Rogue Nagani GTS

Manufacturer: Rogue Automotive/Fear Motorsports

Nationality: USA

First assembled: April 8th, 2051

Birthplace: Lemont, IL

Engine: 6.1 L V8

HP: 657 BHP

0-60: 3.1 seconds

Top speed: 194.35 MPH

 

Rogue Automotive's true debut model, the Firepower GT, was a raw hypercar that had the backing of an industrial empire behind it and the engineering expertise of some of the best in the business. Quickly establishing a motorsports pedigree after its debut, the Firepower put Rogue on the map as a serious player in the high-performance circles of the auto industry. But the Firepower was a hypercar through-and-through in both price and exclusivity. 1,300 ever were, with prices ranging from $370K up to $600K. On top of this they were notoriously unforgiving machines that had no issue humbling less experience drivers. After the Firepower came the Menzabe grand tourer, Rogue's first attempt at a legitimate luxury model. Sleek, comfortable, and boasting the same powertrain as the preceding Firepower but in a more "mellow" setup, the Menzabe was an unprecedented change of form for Rogue. While it was far from underperforming, it was still a luxury sedan at the end of the day, and a rather pricey one starting at $170K. Things get "worse" when the Firepower's successor, the XLR Blazefury, shows up. This insane machine was even more extreme than the Firepower, being a single-seat street-worthy F1 car focused almost entirely on raw performance. Only a handful a year will be produced with each unit coming in at a starting price of $525K. The pattern is clear. Rogue has some fantastic high-performance machines, but they're all either very expensive, vey rare, or both. For other luxury performance marques, this would be okay. But Rogue is more than that. Rogue has more down-to-earth models alongside these larger-than-life speed machines in the form of the Koshuké line of pickup trucks. Originally built as simple fleet trucks, the Koshuké series has grown to have a large variety of different trims, but you truly wouldn't be wrong in thinking they weren't from the same brand that made single-seater hypercars from just how simple they are. Even the Koshuké's high-performance model, the RS, retains that working man's image on account that its still a pickup truck. So here's Rogue sitting at two extremes; models that are accessible but boring, and models that are beyond exciting but far out of reach for many. Rogue needed something to meet in the middle. What Rogue needed was the traditional high-volume sports car.

 

The usual problem with a relatively young brand like Rogue Automotive producing a high-volume sportscar is production capacity. Building up the kind of factory you'd need to build tens of thousands of cars a year takes alot of time, money, and expertise. The advantage Rogue has is that Rogue Automotive is just one relatively small part of a much larger industrial group that's been around for nearly a century. Rogue Industries is a global name with a vast toolbox of resources, a toolbox that Rogue Automotive has full access to. The main Rogue Automotive plant in Lemont, Illinois already had high-production capacity thanks to being the main plant where the Koshuké truck was produced, and by the late 2040s was expanded for the Firepower and Menzabe. Rogue was easily set and ready to bring their high-speed madness to the masses, and at the Chicago Auto Show in early 2051, the world was introduced to what their idea of a "working man" speed machine was. It was called the Nagani GTS, and it was making alot of attractive promises. A two-seat coupe with a traditional FR layout, a beefy naturally-asperated V8, available with a manual, and most notable of all; a starting price of $65,000. Sure, not exactly an economy option for regular folk, but far, far more attainable compared to everything else in Rogue's lineup that doesn't have a rear cargo bed. The name "Nagani" comes from the language of the Native American Potawatomi tribe, a theme Rogue has going with all their high volume models. In this instance, the name roughly translates to "Leader", meant to reflect the Nagani's place in Rogue's lineup as an outright flagship model. The much more expensive and limited hypercars Rogue builds that obviously greatly exceed everything else in the in lineup act solely as "Halo" models. In Rogue's own words when explaining the Nagani's place in their lineup; "If the Nagani is the king, our hypercars like the Firepower and the Blazefury are gods." What exactly does the Nagani provide to make it worthy of it's metaphorical crown? Besides the expertise of a manufacturer that won the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans on their first motorsports outing, quite alot. Enough to make the $65k price tag feel like a bit of a bargain.

 

Heavily-camouflaged test mules that were now clearly prototypes of the Nagani were seen undergoing testing as early as 2047, not long after Rogue had just started producing the Menzabe sedan. Said prototypes were mainly seen either driving around the roads of the western Chicago suburbs, or doing hard track shakedowns on Fear Motorsports Racing's (Rogue's motorsports partner) test track down in Peoria. Point is, Rogue was absolutely making sure the Nagani was ready before it took on its role as the top model in their lineup, and by extension the new face of the whole brand. On paper, it sure looks like the Nagani is ready. Starting with the powertrain, Rogue came out swinging like they always do. Under the hood is a naturally-asperated 6.1 L V8. This V8 was first seen on the road with the Koshuké RS off roader, just with a supercharger bolted on. And going even further, this V8 is derived from a bigger motorsports-only iteration seen in the Koshuké R race truck. Going even further again, the basic architecture of this V8 is extremely similar to the V10s seen in Rogue's hypercars, which are still being made with the introduction of the Blazefury. Long story short, the Nagani's V8 is a proven powertrain that by now will have any design kinks resolved. This might explain why Rogue chose to take off the supercharger this engine had in the Koshuké RS and instead run it on its own power in the Nagani. Rogue did also rather ominously state that they were "saving forced induction for later", but as they said, that's for later. What for right now is that even without that supercharger the Nagani still has plenty of power at its disposal. The Nagani GTS's V8 is good for over 650 HP, and a maximum RPM of up to 8,500. That is bonafide supercar numbers, and beats out figures from other, more expensive cars in the Nagani's class, such as the Holzer 3000 from Germany or the Winston Longsword from the UK. Such numbers can be daunting for the type of buyers in the Nagani's price bracket, which is on-brand with Rogue's history of producing cars with high skill requirements. This makes some of Rogue's justifications for the choice to go naturally asperated with the Nagani almost comical in a way. Sure, there's the advantages of the Nagani's engine being easier to maintain and repair, improved reliability and efficiently, more lightweight, and most importantly reduced costs. But Rogue also stated that making it naturally asperated means that throttle response is more immediate and power delivery is more linear, thus making the driving feel more predictable and direct, which in turn supposedly means the Nagani is easier to drive than prior Rogue models. There's other reasons why the Nagani GTS might not be too sympathetic to the inexperienced outside of its powertrain, but what's for certain is that Rogue's attempts to make the Nagani easier to handle didn't do much to slow it down. Those 650+ horses combined with the Nagani GTS's light weight mean its very quick. 0-60 takes just a hair over 3 seconds, and top speed just within reach of the 200 MPH barrier. Again, this puts the Nagani right in line with more expensive cars in its class. The absolute craziest thing about the Nagani's straight-line speed is that it supposedly wasn't high on Rogue's priorities list during development. What Rogue was really concentrating on was making sure it was one of the most agile cars on the market.

 

The Nagani GTS's design is certainly unique, visually taking heavy ques from sportscars of the 1980s. Sharp, angular lines, a short notchback-style cabin, a large "floating" rear deck spoiler. The most notable part of its design is the general size of the car, specifically its wheelbase. Coming in at 8.2 feet, the Nagani GTS has one of the shortest wheelbases on the market for a sportscar that's not venturing into kei car territory. The advantages of having such a short wheelbase is making the car more agile. The turning circle is smaller and steering response is quicker, handling is more responsive making the car feel more nimble, weight is lower and the car is generally smaller thus improving packaging efficiency. Some of these advantages can easily be disadvantages, as at higher speeds this smaller size makes the car more twitchy and hard to predict in abrupt maneuvers. In a car with over 650 HP like the Nagani, this means these issues are likely exasperated. Sure, its grippy tires and high-performance suspension can do alot to keep the Nagani in check, but there's only so much that can be done, especially in the hands of someone who overestimates their skills. The Nagani GTS's construction of flax-based fiber composite and aluminum does a great job of cutting weight down to an impressive 3,175 Ibs, while providing excellent structural stability and keeping costs down. All this just means that the big V8 up front has even less holding it back and making the Nagani GTS that much easier to throw around. So yes, in the hands of the inexperienced, the Nagani can easily meet the fate of many other sportscars before it and find itself unceremoniously wrapped around a tree. But like all prior Rogue models before it, in the hands of someone more seasoned, the Nagani is a true driver's car that gets results. Rogue's signature liquid magnetic ride suspension is here again, this time more or less lifted right out from the Menzabe grand tourer. It's a bit more simplified to help keep costs down, but its fundamentally the same system, meaning that at the press of a button the ride can go from comfortable softness to outright motorsports level of stiffness. The front splitter and giant rear deck wing aren't just for looks either, providing plenty of downforce to the Nagani's grippy tires to use. But above all, one of the most important aspects of the Nagani that makes it a real driver's car is the transmission. There's a paddle-operated 8-speed automatic, also previously seen in the Menzabe. But the real treat is the choice of a classic 6-speed manual stick-shift, a type of transmission Rogue hasn't quite produced yet. There was the 8-speed auto in the Menzabe as previously mentioned, a series of 10-speed autos seen in the Koshuké that obviously wasn't going anywhere near the Nagani, and a series of sequential manuals or dual clutch transmissions in Rogue's hypercars that are simply too costly for the Nagani's more affordable mindset. Developing a brand-new transmission would've also impacted the Nagani's price, so Rogue's solution was to simply call a friend for help. Specifically Rose Motors from the United Kingdom. Rogue and Rose have collaborated numerous times before, most recently working together to develop the XLR Blazefury's platform. So it didn't take much convincing on Rogue's part to get Rose Motors to provide a 6-speed manual. Rose gave them the same 6-speed used in the Three-2 Super, a car that's widely agreed to be one of the most sublime and engaging sportscars on the market. Clearly Rose wanted nothing but the best for Rogue's latest creation, and the end result is seemingly the best driver's car Rogue has built yet.

 

The Nagani GTS would reach dealer floors a couple months after its unveiling, and while markups would make that initial $65,000 price tag not entirely realistic, it would still end up being one hell of a bargain. To provide the performance it does at its price though, some places had to take a hit that some reviewers made special notice of. The interior of the Nagani isn't a bad place to be by any regard with a fair amount of equipment and well-made furnishing. It's comfortable, but its where it becomes apparent why the Nagani's overseas competitors cost more. Plenty of components seen inside the Nagani GTS are lifted right from the Koshuké truck series. Many come from the more upscale Koshuké H/D, but it's still a sportscar utilizing the components you'll be looking at the most from a fleet truck. Doesn't exactly give the best impression. What gave a fantastic impression was when those reviewers actually drove the Nagani. The beefy, naturally-asperated V8 accentuated by that Rose-sourced manual is an engaging experience like none other, and that short wheelbase, while indeed being a bit much at times, meant the Nagani was outright ninja-like in its agility. With the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, it also wasn't hard to throw the Nagani into a powerslide to have some real fun. Reviewers stated that while the sense of danger from Rogue's higher-up models still lingered, there was something different with the Nagani. The car just simply felt fun and joyful, like instead of with the Firepower GT where it constantly felt like at any moment it was gonna bite your head off, the Nagani GTS was begging you to go a bit more, to live a little. To smile and laugh every time you hit the gas. And alot of people would be smiling. In the first month the Nagani GTS went on sale, it almost sold out its entire annual production run through preorders. That price really was alluring, and ensured the Nagani would be around a while. Which is certainly good, since Rogue stated that they intended to take it racing that very year. They also cryptically said that traditional GT-class racing wasn't the only type of racing it'd do, and that short wheelbase was intentional for a multitude of reasons.

Done