C-ZETA's car reviews - C-ZETA Awards 2012 - 21/12/12

[Jar31Lar]

Toyota 2000GT perhaps...?

 

[C-ZETA]

Toyota 2000GT perhaps...?

Wrong. It might be a decent car to review at some point in the future though, probably would have to be alongside another feature review.

Will now add it to the review actually. Correct.

 

[Furinkazen]

Black Bullet II or White Bullet??? ....

 

[C-ZETA]

Black Bullet II or White Bullet??? ....

Come on man, you know they aren't even Standard

Although I am actually considering adding the 2000GT to the lineup now. Just didn't see it before so now I will add it

 

[Furinkazen]

Come on man, you know they aren't even Standard

Although I am actually considering adding the 2000GT to the lineup now. Just didn't see it before so now I will add it

100kg/fm of torque and 805hp will persuade you....

~When I finish it~

 

[cally-dave]

Excellent reviews you have going on here!

Just as a little extra note on the VX220 (currently a car I would love to own IRL) I have a little snippet of info for you....

The Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 is a British-built mid engined, 2-seater sports car introduced back in the year 2000. Available with both a cloth targa roof, and a solid targa roof.

It was built in both right and left hand drive versions at the Lotus factory in Norfolk. It was sold as the Vauxhall VX220 in the UK, and as the Opel Speedster in the rest of Europe. It was also branded as the Daewoo(eugh Daewoo!) Speedster in the Asian market, in both right and left hand drive.

The car has a lot in common with the Lotus Elise, yet Opel/Vauxhall claims few parts are interchangeable. Both cars are characterized by strong performance and superb handling. (the rear clam can supposedly be swapped to give the VX220.Speedster the curvy rear end of the Elise, but I am yet to see evidence.....)

The already developed Lotus Elise Series1 was unable to be produced beyond the year 2000 due to new European regulations around crash sustainability, so Lotus needed a development partner to meet the investment requirement.

The Lotus Elise S2/Vauxhall VX220 design was based on the Elise chassis, modified to accept a General Motors engine in preference to the Rover K-series engine used by the Elise. Namely the Z22SE (2.2), Z20LET (2.0 Turbo) and for the ultra rare range topper the VXR220, the Z20LEH as found in the Vauxhall Astra VXR/OPC was fitted, developing 220bhp out of the box

Only about 65 of the VXR220's were ever built, and come with 16" wheels as standard as opposed to 15s, lower profile tyres, sportier seats, bigger brakes, lowered suspension - all in all guaranteed to put a smile on your face


Anyway, keep up the hard work mate, I now have a nice repetoir of cars to buy myself when I get the chance and thouroughly enjoy

 

[C-ZETA]

AdrenaTune HKS CT230R​

The HKS CT230R, even before Spec II, was a classic. The sound, the feel, the acceleration, it was all there. Except for one crucial thing...

Handling. Handling was always the CT230Rs weakness. Not because everything else was faster, but because the CT230R was so understeery. It was impossible to drive well, because the car was so understeery that getting it to turn properly was a suicide move really.

The solution back in the day was this. The AdrenaTune CT230R. Inspired by the HKS CT230R Tuner Shootout, which was in turn inspired by the CT230Rs bad stock form itself, the AdrenaTune CT230R beat everything else to become a truly great tune. And I proved it very well for myself - a win in the Gran Turismo All Stars against a Bentley Speed 8 on Trial Mountain has been achieved by myself prior to Spec II in this thing. Essentially, this thing could perfectly win every race in the game as a result. This thing has been put on par with the S2k Turbo easily, and all the better for it. This is what took the CT230R to my favourite car level over the Giulia TZ2, and rightfully so.

However, Spec II came along, with new physics to boot. And no one knew what would come with it.

Well, for starters, the CT230Rs understeer, when stock, is now very much fixed. The car still is not at perfection for its steering but the difference is right there for you to see. The understeer is stil noticeable at times though, although that might just be me being used to driving this thing on RS where as the stock CT230R comes on SS.

The AdrenaTune CT230R was my first drive in the whole of Spec II with new physics, at Tsukuba. However, I felt it was a lot more odd to drive, really. I drove it, and when I was going through the first corner on Tsukuba I couldn't help but think the car was trying to do a million things at once. "Do I understeer, oversteer, stay where I wanna go? Bump, don't bump?" It just felt very odd to me.

However, when I drove it on the Nurburgring as you see here, it was still as perfect as ever. The car still feels so smooth to drive, and with its 50/50 distribution to the wheels the car has no wheelspin at all, ever.

Of course, there is at least one drawback on the car. That being its lack of top speed, and that's due to the still a bit odd 5-speed the car gets. The car still won't get anywhere past 180mph with the mods, but with the acceleration you get on the car it most certainly does not feel like a 5-speed. Most cars with 6 or 7 (S2k Turbo comes to mind)-speed gears would get a lot better acceleration, but the CT230R retains short gears and its 4WD system to overrule this initial disadvantage. Add to that the now 615bhp on the car, upgraded 60hp from stock and the light 1068kg this car makes up and the CT230R is still a wonder machine.

Thing is, I still wonder if this thing might be able to be fixed for all circuits. I still notice that while it feels like a dream on the Ring, it still feels, as aforementioned, a bit odd on other circuits now. It works fine on some, but less on others. Regardless, the CT230R by AdrenaTune has been a top tune since it has been implemented on my CT230R, and I'm sure I would love to see it be given compatibility for all circuits now. No S2k Turbo comes close now.

Final Score: 20/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[uMadson?]

Dat color scheme

Taniguchi...

 

[C-ZETA]

The Japanese Classics
Japan has always provided us great cars. They've done super sleekness, reliability, speed, drifting, great driving, they've done everything. If you want something, you wanna go to Japan, for sure.​

Even in the 60's and 70's, Japan was doing this. They'd made simple engineering, fast engineering, great engineering. These are some of the hits they made in this time.

We begin with the Honda Life Step Van. Yes, really.

This is a 31hp mini car that gave kei cars a kick off almost 20 years early. The tiny little car weighs 605kg - more than most cars of its speed but its 'power' would seem to make up for it. Even so, the transmission is limited to a mere exact 100kph - which means you are hitting the limiter very much in this thing. Think of this as a muscle car among the slowcoaches of the game. Not that you'll be beating any muscle cars in this thing anyway...not unless you modify it up fully and make it a true trollers car of the highest order. A tall compact van beating up cars double its size, power and weight always makes for a great chuckle if you can be bothered to actually ruin it like that. Mind you, my Schwimmwagen is very much like that...and I don't see why so many people hates these things really.

Now stepping up further in the spectrum we have the slowest race car of all in this game - the Honda S800 RSC Race Car.

This is very much like the Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 that I so used to love before the CT230R stole its limelight. The handling is very much the same as it. The weight is very similar as well, but the thing is is that thing actually has half the power of a Giulia TZ2. Certainly doesn't feel like it though...103bhp might be nothing speaking against other race cars but even so the lack of weight again makes up for this thing. This is probably the closest thing to the old Giulia TZ the TZ2 originated from - only Japanese. It even looks rather good still...nice.

And now we go to a rather different and unique manufacture in this game - Isuzu, who have brought one of their Bellett cars here. This thing is quite awesome, I find.

The thing is this thing actually has a rather good sound. It's a nice growl that might not be realistic and sounds more like a semi-racing exhaust than a normal exhaust - something the Isuzu does not have - but still sounds pretty nice. The horn on this thing also sounds quite comical - up there with the old Miura type horns (which we will be getting on to later). In terms of actually driving this thing, it is still good, a calm drive that can't hurt you that badly. Plus I think it looks rather smooth with the looks on it.

Now we come to a true classic and the start of a legend for the company - the Mazda Cosmo Sport in L10B guise...also known as the 110S to some.

I like this car, it is a fun drive. The weird thing about it is, that while it is actually a bit slidey out of corners, which is what makes it so fun, the car is actually a 50/50 weight distribution. Plus, the first of all rotary engines put into the Mazda series of cars doesn't tend do have much high torque still, but yet it still can slide very well and makes it a fun drive. The looks aren't great for me - at the rear anyways - but even so it makes up for this in other areas. The sound is also a nice buzzy one - as most rotary engines came to become - and at the front I think it looks rather good - better than the L10A version which has a different front end and one that doesn't look as good or sporty. In case you don't know, the L10A has a less powerful engine but slightly less weight, so in the end the difference is not that great.

We then move to a big hitter in the 70's series of Japanese cars - Mitsubishi, and we'll start with their Galant GTO MR of 1970.

The Galant is slightly odd to drive, and that is because of the odd way its redline works. Where as most redlines are indicators as to where to shift for automatics, the Galant is one of those cars that will go past the redline and will instead shift normally at 7000rpm instead, where as its redline is at 6000 instead. This makes for some confusion for manual users but even so the Galant is still a good car for me. However, I prefered this in GT4 really. The same properties here applied back there with the redline but it has a weirder, and if I'm honest, better sound then. Granted, it being GT4 back then, the car didn't feel as fast back then, but the Galant just felt a better car to drive back then. Even so, it's still a nice calm car to drive in this game, though modification to the car is probably a good idea over most. Just give it full mods minus a turbo and you're virtually golden. Not that you have to, this is still stock, just I prefer it modified. I also love the colour names for this car - Kenya Orange, Etna Yellow (colour seen here) and Rocky White (complete with some superb red stripes!), all named after natural mountains. Awesome.

The same principle for that also applies to the Mitsubishi Lancer 1600 GSR - the first of all Lancers and the first of the cars that started the naming legacy of the Evolution series.

The colour names of this car are also similarly good. Aso Red (as seen here, which also takes the name of the worst Course Creator tracks of all of them), Amazon Green, etc. But enough of that, because this car also looks quite good along with the Galant. Mitsubishi did a good job with this car as the first Lancer to be honest. The car also drives well as well - it is less powerful than the Galant but is bolstered by a tiny 825kg weight. It is again a very simple car to drive, and is still a good car even today now.

The Lancers success on the road was also replicated by its rally counterpart, which is also one of the slower race spec cars in the game, but one of the fastest of the slowest. That make sense?

This turns the Lancer into a lot faster of a car. The weight is still the same as stock - not that it needs any weight loss to begin with, but a 55hp increase has been given to the car to make it a speedy little thing. Although it is FR, as an older rally car, its lack of power means its initially disadvantageous drivetrain off-road does not affect it in much of a way. It is a very good car to get an idea as to how to drive a race modified car, and works similarly to get an idea of how to drive in rally. I would buy this car eventually to be honest, it might well be a good drive for you as well.

Now we move to a big manufacture in Japan's history - Nissan. They've made a lot of cars, and these are the originals they provided us, starting with the Nissan 240ZG.

This car is a historic one in Nissans history. Then again, so many other cars have given them notability...but this was one of the first. The car I find is a top class drifter after you fully modify it - it even beats AE86s from 12 years on in this game at drifting...heck, even FR Skylines aren't beating this thing for me. Well, specifically the GT-R LM, but whatever. This is a very simple car to drive stock as well, faster than most cars here in this test with a 151hp unit and a weight of 1010kg but still an easy car to drive regardless. I would recommend giving a few modifications to this thing again, since a) it improves the car pretty decently and b) it's fitting being a Nissan. It is a fine car stock, but I'd modify it again anyway. A good car nonetheless.

Now we go to the other rally car in this feature, the Nissan Bluebird Rally Car.

This Bluebird is slower than the Lancer, and is far inferior sadly. This Bluebird has a 130bhp engine with a weight of 965kg, which makes it an even simpler car to drive than the Lancer. It is very similar in many respects - even start sound and engine sound - but I'll say I prefer the Bluebird here, actually. The thing is, not only do I find it a lot better looking, but the Bluebird isn't so overpowered compared to its nearest peers that it doesn't have a rival. The problem with the Lancer is that because of its high-low stats it doesn't have any rivals truly. The Bluebird is at least in the same league as the slowest race cars - on the same tyres as them anyway. I mean, the closest I've ever seen to the Lancer is the completely different Gathers Drider Civic Race Car - which feels very fast at times but is really in truth a painfully slow car. Either way, the Bluebird is probably one of my favourite rally cars, and all the better for it.

Now we come to one of the two makers of its name - the other of which comes up after this - it's the Skyline KPGC110.

This, the "Kenmeri" Skyline, is what made the Skyline a hit for real. The R series of Skylines is what all talk about, but this was what made the car a hit after the "Hakosuka" Skyline. It's certainly not a slouch either. With a 161bhp engine and 1145kg of weight, it is actually the heaviest of all the cars here, but it is still a superb car to drive. It has all of the nostalgia you could want from a Japanese car and is one of their defining cars from the 1970s. I would seriously recommend picking one of these up at some point in the game - your garage couldn't be complete without one of these. If I had to choose any three Skylines to keep in this game, this would be among them without a doubt. What you do with it is up to you, as it works in many ways no matter what, but I still think it is a great car.

Before this though was the KPGC10 "Hakosuka" Skyline of similar levels of fame to the "Kenmeri". This is very similar to the KPGC110 but also happens to be a little bit different.

The engine from the KPGC10 is also what made the engine for the Kenmeri - the same 161bhp plant. However the KPGC10 is 45kg lighter which makes a small difference in cornering. To be honest, there's not much difference between the two of these - I can't even decide what looks better. However, the Kenmeri is just that much more epic for me, so the KPGC10 is rendered a little bit pointless to be honest. It still doesn't stop it from being a great car though, as it was the first of all Skyline GT-R cars before the KPGC110 and R series of cars. I'd get this as well.

However, even before Nissan introduced the super successful Skyline GT-R, Toyota had already built a super coupe of its own - the 2000GT.

This thing is one of the most undeniably pretty cars in this game, and its small size can deceive many, many people. 1120kg and 151bhp make this car very similar to the Skylines, and it even has the same torque value. However, it was doing this three years before any of the Skylines came out anyway. Regardless, I find it hard to choose between the KPGC110 and the 2000GT, given how similar they are, how great they are in the history of their respective companies, and they certainly are both fine to modify. The problem with the 2000GT is it is nearly double the price (or exactly when you bring in Hakosuka) of a KPGC110, so therefore it is a more expensive, better looking, older version of it really. Even so, the 2000GT is still a great car to drive, and if you can get over the higher price of it it is certainly a top drawer car and maybe slightly better than the Skyline KPGC110.

But now to finish, we are going to something far removed from anything else here. Something with more than 4 times more power than anything else here, something that has the highest non Formula-car p/w ratio in the whole game...the Toyota 7, of Can-Am fame.

This is a very unique machine in this game, as it has an 800hp huge engine block in the back of it, yet weighs a minute 620kg - making it also the lightest of anything here beside the Honda Life Step Van at the beginning of this feature. This thing is lightning quick among most of the cars in this game.

Weirdly though, it's not quite at LMP level, partially because it doesn't have great torque at the high end, a very similar problem to the Group C version of this, the Peugeot 905. But even so this Toyota 7 is still a very fast car with plenty of speed and is also most likely the best car of all for the Historic Racing Car Cup, and easily the fastest from the 60s or 70s. It also has an open cockpit, meaning as a standard it actually does get a cockpit. The cockpit in the 7 does look somewhat detailed here actually, although there still aren't any working gauges in this - the only car that does have this luxury is the Chrysler Prowler among Standards. Even so, the 7 is the pinnacle of all classics, the fastest of them all and probably the most impressive of them all.

So there you have it. The greatest hits of Japan and also some of the most significant cars to hit our streets, tracks and fields way back in the 60s and 70s. And their legacy still lives today among the new names of these brands - these are the ones that will never be forgotten in these days and ages.

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[C-ZETA]

RKM Motorsports' Roj's Golf vs ZedTunes Nian Cat Type-R​

Picking up from where we'd left off, the RKM Motorsports Volkswagen Golf GTI has proven itself well to this point on the Fuji Speedway. However, a new challenger has approached in the form of a Honda Integra Type R - Nian Cat Type-R, simply referred to as 'Nia' here. These two are now ready to challenge each other around 1 lap of the Fuji Speedway circuit, where these two inseperable cars will prove which is the real best.​

So anyway, they're at the line. And it's 3...2...1...

Go!!!

And Nia's gotten away well, the 6-speed transmission giving it better torque off the line...

And she's ahead already before the first turn!

And stays there through it, getting itself properly ahead now!

Now on the rundown to the next corner...

And the Golf claws back a bit under braking!

And now they're side by side!

They've both forced each other off now!

But again Nia emerges ahead!

Still very close though...

And the Golf is actually on her tail right now!

Ooh but it's slid wide going into the next curve! Not good.

Keeps with the pink Integra though...

And they're braking late!

And the Golf is now off! That's a disaster!

Nia has left it in her dust, literally!

And there's no way back for the Golf now...

And as they go down the home straight...a little taunt right at the end just to rub it in further.

Nia 1st, Golf 2nd.

You see, the thing is, Nia just has the extra little bits in it to make it go that much faster. The lower downforce helped down the straights, the 6-speed helped out of corners, the NA meant better power delivery...the small differences proved clinical in this race.

But I'm hardly disappointed in this Golf. In fact, it's a good removal from the norm of normally understeery RKM FFs to be honest. It's much improved from a normal RKM FF and that's great. I wanna see their FFs get a bit better handling like this. But for now...I'll stick with Nia. Or...better...

Final Score: 14/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

Kudos to Onboy123 for driving the Golf for this race.

 

[Jar31Lar]

Yet another fine review C-ZETA. I liked the Step Van and the 2000GT reviews best. Bye for now!👍

 

[DK]

Holy crap, it's the Armageddon Van!

 

[obsessive rules]

C-ZETA, a request. Add me on psn and i will send you a JESSAMINE TUNING COMPANY (JTC) FT-86 g-sport parfait 410e 2 proto. Just call it Nukar2. I want your views on it and compare it to a similar car. Thanks.

 

[C-ZETA]

C-ZETA, a request. Add me on psn and i will send you a JESSAMINE TUNING COMPANY (JTC) FT-86 g-sport parfait 410e 2 proto. Just call it Nukar2. I want your views on it and compare it to a similar car. Thanks.

I'm not taking requests at this time and the majority of my next reviews have been decided anyway. Don't really know if I'll be doing many more reviews of tunes on here, not many tunes I can think of to review at this point.

 

[obsessive rules]

I'm not taking requests at this time and the majority of my next reviews have been decided anyway. Don't really know if I'll be doing many more reviews of tunes on here, not many tunes I can think of to review at this point.

Fair enough. Thanks anyway.

 

[C-ZETA]

Mitsubishi FTO LM - the history​

The Mitsubishi FTO LM. A name that will be etched into the minds of many players of GT since the original in 1997, and has appeared in every GT since (albeit in different disguises in more recent versions). So, what is the story behind this GT classic?​

In the original GT, a wide variety of LM cars made up fictionally by the great minds of PD were placed into the game (alongside a variety of real life racers at the time). All kinds of different LM car were around, whether they be TVR Cerberas, Honda CR-X del sols, Mitsubishi GTOs, Nissan Silvia S14s, Mazda RX-7s and so on.

The Mitsubishi FTO was one of these cars that got the LM treatment. And when it did, god did it make a change.

First, the original FF drivetrain was taken out and put in for 4WD. Then the engine was taken to some 540hp, and weight was reduced to just 930kg. Add that together and you had probably the fastest car in the game you could actually control. Not the fastest period, but perhaps the best all-round LM in the game back then. Small wonder I still consider it my personal favourite in GT1 - which I do still play, mind you!

Unfortunately, from there, in newer GT games, the FTO LMs general rating was taken down rather badly.

In GT2, the FTO LM was exactly the same car, but because of the way that PD decided to set up the prizes in the game, it was next to impossible to actually get. All gold in the IA license is what you needed to get your own FTO LM in GT2 - and if you've tried, you'll know it is hugely hard. So much so that I haven't even bothered, and in fact, have never even tried the FTO LM in GT2 form. Two of its fellow LM comrades - the GTO (renamed 3000GT in outer-Japan form for this game) and the CR-X del sol, suffered identical fates, with their respective licenses - the IC and IB licenses - also proving to be tough challenges to gold. Shame, really, as you had to go back to GT1 to feel what they were like - and the similarity in physics with GT1 and 2 is very little to be honest.

In GT3, PD decided to bring back the FTO LM very well and truly. It was nowhere near as hard to get in this game, with just a win in the Amateur OR Professional Dream Car Championship, or even the Mistral 78 lap race (that's three races to win it in! Compare and contrast, really) required this time. It was also a prize car alongside some of GTs new LM racers - the S2k Turbo-obsoleting (seriously!) S2000 LM, the brand new Impreza LM and another GT3 updated LM, the RX-7 LM. The FTO LM was still going strong here, and was given a new livery, slight updates to the body kit, a small upgrade to the engine, now making 560hp and capable of pumping out 900 with a full mod (such was GT3s tuning capabilities, really ) and a few new colours as well, complete with different racing numbers. The FTO LM then really should have been even better than the original in GT3. Except it wasn't. Because to me, there's just something missing from the original. The original was at least somewhat loose, where as the FTO LM here felt glued too much to the road. It didn't stop it from being great, just it wasn't as good as the original.

Unfortunately, come GT4 however, things were looking down not just for the FTO, but for the majority of the LM cast from the last game. Literally all of them took a hit in stats. The S2000 LMs HP was literally cut in half from its last appearance, the Altezza LM had also taken a big knock and the Impreza and RX-7 had been reduced to decently lower levels than the 600s they could easily pull off in GT3. The FTO suffered likewise - while it still kept the 980kg weight it was now limited down to a 450hp engine when stock. This could be rectified with modification being able to bring it back to close-on 700hp but stock is where it lies in this review. It also had undergone a name change as a result, along with its Impreza cousin (of similar spec, mind you), and was now being referred to as a 'Super Touring Car' by PD.

Unfortunately, the FTO really wasn't as super as could be. GT4s physics mainly seemed to be the problem, but it didn't really stop the FTO STC from being not great to drive without a set of RSS tyres. So, PD, having uncannily replaced a large majority of its previous original LMs out for new blood (pretty much the only one that had remained unchanged was the Camaro originally in GT3 as well), such as Ford GTs, Nissan Zs and the like, had left said previous LMs down in the dust with slower cars, and they really didn't deserve such treatment.

Of course, this being GT5, the situation didn't change here either. However, with the new physics engine, many of the cars were now given a new opportunity to show their moves. I took it the FTO STC would certainly be one of those cars, and since I was feeling about a ton of nostalgia from GT1s late, great original FTO LM, I thought I'd go out and find the most recent of PDs still longest standing LM of them all.

However, the FTO STC is still a Standard Car, and therefore, requires UCD searching if you are looking for it in particular. However, the FTO STC...really is not an easy one to find.

Many of the race cars that are Standard in this game do often tend to be reasonably rare among others. The FTO STC is certainly a particular definer of how painful this course of action can be.

Case in point, it took me 10 hours of nothing but cycling through license tests, advancing UCD after UCD to try and find it, and when I finally did find one in dark blue, I instantly snapped it up without a moment of hesitation for the price of about...964,000-ish credits. And no, for the last time, for anyone looking for it on the marketplace, it is NOT tradeable. Otherwise, I wouldn't have spent 10 hours of game time trying to find one, right?

So, anyway, after the quick restorations and all, I went in the FTO STC and hit the Grand Valley Speedway - the spiritual home of the original GT, and as a result, a great place to make a tribute for a car like this that is perhaps the spiritual car of the original GT.

And after driving said car around said track, I can only simply say one thing: the FTO LM is back.

I am not gonna joke here - everything about this FTO Super Touring Car is nearly absolute perfection. Whether it be the acceleration, the speed, the handling, the sound...I am very much struggling to find a flaw with this thing.

Of course, since it is still 4WD, has a turbo, has a 6-speed and all that, the FTO is not short on acceleration in the slightest. It is still a good, fast car off the line that would certainly be a rather excellent car for the average drag, I'm sure. Now, if anyone from the drag racing forum is reading this, don't hate on me for saying that...just an idea.

When you get higher up the numbers the FTO still has speed to compete. 450bhp may not be very much in comparison to other cars of similar PP but it'll still hold its own relatively well.

And the handling...my god, the handling.

This car almost immediately established itself into my mind as probably the best car at cornering in the game in stock form, the moment I turned the wheel into the last corner on Grand Valley Speedway to set up for the straight. The 4WD is a great contribution obviously, as is the low weight, but even so there isn't much out handling this thing in GT5. Unlike the FTO LM from GT1, which does let you slide about and feel very free, this is truly and surely glued to the road, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun to drive. The cornering is so rapid that you can drive about at such speed that you won't even be able to remotely care about the rest of the world around you - it is that good. Handling makes a lot of cars performance overall, and this does not disappoint at all.

The sound is also a big hit. The sound bite used in this car is identical to that of the HKS CT230R of similar amazing levels, and we know how good the sound on that thing is. Essentially, through all of that, what you can definitely consider the FTO STC to be in this game is a CT230R with an FTO shell, a few parts taken off the engine, some new parts added to it and little else different. Of course, the FTO was probably better pre Spec II, but now the CT230R has had its handling problems fixed when stock there's not much to separate the two when stock now. Though I haven't tried a CT230R on RH yet, when stock, after the Spec II update.

So then...what to say of this all new FTO STC? Well, it's genuinely a masterpiece. It brings spirits of the original FTO LM back, while proving a new experience as well and also proving to be a truly amazing one as well. If Mitsubishi could make something like this in real life, I would be all over it like a bear would be if it had honey planted all over the back of it. I will honestly say, with my own words, that the FTO STC is quite possibly the best car in the whole of GT5, and I don't see it being beaten any time soon. And as for the whole FTO LM/STC saga? The best car to have made it through all 5 GTs so far. And if GT can keep this going on to 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, I wouldn't leave it behind for a second. Get this. Now.

Final Score: 20/20

Pictures (well, the GT5 ones at least) and writing by C-ZETA

 

[C-ZETA]

European Classics
Last time out, we had Japan showing us the things they had made, the legends they had started, the greats they had formed in the history of the car. And now, it is the turn of the European countries, with the UK, France and Italy all showcasing cars from their older days.​

So then, let's see the 60's and 70's greats of Europe then, starting with the Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2.

Alright, yes, I have reviewed this before, but just be quiet, alright? Anyway, even now, while the Giulia TZ2 has fallen from 1st to 3rd now in C-ZETAs Ranking of Cars in GT5 List (I make names up for it on the spot), it is still unquestionably a brilliant car in this game. Even some...who knows when months since I've tried it, the top class handling of the stock model still gets me and still makes for a great drive. The Giulia TZ2 for me still doesn't really have any proper flaws, although it isn't truly that fast for me any more now that the CT230R and FTO STC, which are faster, have hit my sweet spot harder with extra speed. Still, that hardly makes the Giulia a slowcoach, and besides which, the cornering is always there to begin with. I really still wouldn't pass up a Giulia TZ2 at this point, even if they can be genuinely impossible to get now. Still a hit in my books.

Full review on this link.

Now we move to a different Giulia this time - same name but different model, firstly, the GTA 1600.

I can't resist the urge to call it the Grand Theft Auto, either.

In truth though, the GTA 1600 is not terribly slow for a classic. This is in fact almost the closest you can get to the original Giulia TZ - the car the TZ2 is based off, seeing as it has exactly the same horsepower as this GTA 1600 has stock, albeit just a 660kg weight as opposed to a 745kg weight. Still, the GTA version is at least rather nimble, and can actually get some tiny little slides going out of corners. It's a decently enjoyable, albeit slightly slow, drive when stock, and modifications can certainly make it better. Which is why the Giulia TZ2 is there for you. Oh wait...

However, there is a third Giulia in this game, that goes by the name of the Speciale version.

I do have to say, you cannot go wrong with those looks. Truly great and old style looks, I'd say that choosing between this and the TZ2 for looks is a difficult one. The Speciale is indeed more of a GTA for cruising, the GTA looks like a car that would look perfect at your average road rally (and it does appear in a lot of road rallies in real life), where as the Speciale looks more like a car that would be good for wafting away in, sort of like an Italian Rolls Royce. The Speciale has the same engine as the GTA, but has a decent level more weight, which makes it slower obviously. It also weirdly seems to be a bit more slidey than the GTA despite the lower weight of the GTA giving it more power for the body. However, the Speciale seems to have much better gearing for straight lines and would seem to be a little bit faster down them. Don't be fooled by the supposedly wide PP difference between the two - the difference is not as great as it would suggest. In fairness though, all three Giulias in this game are great, the GTA is a good car to thrash about, the Speciale a car to cruise in, and the TZ2 for pure racing. I really would try all of them out, to be honest.

But now we move away from Alfa Romeo and Italy for now, as we now go to France and their Alpine A310 1600VE.

If I were being nice, I would make some anime references here, but not enough of this forums cares enough about it to really make such a reference. Ed: driftking18594, take note for yourself. Please.

But enough of that. Let's actually concentrate on the Alpine itself, and it has to be said, it is an oddity of a car. It has 123hp and weighs 850kg, which sounds normal, and actually slots in between the two Giulias we just saw, but the Alpine is actually RR, along with its A110 cousin. This makes for some more slidey handling characteristics than should really be necessary but either way, you aren't going fast enough most of the time to make it killer, unlike, say if you were in an RUF. So the A310 is not as bad, although the A110 is definitely faster. Though a whole lot more ugly, so go for this really, please.

And for you guys, two tunes for you, from me - Renault Alpine A310 Gr.4 and Misato-san. Oh damn, I did say no anime references, right?

Now we move to a big hit here in this sector and something that really I should be reviewing given what else I've done - it is the Ferrari 330P4!

Slick.

Now, I will say that this certainly a very good car to drive indeed. Compared to its fellow classic car peers, it has a huge power disadvantage - being stuck with 430 while everything else can hit 500 at least stock, but it makes up for it very well with a miniscule weight value of just shy of 800kg. This would normally mean simply better cornering and worse straight line ability, but really, it is not bad at all in a straight line. And in the corners, it is very fast, very slidey yet somewhat controllable in the slides, despite being MR. So, it is a very good car to drive certainly, has great looks virtually at every angle (even if its arse might look a bit big at times... Now I'm just getting carried away ), and also has a very respectable onboard view. But it takes a HUGE hit when it comes to sound.

I hear people saying that every single one of GT5s cars was recorded with a vacuum cleaner. While I am very angered by such statements, since for a majority of cars in the game, they are far from true, when it comes to this, they have a very fair point. Because that is exactly what this car sounds like - a vacuum cleaner. What PD really should have done is taken this sound, the Chaparral 2Js sound, swapped them around, and left it like that. Because then at least it would have been a little more fitting. Granted, it wouldn't be perfect on the 330P4, but any sound is better than the silly vacuum cleaner it gets to begin with (...or is it? Stay tuned on that note)...and it just really affects the 330P4 quite badly for me. Great drive, but PD, let us spec out the vacuum cleaner, please.

So, anyway, after that longer review, we now go back to basics with what is actually a tune review of the Real Replica Tunes constructed Abarth 595 SS, which is a Fiat 500 F built up slightly.

If I am being honest, with this Abarth setup, you can see some noticeable speed increments. Hills are still a moderately hard task for this thing, especially around the Nordschleife no less, but they aren't as bad an effect now. Unfortunately, the lack of a new tranny means you still can't get more than 74mph, which is annoying on the Nordschleife since you tend to hit that limiter a lot around it. However, it is still a good replica I feel of one of the original Abarth cars, and also it corners very well, though since it has only 33hp still you could forgive it for being so simple to drive. Speaking of Abarth...you putting this in yet, PD? (Also notice the close relation to the Giulia Speciale looks.)

And now it's time for the UK representative here, and another rival to the Ford Mark IV and Ferrari 330P4 - oh, I've just gone and given it away there.

XJ13. And no, this is not the original colour. It looks it, but it isn't. It's just a certain shade of British Racing Green

Anyway, I can literally fail to see any real difference between this and the 330P4 to be honest. They both have very similar performance, albeit very different stats (XJ13 is in 500hp range but weighs just under 1000kg), they are both very wild (XJ13 is even wilder, with the extra HP and all), they both look very good (XJ13 is better though with a better looking rear end). However, the XJ13 does indeed have two crucial differences from the 330P4. Firstly is the fact that it is the only car of the three Premium classics that you can win for free without a 1967 ticket (and in fact, the XJ13 comes from a 66 ticket anyway). Twice, in fact - a normal one is obtainable through the Indy 500 in A-Spec, whilst the limited edition Chrome Line is available through the online Facebook game (find it yourself, this is not an instruction booklet). The second difference, if you can call it that, is the fact the XJ13s sound is even worse than the one you get on the 330P4.

If the 330P4 sounds like a vacuum cleaner, then this sounds like nails against a chalkboard. You will want to have very strong ears before driving this thing - it is so grinding, the sound, that it can almost make me tear up, that is how suffocating it is. This largely only applies if you use chase cam, as it isn't as bad (albeit still ever so slightly hearable in the other three views), and in fact it doesn't sound half bad with the transmission sound over the top of it in bumper cam. That, combined with an also quite bad interior view, make the XJ13 my least favourite of the three Premium classics in the game. And now you know why I prefer the Mark IV so much!

And now we move onto another car, the Lamborghini Miura.

Now, of course, we all know the Miura as a legend in real life. To be fair though, it isn't that brilliant in this game. It's just a typical MR car, albeit with a lot less weight and power than would normally be the case at its PP level. It's simply a controllably slidey car that doesn't make much of a fuss. The Miura isn't exactly made better by the fact it was prize won into the game rather than simply put in normally (the Giulia TZ2 isn't quite legendary enough to make a similar factor occur), not to mention the vastly inflated price tag of 15,000,000 Cr. you have to pay for it (but guess what ticket you can get it in to counter that). However, on the face of it, when you look deeply enough, the Miura does have a point in this game. And that is...being funny? I'm sorry, Mr. C-ZETA, have you gone mad?

No, Mr. Reader, I have not. Because, let me explain.

Firstly, listen to the horn on the Miura. When you hear it, expect to lol decently well, really. When I tried it first time on the S-6 license test and tried it out, I know I did. It is miles better than the Tank Car horn for laughs, and it was in fact the first horn I ever got - I don't remember what number it was exactly, but check somewhere around the 230s I believe. It also shares a similar horn with the V16T - which is even more silly - and the Stratos Rally Car.

Then, when you look into the interior, it's also a bit silly. From the front, you have a huge steering wheel that you have in front of you, and like the Giulia TZ2, your driver will move his way through the steering wheel whilst changing gear (it has the silly 'flick switch' style you also see on the Giulia TZ2). Then, press the rear view button to find yourself looking through a genuinely useless rear view made up of nothing but the grill vents - and that's it.

Then you also have stuff like the lights as well that slooooowly pop up when you flash them, and the actual slidey factor of the Miura and you realise that the Miura is not as bad as PD have put it in this game. The only true let down in this regard is the completely flat sound, but a sports exhaust fixes that well enough. Though I want the Murcielago LP670-4 sound on it...so bad!

And to finish up, we now have the Lancia Stratos Rally Car from 1977 to take us out of this feature review.

Quite frankly, how this literally does qualify for a rally car, I won't know, because it doesn't feel like one at all. It goes at the same speed as one, for sure, with 270hp+ and a very small 880kg weight, and it can be taken off road, but that's really where its relations as a rally car tend to end. It is MR, and therefore is a very slidey car, it costs 5.5 million Cr. (more than an FGT), and is genuinely almost impossible to use offroad properly. But as it is a Stratos, or more simply, a Lancia, these things don't matter. We know Lancias have flaws to begin with, and while this has some, it doesn't necessarily stop it from being a classic. Plus, in the end, it isn't half bad on tarmac to begin with if you can control it. It's just...the rally car name on the end is rather misleading, I find. But it is a classic, for sure. Plus you can win one for free in the Gallardo Trophy B-Spec event, much like its younger relative the Delta S4 in the A-Spec variant, so really, that high price doesn't matter so much more anyway to begin with.

And so thus concludes my European Classics review. Thank you very much for reading, and good night.

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[Furinkazen]

European Classics
And to finish up, we now have the Lancia Stratos Rally Car from 1977 to take us out of this feature review.

Quite frankly, how this literally does qualify for a rally car, I won't know, because it doesn't feel like one at all. It goes at the same speed as one, for sure, with 270hp+ and a very small 880kg weight, and it can be taken off road, but that's really where its relations as a rally car tend to end. It is MR, and therefore is a very slidey car, it costs 5.5 million Cr. (more than an FGT), and is genuinely almost impossible to use offroad properly. But as it is a Stratos, or more simply, a Lancia, these things don't matter. We know Lancias have flaws to begin with, and while this has some, it doesn't necessarily stop it from being a classic. Plus, in the end, it isn't half bad on tarmac to begin with if you can control it. It's just...the rally car name on the end is rather misleading, I find. But it is a classic, for sure. Plus you can win one for free in the Gallardo Trophy B-Spec event, much like its younger relative the Delta S4 in the A-Spec variant, so really, that high price doesn't matter so much more anyway to begin with.

And so thus concludes my European Classics review. Thank you very much for reading, and good night.

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA​

The Stratos was rally eligible due to low production levels required for road cars in the WRC.

Great reviews BTW 👍​

 

[DK]

Nice reviews! 👍

Surely you didn't find any cans of Yebisu in that Alpine?

 

[C-ZETA]

The Stratos was rally eligible due to low production levels required for road cars in the WRC.

Great reviews BTW 👍

The WRC was quite a free for all back then, yes.

Nice reviews! 👍

Surely you didn't find any cans of Yebisu in that Alpine?

Make sure you check around the first paragraph for the Alpine next time...lol. As in, highlight it after the end.

 

[Rudenut]

I feel obliged.to give you kudos. Your review of the FTOLM is great. This is my favorite car in the series and believe it is, as you say, the spiritual car of GT.

Many of the few posts I have left on these boards have me waxing nostalgia for a return to the LM format. I see these cars as a statement that any car can be made to race.

RM is great, and I would love a return to gt2 level modification options, but LM is king and it would be great if an occasional FANTASY super car were released. Even if just to say "I wonder what this car would be like".

Btw, you are a decent writer, future in journalism mayhaps?

PS: The green one eludes me.

 

[uMadson?]

I love the way you researched on the previous-generation GT's for the FTO review. Bravo.

 

[C-ZETA]

I feel obliged.to give you kudos. Your review of the FTOLM is great. This is my favorite car in the series and believe it is, as you say, the spiritual car of GT.

Many of the few posts I have left on these boards have me waxing nostalgia for a return to the LM format. I see these cars as a statement that any car can be made to race.

RM is great, and I would love a return to gt2 level modification options, but LM is king and it would be great if an occasional FANTASY super car were released. Even if just to say "I wonder what this car would be like".

Btw, you are a decent writer, future in journalism mayhaps?

PS: The green one eludes me.

Thanks for the kind words. As for a future in journalism...well, I did take media studies I guess...not sure if that accounts for anything, but still...I might be good for it!

I love the way you researched on the previous-generation GT's for the FTO review. Bravo.

Whaddya mean, research? I already knew too much about it to begin with

 

[uMadson?]

Whaddya mean, research? I already knew too much about it to begin with

I just rike how you started with how it arru begannu in GT1 and stuffu

 

[C-ZETA]

I just rike how you started with how it arru begannu in GT1 and stuffu

It's the kindest thing to do for such a legend. Plus, everyone now knows something about GT1 Oh, by the way, go pick it up, everyone else. It is still the best GT, honest.

 

[C-ZETA]

Welcome to the 2011 C-ZETA
Awards

While GT5 has been out for more than a year now and I probably could have done something like this on the anniversary of the release, November 24, it's also coming up to the end of the year and so I shall now be giving awards away among all of the cars I have acquired over the year I have played GT5. It would be just since the start of this actual year normally, but there hadn't exactly been enough time beforehand to make other cars not count. So then, it is among all of the cars I've bought since the beginning. Enjoy, and have your say.

Part 1​

Touring Car of the Year 2011
Lexus IS F Racing Concept '08

We begin these awards with one of my original crackers in my garage, owned in my garage long before any Giulia TZ2 came and one of my original favourites, certainly. My Touring Car of the Year is this - the Lexus IS F Racing Concept. In case you need to know what constitutes as a 'Touring Car', I mainly count any non-fictional racers in real life that are road based, ie Super GT, FIA GT etc. LM Race Cars and TC DLC cars are not included.

This was a very early comer to my garage, and it was quite a big surprise to me to be honest. Originally, my only real purpose for buying it was as a car to use for the DTM event in A-Spec. It did this with aplomb.

The car might weigh a relatively high 1350kg, which in DTM speak is a lot. But the 535bhp engine that powers it is also relatively powerful over the rest of the DTMs here, and it does a good job at powering it. A very high speed machine that creams many a DTM AI around the Nordschleife, while not being so potent on the GP/D. But still, a very fast machine.

It also has several added extras over the average race car in this game. Things among these include: Premium status, cheaper than anything in its class, paintability, a very bizarre horn, a normal V8 style sound, which is what it is - a V8, and quite a lot of room for tuning too.

Quite frankly there is absolutely no point picking any other DTM over this. Not only is it cheaper by at least 3/4 of the price at worst, but it also is always available to you, unlike the DTMs which suffer rather badly from the UCD syndrome of being MIA. The IS F RC, the Touring Car of the Year. And deservedly so.

Lightweight Car of the Year​

Lotus Elise '96​

In order to qualify for this award, a car had to be under 1000kg to be eligible for this award.

The Elise series has some very close competition in this game, and, if I tried one of them, I bet this might not have one. However, I didn't try any real contenders. Chief among which are things like the Tommy Kaira ZZ-S, Autobacs Garaiya and Opel Speedster Turbo. These might have beaten out the Elise, but they'll have to wait. This Elise, the original, is my Lightweight of the Year.

You can see here this Elise has actually been RM'd. No biggie, it is still an Elise. But regardless, we are still advertising many of the big strengths of the Elise - RMability, Premium, upgradeability, all of which help it against the other Standard lightweight competitors.

You may know that I recently called this and a Vauxhall VX220 equal. However, the VX220 is actually just an Elise in drag. And a bad drag at that, too. And so, the Elise well and truly trumps it as a result.

The Elise might have a very underpowered engine to begin with, but then as a lightweight it doesn't need a big one. Though you can make it as such - 260hp+ being the max capability of this. It is also, with its MR drivetrain, a brilliant thing to drive as well, and I still think it looks quite cute. Well, it does, when it's stock, as a normal model anyway...here, in the RM, you see a bunch of aggression. And that's really boss, too. And so, the Lotus Elise '96 gets my Lightweight of the Year award.

Full review here w/Vauxhall VX220

DLC Car of the Year​

Mazda Roadster Touring Car

The X2011 might be more insane. The Challenger might be slidey and fun. The CR-Z might be better handling. The RX-7 might be shoutier. The Evo X might be a Mitsu. The R35 might be more loved. The R33 might be better looking. The R32, likewise. The R34 may be faster. The Impreza might be better sounding. The Prius might be funnier. The karts might be better to drive. But this Roadster is the one that wins over all of them, by being able to put in a great package of most of these things, and make it work.

It isn't the last word in fast, even though the PP system overrates it slightly because of its very light weight - just 795kg of this thing is what there is, which is nothing. However, the engine is only a 207bhp unit. Regardless, it certainly doesn't make it any worse to drive.

This could be, of sorts, another candidate to be a 'Japanese Giulia TZ2', with its light weight, low power but car killing abilities. Problem is...the handling isn't quite on par initially. Despite being FR, and lighter than the CR-Z the handling isn't as good. So how on earth could I have gotten this to be my DLC Car of the Year?

Well, it's just the driving thrill of it. The car itself looks pretty crazy with the total lack of a top. (That came out wrong.) And the sound is indeed the very same you get from gems like HKS CT230Rs, Mitsubishi FTO STCs and Mazda Atenza Touring Cars. Hardly surprising its pace is somewhat close to the Atenzas then...if anything, this is a sequel to that. Except it isn't, because this Roadster is older.

This was also a weird surprise to me. Instead of using the NC Roadster as a base, PD instead went for the NA. Which has about 7,343,525 'forms' in the game already. But regardless, this trumps all of them, and this Mazda Roadster, while it might not seem the best of the lot, also beats out the rest of the DLC cars around. So then, this, the Mazda Roadster TC, takes the DLC Car of the Year award.

Fastest of the Year
Red Bull X2011 Prototype '11

Not exactly a hard one to choose, is it now? I think by now it is quite self-explanatory that this, the Red Bull X2011, is indeed the fastest in the game and Fastest of the Year.

The original X2010 was already, as we all know, a very fast thing already. But when the X2011 came out, not only did it actually have a more powerful engine to begin with, but PD also said a variety of improvements had been made to the car, so clearly it was faster than the X2010, robbing it of the only real award that it could have possibly won this year.

Unfortunately, the difference isn't really that noticeable to begin with. But either way the X2011 is still a stupidly high speed, hugely fast cornering machine that now will make 1600bhp+ at full chat, which makes not much difference at all in the scheme of grand things, nor do any of the rest of the improvements, but regardless, the car is still a speedy one. So obviously, this could be the only thing to win such an award. Fastest of the Year, the Red Bull X2011. Rejoice, haters.

X2010 review here (since they are basically the same thing lol)

Sound of the Year
Ford Mark IV Race Car '67

No more explanation is required, really. The Sound of the Year goes to the Ford Mark IV.

Full review here.

Best Handling FF of the Year
Honda CR-Z Touring Car

FFs normally are a route for disaster in terms of handling. Everyone knows of their famed characteristic of terminal understeer, which you will see present in most examples of car with said drivetrain. However, some cars are able to avoid this terrible affliction. And this is the best of the bunch - the Honda CR-Z Touring Car.

In reality, this should really be the DLC Car of the Year. It has brilliant looks, alright speed and, as this award would seem to give away, surprisingly wonderful handling. Sadly, among Japanese cars, if the Roadster TC is a Giulia TZ2, this is a 330P4. Because the sound sadly is a more of a fart gag than a sound. Which cost it that award crucially. But no matter. This is the best award it could get, and knowing traditional FF behaviour, this award isn't really truly useless. But why, you may be asking, is it not FF car of the year...all together? Well...that's for you to find out later.

Event of the Year
Nurburgring 4h

Many people have been saddened by the total lack of events in this game. I wasn't, but clearly, these guys were maybe a bit too stuck in GT4 mode, and GT4 had more events than it did amount of minutes worth of gameplay. But even so, an event has been picked among the...few in this game, and it is this. The Nurburgring 4h.

Clearly, we aren't alone. Because a very important customer around here - Famine, who we should all know as a hugely good member at just about everything here, would seem to agree. I myself have done some research on the event myself, in said linked thread.

But in reality, this event is mainly as good as it is for the variety of racers you can see here. From big bad CTR2s, to (slightly limited) CT230Rs, to controller breaking S2k Turbos (well...it had to show up at one point, didn't it?) to super-speedy R8 LMSes, you have many cars here to challenge. They are all looking for a scrap, a taste of victory, a feeling of superiority over fellow AI comrades. Plus you have it on the whole Nurburgring Nordschleife track, and then some. The 24h may be longer, but look at the AI there. While the list is big, you won't see LMPs there every year in real life. Where as in the 4h, you can actually see some cars of similar caliber among these AI cars. This event is well and truly the Event of the Year.

Part 2 coming soon...​

 

[Furinkazen]

Ford Mk IV is amazing... great stuff! 👍

 

[Mac K]

I agree, excellent work!

 

[DK]

Nice job! 👍

 

[Onboy123]

*coughcoughtopgearmagazinecoughcough* Nah, kiddin'. Done very well. But damn you…you beat me to it. Again.