https://youtu.be/IoMyTVRsnaw
We’re back with another selection of test drives from the first Porsche Pack in Assetto Corsa. While it’s to celebrate the availability of the cars on consoles, we should point out today’s videos, featuring the 917/30 and 935/78 “Moby Dick”, are from the PC build of the game. For yesterday’s videos showcasing Kyle’s behind-the-wheel efforts with the Cayman GT4 and 911 RSR, look no further than right here.
Let’s not mince any words: neither of the two cars were particularly pleasant to drive, and while the 917/30 wasn’t the first choice, surprisingly enough it proved to be the easier of the two to manage. With more than 1500 horsepower under the hood, one may find that difficult to fathom but with the combination of the car’s brutal power output and my lead foot, it proved a better marriage than I imagined.
Make no mistakes, it isn’t an “easy” car to drive by any stretch of the imagination. In fact it lays down power in what feels like an instant, forcing the rear into a violent fishtail if left unchecked. With that accounted for, the one word that springs to mind when describing the Can-Am monster would obviously be “violent.” No matter how careful or mindful you are, all it takes is one moment of applying too much power when exiting a corner, or not keeping the insane torque curve in check to be helplessly spinning around the track.
Next up is the source of my unending frustration, the Group 5 monstrosity (weren’t they all?) 935/78 ‘Moby Dick’ developed under Norbert Singer. Even by today’s standards, a race car weighing in at 1,030 kg (2,270 lbs) with 845 horses going to the rear wheels is a terrifying aspect, and Moby Dick is the very personification of that terror.
https://youtu.be/h1Ba302SUFk
The 935/78 requires, nay, demands a certain level of finesse and aggressiveness to get the most out of it. Adopting a more direct and consistent approach is only half of the battle, if the cars detects there’s too much throttle in the lower gears, the rear takes leave in a spectacular fashion, and oddly enough if you’re not kissing the brake pedal to the floor, the 935 will consider the option of braking as being only a suggestion.
Mastering one before the other would not have made a difference in these tests. Both have their own challenges, however, between the two I would certainly appoint the 935/78 as being the more spitefully unpredictable of the two. While the 917/30 puts down power in an instant, you can feel the rear end stepping out of line in the higher RPM ranges, Moby Dick on the other hand is more of the silent vindictive type: when you think you have a handle on it, it tends to strike you down almost as if to assert its dominance.
There’s no denying me playing it a little too safe, especially going through turns 9 and 10 — the Michael Schumacher S — but after such an extended period of getting to know the car and how nervous it can be at all times, I came to the smart decision of being safe instead of sorry for the umpteenth time.
Assetto Corsa is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Porsche Pack Volume I is available on all platforms, with Volume II available on PC (no release date has been announced for consoles). Volume III releases on PC December 20.
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