Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

[JackRyanWMU]

(Excerpt from an exceptional night of racing, a ten lapper at the Daytona Oval, narrated in my best Ken Squier impression.)



"It's been a wild shootout of a race, and now its down to three drivers. Vic Reign, then Jack Ryan and Blitz Red as they come out of turn 4. It's now or never, get ready for a photo finish! Jack looks low, oh now he tries to slingshot on the outside! But the Baron has gone even higher and made it three wide as they come to the tri-oval! Who's gonna win it?! Jack and Blitz touch! And at the line......"



"Vic wins it! He stuck to the low line and fended off the challengers! Jack takes second and Baron third, we're being told they all finished within a tenth of a second! After 10 laps of an all out duel on the high banks of Daytona, it literally comes down to fender lengths to determine the winner. Simply a fantastic fight to the finish by all three men!"

 

[Vic Reign93]

As Jack's excerpt shows, We managed to not bury COTW in the tyre wall and produced some very good racing, heck we nearly had a full lobby going at one point.

Aside from a surreal moment for me where I was driving my Purple Reign Corvette and having one of the greats we've lost this year (David Bowie) playing one their great songs at the same time, We had a different winner every race until the race Daytona. 👍

But there's a sting in the tail, factoring out the Prince connection the C2 is quite possibly a contender for Beater of the Year.

But I'll explain why later on after I've caught some shuteye.

 

[Cowboy]

Cars within a second at Goodwood:

Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo: 0:45.291
Audi quattro S1 Rally Car '86: 0:45.375
BMW M3 GTR Race Car '01: 0:45.396
Audi Sport quattro S1 Rally Car 15th Anniversary Edition '86: 0:45.435
Audi A4 Touring Car '04: 0:45.507
Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 N24 Shultz Motorsport '13: 0:45.614
BMW M3 GT (BMW Motorsport) '11: 0:45.686
Alfa Romeo 155 2.5 V6 TI '93: 0:45.785
Alpine Vision Gran Turismo: 0:45.980
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C2) Race Car '63: 0:46.203
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 '11: 0:46.236
Lexus IS F Racing Concept 15th Anniversary Edition '08: 0:46.596
Audi Auto Union V16 Type C Streamline '37:0:46.617
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 '13: 0:46.684
Amuse S2000 GT1 '04: 0:46.701
SUBARU VIZIV GT Vision Gran Turismo: 0:46.780
Autobacs ARTA Garaiya '08: 0:46.909
Acura NSX LM Race Car '91: 0:46.916

And the street version:

BMW 330i '05: 0:58.733
Chevrolet Corvette Coupe (C2) 15th Anniversary Edition '63: 0:58.811
Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy '11: 0:58.918
Audi S3 '02: 0:59.021
BMW Z4 '03: 0:59.166
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Coupe Dynamic '13: 0:59.282
Buick GNX '87: 0:59.394
Alfa Romeo Brera Sky Window 3.2 JTS Q4 '06:0:59.521
Alpine A110 1600S '73: 0:59.703
Chevrolet Corvette Coupe (C2) '63: 0:59.731
Audi quattro '82: 0:59.975
Alpine A110 1600S '72: 0:59.975
Acura CL 3.2 Type S '01: 1:00.063
Acura CL 3.2 Type S '03: 1:00.581

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

A Stitch in Time...​

EDIT:

I also did up these versions as well, but I wasn't sure if they'd be liked more or less than the first batch.

Which 3 would you pick???

Cheers

 

[Nismonath5]

So, the C2 Corvette...

I must say, right off the bat I had no idea it was premium in this game. I can't remember if it was premium in GT5, I don't think so, but anyway that was a pleasant surprise! I missed Tuesday's racing due to my little camping retreat, so I made it to the Saturday night (Sunday morning for me) races.

Although the lobby wasn't as big, the racing was just as good. This car's got a beautiful feeling to it. The handling isn't direct, but it is somewhat predictable, so you can guess where you're going to slide out wide or start tank slapping/fish tailing in a tricky tight complex.

I had a finish line dash with Cowboy, and to try give myself the advantage I tried short shifting to 3rd gear and seeing if the torque could give me the push required to get past him. Long story short, It did.

Then I decided my stock rims and paint job were too plain, so I left momentarily to go "Pimp my ride", which, according to GT, is a horrible swear word and the mere mention of it must be replaced with "***********"
Anyways, I gave it a good splash of WR Blue Mica, and some classic racing wheels.

Next someone decided that paved roads were too mainstream, so we went to the snow for a play. Again, the predictable handling made it quite pleasant to drive on the snow. That is, until Sam got by me and I lost my mental focus, trying to get by him by over driving it and ultimately putting it into the wall.

All in all, I reckon this car is a definate sleeper, if you know how to treat it. It is relatively bulky, which is the case for most classic muscle cars, but all that means is you must give it some extra stopping time, and be gentle while going through complexes. SLEEPER CONFIRMED

Here's the rest of the pics

 

[Cowboy]

I was wondering how you jumped ahead of me on that last straight

 

[Vic Reign93]

Contrary to the good racing we've had with the C2, I still think it's a beater.

Allow me to expand on that...

Little Purple Reign Corvette

The C2 has a higher top speed than nearly all muscle cars of its time which is a plus, but the engine is quite gutless at high revs.

The C2 makes peak power at 4,400rpm, but can rev up to 7,000rpm and if you look at the power curve in the settings you'll see what I mean, automatic users lose out noticeably compared to a manual user shifting at say 5,000rpm.

The weight distribution is 59/41 and the open differential makes putting down power without smoking the inside tyre tricky and the weight balance makes the car push wide in the turns.

By themselves, these issues aren't always deal breakers, quite a few cars we've driven make peak power early on and drop off at high RPMs, we've driven cars with open differentials and cars with similar or worse weight distribution and in some cases, the cars still attained a sleeper rating.

But combined, it makes the C2 a great car to look at or Criuse in, but not great to race all out.

With all the connections to Prince, it's with a heavy heart I declare the C2 a beater.

As for its sportier brother, it's got a split personality.

With around 630hp with an oil change and a 5 speed gearbox, it's got plenty of get up and go, but it means that it has a lot of bite when trying to put that go on to the road.

In the high speed corners, it's easy to tell that it isn't planted on the road as you can bring the back around quite easy and in the low speed turns it'll happily light up its rear tyres without much issue.

It's quite like the Auto Union in that your smiles per gallon will depend entirely on the drivers ability to control it, I personally consider it a very good Neutral verdict, 👍 some tweaks to the suspension, differential and aero could help its stability much more.

 

[Nismonath5]

I was wondering how you jumped ahead of me on that last straight

Haha yep, I'm sure slipstreaming played a part as well. Great race

 

[McClarenDesign]

I love Corvettes and the 63-67 is probably the greatest Corvette series ever made but the 58:42 weight distribution bugs me.

The modern Corvettes (C5-C7) makes things too easy. Low weight, high power, perfect weight distribution, plenty of gears, acceleration and top speed is there... and the car is well priced.

I also like Mustangs Camaros Challengers Chargers etc. but in the end, the Corvettes dust them.

Congratulations TonyJZX, you've been chosen by the Illuminati to select this week's Car of the Week!

(crickets)

(cough), Congratulations @TonyJZX ....

(fewer crickets)

Alright, Plan B it is! This week's car, as selected by the members of GT Planet prior to the launch of GT6 is...

...the 2011 Toyota Aqua S! That's right, the Diet Prius! Lets face it, for the past few weeks you've been fattened up by Maseratis, Corvettes, Skylines and exotic rotaries, it's time we all had some veggies and learned to love eating disorders of the wrestler/figure skater/Olympic gymnast/Hollywood actor variety. Time to slim down and get toned and tuned for the summer and swimsuit season.

And you need a tan.

For this week's "Playing With TTs" event, it's off to pick up the F1 leftovers in beautiful Sochi, sorta. Courtesy of @Billsippi, it's off to the Olympic village that's still under construction in a fake-paper-town sorta way, it's like-Sochi... only... not.

Hey, in Soviet Russia, TTs play with you! (laugh, or Putin will kidnap your children)

 

[Obelisk]

Oi, MCD...how come I've not won any choices in a good while?

 

[Draggon]

Oh boy, I wondered when we would have a real c**p car again. FF too. CVT trans and CM tires oughta even up the competition 💡

Gran Turismo 6, the real vegan simulator.

 

[Obelisk]

To Toyota's credit, their CVTs are pretty good. I tested a Scion iM thst had a CVT and it was responsive as heck.

 

[McClarenDesign]

Oi, MCD...how come I've not won any choices in a good while?

Don't blame me, blame my outdated humor and the Wheel of Morality! Mostly the wheel.

I try to let the newer posters get a shot, then work my way back around. If we hear from Tony again, then I'll give him another shot. Failing that, we're moving on to the next person. It's also a complex algorithm of voodoo math that makes Karl Rove feel better.

Poor Baron went nearly an entire year without a pick, so be patient and enjoy the rides.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

And it's things like this that make me iffy when it comes to trusting any man named Tony, especially when said Tony is trying to sell me a car...

I kid, I kid (somewhat). But now, after weeks of cruisers, we now have to deal with the Prius's all-grown up, soccer mom sister. To its defense, the Aqua does not make wish for a dragster's flames while driving it. It is somewhat composed, somewhat stable and capable of decent performances when the CVT transmission is not giving up the ghost. But at the same time, it is difficult to justify the Aqua's case, when Mazda offers a better remix, in the form of the 2010 Demio/2 Sport...

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

This was the first thing I thought of after driving the Aqua...



Cheers

 

[Draggon]

This was the first thing I thought of after driving the Aqua...



Cheers

At least the Geo wasn't as bad as a Suzuki...... oh, wait.....

 

[Nismonath5]

It had been a good week.
I returned the Corvette to the classic car dealership, without a mark on it. The dealer, however, still wasn't too happy.
"Wasn't this car silver when you took it?" He raised an eyebrow at me, then at the blue Corvette.
"No" I said with a straight face.
"And why does it have these rally rims on it?" He gestured toward the snow tyres.
"Ummm..." I had no better response.
"And what the hell are these??" Now he was looking at the numbers all over the car.

But I had no time to reply, because at that moment, Sam arrived to pick me up and take me home. Along the way, we discussed cars that would be awesome for COTW.
"How long until someone picks the Tomahawk X?" I joked. "Or the TS030?" He replied. After suggesting several more silly choices, we arrived at my place and he dropped me off.

The next morning, I was awoken by a phone call. Still foggy with sleep, I picked it up but did not say anything.
"Brad's announced the next car! It's basically a rebadged Prius!" An unknown voice said. I let out a loud groan, my groggy, croaky voice making it obvious to the caller that I'd just woken up. "Oh sorry... I forgot you're in NZ. Ummm, did I wake you?"
"Yea, but it's fine. An Aqua, huh? Man, I bet even Murray Walker's commentary won't be able to make these races interesting! See you Tuesday!"
"Sweet as, man." The caller said. He went to hang up, but then added, "Cheers!"
It was then I realised who he was..

After scoffing some breakfast and throwing on some jeans and a t shirt, I headed down to the Toyota dealership to pick up my car...

 

[Obelisk]

Looks like someone's taken to my style of reviewing.

 

[Nismonath5]

I'm in a creative writing mood

 

[JackRyanWMU]

The second generation Chevrolet Corvette. Though the nameplate had existed for almost a decade prior, this was the model that Zora Arkus-Duntov helped lift from just a cruising convertible to the status of "America's Sports Car." Had it not been for this car, Ford and Shelby might have never crammed a 427 cubic inch V-8 into its Cobras just to try and beat it. There are things that do remind you its more than a half-century old, the brakes and tires of the period mean that you need to be cautious of your braking points rather than diving in with reckless abandon. That said, it's somewhat modest power is paired with a transmission that despite having few gears provides plenty of top end speed, unlike some of its Detroit contemporaries that matched powerful engines to transmissions tuned for maximum acceleration and nothing more.



One thing that cannot be denied, no matter how deep seated the irrational hate that might be leveled at this nameplate, ("When your 'Vette breaks down it's shoddy build quality....but when my twice as expensive European exotic breaks down it's part of my car's character and charm!") is that the C2 Corvette provided an amazing night of COTW racing. We raced at Laguna Seca and I led from wire-to-wire. Sounds boring, except Baron was breathing down my neck from the first corner to the last. As great as the Daytona finish was, this was my personal highlight of the night. At that moment no Hollywood starlet looked as good as the checkered flag waving as I crossed the line.



The '63 Corvette is neither beater nor sleeper. Just simply an icon.

 

[Racer283]

I'm in a creative writing mood

Being creative with the reviews are always good and interesting that you at the members into the review. Sometime in the future it would be cool to have Audi, Toyota, and Nissan Le Mans showdown for COTW.

 

[Obelisk]

Obelisk's [expeletive] reviews
Toyota [expeletive] Aqua

It's been a quiet week. Apparently, they caught Brad and arrested him for grand theft auto. About time. Another thing that's been going on, is my current car is...well it's dead. It's one of those [expeletive]boxes you buy to get from point A to point B. Well, that thing got me enough money to buy myself something now.

So I decided on an Aqua.

Don't look at me like that. It's practical.

...Stop giving me that look and let me finish.

The road test and my first week with the car went by well. It did its job well, drove excellently and the mileage was pretty good. The only thing that irked me is the CVT transmission. Hey, you win some, you lose some.

Oh, I'm getting a phone call.

O: "Hey, this is Obelisk."

B: "Oh, hey. It's Brad...Can you send me one of them lawyer dudes?"

O: "You...You're calling a college student to get a lawyer."

B: "Yes."

O: "And you think this is going to be a successful attempt."

B: "Y-yeah.

O: "Go [expeletive] yourself."

B: "W-wait! ThecaroftheweekistheAquaS!"

Click.

Hold on...Did he say the car of the week was the Aqua?

...As in that economy car I drive?

BRAD, YOU SON OF A-

THREE DAYS LATER

So here I am, in Moscow, to run the Aqua through the GP circuit.

I won't bore you with details. The car was a piece of [expeletive]. It [bleep] drove like [bleep] and [Super long chain of expeletives].

I'm trading this in for a Corvette. [expeletive] gas mileage.

 

[Racer283]

The second generation Chevrolet Corvette. Though the nameplate had existed for almost a decade prior, this was the model that Zora Arkus-Duntov helped lift from just a cruising convertible to the status of "America's Sports Car." Had it not been for this car, Ford and Shelby might have never crammed a 427 cubic inch V-8 into its Cobras just to try and beat it. There are things that do remind you its more than a half-century old, the brakes and tires of the period mean that you need to be cautious of your braking points rather than diving in with reckless abandon. That said, it's somewhat modest power is paired with a transmission that despite having few gears provides plenty of top end speed, unlike some of its Detroit contemporaries that matched powerful engines to transmissions tuned for maximum acceleration and nothing more.



One thing that cannot be denied, no matter how deep seated the irrational hate that might be leveled at this nameplate, ("When your 'Vette breaks down it's shoddy build quality....but when my twice as expensive European exotic breaks down it's part of my car's character and charm!") is that the C2 Corvette provided an amazing night of COTW racing. We raced at Laguna Seca and I led from wire-to-wire. Sounds boring, except Baron was breathing down my neck from the first corner to the last. As great as the Daytona finish was, this was my personal highlight of the night. At that moment no Hollywood starlet looked as good as the checkered flag waving as I crossed the line.



The '63 Corvette is neither beater nor sleeper. Just simply an icon.

That was a great race at Laguna. I was slowly reeling you and baron in at the end but not enough laps to do anything about that.

 

[Nismonath5]

Hey @McClarenDesign , what's up with these numbers? My Aqua has the same PP as the restrictions, but way less power. Did you accidentally put more power than you meant to?

 

[Niku Driver HC]

View attachment 542601 View attachment 542602 Hey @McClarenDesign , what's up with these numbers? My Aqua has the same PP as the restrictions, but way less power. Did you accidentally put more power than you meant to?

Did you remember to change the oil in your car, Nismo? If so, that would be your fault instead of MC's, but at the same time, it can also be him overestimating the change in power after said oil change...

 

[Nismonath5]

Did you remember to change the oil in your car, Nismo? If so, that would be your fault instead of MC's, but at the same time, it can also be him overestimating the change in power after said oil change...

Yessir, I bought the car, then went straight to the pit service. I'm not complaining, as I said the PP is the same. Just a mere observation.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Yessir, I bought the car, then went straight to the pit service. I'm not complaining, as I said the PP is the same. Just a mere observation.

And there is nothing wrong with a mere observation, learning from mistakes is always useful in case blunders show up. In that case, it was MC's oversight that lead to an exaggerated horsepower limit, even he wants to make the Aqua sound better in paper than what it actually does...

 

[Nismonath5]

Nothing can make the Aqua sound better... I always seem to forget how bad CVT transmission is until I use it again...

Me: oh, it won't be so bad. It'll be like a gokart!
(Hits full throttle)
Me: OH GOD IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN I REMEMBER!!! 👎

 

[Draggon]

This thing isn't so bad when you compare it to the other ev/hybrids with similar ppl. Rudimentary testing aground Midfield indicates this just might be the best.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

This thing isn't so bad when you compare it to the other ev/hybrids with similar ppl. Rudimentary testing aground Midfield indicates this just might be the best.

Not difficult to see why; other than the racing-built Prius TC, the Aqua beats just about anything hybrid and production (so that you won't catch me off-guard by bringing up the FT-1 VGT ) from its home brand due to being much lighter and more powerful that all Priuses.

Sadly, once you put Honda in the mix, the Aqua starts to flail around like a desperate teenager who is having his very first case of facial pimples. A certain heir of a certain sports car legacy shows up, and starts to tease the Aqua with its manual transmission and 100-plus horsepower engine...