ft. It comes with a race limited slip differential, a cut hood, a blower, a drag 4-speed automatic and a high-performance radiator. It is only available with the pre-facelift headlights and has a black interior. This car is capable of setting incredible 1/4 mile times while still weighing 3913 lbs.
The Track is very similar to the Drag but does not have a wheelie bar or a blower. It also has a custom stripe livery, a race 6-speed manual, a Nomi Mod.301 racing wheel, front and rear fender flares, the same engine as the Special, and Folk ZT55 18x10 wheels all around. It also had its brakes, brake pads, shocks, springs, and front sway bar upgraded to race versions of the parts. It only comes in the pre-facelift version, and has a black interior. This track built variant is unfortunately let down by its lack of a high-performance radiator which means it will overheat more quickly then other track vehicles in its class.
Configurations
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Performance Comparison
| Bruckell Moonhawk Model Specifications | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | |||||||||||||
| Induction | |||||||||||||
| Intake | |||||||||||||
| Drivetrain | |||||||||||||
| Horsepower | |||||||||||||
| At (rpm) | |||||||||||||
| Torque (Nm) | |||||||||||||
| At (rpm) | |||||||||||||
| Transmission (M/A) | 3-Speed Auto |
3-Speed Auto |
3-Speed Auto |
3-Speed Auto |
3-Speed Auto |
3-Speed Auto |
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| Differential (M/A) | 2.83 Open |
2.64 Open |
2.83 PlusTrak LSD |
2.83 Open |
2.64 Open |
2.83 PlusTrak LSD |
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| Weight (kg) (M/A) | 1605 |
1705 |
1605 |
1705 |
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| Wheels (F/R) | Alder Magnum 15x9 |
Alder Sporter 15x9 |
Alder Rush 15x9 |
Alder Dragger 15x9 |
Alder Dragger 15x14 |
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| 0 - 60mph (100kph) (M/A) | 10.1 s (10.8 s) |
8.9 s (9.5 s) |
7.6 s (8.1 s) |
10.1 s (10.8 s) |
8.9 s (9.5 s) |
7.6 s (8.1 s) |
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| Top Speed (mph) | 115 |
125 |
129 |
113 |
125 |
129 |
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Gallery
The Moonhawk during the early modeling stage.
GIF of before and after the Moonhawk's proportions were tweaked in the 0.16 update.
Loading screen image featuring the 1973-1975 Moonhawk V8 Sport, added in the 0.18 update.
Trivia
- The Bruckell Moonhawk was the first vehicle, in version 0.4.2.0, to have an alternate variant with a minor "facelift"; this new version, from 1973, actually preceded the original 1976 model.
