Soldat Rumeur

Soldat Rumeur
Manufacturer	Soldat
Appearance	Ridge Racer V
Class	Duel
Engine	3.6 liter V6
Drivetrain	RR
Handling type	Grip

"Soldat's Rumeur slices through corners like a knife and delivers an unparalleled driving experience."

―Ridge Racer V's announcer

The Soldat Rumeur is the first special machine created by Soldat. It was introduced in Ridge Racer V for the pilot Spirit. It's design is based on a heavily modified Volkswagen New Beetle adapted to have a rear engine and drive, with the taillights and headlights of an old Fiat 500.

Its design is often associated with "sleeper" cars - ordinary cars with almost none, or very little visual modifications, but are heavily modified on the insides.

It is the slowest in the special class it belongs to, but the car's amazing cornering ability offsets the speed handicap. The Rumeur is capable of taking corners at its maximum speed, without needing release the accelerator or brake before, as would be usual with a Grip-type machine. However, it should be borne in mind that its extreme grip makes it quite sensitive, which means that the player will need to be very precise and cautious in analog control, a feature that is similar to Age Ecureuil in Ridge Racer Type 4. Otherwise, turning the car too much, or turning too quickly will cause it to hit the walls.

Trivia

• Rumeur is French for "rumor".
• This is the first known Soldat vehicle before their acquisition of Rivelta and larger Italian focus.
• The Latin text on the Rumeur's medal says "Dulce est desipere in loco", which can be translated as "It is sweet on occasion to play the fool". This is a reference to the fact that the Rumeur's naive appearance manages to hide its great potential as a sleeper sports car.
• This car, like the Terrazi Wild Gang, it appears to have been made to resemble a toy car, especially for its light blue color with flower decals on the sides.
• Although this is never stated, clarified, or mentioned in the Ridge Racer series, it is possible that the Rumeur is actually a heavily modified version (or a carbon fiber bubble body) based of the Age Erisso from Rage Racer. This is due to the fact that the general lines of the car are very similar (in particular, headlights, taillights, and inspiration from the Fiat 500/Abarth 1000 TCR), as well as engine position and high-grip dynamic behavior.
• The sound of this car emits a background hum that is quite distinct from the sound of the engine each time its acceleration increases, which may imply that it uses a racing transmission with straight-cut gears.