Beater or Sleeper? COTW Forza 7 Week:END The Ultimate Sleeper, The Holden Sandman! Thanks Everyone!!

[Vic Reign93]

Here’s your reminder for this weeks time trial, it ends in just under 23 hours from now so get your times in.

 

[Populuxe]

I painted it green.

Sorry but this track didn't showcase this car at all. Driving it at Le Mans was tedious. It's a significant car, but on this track, it's a beater.

 

[pompeypigeon]

My lap: a 4:01.777. (was on track for a sub 4m but lost control and dirtied lap... )
I like this racer; it's quick off the line, got a unique look with a wing to make aircraft jealous and handles OK without TCS once tamed. It's good now, a beast tuned for the R class hoppers.
On this track, the gearing really lets it down, topping off at only 174 mph. Maybe this is a blessing as the combination of speed, aircraft rear wing and long straight could see Forza 7's first proper flying car.
I rate this a Sleeper.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Ok, scores on the board are as follows..

@Vic Reign93 3:58.867
@pompeypigeon 4:01.777
@Obelisk 4:09.124
@Populuxe Cowboy 4:11.025

A decent spread this week, the 2E definitely rewards those who can tame it, good times all. 👍

Congratulations Hooncorp!!!

As you may or may not have noticed, over last weekend, @Nismonath5 and @McClarenDesign particpated in New Zealand’s first ever proper 24hrs of Lemons endurance race with Hooncorp.

It was no small event (as if a 24hr race ever can called a small event. ) as Speedycop who’s known for building some outlandish Lemons racers over stateside was there in a Ford Mustang dirt racer and even had Randy Pobst on his team.

Nismo was driving a Nissan Pulsar while McClaren drove the Holden Commodore that Nismo drove at the previous endurance event.

Here’s the thread where you guys can catch up on how it all went down, https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...-team-hooncorps-quest-to-make-history.377503/

Do note that a full write up by Nismo will be on its way at some point.

Why do I mention this? Well it’s because both McClaren and Nismo were both at different points the leader of the GT6 COTW thread, Where @Obelisk got the idea (With McClaren’s approval) to create the Forza branch of COTW with Obelisk doing the FH3 COTW and then me doing this one shortly after it came out. 👍

That’s not including all the regulars who turned up week in and week out to drive cars that people would overlook and not give a fair chance to be surprised by it, It’s pretty much the mantra for the club at this point.

But I digress, I had to find a combo which closely resembled the weekend race.

So the car that was close to what was used is...

The 1996 HSV GTS-R!!!

HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) built this very rare car on the VS series of the Commodore with a 308hp 5.7 litre V8 and six speed manual gearbox.

The GTS-R was finished in XU-2 Yellah and sported a carbon fibre rear wing, 75 were built for Australia and 10 for New Zealand so only 85 examples were built in total.

That’s the car sorted, track choice was tricky as I initially didn’t know which american tracks had hosted a Lemons race, But then Top Gear USA came to the rescue as they did a Lemons race at Sonoma Raceway awhile back.

So this weeks event will be at the Grand Prix layout at Sonoma Raceway.

As always, PM me if you have a combo you us to try out at a later date and best of luck with your times this week. 👍

 

[Vic Reign93]

So the GTS-R, for a low C class car it’s actually quite nice to drive, gearing is good, braking is effective(mostly) and its relatively quick for just under 3,600lbs, but for a limited run sports saloon that’s to be expected.

By today’s standards the rear wing and the 3 spoke wheels are bit dated, but it was acceptable in the 90’s.

Still worth a look at even if there are better picks for its division.

Verdict: Neutral

 

[RazorSharkz]

I'll post a time later. I did drive it a bit earlier and I must say, definite sleeper. It looks like a high schooler's first attempt to pimp their ride, but is actually quite quick and agile. Really cool addition to Forza(I know it's been around for a year or so but still)

 

[Populuxe]

I'm sure I'll be last as usual, but I'm glad I was at least able to get under the mostly psychological two minute threshold. The spoiler is less than attractive, but the car is very well balanced and easy to place on the track, so it must be working. I'm very impressed with this car. I'm going to call this one a sleeper.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Here’s your weekly heads up that you have less than 24hrs before the new vehicle and time trial are announced so get your times up folks. 👍

 

[pompeypigeon]

My attempt is a: 1:55.411.
I'm not too sold on this car. It screams performance with the wing and big V8 engine but feels a little too soft and sluggish for what I expected. Not to say it still drove nicely, but could have done with a bit more suspension tuning and weight loss.
And that yellow. It reminds me of my mother's old Fiesta who's yellow paint had faded and looked like this car's colour. That got stolen and was found wrapped around a bus stop in a rough area.
Anyway, I rate this a very close Neutral

 

[Drex124]

(1:54.283)

I figured I'd at least make it look the part.

 

[Vic Reign93]

So from the rare version of what was Hooncorp’s battle scarred Commodore to this weeks pick, which as it turns out is now for sale in the specialty dealer.

But first the leaderboard.

@Vic Reign93 1:54.043
@Drex124 1:54.283
@pompeypigeon 1:55.411
@Populuxe Cowboy 1:59.123

So close at the top and props for Cowboy for getting under 2 mins, it’s usually the barriers we put up that hold us back, so find that next one and work on breaking through to the other side.:tup:

So to carry on in the fine art of ‘winging it’, here’s the winner for this week.

Congratulations Specialty Dealer!!!

For months now you’ve been giving us repeats of many Zondas and many, many Titian’s among other picks, I’m pretty sure even the writers who did the story’s on the repeats were probably getting sick of them as well.

But now, we have some new(ish) metal to work with so at least the excitement is back for now, keep building on this specialty dealer. 👍

So the car from the latest trio that we’re testing?

The 1972 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E49!!!

Back to back Aussie picks eh Vic?

Well technically no, but also yes.

Just like Ford has Ford of Europe and Australia, Chrysler also had an aussie counterpart and this one is also a rare one with only 149 examples built.

But unlike the majority of muscle cars of the time, the V8 option wasn’t the most powerful option with the most powerful one being around 275hp from 5.6 litres.

The E49’s ace in the hole was a 4.3 litre Inline 6 making 302hp and 325ft-lbs of torque, numbers that were impressive for a 6 cylinder engine at the time.

The Hemi Six Pack E49 was good for low 6 six seconds 0-60 sprints and could knock off low 14 second quarter mile times with 14.1 being the most used example, respectable these days, but that was rapid back then, especially for a 6 cylinder engine.

As for the track you’ll be throwing this 1375kg machine around, it’s gonna a trip back to Lime Rock and the West Chicane layout for this week.

Also if you haven’t already got one, it’s less than 40k in the specialty dealer.

 

[Drex124]

I'll be honest... this thing didn't leave the best first impression:


Sent that one off to the shop and got another one the next day for attempt number two. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Most muscle cars tend to suffer from their big engines being paired with useless transmissions, and handling commonly associated with boats. Neither of which seems to be a problem here. I even got to have some unintended slideways fun.

(1:08.001)

 

[Populuxe]

 

[Nacho Libre]

You got me hooked to QC, you know?

 

[Populuxe]

You got me hooked to QC, you know?

[Mr. Burns]Excellent.[/Mr. Burns]

PS Faybles forever.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Slightly later than expected, but here we are.

I’ve always been a fan of the oddball choices, but even more so if said oddball is actually quite good.

A 6 cylinder muscle car with power on par of some bigger V8s with less weight over the front and a decent gearbox to go with it.

While the suspension is still soft, it feels more agile than similar vintage muscle cars and stops decently too.

It’s basically a 70’s alternative muscle car, getting to the same point as other muscle cars while standing out as different.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

Also here’s your 24hr reminder for this week.

 

[Populuxe]

I love this car. It looks great, seriously one of the very best looking of the era's muscle cars. It's got a hemi-6 in a sea of V-8s which give it a unique sound as well as a unique talking point. On the downside, it's as floaty as any other muscle car. Even with the Barcalounger ride, it was a lot of fun to push around Lime Rock. Except for that chicanery nonsense. That is difficult to guide even the most nimble car through, much less one that steers as well as an excited puppy on a linoleum floor.

All things considered, this car has more positives then negatives. Verdict: Sleeper.

 

[pompeypigeon]

My time was: 1:08.563
I do like this car, a different sound to the usual roar of the V8's it was competing with. Also I'm quite fond of this track so this was an enjoyable week to do! The car is a bit soft and sways a lot, a bit typical for these cars. With good tuning though, this would be a brilliant car.
This is a sleeper

 

[Vic Reign93]

So here’s our Valiant efforts for this weeks event.

@Vic Reign93 1:07.593
@Drex124 1:08.001
@pompeypigeon 1:08.563
@Populuxe Cowboy 1:10.973

Great times with the Aussie oddball muscle car from the past, Now for this week we’re turning the clock back even further with something pre-WW2, fast and slightly terrifying.

(Jesus Vic, I thought you were past the whole ‘torture others with tricky cars schtick’?)

Who said I even got past it?

Anyways this weeks pick is...

The 1939 Auto Union Type D!!

From a time when as @McClarenDesign would say ‘Racing was dangerous and Sex was safe.’ The AU Type D was a technological showcase for Germany along with being a perfect rival for Mercedes Benz.

Let me address the elephant in the room given the country and time period, yes Adolf Hitler(back when was a Chancellor) did have a hand in helping Auto Union with state funding, plus he decided that both companies racing as part of a state sponsored racing programme would help develop a “High Speed German Automotive Industry.”

Auto Union had many different racers through out the years in accordance to the regulations, Some years cars couldn’t weigh more than 750kg bone dry w/o a driver, later years had a engine size limit of 4.5 litres naturally aspirated or 3.0 litres with forced induction.

While the Type C had the V16 which made 295hp in 4.4 litre form and 520hp in 6.0 litre form, the Type D had a Twin Supercharged 3.0 litre V12 which in 1939 made 485hp and 413 ft-lbs of torque, wheel spin at 100 mph was a common thing back then and allegedly the V12 could rev to over 10,000rpm, but never went past 7,000 in race conditions.

Weight balance is rear heavy at 42/58 so oversteer is on the cards, but courtesy of a Porsche invention introduced at the end of the 1935 season, A ZF built Limited Slip Differential, hopefully one tyre fires won’t be on the cards.

The whole car in race trim weighs 1277kgs (2,816lbs) and is quite streamlined so gaining speed is no problem, shedding speed on the other hand courtesy of vintage tyre compounds, skinny tyres, drum brakes and no aerodynamic downforce is a big problem.

Well it’s a good thing that this weeks track isn’t somewhere where high speeds are less lik- Oh wait, It’s the Full Circuit Alt layout at Monza.

(Why do I even bother trying to stop you being evil? )

Because you secretly enjoy it that’s why.

Best of luck gentleman

 

[Drex124]

Me thinks our curator is starting to go a bit mad with all this (horse)power...

 

[Populuxe]

So here’s our Valiant efforts for this weeks event.

 

[Vic Reign93]

So the Auto Union, straight line monster with speeds touching 300kph(186mph) on the chicane-less front straight and was good at putting its power down on corner exit.

But man oh man do you have to stand on those brakes to slow this bullet down and to get the best speed through some of the turns, you need to get it into a smooth yet fast four wheel drift.

It’s from a time when safety wasn’t top priority and the speeds achieved outran the braking and tyre technology by a mile, those race cars don’t tolerate fools or mistakes and not many who crashed them lived to repeat that mistake.

But with a tune and some talent, they can still fight with the 21st century fighters.

Until T10 outlawed open wheeled cars from Hoppers.

Verdict: Neutral

Also here’s a time from AX201SD1 who joined the COTW Discord with @pompeypigeon awhile back and put his time down for the Type D.

 

[Drex124]

Also here’s a time from AX201SD1 who joined the COTW Discord with @pompeypigeon awhile back and put his time down for the Type D.

There's a discord?

 

[Vic Reign93]

There's a discord?

Yep, It was a spin off after @Obelisk started up the FH3 COTW and while It did originally not get much use on the Forza side, I decided to try and branch it out further for FM7.

https://discord.gg/3kBWMpu That link should be permeant, but the majority of the write ups will be here for the most part, might rextend the offer to the rest of @PJTierney’s Casual Racing Mondays regulars.

 

[Drex124]

Yep, It was a spin off after @Obelisk started up the FH3 COTW and while It did originally not get much use on the Forza side, I decided to try and branch it out further for FM7.

https://discord.gg/3kBWMpu That link should be permeant, but the majority of the write ups will be here for the most part, might rextend the offer to the rest of @PJTierney’s Casual Racing Mondays regulars.

May I suggest putting a link in the OP, that way newcomers and oblivious people like me wont miss it as easily.

 

[Vic Reign93]

May I suggest putting a link in the OP, that way newcomers and oblivious people like me wont miss it as easily.

Done and done. 👍

 

[Populuxe]

I have been an automotive history fanatic all my life. As a teenager, I read every book about the history of cars and the people who made and raced them in my junior high, high school and local libraries. I bought a mountain of books and magazines about the history of the automobile. I would buy Road & Track magazine because every month there was a classic car feature that included a beautifully photographed two-page spread. I would carefully disassemble the magazine, cut the two pages out, tape them together and put it in a frame I had that fit the pages perfectly. Old pages came down and were put in an old briefcase that after a few years was full to bursting with old car pictures.

I love old cars is my point.

So you might say I was very pleased by the choice of the Auto Union D-Typ for this week's COTW. Bernd Rosemeyer, Ernst von Delius, Tazio Nuvolari, Hans Stuck and Achille Varzi in the ferocious Auto Union versus Rudolf Caracciola, Manfred von Brauchitsch, Hermann Lang, Richard Seaman, Juan Manuel Fangio, and Karl Kling in the superb Mercedes-Benz was the stuff of legend to me. Monza is the perfect venue for cars like this. It's just a shame we don't get access to the oval (even though the cars in question didn't actually race on the oval in those years.) The skinny tires and complete lack of downforce makes the Curve Grande a real challenge to drive smoothly. Once you learn to control the four-wheel drift, the car becomes a real joy to drive. The only way I'm going to die while driving one of these is by having a heart attack in my easy chair, so it's probably a more entertaining drive for me than for the drivers of the 1930s who had stones the size of medicine balls and reflexes like a Greek god to both go fast and not die in a flaming ball of aluminum and rubber.

Verdict: SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 

[Vic Reign93]

Here’s your weekly 24hr reminder to get your times on the board. 👍

 

[ClydeYellow]

Alright,



for now, here is my laptime in the (slightly disappointing) Auto Union. Will write up my short considerations & musings about the cars later.

 

[pompeypigeon]

I got a 1:49.767 so far.
Considering it's age, the Auto Union is a very quick and fast car, even if the handling leaves much to be desired. I don't have many problems with the handling though as I quite enjoy how the older open wheelers handle. Because of this I would rate this a sleeper though this won't be for everyones taste.