Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

A bit of action on one of my custom tracks. Passing the Lamborghini at Lakeside.

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If anyone want to drive with more detailed tune, give this one a go ( included several ride height as the Viper ACR KW adjustable suspension used can be lowered ) and have several damper recommendation setup from KW ( adapted ) :

ZAGATO Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale

Tuned to replicate Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale
Comfort Soft to Sports Hard




CAR : Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale '11
Tire : Comfort Soft to Sports Hard



Specs
Horsepower: 600 HP at 6000 RPM
Torque: 560.5 ft-lb at 5500 RPM
Power Limiter at : 100%
Weight: 1552 kg
Ballast : 171 kg
Ballast Position : 0
Weight Distribution : 50 / 50
Performance Points: 565




GT AUTO
NO Oil change
Improve Body Rigidity ( NOT Installed in this build ) - OPTIONAL
Wheels : Stock
Car Paint : Stock


Tuning Parts Installed :
Suspension Fully Customizable Kit
Adjustable LSD
Weight Reduction Stage 1




Suspension - SRT Viper ACR OEM KW 2 Way Adjustable Racing Coilover ( Standard Street Height )

Front, Rear

Ride Height: 132 132
Spring Rate: 9.18 19.38
Dampers (Compression): 7 4
Dampers (Extension): 4 4
Anti-Roll Bars: 5 4
Camber Angle: 2.5 1.5
Toe Angle: 0.07 0.12


Suspension - SRT Viper ACR OEM KW 2 Way Adjustable Racing Coilover ( Max Drop Height )
Front, Rear

Ride Height: 100 100
Spring Rate: 9.18 19.38
Dampers (Compression): 7 4
Dampers (Extension): 4 4
Anti-Roll Bars: 5 4
Camber Angle: 2.5 1.5
Toe Angle: 0.07 0.12


Suspension - SRT Viper ACR OEM KW 2 Way Adjustable Racing Coilover ( Smooth Track Height )
Front, Rear

Ride Height: 102 115
Spring Rate: 9.18 19.38
Dampers (Compression): 7 4
Dampers (Extension): 4 4
Anti-Roll Bars: 5 4
Camber Angle: 2.5 1.5
Toe Angle: 0.07 0.12


Suspension - SRT Viper ACR OEM KW 2 Way Adjustable Racing Coilover ( Rough Track Height )
Front, Rear

Ride Height: 111 119
Spring Rate: 9.18 19.38
Dampers (Compression): 7 4
Dampers (Extension): 4 4
Anti-Roll Bars: 5 4
Camber Angle: 2.5 1.5
Toe Angle: 0.07 0.12

OEM Recommended Damper by SRT ( OPTIONAL )
Street :
Dampers (Compression): 1 1
Dampers (Extension): 1 2

Track Base :
Dampers (Compression): 6 6
Dampers (Extension): 7 7



LSD GKN ViscoLok
Initial Torque : 18
Acceleration Sensitivity: 27
Braking Sensitivity: 5



Brake Balance:
7/9 ( personal BB) or for ABS 0 wheel : 7/9, for ABS 1 - feel free to use your preferred brake balance.


Recommended setting for DS3 user :

Steering sensitivity at +1 or +2, all aids off, except ABS 1 ( if not comfortable with ABS 0 ) with 7/9 brake balance as starting point.

Notes :

The ZAGATO Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale is basically Viper ACR with Italian body build.

As it said, TZ3 is Viper ACR with Italian body :D A sleeper, the TZ3 tire is CS, but feel free to fit SH.
 

I HEARD YOU LIKE CARS WITH SNAKES IN THEIR LOGOS, YO!
The TZ3 may have the Alfa Romeo badge upon it, but there's no mistaking that this car is far more Frank Stallone than Fabio. The front end styling is decent enough, but the rear end reminds me of a cat sticking up its tail and showing off its butt-hole. "Hey, want a supercar that's not mid-engined but still want poor rearward visibility? This is the car for you!" But it's an Alfa Romeo, so its handling will redeem itself, right?



Not exactly. And by not exactly, I mean that the Stradale is horrid. It understeers so badly when entering a turn that you have to get on the brakes about the same time as you would if you were driving a UPS truck. The TZ3 doesn't feel like a ballet dancer, it feels like a slapstick character tripping over himself trying to make full use of the power. Oh, and you want to personalize it? Nope! You're stuck with that color and the golf ball rims, and no numbers on the side for you!

But none of these things is the car's biggest problem. The problem is, the TZ3 is not an Alfa Romeo.


This is an Alfa Romeo.
Alfa Romeo isn't about huge amounts of power. It's not supposed to be a competitor to Ferrari. It's supposed to be about light weight and sharp handling. Alfa Romeo was the car for the small town Italian merchant or artisan that would never be able to afford a Ferrari, but with dedication and work could eventually sell his Fiat 500 and have a stylish and delightful roadster.

The TZ3 is everything that an Alfa Romeo is not. That's why it's a Beater.
 
The Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale... A supersport built to celebrate 100 years of Alfa Romeo and pay homage to their legendary TZ series..
Syracuse - Night.jpg
Zagato styling at it's finest!

Ah, the Alfa TZ3. It's one of two supercars I could never justify buying, alongside the Aston Martin One-77. Sure, I love the 8C Competizone, and I love the V12 Vantage, but I never really felt the need to upgrade. The 8C sounds beautiful, goes well and is beautiful. the same with the V12 Vantage.
The TZ3 looks like an 8C that's been trapped in the thick of a rugby scrum. And after doing a bit of reading about it, I found out it's got the engine, drivetrain, chassis, even the interior of a Viper ACR...

Syracuse - Night_1.jpg

That will explain why this ACR's been glaring at my TZ3 for the past half hour... They're brothers! Or cousins. Or... Fifth cousins, twice removed? Whatever. They're definately related, one way or another.

The first thing to note is you can't visually customise it. Neither parts nor paint, you can't lay a finger on it. So straight away, anyone who wishes to slap on a coat of pearl black and some five spoke rims on it must shrug and accept that they can't.

I missed the Tuesday races due to being tied up a production I was in, so I took it to Grand Valley Speedway when I finished up.
Grand Valley Speedway.jpg

The hearty 8.4 V10 will cause eargasms, just a word of warning..

For what it is, the TZ3 is amazing! 640bhp is a lot of horsepower for a road car! 500bhp is impressive, 550bhp is playing with fire, 600bhp is borderline mental. but 640bhp, holy crap Alfa Romeo, you're just asking for trouble!
At 1300kgs, it's no KTM X-Bow, but it's still light enough to give a fearsome power to weight ratio. The only let down for it in its standard form is the sport hard tyres. It's not impossible to drive with SHs, but it's enough to be a challenge on some circuits. Luckily, Grand Valley Speedway isn't one of those circuits. I could wrestle the car around the circuit with relative ease, and could let the rear slide out round corners, in a stylish yet clean drift.

Another thing to note is the price. The TZ3 is in the $600,000 price bracket, which is way higher than its base model, the Viper ACR, which costs a nice clean figure of $100,000. Some may argue that the price difference is due to the fact that there's only 9 in existence, and they're a masterpiece of Zagato, which is actually understandable. For once, an insane price difference is perfectly justified and not unreasonable at all.

On Saturday, I started off duelling with Savage787BR92CP, a newcomer who's keen to give COTW a go. And judging by his performance at Eiger Nordwand, he'd be cometitive against our regulars!
Eiger Nordwand Short Track.jpg

(Jumping intensifies)

Eventually drivers began trickling in, until we had a decent sized field. In competition, the TZ3 remains relatively on point. It does have the tendancy to step out violently if you push it too hard through corners, but that's just because it's got so much torque. People seem to forget that they're hammering an 8.4 V10, from a Viper, a detail which seems to slip one's mind while in the heat of battle. Naturally, being a supercar on sport hard tyres, our resident slider @Vic Reign93 couldn't resist a drift or two...
Grand Valley Speedway_4.jpg

A graceful slide around Grand Valley's first right hander

Circuito de la Sierra.jpg
Might want to consider changing your gamertag to "Sideways_Sam"... (BTW This image is my entry into the photo comp.)

The TZ3 feels beautiful drive. It's not the most refined, but it's tame, to a degree of course. Also, it sounds beautiful! It sounds more like a Viper than a Viper... which is weird...

Daytona International Speedway.jpg

Cizeta V16 can't keep up despite having 6 more cylinders...

Daytona International Speedway_1.jpg

...probably because it lacks in the handling department? Also, no hard feelings bout hitting me, @Cowboy!

In all honesty, I was thinking of naming the TZ3 a beater. Solely because of the sport hard tyres. the setup is alright, though the suspension is a tad on the soft side, but otherwise it's alright. But since the point of COTW is to review cars in stock form, the TZ3 is therefore a beater. 👎

BUT.....
(That was a big but, wasn't it..)

I wasn't about to get rid of a car I paid $600,000 for. I had to try it with racing tyres. So we did.
Circuito de la Sierra_1.jpg

You can't see it, but these Alfas are practically glued to the road!

With the stickies on, the TZ3 is a whole new car. It no longer steps out through corners, can be precisely manouvered through tight traffic, and it gains a comfortable feel to it, and it doesn't feel like you're ice skating, instead, you're nailing each and every apex, and squeezing the maximum performance out of your car. With one alteration, it goes from beater to sleeper. 👍

The wrap up...
Buy the Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale if you...
-Want the ultimate Alfa Romeo
-Like American performance, but not the styling
-Like Italian styling, but not the performance
-Are collecting rare exotics
-Desire a modern take on the TZ2
-Feel like the Alfa 8C is too 'tame'
-Want possibly the best sounding V10 in the game

So, as I said, in standard form it's a beater. 👎
But surely you can spare an extra $38,000 to get it some racing softs, which will boost it's performance up to sleeper status 👍
Eiger Nordwand Short Track_1.jpg

Boo-yah! Getting a bit sideways to welcome the TZ3 to my garage.
 
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Quick update: I knew my uncle would be in the hospital for a procedure he was having, and that went well. I didn't, however, anticipate his sister/my aunt having a mini-stroke, but thankfully she appears well. If I rally 'round the family with a pocket full of shells, for now they're dodging every single one of them. Let's hope that trend continues.

Congratulations pretend racer, you've once again outwitted the coyote and have earned yourself this week's pick of the Car of the Week.

Okay, I'll have to have a look and see what cars interest me that haven't already been done. Thanks for letting me pick, I'll get back to you later today.

The hell you will! As they say in my hometown:



I'd like to pick...

004.jpg

It's the the 2001 Toyota Altezza Gita AS300/Lexus IS Sport Cross!!!

It's the same car with different badges.
The Toyota is RHD vs LHD drive for the Lexus. The Toyota sounds better too...

So, the 4th intervention was all for naught. Once again, we've fallen off the wagon by selecting a Japanese... wagon. Have you guys considered addiction counseling?

Also, still no consensus for the title, and no PM announcing a winner for last week's photo contest, so I'll do both now and we'll try again this week. This week's Gran Turismo Geographic winner is @Cowboy!


This week's "Playing With TTs!" event is on the streets of Tokyo, because I'm willing to bet that right about now you'll realized that you forgot to pick up the kids from school.... again....

I'd look up last week's winner, but as I said before:

Sweet Brown
Ain't nobody got time for dat!
 
Well, to explain my absence yesterday, purchases for the 25th wedding aniversary of my parents. Well, that and an earlier trip to the 2016 Porto Auto Salon, which also left me with little gas on my proverbial tank, which is paramount to drive straight don't you know.
While I don't have a decent TZ3 Stradale picture, I can always make up for it by showcasing its younger brother, another car which was probably more of a showcase than an actual volume seller;

SAM_1446_small.jpg

Still pretty, still more exciting than a Giulietta. I'd say it shares enough with the TZ3 to warrant the comparison, wouldn't you say? :sly:

And now we have to concern ourselves with two different Pacific Ocean invasions; Canadians stealing our lap times and Japanese stealing our COTW picks... Should I fetch the M1 Garand just in case, or do the esteemed 'Muricans here want to take point? And while I don't hate the IS/'Tezza Wagon, the RS200 just packs more of the fun factor, not to mention a lighter chassis. In terms of mad wagons, it's nowhere near close to Audi's line of deranged RS wagons, but hopefully the FR drivetrain can at least produce fun rear-slinging...
 
Still faster than HRT... and @Obelisk.

I knew this was coming. I still can outlap you with enough time.

Quick update: I knew my uncle would be in the hospital for a procedure he was having, and that went well. I didn't, however, anticipate his sister/my aunt having a mini-stroke, but thankfully she appears well. If I rally 'round the family with a pocket full of shells, for now they're dodging every single one of them. Let's hope that trend continues.

Congratulations pretend racer, you've once again outwitted the coyote and have earned yourself this week's pick of the Car of the Week.



The hell you will! As they say in my hometown:





004.jpg

It's the the 2001 Toyota Altezza Gita AS300/Lexus IS Sport Cross!!!



So, the 4th intervention was all for naught. Once again, we've fallen off the wagon by selecting a Japanese... wagon. Have you guys considered addiction counseling?

Also, still no consensus for the title, and no PM announcing a winner for last week's photo contest, so I'll do both now and we'll try again this week. This week's Gran Turismo Geographic winner is @Cowboy!


This week's "Playing With TTs!" event is on the streets of Tokyo, because I'm willing to bet that right about now you'll realized that you forgot to pick up the kids from school.... again....

I'd look up last week's winner, but as I said before:


If I get the choice this next week, it won't be japanese.
 
Took some time today to drive the Gita Altezza at Tokyo. Right away I noticed that pretty much everything is beater quality on the car. It has horrendous understeer, very little get up and go, and just low quality overall. However, when tuned these cars can prove to be quite competitive, as I have noticed by trying Team Shmo's tune for the Lexus IS Sport Cross. So in stock form it's definitely a beater, but in racer form it's a sleeper for sure.

NInJ0DECwutflwf7u_0.jpg
 
(Storytime!)

The folks at the Alfa Romeo factory weren't very happy when I asked to keep the TZ3. There are only 9 afterall, and this one was one of the lowest mileage examples around. However, after a rather generous donation, they changed their minds, and I tucked it in my garage, nice and safe, on racing soft rubber...

The next day, I went to take my Integra for a joyride, but was blocked by a car that wasn't there before. It was an Altezza station wagon. Curious, I read the note left under the wiperblade.

"Nismo,

Can you believe it? Another Toyota! So many manufacturers to choose from, and the plebs keep picking Toyotas! Not that all Toyotas are bad. There's the Supra, Celica GT-Four, TS030, Caldina...
Anyways, here's your car this week. See you in Tokyo!
-Captain Snarker."


Looking around the car, I could tell this was a real family car. For starters, there was a booster seat in the back. There were candy wrappers stuffed in the ashtray. And the child locks were all on. I opened the hood though, and was shocked at the realisation that this overdriven, undermaintained family runabout had a 2JZ!!! Okay, so it's not going to be as competitive as a Mk4 Supra, but still, wow!

With this, I swapped the Integra key for the Altezza, and headed off to get it prepared..
 
:lol: that's pretty funny @Niku Driver HC , because from what I see in that pic you took, the only people doing any stealing would be Alfa Romeo... you can tell them from me that Lotus wants their car back!!! ;)

Cheers

It's only a true Lotus ripoff if you take the top off, my esteemed fast Canadian friend. A 4C still looks more glamorous even if it is as hard to live with as a Lotus... And if it is a ripoff, remember the golden rule;

If you're going to steal, steal from the best. ;) For now, you should be a little more concerned with the Queen's finest, I think they will be after your precious lap times...
 
The TC should die in a fire, however, as it was a bad idea from the get go. It's like letting Americans make a live-action Dragon Ball mov...

....oh. :crazy:

That, like Sonic '06, should not be mentioned.

Well, last week's winner of the Playing with TT's event was just in time for the upcoming F1 race...

On the podium was

1: Monty_YNOS-j : 1:36.368

2: BaronBlitzRed : 1:36.517

3: RacingOtaku86 : 1:36.717

What do these people have in common you might ask?

We're all from The Great White North!!! #ownthepodium :sly:

Cheers

I'm number three! I'm number three!

 
Well I kinda feel bad for picking such a beater this week. I had tested it on some smaller tracks like Tskuba and Redbull Ring, and I also forgot to do an oil change... On those tracks the understeer wasn't as apparent on the Toyko track and I could get the rear to step out a bit. I could nail consistent lap times with it, and yah its a little slow but it held its own against the AI. I also thought that with it being close to 400pp it would be a car that you could detune and put in a stock 400pp race and do ok with. Its also a car that most people wouldn't pick. So in the end I was on the fence about whether or not it was a beater, and I was curious what you guys would think.

With my sporadic participation in the TT's over the last while, I hadn't noticed all the Japanese cars that have been chosen lately. I was just scanning the list looking to see if a car had been used, I wasn't actually reading the list. Obviously, quite a few of my initial ideas had already been done - congrats on such a long history btw! Just in case you were curious I was tempted to pick the LCC Rocket, but I figured everyone has driven that car quite a bit already - because I have. And the other pick I was debating was the Mercedes 300sl. Hindsight is always 20/20 eh?

Anyways, I'm going to try to make a point of joining you guys in the race tonight, so you can beat me in my own beater!

Edit: the tracks I tested it on we're Suzuka east, brand hatch go, and Tsukuba. Not the RB ring!
 
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Well I kinda feel bad for picking such a beater this week. I had tested it on some smaller tracks like Tskuba and Redbull Ring, and I also forgot to do an oil change... On those tracks the understeer wasn't as apparent on the Toyko track and I could get the rear to step out a bit. I could nail consistent lap times with it, and yah its a little slow but it held its own against the AI. I also thought that with it being close to 400pp it would be a car that you could detune and put in a stock 400pp race and do ok with. Its also a car that most people wouldn't pick. So in the end I was on the fence about whether or not it was a beater, and I was curious what you guys would think.

With my sporadic participation in the TT's over the last while, I hadn't noticed all the Japanese cars that have been chosen lately. I was just scanning the list looking to see if a car had been used, I wasn't actually reading the list. Obviously, quite a few of my initial ideas had already been done - congrats on such a long history btw! Just in case you were curious I was tempted to pick the LCC Rocket, but I figured everyone has driven that car quite a bit already - because I have. And the other pick I was debating was the Mercedes 300sl. Hindsight is always 20/20 eh?

Anyways, I'm going to try to make a point of joining you guys in the race tonight, so you can beat me in my own beater!

Don't feel bad about the choice, my first choice, ( which was also a double car battle) was the Acura CL Type S and the Honda Accord Coupe V6, I didn't feel bad when I picked them either. :lol:

I also noticed you did well in the Duel of the week TT's and whilst we also run TT's, we also test a cars abilities in race conditions with events like tonight's racing. ;)

I should mention that no matter how modest the others are, they are pretty capable racers and they've come a long way since I joined. 👍

Of course, I didn't give them much choice on that part. :D:lol:
 
I also noticed you did well in the Duel of the week TT's and whilst we also run TT's, we also test a cars abilities in race conditions with events like tonight's racing. ;)

Yep, I did forget about the racing aspect, and I admit I forgot to take that into consideration, as I haven't been able to make any of the races. The tracks I picked are better suited for TT's than for racing. I'm still looking forward to tonight's race though.

Um, what driver aids am I allowed to use because with just abs1 its looks like I'm a bit off the pace... Surely, practise can't really help that much (that's sarcasm btw)....
 
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