Review: Midnight Rose
I love the Esprit. It's one of my favorite cars. I'm not even 100% sure what attracts me to it. It could be the 4th and 5th generation's "modern with a hint of nostalgia" design (which would explain why I hate the new Esprit concept so much). It could be the sick and twisted idea of stuffing a V8 into a MR vehicle. I really don't know what it is, but it's whatever.
While it recently dawned upon me that no open lobby players like the idea of a 600PP restriction in SSR7 races (which makes me sad beyond belief), I still have to drive the Midnight Rose. A lot. This car is a ton of fun to use and it's my favorite car for SSR7. Everyone's shock and disbelief at the car's true strength is just priceless. "I left that car in the dust at the start. How did it catch up so suddenly???"
An Enzo driver humored me and gave just enough distance for me to draft him in one of the tunnels at SSR7 after I told him the car's max speed while drafting (306 MPH as tested at SSRX with some Veyrons and a Viper). Rest assured, the Esprit climbed and climbed, reaching about 290 MPH before it was right on the Enzo's tail.
I quote the driver: "That is so unreal. It just keeps freaking climbing. Watching that car close in so fast is one of the scariest things I've ever seen in this game."
Within it's pp class, this car is unstoppable. It can't beat a maxed out McLaren F1, Nissan GT-R, or Ferrari Enzo, but god help them if they make a mistake because all the Midnight Rose needs is that draft.
I've done enough boasting about this car. Let's go over the pros and cons quick.
Pros: The max speed is ridiculous, especially coming from something just short of 600PP. It corners decently enough to
eventually catch the average Veyrons at SSR7 and spank them. Remember that this car is set up like a 4-speed and uses 5th for drafting. That's pretty impressive. Lastly, the menacing exhaust note of the V8 is quite satisfying.
Cons: Typical of a MR vehicle that isn't the NSX, it's going to kill you if someone hits you too hard or you take a corner even slightly wrong. Adding a spoiler makes it more stable, but hurts the car's speed way too much to be worth it. Don't expect this to win in an unrestricted SSR7 race. It's a fun, unstoppable killing machine until the douche with the GT-R or Enzo on Racing Softs shows up.
Other Notes: I actually don't consider the first con a con at all, but I put it there because people seem to mistake anything hard to drive as a bad thing these days. It's unfortunate. People prefer the easy way out instead of going with the car that will reward you for mastering it.
Overall: This car is insane. As a fan of the TXR series, I had to dive into the 12 Zodiacs and this is the car for me. I highly recommend it.
