Well so much for doing the write up for just the Leaf and the Element.
Get comfortable folks, this will take awhile.
Let's start with the aforementioned Nissan Leaf.
Packing a modest 107hp from its electric motor and weighing in at 1520kg, Its both more powerful and heavier than the other humble electric car, the Mitsubishi I-MiEV.
Cheaper too at 40,600cr compared to 46k for the I-MiEV.
Of course acceleration is always a talking point about an electric car because of how it makes its power.
Peak torque starts from 0rpm up to just under 3000rpm which then drops off, but it makes peak power at the same rpm and holds it until near 10,000rpm.
Top speed is just over 90mph so you won't be setting any records with it, but it's pretty respectable for a lower end model of electric car.
Handling is the real surprise of the Leaf, thanks to a 50-50 weight distribution its quite agile despite its CM tyres and weight which on a uber short track like GT Arena means it's quite the electric bulldozer against equally paced hybrids.
Main drawback is the inability to upgrade the motors for more power so you can only improve acceleration via weight loss and better tyres.
But as mentioned before by others, it's a good spec racer because manual users like me have no advantage so it's down to how the driver manages his momentum.
So in summary, didn't set the world on fire, but wasn't boring as expected.
Verdict: Neutral
On the subject of boring...
Here's the Honda Element.
Yes I just gave away my verdict in the first paragraph of this review, but it was just so god damn boring that i'm not gonna give it the satisfaction of saving its verdict till the end.
Powered by a 2.4 litre 4 cylinder engine with i-VTEC and making just under 160hp from the factory, which is sent to all 4 wheels via a 4 speed automatic gearbox.
It's the same engine as the Honda Odyssey, same power, torque and displacement, but that has a 5 speed Auto also with 4WD and you can throw a turbo on the Odyssey's engine, something you can't do with the Element.
The Element also weighs 40kgs more than the Leaf at 1560kgs and the front biased weight distribution reflects this.
It just understeers and understeers, it's engine runs out of puff at higher rpms and it's gearbox is way too long as we never hit 4th gear while racing.
Did I mention its soul crushingly boring??
Honestly if I had to decide between this or a Pontiac Aztec, I would genuinely pick the Aztec because even though is pig ugly and a sales failure, it has character and the "Breaking Bad" factor about it.
Verdict: Buy the Oydessy, it's a better investment of your time and money. 👎
From the runabouts to the racecars, with an aussie twist.
Introducing the 2000 Ford Falcon XR8 V8 Supercar.
With a regulation mandated 5.0 litre V8 at the front making around 600hp and sending it to the rear via a 6 speed gearbox, its more than capable of getting a move on and shredding tyres.
It felt heavier than its 1350kg curbweight let on (which I later traced back to the revised Camber settings PD gave nearly all race cars.
) but it's brakes bit hard when you stood on them and were very effective at dragging the car back down to more modest speeds.
Racing as expected was very close thanks to its user friendly handling which also including me and
@Nismonath5 duking it out on Nismo Mountain(
).
Yes it's been with us since GT3 and it's appearance shows this and yes it's quite expensive and there is probably a few better choices out there, but it's still capable of putting up a fight if you give it some right foot encouragement.
For what it is, It's a Sleeper. 👍
And now on to the brass tacks of this review list.
Now
@Obelisk I'm not saying you will be struck off a few christmas card lists, I'm saying you ARE struck off a few christmas card lists.
I always kept this next car as my failsafe incase someone was just asking to suffer, but I didn't expect anyone to pull the trigger on it.
It is in fact Jay Lenos Tank Car.
It's original name was 'The Blastolene Special' and was built by American master craftsman Randy Grubb and used a huge 29.3 litre V12 from a M47 Patton Tank.
In reality the "car" weighed more than what it does in game at 4.3 tons, but the real life version now has 2 turbos added to it upping the power to 1600hp.
The nights racing brought us to Indianapolis Raceway and the Brickyard which incidentally, brought about the other Blastolene Special, built after the Tank Car and resembles the classic front engined Watson Roadster Indycars, just scaled up to accommodate the same V12 as before.
That makes around the same power as the Tank Car, a little over 900hp and was sold at auction back in 2010.
The Tank Car to its credit does have a few records in GT, Biggest engine displacement, heaviest from stock, longest and makes the most torque for a conventional combustion engine.
But that's where the good things end and I proceed to renact
that scene from Office Space.
As a car to cruise in its ok, keyword in that sentence is
cruise.
In a racing situation, its seven different shades of 🤬 uselessness, it doesn't want to turn, the handbrake is practically useless, it doesn't stop even if you throw some slick tyres on it, its gearing is too short, its heavy weight hinders its acceleration and in low gears it's always wanting to spin the tyres if you so much as even look at the throttle....
*Takes a quick breath*
You can't paint it and you can't upgrade it in anyway shape or form.
The biggest insult? the biggest freakin insult?! It costs 1.9 Million credits.
As a collectors piece I could probably convince myself to get it, but as a racer? Even if it was perfectly executed it will probably still be a beater and the only way to perfectly execute it would be with A lethal injection.
Verdict: One way ticket to the BOTY award ceremony. 👎
And finally, The MK1 Ford GT40....
.
.
.
.
.
.
What? You're asking me to review it?
As I said on race night, "What HASN'T already been said about the GT40?"
.
.
.
.
.
Ok fine i'll give a quick recap.
The GT40 wasn't built out of a company's need for a Halo car, it was built by a combination of spite and vengeance against Ferrari which backed out of a deal which would've seen Ford buy Ferrari out.
A blank check and one objective, beat Ferrari at Le Mans, Its first few attempts ended in failure, but the second they ironed the bugs out, they were untouchable at Le Mans with 4 back to back wins.
It's road going variants were just as fun and worth paying near 3 million credits.
Are there cheaper classics? Yes.
Are there faster classics? Yes.
Do any of those classics that fit into those categories have the same level of legendary pedigree as the GT40?
I highly doubt it.
Verdict: Sleeper
👍