- "Age Solo is the performance car division of French auto manufacturer Age. Age Solo is renowned for their lightweight cars."
- ―R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 (referring to Age Solo)
Âge Motors Corporation (pronounced Ah-dge, Japanese: アージュ) is a French car manufacturer which is known for its grip and easy handling in early games, first appearing in Rage Racer. Depending on the game, the manufacturer also competed under the brand Âge Solo (Japanese: アージュ・ソロ), their performance division, established in 1998. Age is founded by Louis Âge, which made his first ever car in 1898 at a young age of 21 (he was born in 1877).
Âge is Ridge Racer's counterpart to Renault, with Âge Solo being based on Renault Sport. Both brands have heavy Renault influence in their lore.
The brand specializes in lighter and more aerodynamic vehicles that could effectively compete well enough with cars featuring larger and more powerful engines.
Model name | Translation | Rage | R4 | RR64 | RRPSP | RR2PSP | RR6 | RR7 | Vita |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Prophétie | Prophecy | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
Erriso
(Alouette) |
Lark | ✓ | |||||||
Dirigeant | Trooper | ✓ | |||||||
Bataille | Battle | ✓ | |||||||
Mégère | Shrew | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||
Abeille | Bee | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
Elenie | ✓ | ||||||||
Antilope | Antelope | ✓ | |||||||
Averse | Torrent | ✓ | |||||||
Pégase | Pegasus | ✓ | |||||||
Licorne | Unicorn | ✓ | |||||||
Espion | Spy | ✓ | |||||||
Sorcière | Witch | ✓ | |||||||
Vainqure
(Victoire) |
Victor | ✓ | |||||||
Supernova | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
Ultranova | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
Écureuil | Squirrel | ✓ | ✓ |
Trivia[]
- Âge translates to "age" in French, the only difference of which is the stressing accent, which makes it pronounced as "ah-dge".
- In Rage Racer lore, it was stated that during World War II, the main Âge factory was burnt down, and shortly after the war, the brand went through nationalization by the French government. The same exact thing also happened to Renault around this time period.
- Ridge Racer Type 4's description of Âge Solo stated that it is actually Âge Motors' performance division, much like the real life Renault Sport being Renault's performance division.
- Despite being a French manufacturer, some of their car designs in R4 are based on British cars (with the exception of the Supernova, which is based on the Ferrari F333 SP, except with a closed canopy).
- The description of the Ultranova stated that Âge is the winner of 2004 Ridge Racer World Tour (listed as Ridge World Grand Prix), canonically making Âge the constructors' champions of Ridge Racer (PSP).
- The wing logo used by Âge Solo might be a hint at their Ecureuil Special Machine having the angel car status in R4. However, the Ecureuil in Ridge Racer (PSP) 2 and 3D has since evolved to even include a Devil counterpart.
- According to Namco's official R4 guide book, Louis Âge is also the founder of Real Racing Roots. This is an allusion to motorsports actually starting in France (the Paris-Rouen race) then eventually, the rest of the world, although the Paris-Rouen race actually took place in 1894 and the first Real Racing Roots season started in 1949.
- It is implied that based on the manufacturing of the first Âge vehicle in 1898, Louis Âge may be likened to notable automotive inventors and innovators such as Karl Benz or Henry Ford, although as compared to actual history, the first-ever car was made twelve years prior (in 1886) and that assembly lines are yet to be realized until the early 1900s. Additionally, based on Ridge Racer lore, this would make Âge the oldest known brand in the series.
- According to the description of the Âge Abeille in Ridge Racer 7, it is said that the average owner of any vehicle made by Âge is usually getting older, which is a pun on the brand's name. It may also be an allusion to a market trend where middle-aged people prefer sportier and more luxurious cars.
- As the Prophetie and Abeille use the same engine, a Kamata-sourced turbocharged straight-4 engine, this can imply that Âge is either owned by Kamata, or at the very least, with an alliance with them, which is similar to the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.
- Âge's uses French racing blue as the traditional color of their cars (most notably with the Prophetie, Abeille and Ultranova). This is a reference to Alpine and Bugatti, two French brands that use said color heavily on their cars.
- Âge has the most cars out of any other brand across the entire Ridge Racer series, at the total of 17.
- The Ecureuils in Ridge Racer (PSP) 2 use the names "Angelus Kid" and "Crinale Kid". It is likely that Âge had to pay a fee to Kamata and Soldat, respectively to use the Angelus and Crinale names on their special Ecureuils.
- In the cancelled RTS game, New Space Order, Âge is referenced in the mechanics page on the Spacecraft Carrier Vehicle type I as, “Âge Aviation.”
- Âge's aviation department is a reference to Airbus, being a French aeronautics manufacturer. This is also in reference to Rolls-Royce, being the only car manufacturer to actively build cars and aircraft-related technologies, such as engines. In the Ridge Racer universe, this is also in comparison to Kamata and Gnade, who are also in the same industries.
Manufacturers in the Ridge Racer series | ||
---|---|---|
Active | Âge · Assoluto · Danver · Gnade · Himmel · Kamata · Lucky & Wild · Sinseong · Soldat · Terrazi · Zihua | |
Defunct | Lizard · Rivelta |