Regarding the whole running the events out of the community club deal, it's a good choice.
It removes the unpredictability of randoms ( I still remember that one who went postal at Ascari
) and keeps it relatively simple. 👍
Now to catch up on some reviews.
We'll start with the Italian Stallion with a an American Heart, the Alfa Romero TZ3 Stradale.
Now let's get my first gripe out the way, No customising for a road car, no rims, no paint and no race stickers.
Second gripe and this ones more about the cars statistics.
According to most websites, the Stradale is based on the Dodge Viper ACR-X ( the X is key here), but it's making the same power as the normal ACR (600hp btw).
What's so special about the X? It was built to commemorate the ending of the second gen Viper and was specifically for the Dodge Viper Cup Series.
It had 40hp more than stock at 640 ( same as the third gen viper
), weighed 1,500kg stripped out and wasn't road legal.
So the Stradale we have doesn't have its true stock HP number and is also stuck with the second gen vipers 6 speed gearbox.
By normal standards it's a decent gearbox, until you hit 6th gear which is a highway cruising gear.
Drafting is the only way to keep it moving in that gear and we ended up hitting 240mph at SSRX.
The interesting thing was Jack brought the third gen viper and not only did have more power, his top gear was shorter so he was faster unassisted than the Stradale.
Although he eventually lost as he hit the redline and we drafted past him, it took more than half a lap to reel him in.
As for the handling, it could put the power down just fine, but the suspension was quite soft and wanted to push to the outside of the turns a lot of the time.
So it's got less power than the car it's based on, no customising options, not the greatest suspension set up and is quite expensive to buy at just over 600k.
What kills it for me most is the lack of visual customisation which for a race car is fine, but not for a road car, especially one which has proven to have more than one colour in real life.
To give an idea of how odd the lack of customising is for the Stradale, Jay Lenos Oldsmobile Toranado is a one of one car, But you CAN change the paint, you CAN change the rims and you CAN add race stickers to it.
It's a shame we didn't get the original TZ3, weighed 850kg, but based around the Alfa 8C and packing a 420hp V8 and a 6 speed sequential gearbox, all wrapped up in a Carbon frame and hand beaten Aluminium body.
So verdict? Beater in stock form. 👎 ( the reputation of tuned Stradale's is well known.
)
From the Supercar to the waggon (or estate), there's a life lesson in there somewhere.
The Toyota Altezza AS300 and its Lexus partner in crime, the IS 300 Sport Cross.
Both pack a 3.0 non turbo version of the legendary 2JZ Inline 6 making around 220hp going through a 5 speed Autobox.
Now even though you safely say that they are completely identical, some have said that the Lexus was the better than the Toyota.
Whilst it didn't set the world on fire for acceleration, it did have a surprisingly fun chassis which considering the cars rivals of the time like the BMW 3 series, it had to be good.
It was playful, but responsive when needed, I even threw on some parts to go rallying with it.
Now whilst I can't speak for the Altezza, the Lexus was a great car and fully tuned it's slap bang on 500pp which is a bonus.
Verdict? Sleeper
👍
Now for the oddball, not just in this review, but in GT6 altogether.
The BMW 120D, the only Diesel road car in the game.
Packing a 2.0 Turbo Diesel 4 cylinder, it's making 160hp, but also 251 ft-lb of Torque going through a 6 speed gearbox.
Being a Diesel, shifting at the right time was all the more crucial to make the most of the low down torque.
Compared to its petrol powered counterpart, the 120I, it's heavier, but more powerful and has 20pp more.
It retains a near 50-50 weight distribution and the handling shows this by being responsive and agile.
Drawbacks? It's not a performance Diesel like we see these days so it's quite slow in a straight line, but it goes to show how far performance has come for Diesels..
Emissions are another thing for some cars though.
Deciding on the verdict for this was tricky, what can you compare it to?
Being the only road car with a Diesel engine means comparisons to petrol cars can be done, but it's not easy.
So to wrap up this review at the crack of dawn over here, I'll say the BMW 120D is Neutral.