Number one: Planning

Hello there!

I think we don't need more introduction, so let's begin! First of all you need a base idea. like what you want to build. A convertible? A supercar? A modern luxury SUV, or a classic coupe?
Now, i'm gonna build the long waited Cuberunner Retroflash, which is a classic, european, 80's style sport sedan. Besides this, i want this car to reflect something from the 80's era's rally races, so i gonna make some rally elements on it. But here i need to be careful, because this is a stock car, and not a track ready rally monster!

Now i have the base ideas. When this step is ready, then we can move on the next one, what i call 'inspiration collecting'. This is an easy step. You just need to search for some real life cars. Try to find details what matches with your imaginations, to help find out the elements that you haven't figured out yet. For example, i know i want something with four doors, double rounded headlights, ducktail spoiler, But i don't really know the rest.
And there's the point where uncle Google helps you. If you do some research, you can easily find out the rest and make a blueprint
for yourself.

So i searched for some 80's style sedans, especially rally variants

After the researches i have decided to gain inspiration from the VFTS Lada, and the BMW 321 E21. You could ask:
But hey, you just merging two cars into one, is this not the same what Rockstar Games does with the GTA cars?

This is just helping your mind 'to see' the whole creation, but you must be careful, because if you don't pay attention you can just copy a real car accidentally (I made this mistake with the Akina RetroFlash. It looks almost the same as the Datsun 240z, the car i used as inspiration source.)

When all the research is done, i usually start making a blueprint. I recommend you to do at least some sketches, even if you can't draw very well.
The best for a blueprint is a checkerd sheet, because the grid can help you to see the proportions. The grid is also helps you drawing the lines more precisely.

Now we got the initial plans for the chassis. But what about the engine?

In my opinion, the engine does not requires an entire standalone blueprint. You can easily make an engine model, according to the Google pictures
just don't chose something really unique. (like i did with the M4S Interceptor. i used to improvise an engine because the pictures were horribly bad. Seriously, try to reproduce this mess):

When you choose an engine, keep in mind your car's characteristics. For The Cuberunner, i need something sporty, and relative small. Maybe a boosted one. One, what i haven't done yet.

I think a classic style VR6 turbo engine could be a perfect match for this car.

And this is the end of the first stage. We got the plans, we picked the engine. Time to actually launch the game and start to assemble.

Useful tips:

-Try to pursue simplicity with your plans. A well done, yet simple looking car with clever lines can be as good, and sometimes better than a
complicated one.

-Sometimes things they looking neat on the paper doesn't come out well on the actual model. That could be frustrating, but don't be afraid to be flexible with your plans. Improvising during building could also help.

This is for today, hope you can find it useful. Thanks for the reading, have a nice day/evening/night!