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Nothing can stop a Highwayman.— Highwayman's slogan[1]

The Chryslus Highwayman is a full-size car manufactured by the Chryslus Motors Corporation of the United States. It was utilized by the Chosen One in 2241.

Background[]

Combining a stylish design with a tough and resilient frame, the Chryslus Highwayman is an excellent vehicle for any survivor of a nuclear war.[1] The car shares technology with the Chryslus Corvega, it has a fully analog system with no electronics, over 800 horsepower, and reaches 60 mph (97 km/h) in under a second.[2] It has a spacious trunk and an interior capable of accommodating as much as six people, including a super mutant, a robobrain, and a deathclaw.

Like other cars in the resource-starved United States, the Highwayman uses replaceable fuel cells to provide its electric engine with power. The flow of power is regulated by the fuel cell controller, which is also the one part that tends to break down the most, usually burning out due to rapid acceleration.[3][4] A fuel cell regulator was an optional upgrade that more resource-conscious drivers installed, to improve the mileage.[5] Others did not care, as energy was considered cheap and plentiful.[6]

Acquiring the Highwayman[]

Smitty's junkyard (interior)

Smitty: "If'n it ran, do you think I'd still be in this shithole of a town?"[7]

The non-functional Highwayman sitting in Smitty's junkyard requires significant legwork to get up and running. First, the Chosen One must acquire a fuel cell controller from Skeeter by either trading a super repair kit for it or simply killing him and looting it. Second, the Chosen One must give Smitty $2,000 and the fuel cell controller. Alternatively, the Chosen One can kill Smitty and install the fuel cell controller themselves with a Repair of 110% or more. Once repaired, the vehicle becomes available and provides numerous benefits.

Characteristics[]

The Highwayman is the only drivable vehicle in Fallout 2. It is used to travel across the world map but can not be driven inside locations.[8]

Travel speed[]

Traveling by Highwayman is much faster than walking. The Highwayman can be upgraded to improve its speed.[9] (Note that T-Ray's adjustments and grav-plates are mutually exclusive.)

World map
speed
Transportation method
100% Walking on foot
200% -
300% -
400% Highwayman with no upgrades
500% Highwayman with T-ray's adjustments
600% Highwayman with T-ray's adjustments and Ratch's blower
700% -
800% Highwayman with Grav-plates and Ratch's blower

Avoiding random encounters[]

The Highwayman has an additional 50% independent chance to avoid undesired random encounters.[10]

Fuel[]

Fueling the Highwayman

Fueling the Highwayman

The Highwayman uses replaceable fuel cells to provide its electric engine with power. The battery is charged 50% with a full microfusion cell or 20% with a full small energy cell.[11] (This is proportional to their respective monetary values.) To refuel the car, select the Highwayman, use the "bag" icon from the drop-down menu, and choose the respective energy cells. If the Highwayman runs out of fuel, the car will appear as a green circle on the world map marked "Car Outta Fuel". If you happen to be within a town circle at the moment this happens, the car will be in the town map instead.

Highwayman Trapper Town

Broken-down Highwayman in Trapper Town with a fuel cell regulator in the back seat[12]

The Highwayman can be upgraded to improve it's fuel efficiency.[13] (Note that T-ray's adjustments and Grav-plates are mutually exclusive.)

Fuel Usage Highwayman upgrades
100% Highwayman with no upgrades
50% Highwayman with fuel cell regulator
45% Highwayman with fuel cell regulator and T-ray's adjustments
5% Highwayman with fuel cell regulator and Grav-plates

Trunk storage[]

The player can also store items in the trunk, which has a limited capacity, determined by item size, rather than sheer weight. It can be upgraded to improve its trunk capacity.[14] Note that T-ray's adjustments and Grav-plates are mutually exclusive.

Trunk Size Highway Upgrades
250 Highwayman with no upgrades
275 Highwayman with T-ray's adjustments
475 Highwayman with Grav-plates

Attempting to add an item when at capacity will simply display a message that there's no space left for the item. An item's size is not displayed in-game but is as follows:[15]

Item Size Items
0 All ammunition, except 9mm ball and BB's. For example, rockets and flamethrower fuel have size 0.
0-1 Most miscellaneous items and consumables. Even weightless items can take up space in the trunk. For example a Rope, a Lighter, and a Jet are each size 1.
1-6

Weapons (including all throwing weapons)

7-15 Armor

Upgrades[]

FO2 RecoverStolenCar

Chop Shop mechanic: "Sorry about that misunderstanding with the Highwayman..."[16]

Mechanics can install car parts to upgrade the Highwayman's world travel speed, fuel efficiency, and trunk storage size.

World location Map location Mechanic Car part Increased

travel

speed

Increased

fuel

efficiency

Increased

trunk

storage

Other
The Den Smitty's junkyard Smitty Fuel cell controller Yes No Yes Check
Fuel cell regulator No Yes No No
New Reno T-ray's chop shop T-Ray T-ray's adjustments Yes No Yes No
Grav-plates Yes No Yes No
New California Republic NCR junkyard Ratch Blower[17] Yes No No No

Check Required for the Highwayman to operate. Using a Highwayman increases the chance to avoid random encounters.

Related interactions[]

Fo2 Lumpy

Lumpy: "Aside from several compound fractures and a hood ornament lodged several feet up my ass, I'm right as rain."[18]

Behind the scenes[]

Vintage 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Advertisement

A '57 Chevy or Chevrolet Bel Air.

Fatasscar

Early Highwayman with two large fuel tanks

The car was originally going to be powered by fusion or fission or something nifty and nuclear (something that would allow us not to have to worry about running out of gas) and those big tanks in the back were representative of this big bulky power-source that was bolted on to the back of a '57 Chevy.
We had thought, at one starry-eyed point, that the car would be something that you could upgrade with more speed, armor, weapons, etc. and that it could be a more important part of the game—well, the engine and programmer tasking weren't up to the idea of having a moving vehicle (madness, I know ;) in the game so all of that went out the window. The power source was replaced by a much more mundane 22 cubic feet of cargo-space (more than any non-wagon vehicle in its class!).
So basically, the Highwayman's powerplant was downsized in order to meet with People's State of California emissions standards. It's often the case that a prototype car isn't exactly the same when it goes into production. ;)
Matt Norton, Fallout Bible 8
  • The Highwayman is an amalgam of several vintage cars, with the general shape taken from a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air combined with the headlight arrangement of the third-generation Plymouth Belvedere (a Chrysler product). In the press pack handed out at the 1998 ECTS, it was described as "a modified 50's style 8-cylinder Chevy."
  • Starting the car for the first time was supposed to be accompanied by a movie, and the rendered video was actually complete. Scott Everts in Fallout Bible 8 explained that it turned out so bad it was removed from the game. car.mve is still referenced in the game's files.
  • A wrecked Highwayman can be found in Fallout: New Vegas, with references to the same one the Chosen One drove. Only the trunk of the car is visible above the sinkhole it is in, a reference to a glitch in Fallout 2 wherein the car's trunk would show up at the destination, but not the main body of the vehicle (the interaction point for driving the car), preventing the player from continuing to use it.
  • There is a weapon in Fallout 3 known as Highwayman's Friend. This weapon is a reference to this vehicle as the weapon is a unique tire iron.

Bugs[]

CARTRUNK

Car trunk world object

  • In towns like New Reno, the trunk can be separated from the Highwayman and is located in different sections of town.[verified]
  • Leaving the Highwayman on the open map after a random encounter will make the car disappear forever. Entering a cave after a random encounter, then leaving the cave by any other exit than the one first entered will also result in the car vanishing forever.[verified]

Gallery[]

Fallout 2
Fallout: New Vegas
Other media

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Smitty: "{330}{}{Well, you see, I've got this car, a Chrysalis Motors Highwayman. She's a beaut, too. They used to say "Nothing can stop a Highwayman." Built tough, that's what they were.}"
    "{470}{}{Why, it's none other than this Chrysalis Motors Highwayman. They used ta say that "Nothing can stop a Highwayman." They shore built 'em tough, I'll say that for 'em.}"
    (DcSmitty.msg)
  2. Chop Shop mechanic: "{306}{}{The Highwayman's a sweet car; Chryslus sure knew how to make them back then.}"
    "{317}{}{The Highwayman's got a full analog system, 800 + Horsepower, 0 to 60 in less than a second.}"
    "{318}{}{Fast? The Highwayman goes from 0 to 60 in less than a second.}"
    "{319}{}{The Highwayman's got the power: 800+, in fact.}"
    "{322}{}{I wouldn't sweat it; the Highwayman's got a full analog system and no computers. None of the fancy stuff.}"
    (NcChpBoy.msg)
  3. The Chosen One: "{201}{}{Do you have a battery that I could use to fix a car?}"
    Skeeter: "{120}{}{Funny you should ask that. Ya see, cars use replaceable fuel cells, or batteries, for fuel. What usually broke down was the Fuel Cell Controller. Most amateur mechanics jist assume that it’s the battery itself. But you know what ass-uming things does, dontcha?}"
    (GCSKEETR.MSG)
  4. PRO ITEM.MSG: "{25300}{}{Fuel Cell Controller}"
    "{25301}{}{This chip controls the flow of power into a car's electric engines. Many drivers quickly burnt out this chip through frequent rapid acceleration. Still a valuable part to have-- if you only had a car to install it in.}"
  5. Smitty: "{430}{}{Hey there, how's that car runnin' for ya?}"
    The Chosen One: "{431}{}{Pretty good, Smitty, but I found this part for the car and I don't know what to do with it.}"
    Smitty: "{450}{}{Well now, that's a fuel cell regulator. That'll give you better mileage per energy cell. I could put that in for you, if you had say $750 for my trouble.}"
    (DcSmitty.msg)
  6. PRO ITEM.MSG: "{25400}{}{Fuel Cell Regulator}"
    "{25401}{}{Some car-owners installed this regulator, that doubles your car's mileage between charges, but most drivers didn't care how much juice their cars consumed, after all, power's cheap and plentiful so why worry.}"
  7. Smitty dialogue
  8. Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets pp. 93-94: "Chrysalis Motors Highwayman One of the most useful items that you'll find is this shining example of American iron. The Chrysalis Motors Highwayman was once renowned for its high performance and durability. "Nothing can stop a Highwayman" was a phrase familiar to most drivers. The motto still holds true today. If you repair the car with a part that you'll find in Gecko, you can fuel it with standard energy cells and use it to move quickly across the world map, well equipped to outrun most enemies that you'll find. Towns in the post-apocalyptic world don't allow motor vehicles on their streets, citing something about aged fuel cells exploding. However, parking your Highwayman on the outskirts of town gives you access to a quick getaway as well as a secure storage spot for your goodies within the car's spacious trunk."
  9. "The base "travel speed" (the process that moves the player for a certain distance) by the car is +3 to traveling on foot, having GVAR_CAR_BLOWER set +1 more, GVAR_NEW_RENO_CAR_UPGRADE +1 more, GVAR_NEW_RENO_SUPER_CAR +3 more."
    https://www.nma-fallout.com/threads/how-to-figure-out-effect-of-gvar_car_blower.221585/#post-4496737
  10. See avoiding random encounters for details
  11. Fallout 2 Official Strategies & Secrets pp. 93-94: "Chrysalis Motors Highwayman
    One of the most useful items that you'll find is this shining example of American iron. The Chrysalis Motors Highwayman was once renowned for its high performance and durability. "Nothing can stop a Highwayman" was a phrase familiar to most drivers. The motto still holds true today. If you repair the car with a part that you'll find in Gecko, you can fuel it with standard energy cells and use it to move quickly across the world map, well equipped to outrun most enemies that you'll find.
    Towns in the post-apocalyptic world don't allow motor vehicles on their streets, citing something about aged fuel cells exploding. However, parking your Highwayman on the outskirts of town gives you access to a quick getaway as well as a secure storage spot for your goodies within the car's spacious trunk."
  12. KSCORVEG.MSG
  13. worldmap.cc from Fallout 2 Community Edition
    int wmCarUseGas(int amount)
    {
        if (gameGetGlobalVar(GVAR_NEW_RENO_SUPER_CAR) != 0) {
            amount -= amount * 90 / 100;
        }
    
        if (gameGetGlobalVar(GVAR_NEW_RENO_CAR_UPGRADE) != 0) {
            amount -= amount * 10 / 100;
        }
    
        if (gameGetGlobalVar(GVAR_CAR_UPGRADE_FUEL_CELL_REGULATOR) != 0) {
            amount /= 2;
        }
    
        wmGenData.carFuel -= amount;
    
        if (wmGenData.carFuel < 0) {
            wmGenData.carFuel = 0;
        }
    
        return 0;
    }
    
  14. NEWRENO.H
  15. Resources:The Nearly Ultimate Fallout 2 Guide (Car)
  16. Chop Shop mechanic dialogue
  17. "The car blower motor is the component that moves air through a vehicle’s HVAC system. It’s usually a motor and blower assembly, with a metal housing all around it. Some people call it car heater blower or car heater fan. Based on its function, it can also be called the car AC fan."
    https://sontianmotor.com/blower-motor-definition-and-function/
  18. 18.0 18.1 Lumpy dialogue
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