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

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I think its a pretty decent car for its market at the time. Verdict: Good
 
So the times for the 3 Series Compact are like this.

@FastBud 0:50.039
@Vic Reign93 0:50.193
@TheOE 0:51.358
@Obelisk 0:51.556

So with the pint sized 3 Series done and dusted, let’s move up to something that’s the opposite, a classic case of technological showboating.

What vehicle is capable of such a statement?

I’ll tell you what..

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The 2009 Audi Q7 V12 TDI!!!

Back when Audi dominated Le Mans with their diesel LMP1 Prototypes, Audi decided to celebrate the sucess with diesel by bringing out the worlds first V12 diesel production car.

Most companies would’ve just built a special edition version of a performance car, but clearly Audi didn’t get the memo.:P

While sharing almost nothing with the Le Mans winning 5.5 V12(Aside from the diesel and the number of cylinders.), the 6.0 Twin Turbo V12 Diesel engine was still packing the latest in Diesel tech with another world first, a Bosch designed Common Rail Fuel Injection system capable of 2000 Bar of pressure. :eek:

On a performance front, the engine was capable of just under 500hp(494hp) and a gut wrenching 737Ft-lbs of torque.:odd:

For some context, the 2019 Ram Heavy Duty 3500 is the first production Truck to hit the 1,000ft-lbs of torque mark and has 400hp. :bowdown:

Of course the Q7 wasn’t exactly a lightweight before the V12 TDI got dropped in, now it weighs 2.6 tons, but it’s also now got some big carbon brakes to help it haul itself back to more reasonable speeds. ;)

Like all top model Audi’s it’s got Quattro 4wd and a 6 Speed Automatic which is toughened up to help put all that torque to the road reliably.

So where does one take such an example of excess? To a place where such excess would be considered just another tuesday, Dubai.

More to the point, it’ll be the Dubai City Circuit layout where you’ll be running this week. 👍

Best of luck people. :cheers:
 
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If I had to sum up the Q7 in a sentence it would be this.

“It’s Moby Dick with a Diesel V12.” :lol:

Yes the 2.6 tons means handling is somewhat understeery, but the huge carbon brakes do an impressive job of reigning in all that weight.

The near 500hp and 737 torques does well to shift it up to 130+ mph on the front straight, heck just for kicks I took it to Le Mans and it hit 175mph. :eek:

Ands that’s despite the weight and the equally whale style aerodynamics. :P

Kinda makes me sad that Audi never pulled the trigger on sticking that V12 TDI in the R8 road car because it could’ve been the poster child for diesel performance cars.

I’m tempted to say it’s a Sleeper for being a straight line surprise, plus take the V12 badges off and only diehard Audi fans will notice that it’s the V12 because of the carbon brakes. ;)

No one else will second guess it and likely think it’s the 3.0 V6 Diesel or the 4.2 V8 Diesel at a stretch.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍
 
Ok so no fans of a Diesel Suv then? :confused:

Alrighty then. :P

I mentioned a few weeks ago that 2 new Fezzas have shown up as part of February’s Spotlight, one from a past Forza and one from the future Forza oddly enough. :odd:

So the blast from the past is..

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The 2012 Ferrari 599XX Evoluzione!!!

The ultimate version, of the ultimate version of Ferrari’s track only 599’s.

While a ‘standard’ 599xx made 720hp(in game it’s actually underrated at 691hp.) the Evo made 740hp from its 6.0 V12 and 516ft-lbs of torque(479 for the normal 599xx.).

In Forza the Evo is over 300lbs lighter than the normal 599xx at 3,038lbs, further tweaks were made to the aerodynamics with included in that was a DRS style flap in the rear wing to improve straight line speed.

And like all the XX model Ferrari’s, not road legal and Ferrari doesn’t let you take it home for yourself. :crazy:

Happily, games aren’t bound by such hurdles so we can drive it where we like AND store it in OUR virtual garages. :D

So with the car settled, let’s take it to Mugello Autodromo Internazionale and the full circuit layout.

And now to go back to the future with...

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The 2017 Ferrari GTC4Lusso!!!

The official successor to the FF, Ferrari’s 4wd Shooting Brake from around 2011 and making its Forza debut in Horizon 4 and then brought back a game to FM7. :D

While with the FF it was a 651hp V12 or nothing, the GTC4Lusso could be had with a 680hp 6.3 litre V12 and 4wd or a 3.9 twin turbo making 602hp and rear drive only.

Both have 4 wheel steering and both come with 7 speed dual clutch gearboxes.

The GTC4 while powerful, does carry some weight to it, 4,233lbs or roughly 1.9 tons, but that’s ok, As while it’s sporty like a Ferrari it’s more focused on being a usable grand tourer like if you were gonna go on a long drive up to the Swiss Alps for example.

Specifically the Bernese Alps on a section of road called the Stadplatz Circuit. :P

2 Prancing horses, 24 cylinders and 1420hp between them, let’s cut them loose and see what they can do. ;)

Best of People. :cheers:
 
Is it me or do the GT4's brake lights vaguely resemble the new Mazda3's brake lights?

I can vaguely see it as well, but only vaguely.

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The GT4C was about what you expect from a 4wd, shooting brake Ferrari.

Bit of understeer from both the weight and 4wd system through the longer turns, but was decent overall with the V12 providing both the noise to echo through the Alps and the power to get you up and down the Alps rather rapidly.

Verdict: Neutral :)

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Similar story with 599XX Evo, I knew what to expect from it, great speed, solid braking power and approachable handling.

Providing you aren’t too lead footed, it’ll work with you to achieve a better laptime.

Verdict: Neutral :)

Can’t say no to decent freebies. 👍
 
So no other times for the GTC were recorded, but Drex got his 599xx Evo time in so here’s the standings.

@Drex124 1:51.955
@Vic Reign93 1:52.097

I’m noticing things are going a little quiet over here, which given this game is over a year old now and we’ve all got things in our lives to do, it is understandable. :)

Not a complaint, just an observation. :D

So what’s on the line for this week?

It’s mean, it’s lean, it’s a track wrecking machine and it’s also quite green.

Know what I mean? :sly:

It is...

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The 2017 Mercedes-AMG GTR!!

Subtlety is not this cars strong point. :P

As of 2018 it’s in the top 10 on the street legal leaderboard at the Nurburgring with a 7:10.92 lap time.

For reference on quick it is and how far cars have come, 10 years ago a Gumpert Apollo Sport ran a 7:11.57, that had 690hp and weighed up to 1200kgs or 1100kgs at lightest.

The AMG GTR? That makes only 577hp from its 4.0 TT V8 by comparison and weighs 3,428lbs(1554kgs).

The wonders of automotive progress. :bowdown:

Ok it helps that the GTR was pretty much born and raised on the Ring, heck that eye catching green is called Green Hell Magno for crying out loud. :lol:

So with that being said, It’s heading back to the Ring for this week, but don’t worry it’s only the GP Circuit we’ll be running. ;)

Best of luck people :cheers:
 
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So the AMG GTR, textbook example of talking the talk and then walking the walk. :P

It handled very well, stopped on a dime (for a road car) and it works with you to get the best possible lap time.

Quite rapid down the straights and sounding angry while doing so.

Angry and green? sounds like the Hulk to me. :D

So would that mean that the AMG GTS is Bruce Banner in this particular analogy? ;)

Verdict: Sleeper 👍
 
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Hello there! Coincidentallly I just watched the Grand Tour episode where Clarkson drives and reviews the GTR and it's comments are spot on, this car won't let you kill yourself no matter what. It is a great performer but lacks the drama of other AMG's, and the base color is hideous! Still I will go with sleeper too.
 
So the times for the Hulk GTR are as follows.

@Vic Reign93 2:09.007
@Nacho Libre 2:10.409

From a Ring burner to a wheel burner.

You could say it has some Hot Wheels. :P

(Cocks Shotgun)

Gulp, let’s move on to this weeks car before the buckshot stops with me. :scared:

It is...

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The 2011 Hot Wheels Bone Shaker!!!

Not exactly a friendly face now is it? :sly:

It’s 50th anniversary design extends to even the spine shifter which controls the 3 speed gearbox, which in turn is connected to the 402hp 5.7 litre V8 up front.

With 205 tyres at the front and huge 375 tyres outback(can be upgraded to 425’s.), understeer is on the table for you, thankfully there aren’t too many corners at this weeks track, Sebring International Raceways Short Circuit. 👍

Have a pelvicly good time out there. :lol:

(Runs away to the sound of buckshot whizzing past him.)
 
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The Bone Shaker is pretty much what you expect from a old school style hot rod, is decently fast in the straights, but understeery due to the skinny front tyres and huuge rear tyres.

Of course history shows that it’s a surprising capable machine in A Class(both in FM6 and in FH4) so I wouldn’t be surprised if the same applied here too. ;)

But in stock form, I wouldn’t use it competitively, more for casual driving.

Verdict: Neutral
 
So with no other times for the Boneshaker posted, we move on to week 75, though i’m painfully aware that attendance hasn’t all that great the last few weeks. :indiff:

It might be getting to the point of winding things down as understandably interest in FM7 COTW has lowered over its 1 year lifespan, but I want at the very least to reach week 80 to possibly close things out.

But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

In the meantime, we’ve got a new trio of Ford Mustangs to try and tame for this week, a hopped up road car and 2 FD spec drifters.

First up..

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The 2018 Mustang RTR Spec 5!!!

The ‘Ready To Rock’ road car has had its 5.0 V8 given a minor massage to coax it up to 460hp and 420ft-lbs of torque which is sent to rear via Fords 10 speed automatic gearbox.

The RTR has a set of custom RTR wheels, tweaked aero package, suspension and bolt on wheel arch extenders to allow for the wider tyres upfront and outback.

All of which is handy for the track you’re taking on in it, Lime Rock Park Full layout.

Be sure to revert it to stock as it comes with homologated parts stock. ;)

And the 2 drifters..

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The #25 & #88 2018 Mustang RTR FD’s!!!

Both are identical in performance, both have 4 speed gearboxes, both have huge 7.4 Ford V8’s making 1000hp and 737ft-lbs of torque without the need for boost.

Both also weigh a what I assume is a mandated weight of 3,100lbs.

Before you ask, No i’m not gonna make you guys drift them, you’ll be driving your preferred Stang around Yas Marina’s North Circuit this week. :P

Just keep them under control incase you pass a nearby crowd. :sly:

Best of luck people. 👍
 
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So the Spec 5 RTR, in terms of power is roughly the same as a normal 2018 Mustang, but the tweaks to the aero, suspension and the bolt on fenders allowing wider tyres do help its handling despite it weighing more than the standard 2018 Stang.
(Note: I’m using FH4 stats as reference as that has the standard 2018 Stang on it.)

The 10 speed while overkill in the number of gears does allow the first 6 to be decently short and keep the V8 revving high.

So as a car with Ford approved aftermarket upgrades, it’s a solid tuner/factory muscle car which most can approach with ease.

Just so long as you’re not approaching as it’s leaving a Cars & Coffee meet. :D

(Geez Vic another Mustang joke?:odd:)

What? They are a real hit with the crowds. :sly:

(Never mind:rolleyes:)

Verdict: Sleeper ;)👍

As for the Drifters..

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Yeah, that 1000hp 7.2 V8 is an animal, nearly 9.5K Rpm and no boost needed. :eek:

Naturally trying to grip drive a car that’s set up to hold slides at crazy angles was always gonna be sketchy, but that power delivery meant it could light up the rear tyres in 2nd and 3rd of the 4 available gears without too much hassle.

So after manhandling it to that time, my advice: Just use it for what it’s built for in stock trim and tune it if you choose to use it for something else. :P

Verdict: Neutral(s) :)
 
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Fairly nice car. Still a bloodthirsty crowd-crasher, though. Neutral.

I will not touch a drift car with a ten meter stick after my experience with Drift Club in Horizon 4, so no thank you.
 
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(1:58.047)

So after a quick google I have to ask, does this thing actually exist? Because while it looks like something that jumped from a NFS design document, the specs are a bit underwhelming compared to those of some of the actual RTR Mustangs out there. Also not a fan of the gearbox, unless you're a truck or a luxury car you don't need 10 gears (it kind of breaks the UI as well). At least the handling is neutral. Just a shame it can't hold a candle to Shelby tested a few weeks ago.

Verdict: (disappointing) Neutral

I will not touch a drift car with a ten meter stick after my experience with Drift Club in Horizon 4, so no thank you.
But there's no drifting involved? Tell you what, I'm not a fan either but I'll post a time if you will. :D
 
The 5S, a reasonably balanced performance with tacky bodywork, it also sounds like an angry blender. I want to say sleeper but for those two things. Neutral.
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And as for the drift cars? We'll they drift I guess...
 
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So the times for the Spec 5 RTR.

@Drex124 0:58.047
@Vic Reign93 0:58.125
@Obelisk 1:00.542
@Nacho Libre 1:00.245*

Nacho’s time was posted an hour after the deadline of midnight hence the asterisk.

Unofficially he’s 3rd, but officially he’s 4th :P

And as for the drift Stangs, only one time was posted, but I can’t say i’m surprised.

Trying to grip drive a car set up for sheer drift angles is to paraphrase the great ‘Jezza Clarkson’, Like trying to manhandle a cow up a staircase. :D

This weeks contender is more docile, but don’t mistake that for it being slow.

It is...

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The 2006 Vauxhall Astra VXR!!!

A mid noughties example of the limitations of Front wheel drive.

Back around this time, it was said that around 240hp was the limit for what most front wheel drive chassis's could handle without completely crumbling from torque steer and understeer.

The VXR version had 236hp and 236ft-lbs of torque from its 2.0 turbo 4 cylinder, which was sent to the front via a 6 speed manual gearbox.

Hauling just under 1400kgs of weight around, you’ll be tackling the National Circuit layout at Silverstone Racing Circuit this week. 👍

May the gods of torque steer and understeer smile kindly on you, best of luck people. :cheers:
 
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Not the most flattering picture I know. :P

The Astra VXR had a decent sound to it, got a nice rasp to its sound.

The thing that did surprise me was the lack of a limited slip differential on it, you can launch it and see only one tyre spinning all the power away.

The brakes were solid, but the handling wasn’t as solid, like I mentioned previously this was when powerful FF cars were really testing the limits of what they could do at the time.

Combine that with the rather open diff and you get understeer and inside tyre spin on throttle in the corners.

Not too expensive mind you and I suppose it’s better through the turns than a similar age Vectra VXR, THAT was terrible. :lol:

Verdict: Neutral
 
The VXR TT has less than 24hrs left on it, don’t leave it too late to post your times. 👍
 
The times for the Astra VXR are as follows.

@Vic Reign93 1:10.875
@Nacho Libre 1:10.998

Surprisingly close this week with just over a 1/10ths difference. ;)👍

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Porsche on the testing table and this one is what one thinks of instantly when the subject of good front engined Porsche’s.

It is of course...

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The 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo!!!

The life of the 944 actually started at Le Mans as the 924 GTP Le Mans, which is where it also got its 2.5 litre turbo 4 cylinder engine from, in 1982 Porsche unveiled the road car version of the GTP Le Mans and it was called the 944.

Only sold with 4 cylinder engines, but they were big ones which started at 2.5 litres and went up to 3.0 litres, with the Turbo retaining a road version of the same 2.5 litre Turbo 4 cylinder like the race car.

Putting out over 410hp in race trim and turned down to 247hp and 258ft-lbs of torque in the road cars, the 944 hauled its 3,115lbs to 0-60 in around 5.5 seconds and go on to nearly 160mph.

So where are testing such a ‘jack of all trades’ machine from Stuttgart this week?

The Circuit Of The America’s West Route.

Best of Luck People :cheers:
 
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