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Soldat (Japanese: ソルダ) is a part-French, part-Italian manufacturer of high-performance sports cars. Their cars are known for their high top speeds rather than their drifting capabilities. It has been dubbed the Ferrari of the series, based on their car designs, but because of their French-Italian background, ever since Ridge Racer (PSP), Soldat can also be considered as Ridge Racer's equivalent of Bugatti.

During the events of Ridge Racer (PSP), Soldat acquired and absorbed a fellow Italian manufacturer, Rivelta, which carried their legacy by continuing development of the Crinale, and during their time as Rivelta's parent company, Soldat even continued use of Rivelta's development facilities for a while and used their former talents to work on their products, such as the Raggio and the Meltfire.

Some time during the events of Ridge Racer 7, Soldat had decided to phase out the Rivelta firm.

Machines[]

  • Soldat Rumeur: One of the special machines featured in Ridge Racer V and also the first Soldat car to appear in the series, a sleeper based on a city car (probably Age Erisso) heavily modified with a rear-mounted V6 engine, and is a modern re-interpretation of either the Volkswagen Beetle or Fiat 500. What it lacks in top speed makes up for in its tight handling and extreme grip that is beyond any other car.
  • Soldat Raggio (Soldat Rauna in the Vita game and Slipstream): Soldat's most notable mid-engined sports car, carrying the legacy of it's predecessor, Rivelta Solare, where it resembles a mix between a 1992 Honda NSX Type R and a slimmed-down Ferrari Enzo Ferrari, and is known for its sharp aerodynamics and V12 engine. A real-life replica, dubbed Yamasa Raggio, was featured in the 2006 Tokyo Auto Salon, and was based on a Honda NSX chassis, engine and running gear.
  • Soldat Crinale: The 13th Racing car, where it was once a Rivelta product, which has continued development under Soldat. It has switched between futuristic and prototype racer looks, depending on the game, in which they may resemble either a Bugatti Veyron (albeit highly futuristic and thinned out) or a Peugeot 908, respectively.
  • Soldat Meltfire: A mid-engined grand tourer sports car, in the lines of Ferrari F430; the cover car of Ridge Racer 6. It was designed by former Rivelta designers and engineers.

Trivia[]

  • "Soldat" means "soldier" in French.
    • The same translation also applies in German as well.
    • The logo of Soldat features the head of an armored knight.
      • It may also be a not-so-subtle reference to Gilgamesh, the protagonist of The Tower of Druaga (ironically, Druaga sponsoring is featured heavily on most Soldat cars).
    • Ridge Racer Vita clearly states that Soldat was once a French manufacturer (in the description of the Soldat Rauna), but because of their acquisition of Rivelta, their staff and their assets, they had a more Italian focus and operations of business, especially with the design of their cars, making a reverse-reference to Bugatti (the brand and products themselves are French, but their founder was Italian).
      • Soldat's acquisition of Rivelta may also reference Bugatti's Italian ownership from 1987 until 1998.
    • The Crinale in its Ridge Racer PSP, Ridge Racer 7 and Ridge Racer 3D incarnations somehow resembles the Bugatti Veyron, albeit a very futuristic version of one. The Ridge Racer 6 and Ridge Racer Vita versions resemble the Peugeot 908, and may also suggest that Soldat specializes in endurance racing (most notably Le Mans). Regardless, the Crinale heavily alludes to Soldat's French roots, despite the Crinale name and assets being of Italian origin.
    • The Raggio references the Bugatti EB110, as both are French automobiles produced in Italy, and are powered by V12 engines.
  • Soldat is the only manufacturer in the Ridge Racer series to have two bases of operations, namely France and Italy.
    • Given the company's structure after their acquisition of Rivelta, it is likely that production and assembly of Soldat's vehicles are in Italy, while their headquarters remain in France.
  • Lore-wise, Soldat may have subtle references to Lamborghini under three distinctions:
    • The description of the Rauna in Ridge Racer Vita may imply that the Raggio was once a Rivelta product, notable for being a supercar that dated all the way back to the 1970s, and that its lead designer, Giancarlo Zomegnan, is likely a reference to the late Marcello Gandini, the original designer of the Countach under Bertone.
      • Marcello Gandini is also responsible for the earliest designs of the Bugatti EB110, of which the Raggio also makes a reference to.
    • Soldat is commonly accepted as one of the fellow rivals of Assoluto, whose lore is based on Ferrari.
    • The Meltfire during Ridge Racer 6 and 7 was powered by a V8 engine, whilst the later model introduced in Ridge Racer Vita was powered by a V10, referencing how the first-generation Audi R8, which was based on the Lamborghini Gallardo, had a V8 at first, then a V10 much later on from 2009 and onward.
  • Due to the fact Soldat was a Special Machine-only manufacturer in Ridge Racer V, Soldat was barely advertised within the game.
  • Soldat's company motto of "The best machine will always remain the best" in the description of the Raggio in Ridge Racer 6 may be an allusion to Ferrari's motto of "The best car is the one we have yet to build" or Enzo Ferrari's most famous quote: "My favorite Ferrari is my next one".
    • It may also make a reference to Ettore Bugatti's quote of "If comparable, it is no longer Bugatti", given Soldat's similarities with Bugatti.
  • The logo of Soldat is likely a play on Maserati's logo. Another would be that the badging of the Meltfire uses a similar font to Maserati's alternate badging.
  • Soldat and Danver are the only car brands in the series that specialize in aerodynamic research, as their cars use active aerodynamics.
  • A print media ad for the Raggio can be seen in the opening level of Time Crisis 3. However, it would be unusual for Soldat to pull off an ad like this, as the Raggio, given its status as a limited-production supercar, would be considered a luxury car to the average buyer.
Manufacturers in the Ridge Racer series
Active Âge · Assoluto · Danver · Gnade · Himmel · Kamata · Lucky & Wild · Sinseong · Soldat · Terrazi · Zihua
Defunct Lizard · Rivelta
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