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

[Vic Reign93]

Yeah, what a surprise! Either you are terrible with FWD cars (or Silverstone) or I'm surprisingly good at them (all my real life cars have been FWD.)

I’ll be honest, on FM7 I’ve never been able to get on with FWD cars as it feels like in some corners i’m having steering lock taken away from me.

Didn’t have that issue with the 944 mind you.

For its performance level, it hardly put a foot wrong, handled nicely, put its power down without issue, brakes were solid and was just nice to drive in general.

It’s easy to understand why people like the 944, a relatively priced, decent performance car that wears the famous badge from Stuttgart.

If you check your classifieds for used 944’s you could likely still find non turbo 944’s for under £10K and decent low’ish mile Turbo’s for 20-25K, It’s a classic alright.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Vic Reign93]

You guys know the drill by now, 24hrs left before the next trial starts.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Ok so no other takers for the 944 showed up so let’s move on.

Another month has come and gone and another Spotlight Car is in the er.. Spotlight.

It’s already a Hero car on the FM7’s successor, but has come over to the Motorsports world to live up to its namesake.

Introducing..

The 2018 Mclaren Senna!!!

It’s always a risk when you name a car after a famous motorsports individual, The car you give that name to has to better than ‘just good’, It’s got to be bloody brilliant.

Ferrari pulled that stunt with the Enzo and it paid off for them back when it came out, Mclaren had to repeat that trick with their chosen individual, the one and only Aytron Senna.

So the Senna was built to be the best road legal track monster Mclaren ever built with every possible option to make it quick around a track ticked.

Power comes from an uprated version of the 720S’s 4.0 twin turbo V8 which makes 789hp and 590ft-lbs of torque, which is sent rearwards via a 7 speed gearbox.

The car weighs 2800lbs(1270kgs) and it makes 800kgs of downforce at 155mph so you count on this to be planted at high speeds, like the speeds you could hit at say.. Circuit De Catalunya Grand Prix Layout for example.

Be sure to double check the cars PI before you start, a stock Senna should have a R898 rating for reference.

Best of luck people.

 

[Vic Reign93]

So FH4’s Hero Car is now it’s built for element, the race track.

With near 800hp, she’ll get to around 190 down the front straight, where the near 1 ton of downforce and carbon brakes will then drag you back down to some form of sane speed rather sharpish.

Handling as you’d expect is solid, also quite approachable although a steady hand is needed on sim steering.

Sounds quite mean too.

While it does have to lose power in order to fit the race tyres it needs for its division, I wouldn’t at all surprised if still finds success in its division as a grip monster.

In summary, another solid Spotlight Pick.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Nacho Libre]

I'm happy with my time at Catalunya, and I think I could have pushed for a 1.48.XXX time. The Senna is a strangely appealing car indeed.
Sleeper.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Less than 24hrs left to get your times up people. 👍

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

It's fast, it corners fast, and it even stops fast. I like it, even though it seems like I'm the slowest here. I've tried this over several sessions, and 1:49.106 was the best I could manage.

It's not the fault of the car, though. Sleeper.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Ok the times for the Senna are as follows.

@Vic Reign93 1:48.304
@Nacho Libre 1:49.009
@Mr Fahrenheit 1:49.106

Respectable times with less than a tenth seperating 2nd and 3rd.

So what’s in store for us this week?

A car that at first glance, looks daft with its aerodynamic nose cone and huge rear wing, but the reality was that it actually worked quite well.

Not specific enough?

It was based on another iconic muscle car and shares its name with another classic speed machine.

Figured it out?

It is...

The 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Hemi!!!

The big winged muscle boi is here.

Of the 503 Charger Daytona’s built, only 70 had the smaller, but more powerful and legendary 426 (7.0 litre) Hemi V8 whilst the others had the standard 7.2 Magnum V8.

Chucking out 425hp to the rear tyres via a 4 speed manual gearbox which tops out around 147mph which is decent compared to most stock 4 speed muscle cars,

Of course the Nascar version of the Daytona became the first car to crack the 200 mph barrier at Talladega and recorded 6 wins and then with its successor, The Plymouth Superbird racking up 8 wins.

So it’s only fitting we go to the one place it fit right in at, Daytona International Speedway, specifically the Short Circuit layout.

Time to see if it’s more than just a Charger with a huge wing, nose cone and pop up headlights.

Best of luck people.

 

[Obelisk]

Almighty wing.

 

[Drex124]

Ah crap, I could have sworn I put up my time. Oh well have it anyway.

(1:47.529)

@Obelisk Are you a watcher of the Failrace youtube channel per chance?

 

[Obelisk]

@Obelisk Are you a watcher of the Failrace youtube channel per chance?

On and off, yeah!

 

[Nacho Libre]

Almighty wing.

Is it possible that Enzo saw that wing and thought "I want that!"?

 

[Vic Reign93]

Apologies for the later than usual upload.

While the Daytona is a long boi, it’s not a total boat in the turns, brakes are decent for the period mind you.

As for the gearing, maybe a tad too short for Daytona in stock form, but it’s still got a solid top speed of around 147mph on the banked turn.

All in all, a good example of the many “Race on Sunday, Sell On Monday.” road cars of the period.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Drex124]

(1:57.343)

Spongy brakes, wobbly suspension, and a big ol' engine, yup it fits the stereotype alright.
It's got potential, but I can't say I was blown away by it in stock form.

Verdict: Neutral

 

[Vic Reign93]

Here’s the 24hrs left reminder for anyone’s who’s still has yet to put their times up.

 

[Nacho Libre]

I'm probably posting late...

I say neutral!

 

[Vic Reign93]

So the end results of the Daytona at Daytona are as follows.

@Vic Reign93 1:56.078
@Drex124 1:57.343
@Nacho Libre 1:58.992

I’m allowing Nacho’s time as there wasn’t anyone slower so no harm done.

So for week 80, what do we have?

A nice classic Italian open top sports car.

In the form of...

The 1980 Fiat 124 Sport Spider!!!

Designed and built by Pininfarina at its factory, the 124 Sport Spider is one of many classics that had the Pininfarina touch.

Maybe not this version though as this is the North American version which has those rather eyesore plastic bumpers as part of regulations of the time IIRC.

On the flip side, you got a 5 speed manual gearbox, a 102hp 2.0 fuel injected 4 cylinder sending power to the rear and hauling a car weighing just over 2300lbs.

This week we’ll be taking it to an equally Italian, Autodromo Nazionale Monza’s Short Circuit. 👍

Short, sweet and should be fun.

Best of luck people.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Like the track, this’ll also be short and sweet.

Decent pace for the power, ok if slightly spongy brakes and suspension and sounds like a classic Italian 4 banger should.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Vic Reign93]

24hrs to go for the Fiat 124 time trial, don’t leave it late now.

 

[Nacho Libre]

So sorry, no time this week (work, study, work)

 

[Drex124]

(1:10.191)

I swear I must be allergic to deadlines...

 

[Vic Reign93]

So this weeks times are..

@Vic Reign93 1:09.938
@Drex124 1:10.191

Moving on from the Fiat 124 to a car that despite positive public feedback when it was unveiled, never came to fruition.

It took design cues from its predecessor and applied some modern tech to it and had all the sporty potential.

It was...

The 2015 Nissan IDx Nismo!!!

Taking inspiration from the Datsun 510 and also it’s respectable race history, the IDx would’ve been placed right against the BRZ/FRS/GT86 and would’ve likely beaten it.

At the front is a 215hp&210ft-lbs, 1.6 Turbo 4 banger sending power to the rear via a 6 speed gearbox.

The IDx weighs roughly 100lbs more than the BRZ at 2,866lbs, but has nearly 60ft-lbs more torque and nearly 20hp more to boot.

The track in question is one close to the IDx’s predecessor’s heart, Mazda Laguna Seca.

It’s here the BRE 510’s won the title for its class in the SSCA Trans Am Championship and this week you’ll be repeating history, only not against Alfa Romeos, but the clock instead.

Best of luck People.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Having driven the IDx I’m now even more convinced this would’ve been a hit had it been built.

It didn’t put a foot wrong around Laguna, stops well, handles brilliantly and there was hardly a hint of it wanting to step out during cornering.

For what class it’s in, I’m struggling to find a major flaw with it, It’s worth the 58k it’s priced at.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Vic Reign93]

Here’s your less than 20 hrs left reminder to get your times in. 👍

@Drex124 heres an extra reminder for you.

 

[Nacho Libre]

It's a beater.

 

[Drex124]

(1:47.397)

This really is one of those cars I never would have tried if it weren't for this series. I'm not a fan of concept cars to begin with, and the looks of this one always brought the Tamo to mind (another ill fated car).

Good thing then I didn't miss what turned out to be a great little car. Well... not that little, in fact it would likely have towered over its proposed competition in stature, and possibly performance. Very composed through the corners, and with a very punchy engine I would have loved to see what it would have ended up looking like in production trim. Sadly no combination of words scares Nissan quite like cheap, fun, and RWD.

We're getting to the point where Nissan's enthusiast offerings are either ten to twelve years old, or an SUV... This selling, and selling well, would have been the perfect excuse for reinventing an aging, outdated line-up.

Verdict: Sleeper

 

[Vic Reign93]

So the times for the IDx are..

@Drex124 1:47.397
@Vic Reign93 1:47.887
@Nacho Libre 1:51.450

Quite enjoyed the IDx this week, shame it wasn’t built.

On to this weeks pick, and it’s quite the old school classic.

In 1972 it was considered the fastest sedan in the world with a top speed of around 150mph and a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds, not bad for a 4,010lbs luxury car. 👍

It is...

The 1972 Mercedes Benz 300 SEL 6.3!!!

The car that’s below the Dictator spec 600 Grosser, but still a solid luxury car in its own right.

With a V8 displacing the aforementioned 6.3 litres, it’s putting out 300hp and a much more meaty 435ft-lbs of torque to the rear tyres via a 4 speed automatic gearbox.

Now by itself it would’ve done well, but back then a small tuning company called AMG turned a few 300’s into powerful racing sedans with the most famous one being the ‘Red Pig’.

That packed a 6.8 litre version of the V8 and 420hp which helped it finish 2nd overall at the 1971 24 hours of Spa race..

This week we’ll be driving the 300 SEL on the full layout at Hockenheim.

Just remember, it’s a 300 SEL and not a LWB 600 so you WILL be driving it and not being chauffeured around in it.

Best of Luck people

 

[Vic Reign93]

The 300 SEL is pretty brisk for a vintage 4000+lbs luxury car, but let’s be honest that it shouldn’t be on a track in stock trim.

Mind you, it might make for a decent power build in D or C Class, B Class is for those wanting a half decent Red Pig replica build.

In short, It’s ok stock, but I do recommend upgrades for it.

Verdict: Neutral.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Less than 24hrs to go people, times ticking for the 300 SEL time trial.

 

[Drex124]

(2:15.466)

It's heavy, it's wobbly, but it's got some decent power and straight line speed, making the overall car decidedly average...

Verdict: Neutral