**CAR OF THE WEEK! Friday 10/02/12**

Hey, nice thread, I think there are a lot of overlooked cars in this game, and they may even be good ones. Let's see how the Alfa goes... I look foward to it.👍

Just drove it around the Ring. It handles very well.
I can't say I like the looks of the car though, the back of the car - in it's own way - is kinda nice to look at although the car as whole... not.

I like this thread as well as I like to take a random (boring) car from time to time and just drive around with it.

I like this idea, a good opportunity to use cars that I wouldn't normally use.

So found one already in my garage, about 5,000 miles on the clock and needs an oil change, first a go on Route X test track.

1/4 mile in 16.1s
1 mile in 39.3s
60mph in 7.9s
100mph in 18.7s

Then a go round the Nurburgring Nordschleife, was being pretty cautious and posted a time of 9:18.7

Quite a nice drive really, here's some photos, at the Ring


In Rome for the Italian connection

I'm not racing in your season, but have been having a lot of fun with this car earning money in the Seasonals.

To me it's a good choice.

Niku Driver HC

Hey, nice thread, I think there are a lot of overlooked cars in this game, and they may even be good ones. Let's see how the Alfa goes... I look foward to it.👍

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I had the GTV too and couldn't have summed it up any better. After the exhaust system detached itself, suspension spring snapping and the head gasket going in the same week, I took it to bits to sell in pieces on eBay. Was completely horrified to discover how much of this car is held together with cable ties, tape and velcro!

Glad people are getting into the spirit of things. We will never have a car that pleases everyone, but I think its fun to talk good and bad about them.

I have found it actually handles much better than I would have imagined. Far from quick, but swings into corners with flair and feel. I think its beautiful from the front, nice from behind, terrible from the side - so you might want to avoid neck-and-neck racing with it!

And iainn, like the pics - taking it home is a touching sentiment!

I like this a lot!!! I'm always interested in driving the under appreciated cars. You can find some really good ones. I hope I can get some testing, tuning, and driving of this car soon. Great thread 👍

@Turismo.M.G! Great Idea -- I'm going to go right now and see what I can do on Suzuka!

I'd have never driven the Lancer if it weren't for the expert challenge online -- who knows, maybe I'll like this car?

Turismo.M.G!

iainn, like the pics - taking it home is a touching sentiment!

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Ta, here's some more photos after a new paint job and wheels.

At La Sarthe

ActionJackson7

I understand "this" concept of the idea but how can you justify a week of dialogue on a car that doesnt have much potential. I would think that you can make a seasonal event for any car.

I look at it like this in terms of boxing you have weight classes. Analyzing a particular fighter (car) in a particular weight (class) is completely irrelevant. Why not find a car in the (900+) that has potential that most of us didnt know. Like a fighter who can fight in several weight classes competitvely. Wouldnt that be more appealing/intriguing.

Instead we have a car that may be competitve for a race FF convertible with the top down on a tuesday night.

What if we did three cars per week and had three classes that pertain to actually committing to the subject(car).

I was going to follow along with these and tune each one as we go but here is the first one and i did all i could do just to buy the thing.

I own a gs300 so lets do that car next? Its too arbitrary on how we choose this.

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I think you're missing the point.

It's all about learning and discovery, and so far I don't think you have. It's not just about racing.

The car is fun, on the short twisty tracks, it's great.

If you're being negative, be negative about the car not the idea, everyone has their own opinions.
I think that if you dislike the car, say and everyone will discuss the issue - just like what this "idea" is supposed to be.

It's still competitive driving the Alfa around say Tsukuba? If you post up a time and your settings, we will try and beat and improve on it.

Where exactly has the "idea" gone wrong in your opinion?

This is a learning process of what cars are good, and what cars are bad.
The selection isn't going to be amazing cars all the time (or the cars YOU want), and to be honest I think the Alfa is a pretty good car so I've gained something already from this.

Good good! I will drive the Alfa. I will drive any car though. I don't care if it has 40BHP and weighs 2000kg, I will drive it.

I look forward to driving this car around Welsh Fury's track to see what this car can do at heights.

I will take some pictures and post soon.

Took it out last night and tried it on the recent 500 pp online challenge in Tokyo. Best I could get was 4th, mostly due to wicked understeer. Anyone have the same problem / can offer a solution? Or maybe offer tips on driving FF cars? I realized that tuning an FF car is a different animal than a MR or FR. I usually don't drive FF's

Lainn -- cool paint job, my friends dad had a t-bird almost exact same color, beautiful car.

Been working on a 475PP tune for the Alfa. Using Sport Soft tires it wins the 500PP challenge race at Tokyo R246 easily.
Have also used it to gold the Intermediate Alaskan Snow Rally event. Afraid my lack of driving skills has prevented me from doing nearly as well on the other two Intermediate Rally events. (Not knowing the track and no driving line spells disaster for ole Harvey Wallbanger here) Thinking that with Racing tires it should be able to win the Grand Valley 300km race.

Car is a lot of fun and I'll post the tune for it along with some photos if I can get my internet to work properly.

Sure,why not I'll give it a shot,a few days left in the week,I'll see what comps I can do in it.👍 maybe work out a few tunes aswell.

So I got home and was ready to see what this car can do, and to my surprise I was working this car out for the 400PP Nordschleife Shootout we are having over at the Tuning Forum . It had a little bit of understear on comfort softs at the 'Ring, but still a fun car to get around the Nordschleife. Here it is. If you like it, I may post it at Clueless Tunes so feed back would be great 👍 Enjoy the ride






Found in the Used Car Dealership

220bhp
399pp
202 ft. lb. @5000 RPM of torque
weight 1440 Kg

parts

Auto
Engine Overhaul (car has 9,924.2 miles)
Paint - Blu Victoria
weight Reduction
Window
Engine
Stock
Intake
Stock
Exhaust
Stock
Turbo
None
Gears
Custom
Drivetrain
Twin Plate
Semi-Racing
LSD
Suspention
Custom
Tires
Comfort Soft (C3)

ABS = 1
everything else off

Tune

LSD- 9/12/10

GearingIn this order please
Top Speed - 168
Final - 3.905
1st - 2.823
2nd - 1.920
3rd - 1.471
4th - 1.216
5th - 1.013
6th - 0.880

Ride Hight - Front: 0 Rear: -20
Spring Rate- Front: 6.4 Rear: 4.6
Extention- Front: 6 Rear: 6
Compression- Front: 3 Rear: 6
Anti-roll Bars- Front: 5 Rear: 2
Camber- Front: 2.2 Rear: 0.0
Toe Angle- Front: -0.18 Rear: -0.05
Brakes- Front: 5 Rear: 8


NOTES -
A rough build for the 400pp shootout, so I'm unsure if it works on other courses. I hope you like. 👍

Wow this seems like fun. It's like being at school in auto body learning about cars, but this is better.

The Alfa Spider stock is good for a challenge on the 400PP Autumn Ring Seasonal.

Glad to see this starting to take off!

Milldrum

Good good! I will drive the Alfa. I will drive any car though. I don't care if it has 40BHP and weighs 2000kg, I will drive it.

I look forward to driving this car around Welsh Fury's track to see what this car can do at heights.

I will take some pictures and post soon.

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I couldn't help but to notice your picture... the '72 life step van... simpely beautiful van, i think that it deserves to bee car for the week sometime soon!!!

👍

monkeyfoeva21

I couldn't help but to notice your picture... the '72 life step van... simpely beautiful van, i think that it deserves to bee car for the week sometime soon!!!

👍

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I dressed the Van up at Christmas too. I would prefer one of the old rally cars in the OCD. When you go to use one, it starts but sounds like it is not going to.

I still haven't been able to drive this weeks car of the week. Married life is slowing me down. Maybe PD can give me a patch for that.

Week 1: 2001 Alfa Romeo Spider 3.0i V6 24V

Before we begin this week's review, I feel I need to mention a few things about this review. First off, it's opinionated. So just like you, it's right. Second, Jeremy Clarkson once said that in order to be a true petrolhead, you have to own an Alfa at least once. This week's choice of car couldn't be more fitting.

The car that was chosen for the test, in this case the '01 Spider, was quickly found within my garage, covered with roughly the same amount of dust that Scarface had in his nose. Beneath the dust lay a layer of dirt the Italians call "Salvia", but it actually looked like something found in a baby's diaper. Obviously, this had to be the first thing to go.


According to Polyphony Digital (via Translator-san):

Translator-san

When the new Alfa Romeo Spider was unveiled at the 1994 Paris Motor Show, its body style produced a media buzz all over the world. It looked nothing like the cars that preceded it, taking the classic 2-seater in a completely different direction than its predecessors, whose roots can be dated back to 1927. To say that the new car looked radical would be an understatement. Penned by Pininfarina, the Italian designer mainly associated with Ferrari, the Spider's exterior styling featured wide fenders, a low-slung body and a radical new face, making it look sportier than before.

The car was also spiritually different in that it now adopted a FF layout (Front engine/ Front drive) rather than the traditional FR. Initially, it came powered by a 145-ps 2.0 liter DOHC inline-4, but in 2001, a 3.0 liter DOHC V-6 boasting 215 hp was added. A 5-speed manual gearbox came mated to the former engine, which later evolved into a 6-speed unit for the V-6.

Despite being front-wheel drive, the new Alfa was a competent performer on twisty roads as it demonstrated excellent balance through corners and little chassis flex, inherent in most convertibles of its day. The Spider underwent significant changes in 2003, in the form of a redesigned front grille and a bigger V-6, going from 3.0 liters to 3.2.

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So, what we've got is a klutzy Italian supermodel with big hips. What could possibly go wrong?

First things first. A quick trip to the paint shop, and 2,000 credits later the car has a fresh shade of Rosso Corsa red. That color certainly compliments the car, the maker, and the designer. I mean, Pininfarina and Rosso Corsa are like peanut butter and chocolate. Salvia looked like something left for dead in the 70's, but with the Rosso Corsa, it's like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.

Hot, but still a hooker inside. I like that.


One thing to remember when painting a car; be sure to know who is doing the car. It was at that moment that I began to look around me, and realize I may have stumbled upon an illegal chop shop. Our 2,000 Credit paint job bought us an idiot that doesn't exactly know what he's doing. "Somehow" our convertible top managed to get a matching coat or two of Rosso Corsa. We weren't mad at him for doing this (and because we thought he might murder us), we were enraged because he couldn't tell us how to prevent the paint from cracking or chipping from the top (actually, he was fascinated while we were plotting our escape). His mistake actually looked pretty good, and we wanted to make sure it stayed that way for years to come (and get the hell out of there alive!). Thankfully, he's agreed to pay for the damage by ordering and installing a proper top that's been made with that shade.

...and we're still alive.

Performance As Purchased: May 24, 2011, Salvia (Green)
Displacement: 2,958 cc
Max. Power: 204 hp @ 6,000 rpm
Max. Torque: 187 ft-lbs. @ 5,000 rpm
Drivetrain: FF
Length: 4,290 mm Height: 1,315 mm Weight: 1,450 kg
Tires: Comfort (Soft)
Performance Points: 388
Mileage: 23,471.8 mi.

Next up was a complete rebuild of the engine. 23,471 miles of damage, and it's been sitting around collecting dust. I could measure the performance as is, but you have to remember... it's still an Alfa, and prone to break whenever feels like it. In order to do the car, and in this case the designer some justice, we ripped everything apart, rebuilt it, and were rewarded with 21 hp and 23 Performance Points... whatever the hell those are. Total cost: 15,000 Credits and lunch for the crew, and just for the hell of it we threw on some BBS RE-MG wheels for an additional 3,500 Cr.
For those keeping score at home, other notable data includes: Max. Power: 225, Max. Torque: 207 ft-lb., Max. Performance Points: 401 PP

Phone rings. Accountant. .... Decline call. Moving on....

After repairing the previous owner's poor taste in color and treatment, we headed over to our secret test track. It's so secret, Google had one of its satellites blown to bits the minute they tried snapping a shot of the area. Of course, no government would take credit, but one has to wonder exactly how far Polyphony's power cou.... Anyway, our racing driver was able to extract a 0-60 mph time of 0.07.585 with a Maximum G-Force of 0.52G. Not exactly promising, but you work with what you've got. 1/4 mile time of 0.15.826 puts it three tenths-of-a-second behind a comparable year V-6 Mustang, with the Mustang having the benefit of 0.8 liters more displacement AND an FR.
For those keeping score at home, other notable data includes: 0-1 mi.: 0.38.728, 0-100 mph: 0.17.869 mph, Top Speed: 148.7 mph

Being an Italian supermodel, we simply had to take her to Monaco. She's Italian, and would love the food, yachts, and shopping. You, however, are man, and would love Formula 1, exotic cars everywhere, and more supermodels to gawk at. It's perfect.

Driving on the streets of Côte d'Azur, the cars flaws immediately take hold the minute you dive into a corner. Much like any supermodel, you have to be delicate, and it requires a deft touch. Not that you know, because you're too busy playing video games, hacking the interwebs, and being a general lazy menace to society... but trust me on this.

When entering a corner, our died-from-a-box redhead plowed through corners as predictably as any FF, however... and I'm sorry this has to be said but don't tell her... her fashionably flared posterior seemed to just go on and on right into the wall like Courtney Love on a bender. It was pretty brutal.

But like any supermodel, when you can calm her down, get her to put down the alcohol, and start talking sense, she can be reasonable. It isn't always pretty, but in the end you both wind up better off for it.

Thrashing around the streets of Monaco at a frantic pace, it quickly sinks in. I'm in a convertible on the streets of Monaco in an incredibly out-classed Italian car... and I simply don't care.



Convertible motoring is all about the glitz and glamor of driving with the top down. Sadly, this was impossible, because like every other Alfa, my top is broken. And I love her for it. With her new paint, I love the way she looks. When we actually took time to get to know each other, and talk, I got to see who she really was. Despite her faults, she's gorgeous.

That's what makes her a supermodel.

Sure, at the end of the day you may be splattered along a wall somewhere, but you're absolutely guaranteed to be the best looking corpse on the evening news for at least a month. Unless, of course, there's another Alfa driver somewhere, but even that in itself is a rare occasion. I've seen more California Condors than I have Alfa owners, yet everyone proclaims to be a gearhead.

After giving the keys back to the angry Alfa Romeo rep (his name is Julian, but around the office we just call him Julie), I headed home with a sense of adventure, glamor, and accomplishment. A quick check of local car ads didn't turn up any of the cars for sale, yet I've seen one driving around town. Shame, really, because America could learn something about building a crappy car, but I guess that's why the Cobalt is still around.


*The views and opinions expressed in this editorial do not reflect the views and opinions of gtplanet.net, any of its members, nor anyone with an IQ above 3. All views, comments, statements, accusations, claims, data... you know what, just forget you read the whole thing and direct your hate mail/Tame Racing Driver applications to McClarenDesign@gmail.com. This ad paid for by Friends of Global Morals support for presidential candidate Jenkins. GTKitty4Prez . McClarenDesign registered very serious SLS AMG. DO NOT ATTEMPT. Your mileage may very. Some restrictions may apply. All stunts performed on public roads without law enforcement supervision. Void where prohibited. Offer not valid to those that breathe air. + us on Google+

Wow McClarenDesign, a very enjoyable read 👍 I'm going back to.read it again. Great job!

You doing one of these every week McClarenDesign? Fantastic read!

MexicanPenguin

You doing one of these every week McClarenDesign? Fantastic read!

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Thanks guys. Yeah, we'll do one every week.

Provided our "tame" racing driver isn't overcome with rabies... or a cocaine overdose.. or boredom.

The Alfa is a nice car. I drove mine as delivered with OEM tires. At TGTT it ran a decent 1:31. A bit wallowy around the corners. But the metallic rasp from the engine was pure Italian melody. I compared it to another FF car at 400 PP...Honda Civic R which was about a second a lap quicker. But the Honda was not as much fun to listen to or drive.

Bring on the next car! It's Friday!

McClarenDesign

Bring on the next car! It's Friday!

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He didn't do it till about 1:15 last Friday. (EST)

It IS Friday! So it is time for a new COTW!

But I just wanted to say thanks to you all for contributing, looks like it will be worthwhile continuing. I decided that the next car would be picked by the person who put the most effort into this weeks post which I believed to be Krenkme[/B. So I messaged him last night asking for his pick for next weeks car, which will be revealed very soon.
That was yesterday so before your magnificent piece McClarenDesign! If you do a great job again next week I might well give you the honour of picking (and you might also be picked up by a reputable car magazine or website! Try 'sniffpetrol', you'll love it!).

Feel free to keep adding to this thread though, I will keep a record of them so that we can refer back to them in the future, hopefully building an immense car database.

Can I make a suggestion that you open a new car of the week thread in the tuning forum. Since there will hopefully be several tunes for each car featured as well as the reviews it would be a good fit in that forum. As it is I'm not sure it really fits in the Q&A forum. Perhaps the Race reports or main GT5 forum might be a better permanent home for it. Just suggestions for Turismo.M.G! to think about.

Also due to internet issues I wasn't able to get my tune of the Alfa posted earlier in the week, but you can expect to see it today along with a few photos.

XDesperado67

Can I make a suggestion that you open a new car of the week thread in the tuning forum. Since there will hopefully be several tunes for each car featured as well as the reviews it would be a good fit in that forum. As it is I'm not sure it really fits in the Q&A forum. Perhaps the Race reports or main GT5 forum might be a better permanent home for it. Just suggestions for Turismo.M.G! to think about.

Also due to internet issues I wasn't able to get my tune of the Alfa posted earlier in the week, but you can expect to see it today along with a few photos.

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I put it here as it is the only one of the forums I thought it made sense in - it is full of questions and answers and more about the particular car, but it could be moved if there is popular feeling it is in the wrong place. I just wanted to get all angles on whatever car is being discussed - I would love other threads to branch off it.

As for the tuning forum, there is nothing to stop anyone from putting a COTW thread in there. I am a forum newbie with little knowledge of the site and not huge amounts of time so if someone else would like to help out, by all means feel free.

Thanks for the suggestions, they are all gladly received. Oh, and this weeks new thread is HERE

I too have some photos I am about to put up.