just for you because they don't have suitable counterparts that Greycap could work on..
That makes me think that I've told Greycap about a Fireblade some time ago (more like months ago ^^').
But, well, I'm hoping this will spark a flashback ^^ (and if not, well, too bad for me
).
Anyway, I testdrived both of the Quadruple Digits (both on Fuji2k5).
But before reading this, please keep in mind that all this comes from someone who discovered quite recently GT300 cars, and thinks that they somehow represent the best compromise for racing cars. And someone who is far from being a good driver too ^^
First is the Speed12.
This car feels nice. Especially when accelerating. When seeing the numbers going wild, it's really really nice. Feels like insanity. Numbers keep going up and all. Just magic.
And then, braking. I just love the way the front of the car behaves under heavy braking (ie. at the end of the straight of Fuji, braking for the first corner). The car starts searching for grip, and the front skid a little (I hope i'm using the right terms). I just LOVE that feeling.
Then, the sad part.
Cornering.
Well, it's not THAT sad. Just that, it's not phenomenal. More like average.
But, you have to factor in :
- Insane acceleration
- Insane size
So the car has to manage all that, and still corners.
Don't get me wrong, it's light years ahead of MFT's Aston Martin (it is the worst car i've driven from your garage). The Speed12 corners nicely. It's just not that agile. But that's normal, and to be expected.
I sure wasn't expecting a NSX as a second Quadruple Monster.
But it sure is nice to drive. A really high-powered midship can only be nice, right?
It stops really nicely. Its engine is really good, but yet, the topspeed could be improved (especially on Fuji... Gosh, 330km/h feels SLOOOOOW... especially when you hit it that fast).
But, well, thing is, it doesn't feel that much stable. And not that agile either.
This point is clear when you take MFT'S NSX GT1 after driving the LM Roadcar.
I mean, when you look at numbers, it's not even a match. Double the horsepower, 200kg more weight, better torque... Why even start?
Because the GT1 is ONLY 4seconds slower.
Sure, 4seconds is much. But the cars are that much different that it becomes significant (at least, in my mind).
The GT1 has way better traction. Is more agile. Less torquy, picks up speed more slowly, lesser topspeed... But it feels so much more
natural.
The LM Roadcar is much more like an insane version of the NSX, but is far from being, to me, the best NSX.
In fact, those quadruple monsters share the same cons.
They are interesting cars. But I can't help thinking that they illustrate the saying "less is better".
It shows clearly with the NSX. In itself, it's not a bad car. It just throws away what makes the NSX a good car to begin with; it trades agility, traction, stability with power, and torque. And that, somehow, doesn't feel that right to me. Its insane power is easily controlled; but is the tradeoff worth it?
The Speed12 is less exposed to that, as it is, to begin with, a monster coming from another world. Its default comes from its conception, not from MFT. It's too big. Not agile enough. The insane power doesn't help it. Of course, i highly doubt that less power would make it more agile; at least, it can exit corner fast enough to keep a high pace.
The car in itself embodies "Less is better".