Beater or Sleeper? FH3 Edition! Thanks for coming.

[Silver Arrows]

A few weekends ago, I took place in a running of the Queensland Off-Road Rebels Club. It's just a club for relaxed off-roading at a leisurely pace. It was my first time off-roading with them and I didn't have my headset. So I could listen, but not speak. At one point, we were near the Maroondah waterfall and we were going up a short but steep grass hill. Everyone made it up except the last car in line, the Lambo LM002. After a few minutes of listening to him struggle, I got out of line and ran to rescue him. My dead stock low-compression low-horsepower International Scout was able to push the mighty Lambo Rambo up the hill. The embarrassment to the Lambo driver was too much and he immediately switched to a Shelby Raptor. I honestly don't remember who was driving the Lambo, but considering who just gave me the side-eye, I can make a guess.

And some say he never played the game again out of embarrassment...

 

[Obelisk]

Anyone else here?

I've been running terribly late on these, I apologize. I nominated a winner but he never answered....

This week will also be extended so I can get my 🤬 straight.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Anyone else here?

I've been running terribly late on these, I apologize. I nominated a winner but he never answered....

This week will also be extended so I can get my 🤬 straight.

Still here, just been busy working on the final round of a Championship I'm apart of.

I'm battling for the number 1 spot and I need to do just enough to stay ahead on points around the Kingmaker track in S1 Class.

It wraps up tomorrow at 9PM so i'll finish there and then knock out a lap time with the Rambo Lambo.

 

[Populuxe]

I'm actually surprised. Sure, this is a big lumbering giant, but it is surprisingly light on it's feet. I battled with an Audi Sport Quattro in Rivals mode on this race course, and I was surprised how precise I could be with the steering. Screw up and you've got three tons of Italian machismo out of control, but plan ahead, place the wheels where you want, and it will follow. Sleeper.

 

[Obelisk]

Embarrassing hill climb fails aside, let's have a stab at the standings.

Oops! Vic failed to submit a time. Only one guy entered.

Congrats, @Populuxe Cowboy!

This week, let's see our winner!

Congrats, Kid Rock 110!
What shall we drive this week?

It's the 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z28!

First things first, the Camaro has a pre-set build!

The stock Camaro will be run at Yarra Valley Cross Highway Trail!
The upgrade preset Camaro will be run at Yarra Valley North Plains Sprint!

Can this classic machine keep up with today's monsters? You decide.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Embarrassing hill climb fails aside, let's have a stab at the standings.

Oops! Vic failed to submit a time. Only one guy entered.

Congrats, @Populuxe Cowboy!

This week, let's see our winner!

Congrats, Kid Rock 110!
What shall we drive this week?

It's the 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z28!

First things first, the Camaro has a pre-set build!

The stock Camaro will be run at Yarra Valley Cross Highway Trail!
The upgrade preset Camaro will be run at Yarra Valley North Plains Sprint!

Can this classic machine keep up with today's monsters? You decide.

I was actually about to revert the Rambo Lambo to stock to do the event...

And then you announced the new car.

No matter, allow me to readdress the balance with the stock time for now.

 

[Populuxe]

@Vic Reign93 I had what I thought was a pretty decent run and was just about to post it when you posted that above. I was more than 10 seconds behind you. So I started over, using your Bumblebee as a ghost. After a couple hours, I'm now just .667 second behind you. I think with another 20 runs or so, I might just be able to beat that time. I'm tempted to put in the work, but I know you will come back with a single run and relegate me back to second.

 

[Populuxe]

Stock. Floppy and soft.



Modified. Rigid and hard.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Stock. Floppy and soft.



Modified. Rigid and hard.

Ah the F Bomb Camaro, Cameod in the Fourth Fast and Furious movie, owned by David Freiburger of Motor Trends "Roadkill" show and countless other publications.

The idea? a daily driven car with over 1500hp that can still run 8 second passes in the 1/4 mile.

If I had more room for more designs, An F Bomb Chevy would be in my garage in a heartbeat.

Oh and I'll be heading back for those times tomorrow as well.

 

[Populuxe]

Ah the F Bomb Camaro, Cameod in the Fourth Fast and Furious movie, owned by David Freiburger of Motor Trends "Roadkill" show and countless other publications.

The idea? a daily driven car with over 1500hp that can still run 8 second passes in the 1/4 mile.

If I had more room for more designs, An F Bomb Chevy would be in my garage in a heartbeat.

I saw the design in the the store and recognized it right away. I knew that was the design for my modified car.

 

[Obelisk]

I'll post the new car in 12-14 hours from now. AKA around 8-10. I need to pick the winner.

 

[Vic Reign93]

*Whistles* Ohh @Populuxe Cowboy

There's your stock o'clock time and here's the one for the alarmingly agile preset version.

 

[Populuxe]

Hear me, @Vic Reign93. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will race no more forever.

 

[Obelisk]

Hear me, @Vic Reign93. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will race no more forever.

See you later, space Cowboy. Rest in peace.

In honor of the end of @Populuxe Cowboy's racing career, let's see how this week will turn out.

Congrats, @Vic Reign93 and @Vic Reign93! Wait...

Spoiler: Standings, Stock

Vic Reign93: 2:39.559
Populuxe Cowboy: 2:41.328

Spoiler: Standings, Preset

Vic Reign93: 2:33.020
Populuxe Cowboy: 2:41.228

Oh, what a shame. Maybe our winner can come up with a better sendoff?

Congrats, @xXPeacockXx!
What are we yielding this week?

Lets kick it old school with the...

It's the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T!

This week's time trial, by request, will be the Dry Resevoir Trail in the Outback!

Are you ready for a challenge?

 

[xXPeacockXx]

This car is a lot of fun in the dirt. The old floppy suspension works well for absorbing those bounces and bumps.

 

[Populuxe]

I'm surprised by the top speed you can get out of this thing considering all the muscle cars back in the day were seriously low-geared. Great for acceleration, terrible for top speed. Seems a bit odd using a 1970 Challenger for a race on dirt roads, but that never stopped the Duke boys, so I didn't let it stop me. This is a great car, floaty as expected, but surprisingly agile. And it's simply one of the best looking cars of it's era. It's a little strange calling one of the most revered muscle cars a sleeper, but that's what it is.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Sorry to have left this late, but here we go.

The Challenger really does get around like it's brother the Charger if you just change the paint on it.

If painted yellow with black stripes, then you're either Special Agent Gibbs from NCIS or John Tanner from Driver: San Francisco, reverse the paint scheme to black with yellow stripes and you have the Off Road Challenger built by the guys at Motor Trends "Roadkill" show.

Paint the the Challenger white on the other hand and you the legendary "Vanishing Point" Challenger driven by Kowalski, It was the right choice of paint to pick for getting from point A to point B at rocket speed.

 

[Obelisk]

Sorry to have left this late, but here we go.

I'm even later on the car. Terribly sorry about the schedule slip-up again. As soon as I update this thread tomorrow, I'm putting a reminder on my phone.

 

[Obelisk]

God [redacted] it.

REMINDER GOING ON MY PHONE RIGHT NOW.

CONGRATS @Vic Reign93!

Spoiler: Standings

Vic Reign93: 2:45.632
Populuxe Cowboy: 2:50.170
Peacock: 2:50.704

Now for our winner.

CONGRATS @FastBud!
What's our gift this week?

Stick with muscle cars...

IT'S THE 1969 DODGE CHARGER!

This week's Time Trial, keeping in tune with unusual challenges, will be another off road event! This time, it's Mountain View Scramble in Yarra Valley!

Don't run into any trucks, though.

 

[Obelisk]

I've used the Charger extensively over my career in Forza. What's not to like about it? It's as American as American cars can get. It can also be surprisingly fast in corners, and I've successfully used it as a general-purpose track car.

I'll post a time when I can actually spare a little - I'll be taking the liberty of nominating this week's car myself.

 

[JR98]

The Charger R/T actually handled a lot better in stock form than I expected, handling pretty well even on the dirt section of the track, and taking the jumps pretty well.

It did, however, take a few laps to get a clean lap due to the Charger's back end hitting a barrier on the exit of some corners.

The '69 Charger is probably my favourite of all the classic muscle cars in FH3, and I think it's pretty good in A Class with around 500-550HP.

 

[Drex124]

Quick question, other than the car being stock what are the requirements for posting a time in this series?

 

[Obelisk]

Quick question, other than the car being stock what are the requirements for posting a time in this series?

You just have to complete the run with a clean, valid lap in Rivals mode. And more of a courtesy than a rule, but try not to cut any corners.

 

[Drex124]

It's a decent car, pretty much perfect for this track. But... oh... my... does the gear box let it down (like most *muscle* cars). Even stock it is still loads of fun on the dirt though.

R.I.P this sign, I must have hit it every lap. I guess the dodge was reclaiming it's territory

 

[Populuxe]

Don't know that I have a lot to say about this car. It understeers, it's severely undergeared, it's loose and floppy, the brakes are crap. I love it. It's everything a muscle car should be. All engine and nothing else. I'm thinking I could probably get another 2 seconds or more out of this car, but I just didn't have the time to chase those two seconds down, so this will have to do. No way this is a beater, but it's hardly right to call one of the most revered muscle cars of all time a sleeper, either. It is what it is.

 

[Obelisk]

Having those reminders really pay off...

Alright, let's see how our first Vic-free week turned out.

Congrats, @Drex124!

Spoiler: Standings

Drex124: 1:19.294
Populuxe Cowboy: 1:22.149
JASON_ROCKS1998: 1:23.083

And since this is Drex's first week with the madhouse...

Congrats, @Drex124!

What car are we running this week?

I am noticing a distinct lack of [REMOVED]... how's the...

It's the 2003 Nissan Fairlady Z!

This week's Time Trial will be at Rainforest Circuit in Yarra Valley!

Your lady being unfair? Trade her for a Fairlady!

 

[JR98]

The 350Z actually handles pretty well, being able to take corners at a decent speed without sliding, even on a wet track. Only thing that lets it down is the lack of power, with it being almost 40HP down on the 2002 Skyline GT-R. Luckily it's only halfway through B Class so it can easily become a competitive car once it's tuned up.

 

[Drex124]

The procrastination is strong with this one....

Quite honestly I love the car, though it does have some surprising issues with understeer. Thing is I'm having problems calling it either a beater (it's too good) or a sleeper (too much of a legacy to this thing). It's seen success in racing, drifting, etc, and has gotten plenty of love from the tuners.

Full review may follow procrastination not withstanding.
Also have a pretty picture.

 

[Populuxe]

I was so happy when the 350Z debuted. The world needs Z cars. The 350Z is overweight but that's the nature of the sports cars of today. You just can't make a Z car like the original S30 and pass safety standards any more. And people expect all the extras that would have been unthinkable in a sports car from 50 years ago. Electric window lifts? Electric seats? Electric side mirror positioners? Of course a modern 350Z is more comfortable, safer and frankly faster than the original. Weight is the price of progress.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Not forgetting this time around.

It's quite stable, pulls well down the straights and handles quite well with a hint of understeer and if you're using manual with clutch you can fire off some quick and efficient changes as well.

Not a bad base car for bigger things for 35K, it's a Sleeper. 👍