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FINAL ENTRY
Car of the Week | Alpine A220 Race Car '68
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FINAL ENTRY
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Alright, time to cast my COTY votes:
Best Looking Car Award: Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm
It was a toss-up between the Giulia and the Mangusta, but in the end the striking and aggressive looks of the souped-up Alfa sedan won out.
Worst Looking Car Award: Genesis X GR3
This is less about the car itself (although its looks aren't great) and more about the utterly atrocious default livery. It's the worst default Gr.3 livery in the game as far as I'm concerned and the GTWS Manufacturers Cup livery below is much easier on the eyes.
Most American Car Award: Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
It has a supercharged V8 pumping 840 BHP to the rear wheels only and has the aerodynamic properties of a brick. 'Nuff said.
Beater of the Year: Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
And said brick got annihilated by a supercar some 24 years its senior despite the former having over 200 extra horses at its command. And it needs to brake and downshift for Curva Grande of all corners. So if the Demon had to sacrifice handling for sheer power and yet struggles to deliver speed on the strip or against old supercars, then what's the freaking point?
Car of the Year: Mazda Roadster NR-A
I'll just quote my own post for this:
Best Looking Car Award: Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm
It was a toss-up between the Giulia and the Mangusta, but in the end the striking and aggressive looks of the souped-up Alfa sedan won out.
Worst Looking Car Award: Genesis X GR3
This is less about the car itself (although its looks aren't great) and more about the utterly atrocious default livery. It's the worst default Gr.3 livery in the game as far as I'm concerned and the GTWS Manufacturers Cup livery below is much easier on the eyes.
Most American Car Award: Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
It has a supercharged V8 pumping 840 BHP to the rear wheels only and has the aerodynamic properties of a brick. 'Nuff said.
Beater of the Year: Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
And said brick got annihilated by a supercar some 24 years its senior despite the former having over 200 extra horses at its command. And it needs to brake and downshift for Curva Grande of all corners. So if the Demon had to sacrifice handling for sheer power and yet struggles to deliver speed on the strip or against old supercars, then what's the freaking point?
Car of the Year: Mazda Roadster NR-A
I'll just quote my own post for this:
Just enough power to step out the rear without spiralling out of control (even in heavy rain), a chassis that is responsive while still being forgiving of mistakes and no aero (and dirty air) enabling wheel-to-wheel racing.
The NR-A embodies the fun and spirit of racing, no need for extreme power and downforce.
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As can probably be surmised from my livery of the Mangusta, I too, didn't have a good first impression of the car. I had even wanted to have my special challenge entry to just be the review of the car, but seeing everyone dog pile on the Mangusta made me want to play devil's advocate a little.
Taken on its own, the Mangusta is a torrid drive. It's a pricey LCD exclusive, flops about like JTG selling The Cobra, and takes longer than a bobble head accessory to stop, making it extremely difficult to coax any consistency out of, if not an outright hazard to drive. The steering wheel feels less connected to the front wheels and more to a binary light switch; past a certain steering angle, the rear end just lights up and gives out, and once this car starts sliding, good luck getting it back with its 32:68 weight distribution propped up on the expired pasta they call "springs". But this is precisely why I always like to bring comparison cars to pit against the Car of the Week: context.
The Shelby G.T. 350 is a stripped out homologation model, and it still weighs more than the Mangusta. It takes a similar age to stop, flops about as well, and it will shred its inside rear tyre out of a turn just to keep reminding its driver of its wide open diff. The Mangusta in comparison, has a monstrous launch thanks to its extremely rear biased weight distribution, and keeps pulling at speed with its extremely close and short 4th and 5th gears, the latter of which an obscure rarity among its contemporary peers. While the suspension setup is soft enough to make the Mangusta stargaze on power, what that also means is that the Mangusta puts down its power really well if treated gently and set up for corner exits properly, its explosive power, rear mass bias, and a locking rear diff always inviting the driver out for just a bit of fun.
At roughly 333k, the base Mangusta is by no means cheap, especially if one fancies the tan interior of the Dior version that costs a whopping half a million. But, among the cars I've shortlisted to be interesting comparisons, the base Mangusta was the cheapest by quite a margin!
De Tomaso Mangusta — 333k
Dior Mangusta — 500k
Shelby G.T. 350 — 500k
Mazda RX500 — 600k
Porsche 901 Carrera RS — 745k
*Prices are as of time of writing when the car last appeared in the LCD. Like, duh.
And here's what a quick, impromptu time attack around Laguna Seca yielded for me:
Porsche 901 Carrera RS — 1:43.0
De Tomaso Mangusta — 1:44.0
Mazda RX500 — 1:45.3
Shelby G.T. 350 — 1.47.4
So, first cheapest, second fastest. Not bad at all, I don't think!
But why did I shortlist these few cars in particular to pit against the Mangusta? Well, the G.T. 350 is simply the Shelby that's closest in performance to the Mangusta, and seeing that the Mangusta was implied to be named as such after Carrol Shelby pulled out of a collaborative effort with De Tomaso, it just seemed like a must. The RX500 is similarly a RMR LCD exclusive from the same time period, even having gullwing doors for its engine compartment like the Mangusta. The 901 is... well, most probably the single best sports car in the game, and I really needed to find something that can beat the Mangusta. It took a car costing well over double the Mangusta to beat the Mangusta and gripper CS tyres by default to do it!
The Mangusta may be wont to go the full 180 on me during those comparison test, and yet somehow, my opinion on the Mangusta similarly 180–ed after these comparison tests gave me some context of the performance of its contemporary peers. See what a little context can do? I know you haven't clicked on that link earlier showing JTG selling the Cobra. Here it is again. Watch it now. I'm watching you. From behind. Always.
I think most people expect, prepare for, and more readily forgive classic muscle cars for their very upfront flaws. The De Tomaso Mangusta, wearing a relatively unknown Italian badge and slinging its NA V8 aft the cockpit, doesn't beget the same understanding and preparedness from its driver. Treat it as though a rear mid–engined muscle car with Italian styling, though, and I think the Mangusta will really start to shine, especially if treated with the same fear and respect that comes with classic pony and muscle cars. And hey, it will keep pulling beyond the quarter mile, and comes with a locking diff as standard! Granted, it's not a car that I will wake up one day yearning to drive, but at the same time, I'm willing to drive it for more than one race, which is more than what I had been willing to do for the Chaparral 2J and Dodge Demon.
Taken on its own, the Mangusta is a torrid drive. It's a pricey LCD exclusive, flops about like JTG selling The Cobra, and takes longer than a bobble head accessory to stop, making it extremely difficult to coax any consistency out of, if not an outright hazard to drive. The steering wheel feels less connected to the front wheels and more to a binary light switch; past a certain steering angle, the rear end just lights up and gives out, and once this car starts sliding, good luck getting it back with its 32:68 weight distribution propped up on the expired pasta they call "springs". But this is precisely why I always like to bring comparison cars to pit against the Car of the Week: context.
The Shelby G.T. 350 is a stripped out homologation model, and it still weighs more than the Mangusta. It takes a similar age to stop, flops about as well, and it will shred its inside rear tyre out of a turn just to keep reminding its driver of its wide open diff. The Mangusta in comparison, has a monstrous launch thanks to its extremely rear biased weight distribution, and keeps pulling at speed with its extremely close and short 4th and 5th gears, the latter of which an obscure rarity among its contemporary peers. While the suspension setup is soft enough to make the Mangusta stargaze on power, what that also means is that the Mangusta puts down its power really well if treated gently and set up for corner exits properly, its explosive power, rear mass bias, and a locking rear diff always inviting the driver out for just a bit of fun.
At roughly 333k, the base Mangusta is by no means cheap, especially if one fancies the tan interior of the Dior version that costs a whopping half a million. But, among the cars I've shortlisted to be interesting comparisons, the base Mangusta was the cheapest by quite a margin!
De Tomaso Mangusta — 333k
Dior Mangusta — 500k
Shelby G.T. 350 — 500k
Mazda RX500 — 600k
Porsche 901 Carrera RS — 745k
*Prices are as of time of writing when the car last appeared in the LCD. Like, duh.
And here's what a quick, impromptu time attack around Laguna Seca yielded for me:
Porsche 901 Carrera RS — 1:43.0
De Tomaso Mangusta — 1:44.0
Mazda RX500 — 1:45.3
Shelby G.T. 350 — 1.47.4
So, first cheapest, second fastest. Not bad at all, I don't think!
But why did I shortlist these few cars in particular to pit against the Mangusta? Well, the G.T. 350 is simply the Shelby that's closest in performance to the Mangusta, and seeing that the Mangusta was implied to be named as such after Carrol Shelby pulled out of a collaborative effort with De Tomaso, it just seemed like a must. The RX500 is similarly a RMR LCD exclusive from the same time period, even having gullwing doors for its engine compartment like the Mangusta. The 901 is... well, most probably the single best sports car in the game, and I really needed to find something that can beat the Mangusta. It took a car costing well over double the Mangusta to beat the Mangusta and gripper CS tyres by default to do it!
The Mangusta may be wont to go the full 180 on me during those comparison test, and yet somehow, my opinion on the Mangusta similarly 180–ed after these comparison tests gave me some context of the performance of its contemporary peers. See what a little context can do? I know you haven't clicked on that link earlier showing JTG selling the Cobra. Here it is again. Watch it now. I'm watching you. From behind. Always.
I think most people expect, prepare for, and more readily forgive classic muscle cars for their very upfront flaws. The De Tomaso Mangusta, wearing a relatively unknown Italian badge and slinging its NA V8 aft the cockpit, doesn't beget the same understanding and preparedness from its driver. Treat it as though a rear mid–engined muscle car with Italian styling, though, and I think the Mangusta will really start to shine, especially if treated with the same fear and respect that comes with classic pony and muscle cars. And hey, it will keep pulling beyond the quarter mile, and comes with a locking diff as standard! Granted, it's not a car that I will wake up one day yearning to drive, but at the same time, I'm willing to drive it for more than one race, which is more than what I had been willing to do for the Chaparral 2J and Dodge Demon.
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The Chinese have a practice of not leaving debt or undone work into the new year, so if I can borrow Vic's quick review style for just a moment...
This was by far the biggest pleasant surprise for me in the year. Just a good ol' fashioned hatchback light enough to give plenty of stick to and flick wherever you please. It makes the Golf VII feel like a bloated, oversized pig! For serious time attacks, this thing is a bit too playful and moves around too much, but there is just such a joy in working with and managing that playful demeanour of the Polo that may be hard to put into words, but extremely easy to understand.
Sleeper sleeper SLEEPER!
The R53 Cooper S blew my mind so hard back in GT Sport that I voted it for Car of the Year instead of other things we tested that year, like the R34 GT-R, RX-Vision GT3, and Huracán LP 610-4. It was so intuitive, the field was always bunched up with close battles, was great on dirt, was endless theatre, and was just plain fun to drive even on its own!
Here in GT7, while the car retains its darty dynamics, it's somehow gotten a heck of a lot squirmier under braking than I remember. It's still an extremely fun car, and you literally can't avoid getting one for free in the single player "campaign", but it's just not quite as amazing as I had remembered and hoped for it to be.
Sleeper.
I haven't the foggiest clue as to why this is even in the game. Its uselessness eclipses that of Vision Gran Turismo cars. At least those can fit different tyres and refuel in pit stops... Not to mention, run with other cars.
The Kart cannot share a track with anything else not a Kart in the game. I don't even mean the Himedic scenario where you can't choose your opponents in a rival race; I mean "you can't even select your Kart if the lobby isn't set to allow Karts, and if the lobby is set to allow Karts, then ONLY karts can enter". It's also the only Kart in the game, and no campaign race thus far to my knowledge requires players to own a Kart.
Its inclusion in the game might make sense if the Kart is a fixture in Sport Mode, but it's a rare novelty. All that might be forgiven if it drove well, but it's the fastest, most extreme, and most difficult of the selection of Karts originally on offer in GT6, packing more PP than a freaking GTAm Giulia; it's never going to be easy to drive. Not to mention, folks with real life karting experience, like Super GT, have been on record saying how unrealistic the in–game kart handles, having to run completely ass–backwards setups like TCS1 and ABS off to get the fastest time out of it, while the Kart remains a death trap.
And even IF someone were to point a gun to my head and force me to sample a kart, where would I race it? Daytona? la Sarthe? All these wide open tracks meant for Gr.3 and LMP1 cars? There isn't a single kart track in the game, and the kicker is, kart layouts are already visible in Spa and High Speed Ring; we just don't have access to them.
I'd run over an AI in a kart head–on with a Ford F150 if I could, but maybe that's precisely the reason why they won't allow it. It is the single worst vehicle in the game, a complete waste of polygons and disk space. I'd name it Beater of the Year—nay—Beater of the Game if I could.
I've already gone into a deep dive into the car's history and some highly opinionated philosophical rambling in my GTS review of the FD. Here in GT7, the price increase hurts, but otherwise, it's still the same ol' gem it always has been. It's just... a lot more nervous and snappy under hard braking than I remember it being, and a lot of times, it still catches me out despite my perceived familiarity with the car. The default ride height is still wrong, the curvaceous rear wing is still a nightmare to work with, and it still won't hesitate to bite if mistreated, but for anyone who might be wondering why I'm mostly negative in my car reviews, it's because I'm comparing every car to THIS, a car on a 30 year old chassis. Either make me a car that feels just as good at a bare minimum, or don't go around pretending it's a sports car.
With so many Mazda road cars able to accept the ungodly cheat engine that is the R26B quad rotor, the FD RX-7 might still be the best car that can take it; it's only 10kg heavier than the FC, but is much lower with way wider tyres. It just can't have a 6th forward cog, which is where the RX-8 might have a leg up on it.
I'm still holding onto faint hope that I can do a full length writeup for this one...
After all the cars I loved in GTS having some weird quirk in GT7 that made them less enjoyable, I'm ultra happy to say that the S660 is exactly as I remember it: it's bloody magic. I have NO IDEA how they've managed to make a short wheelbase RMR car handle so predictably and tame as they have, but the sons of guns at Honda have done it! It's engaging without being challenging, it's fun without being too in your face about it. It's cute, it's stylish, it's thrifty, and it has all the speed it can have without becoming dangerous. There is quite literally no reason to need to look at the other Kei car offerings in the game when you can have an S660: It's the perfect modern day sports car, and it's out of production.
The world is a freaking sad place, and nobody can convince me otherwise.
It's simple, lightweight, FR, comes only with a stick, and is dripping with heritage; the M3 SE might be the perfect sports car. But while homologation requirements have shaped its body, its wings, and even its engine, what they didn't influence was its tyres. The M3 SE always felt choked by its lack of grip on its default CS tyres, which give up before any real fun can be had. I get the sensation that the chassis is capable of so, so much more.
It'd be an easy car to recommend, but like the R53 Cooper, you literally can't avoid getting one for free, so keep it, and maybe buy some better rubber for it
Maybe I need to stop giving Alex flak for his picks, because he's been running out of the woefully slow, and have given us some gems we never might have bat an eye at otherwise, and the A112 Abarth is one such car. It has an oldschool kind of compliance over bumps and such, a romanticised weight shifting, and is just a simple joy to be behind the wheel of. I wish this could've been one of the starter cars of the game! I think I'd much rather it over any of the three modern hatches, one of which is a Mazda.
Incidentally, my best time on the Nordschleife is an embarrassing 10:11. Yeah, I didn't try very hard, but the A112 is just as fun at 6 tenths as it is at 10 tenths
It is a Sleeper in the word's original definition: looks unassuming, unexpectedly good.
AAAAAND I am DONE! Bring on 2024!
VW Polo
This was by far the biggest pleasant surprise for me in the year. Just a good ol' fashioned hatchback light enough to give plenty of stick to and flick wherever you please. It makes the Golf VII feel like a bloated, oversized pig! For serious time attacks, this thing is a bit too playful and moves around too much, but there is just such a joy in working with and managing that playful demeanour of the Polo that may be hard to put into words, but extremely easy to understand.
Sleeper sleeper SLEEPER!
R53 Cooper S
The R53 Cooper S blew my mind so hard back in GT Sport that I voted it for Car of the Year instead of other things we tested that year, like the R34 GT-R, RX-Vision GT3, and Huracán LP 610-4. It was so intuitive, the field was always bunched up with close battles, was great on dirt, was endless theatre, and was just plain fun to drive even on its own!
Here in GT7, while the car retains its darty dynamics, it's somehow gotten a heck of a lot squirmier under braking than I remember. It's still an extremely fun car, and you literally can't avoid getting one for free in the single player "campaign", but it's just not quite as amazing as I had remembered and hoped for it to be.
Sleeper.
The Kart
I haven't the foggiest clue as to why this is even in the game. Its uselessness eclipses that of Vision Gran Turismo cars. At least those can fit different tyres and refuel in pit stops... Not to mention, run with other cars.
The Kart cannot share a track with anything else not a Kart in the game. I don't even mean the Himedic scenario where you can't choose your opponents in a rival race; I mean "you can't even select your Kart if the lobby isn't set to allow Karts, and if the lobby is set to allow Karts, then ONLY karts can enter". It's also the only Kart in the game, and no campaign race thus far to my knowledge requires players to own a Kart.
Its inclusion in the game might make sense if the Kart is a fixture in Sport Mode, but it's a rare novelty. All that might be forgiven if it drove well, but it's the fastest, most extreme, and most difficult of the selection of Karts originally on offer in GT6, packing more PP than a freaking GTAm Giulia; it's never going to be easy to drive. Not to mention, folks with real life karting experience, like Super GT, have been on record saying how unrealistic the in–game kart handles, having to run completely ass–backwards setups like TCS1 and ABS off to get the fastest time out of it, while the Kart remains a death trap.
And even IF someone were to point a gun to my head and force me to sample a kart, where would I race it? Daytona? la Sarthe? All these wide open tracks meant for Gr.3 and LMP1 cars? There isn't a single kart track in the game, and the kicker is, kart layouts are already visible in Spa and High Speed Ring; we just don't have access to them.
I'd run over an AI in a kart head–on with a Ford F150 if I could, but maybe that's precisely the reason why they won't allow it. It is the single worst vehicle in the game, a complete waste of polygons and disk space. I'd name it Beater of the Year—nay—Beater of the Game if I could.
RX-7 Spirit R
I've already gone into a deep dive into the car's history and some highly opinionated philosophical rambling in my GTS review of the FD. Here in GT7, the price increase hurts, but otherwise, it's still the same ol' gem it always has been. It's just... a lot more nervous and snappy under hard braking than I remember it being, and a lot of times, it still catches me out despite my perceived familiarity with the car. The default ride height is still wrong, the curvaceous rear wing is still a nightmare to work with, and it still won't hesitate to bite if mistreated, but for anyone who might be wondering why I'm mostly negative in my car reviews, it's because I'm comparing every car to THIS, a car on a 30 year old chassis. Either make me a car that feels just as good at a bare minimum, or don't go around pretending it's a sports car.
With so many Mazda road cars able to accept the ungodly cheat engine that is the R26B quad rotor, the FD RX-7 might still be the best car that can take it; it's only 10kg heavier than the FC, but is much lower with way wider tyres. It just can't have a 6th forward cog, which is where the RX-8 might have a leg up on it.
Mazda 787B
I'm still holding onto faint hope that I can do a full length writeup for this one...
Honda S660
After all the cars I loved in GTS having some weird quirk in GT7 that made them less enjoyable, I'm ultra happy to say that the S660 is exactly as I remember it: it's bloody magic. I have NO IDEA how they've managed to make a short wheelbase RMR car handle so predictably and tame as they have, but the sons of guns at Honda have done it! It's engaging without being challenging, it's fun without being too in your face about it. It's cute, it's stylish, it's thrifty, and it has all the speed it can have without becoming dangerous. There is quite literally no reason to need to look at the other Kei car offerings in the game when you can have an S660: It's the perfect modern day sports car, and it's out of production.
The world is a freaking sad place, and nobody can convince me otherwise.
M3 Sport Evolution
It's simple, lightweight, FR, comes only with a stick, and is dripping with heritage; the M3 SE might be the perfect sports car. But while homologation requirements have shaped its body, its wings, and even its engine, what they didn't influence was its tyres. The M3 SE always felt choked by its lack of grip on its default CS tyres, which give up before any real fun can be had. I get the sensation that the chassis is capable of so, so much more.
It'd be an easy car to recommend, but like the R53 Cooper, you literally can't avoid getting one for free, so keep it, and maybe buy some better rubber for it
Autobianchi A112 Abarth
Maybe I need to stop giving Alex flak for his picks, because he's been running out of the woefully slow, and have given us some gems we never might have bat an eye at otherwise, and the A112 Abarth is one such car. It has an oldschool kind of compliance over bumps and such, a romanticised weight shifting, and is just a simple joy to be behind the wheel of. I wish this could've been one of the starter cars of the game! I think I'd much rather it over any of the three modern hatches, one of which is a Mazda.
Incidentally, my best time on the Nordschleife is an embarrassing 10:11. Yeah, I didn't try very hard, but the A112 is just as fun at 6 tenths as it is at 10 tenths
It is a Sleeper in the word's original definition: looks unassuming, unexpectedly good.
AAAAAND I am DONE! Bring on 2024!
- 2,419
- The failed experiment entitled “California”.
The Chinese have a practice of not leaving debt or undone work into the new year, so if I can borrow Vic's quick review style for just a moment...
VW Polo
This was by far the biggest pleasant surprise for me in the year. Just a good ol' fashioned hatchback light enough to give plenty of stick to and flick wherever you please. It makes the Golf VII feel like a bloated, oversized pig! For serious time attacks, this thing is a bit too playful and moves around too much, but there is just such a joy in working with and managing that playful demeanour of the Polo that may be hard to put into words, but extremely easy to understand.
Sleeper sleeper SLEEPER!
R53 Cooper S
The R53 Cooper S blew my mind so hard back in GT Sport that I voted it for Car of the Year instead of other things we tested that year, like the R34 GT-R, RX-Vision GT3, and Huracán LP 610-4. It was so intuitive, the field was always bunched up with close battles, was great on dirt, was endless theatre, and was just plain fun to drive even on its own!
Here in GT7, while the car retains its darty dynamics, it's somehow gotten a heck of a lot squirmier under braking than I remember. It's still an extremely fun car, and you literally can't avoid getting one for free in the single player "campaign", but it's just not quite as amazing as I had remembered and hoped for it to be.
Sleeper.
The Kart
I haven't the foggiest clue as to why this is even in the game. Its uselessness eclipses that of Vision Gran Turismo cars. At least those can fit different tyres and refuel in pit stops... Not to mention, run with other cars.
The Kart cannot share a track with anything else not a Kart in the game. I don't even mean the Himedic scenario where you can't choose your opponents in a rival race; I mean "you can't even select your Kart if the lobby isn't set to allow Karts, and if the lobby is set to allow Karts, then ONLY karts can enter". It's also the only Kart in the game, and no campaign race thus far to my knowledge requires players to own a Kart.
Its inclusion in the game might make sense if the Kart is a fixture in Sport Mode, but it's a rare novelty. All that might be forgiven if it drove well, but it's the fastest, most extreme, and most difficult of the selection of Karts originally on offer in GT6, packing more PP than a freaking GTAm Giulia; it's never going to be easy to drive. Not to mention, folks with real life karting experience, like Super GT, have been on record saying how unrealistic the in–game kart handles, having to run completely ass–backwards setups like TCS1 and ABS off to get the fastest time out of it, while the Kart remains a death trap.
And even IF someone were to point a gun to my head and force me to sample a kart, where would I race it? Daytona? la Sarthe? All these wide open tracks meant for Gr.3 and LMP1 cars? There isn't a single kart track in the game, and the kicker is, kart layouts are already visible in Spa and High Speed Ring; we just don't have access to them.
I'd run over an AI in a kart head–on with a Ford F150 if I could, but maybe that's precisely the reason why they won't allow it. It is the single worst vehicle in the game, a complete waste of polygons and disk space. I'd name it Beater of the Year—nay—Beater of the Game if I could.
RX-7 Spirit R
View attachment 1315496
I've already gone into a deep dive into the car's history and some highly opinionated philosophical rambling in my GTS review of the FD. Here in GT7, the price increase hurts, but otherwise, it's still the same ol' gem it always has been. It's just... a lot more nervous and snappy under hard braking than I remember it being, and a lot of times, it still catches me out despite my perceived familiarity with the car. The default ride height is still wrong, the curvaceous rear wing is still a nightmare to work with, and it still won't hesitate to bite if mistreated, but for anyone who might be wondering why I'm mostly negative in my car reviews, it's because I'm comparing every car to THIS, a car on a 30 year old chassis. Either make me a car that feels just as good at a bare minimum, or don't go around pretending it's a sports car.
With so many Mazda road cars able to accept the ungodly cheat engine that is the R26B quad rotor, the FD RX-7 might still be the best car that can take it; it's only 10kg heavier than the FC, but is much lower with way wider tyres. It just can't have a 6th forward cog, which is where the RX-8 might have a leg up on it.
Mazda 787B
I'm still holding onto faint hope that I can do a full length writeup for this one...
Honda S660
View attachment 1315494
After all the cars I loved in GTS having some weird quirk in GT7 that made them less enjoyable, I'm ultra happy to say that the S660 is exactly as I remember it: it's bloody magic. I have NO IDEA how they've managed to make a short wheelbase RMR car handle so predictably and tame as they have, but the sons of guns at Honda have done it! It's engaging without being challenging, it's fun without being too in your face about it. It's cute, it's stylish, it's thrifty, and it has all the speed it can have without becoming dangerous. There is quite literally no reason to need to look at the other Kei car offerings in the game when you can have an S660: It's the perfect modern day sports car, and it's out of production.
The world is a freaking sad place, and nobody can convince me otherwise.
M3 Sport Evolution
View attachment 1315495
It's simple, lightweight, FR, comes only with a stick, and is dripping with heritage; the M3 SE might be the perfect sports car. But while homologation requirements have shaped its body, its wings, and even its engine, what they didn't influence was its tyres. The M3 SE always felt choked by its lack of grip on its default CS tyres, which give up before any real fun can be had. I get the sensation that the chassis is capable of so, so much more.
It'd be an easy car to recommend, but like the R53 Cooper, you literally can't avoid getting one for free, so keep it, and maybe buy some better rubber for it
Autobianchi A112 Abarth
Maybe I need to stop giving Alex flak for his picks, because he's been running out of the woefully slow, and have given us some gems we never might have bat an eye at otherwise, and the A112 Abarth is one such car. It has an oldschool kind of compliance over bumps and such, a romanticised weight shifting, and is just a simple joy to be behind the wheel of. I wish this could've been one of the starter cars of the game! I think I'd much rather it over any of the three modern hatches, one of which is a Mazda.
Incidentally, my best time on the Nordschleife is an embarrassing 10:11. Yeah, I didn't try very hard, but the A112 is just as fun at 6 tenths as it is at 10 tenths
It is a Sleeper in the word's original definition: looks unassuming, unexpectedly good.
AAAAAND I am DONE! Bring on 2024!
Loved the quick-fire review Square. I agree that the shifter kart is essentially a useless vehicle in the game that has so much potential. I will admit that it’s an absolute riot in VR tho!
Great first year for the GT7 edition of COTW! Happy new years everyone 👍🏼
- 2,833
- Lincoln
- Victory_Reign93
- Linthium Reign
Best Looking Car: Alfa Romeo Gulia
Worst Looking Car: Toyota Prius G
Most American Car: Dodge Challenger Demon
BOTY: De Tomaso Mangusta
COTY: BMW M3 Sport Evo
COTY Honourable Mentions: 930 Turbo, NR-A Roadster. 👍
Worst Looking Car: Toyota Prius G
Most American Car: Dodge Challenger Demon
BOTY: De Tomaso Mangusta
COTY: BMW M3 Sport Evo
COTY Honourable Mentions: 930 Turbo, NR-A Roadster. 👍
- 1,721
- Singapore
- XSquareStickIt
Happy new year, everyone!
I know what you're here for, and you know what it is: Car of the Year Awards!
Let's just skip the meandering speeches and get right to it, shall we?
Thanks for the great year, everyone! See you all next year!
......
What? Do you have any idea how much time and effort I put into Car of the Week?! Don't you think I should be rewarded for it by abusing my power ONE day of the year?!
Ahh sheesh, okay, here's the real thing. Car of the Year: as voted by the majority, whatever THEY amount to... (mumble mumble...)
Talent need not apply! It may drive like a drunk, drink like a desert, and cost more than an alimony, but none of that really matters when you first see the genetically blessed car, which is where half the battle takes place. Now, I'm not saying the nominees of The Best Looking Car Award necessarily fit any of those descriptions, but they have been voted by the majority to have put our (eye)balls in a vice just by simply setting sights on the car. The nominees are...
Amazingly, two of the nominees have had two votes, and so it falls upon me to cast my vote as a tiebreaker. And the winner is...
(drumroll)
On the flipside of the retinal spectrum, we find the Yin to the Yang: atrocities against taste and crimes against art. Cars like these are a sordid reminder that the world isn't a fair place, because if it were, a toddler would have the rather high paying jobs of these so–called designers, and yet we here at Car of the Week must expose ourselves to the entirety of the 500,000 polygons of straight FUGLY that somehow passes as automotive design. The unsightly nominees are...
With a last minute vote to break the six–way tie causing me to rewrite this entire section, the car with the dubious distinction of taste deficiency is...
(drumroll)
We take a bit of a break from the car awards to acknowledge some people that ought to have their own awards. After all, COTW wouldn't be possible without the community that makes it up!
Vic has been one of the mainstays of COTW since its early GT6 days, and has always been THE yardstick to compare oneself against in terms of utter, unadulterated, otherworldy pace, whatever weird or unwieldy machinery we may be in on any particular week! Since then, he's taken up the mantle of hosting the Tuesdays Americas lobby at an ungodly 3 A.M. on his side, and has been doing so almost without break for years now! As one of the most integral members of COTW, let me say a big "THANK YOU!" to all that you do!
SPD may be the newest regular here, but he wasted no time in pulling more than his weight, hitting the ground running with elaborate reviews, wrapped up in unique stories reminiscent of times long past! He shows up to both lobbies, partakes in special challenges... he does it all! Except for maybe saying the three words he's known for in FH5's COTW...
Thank you for being such an active contributor!
And of course, special shoutout to Obelisk as well for bringing SPD from Mexico over to here. Obelisk himself also deserves special mention for being an incredible friend whom I can confide in in more personal matters, from ugly emotions, writing tips, and so on! He was the one that floated the idea of weekly special challenges to me, so you have him to thank for that if you enjoy those!
@RX8 Racer is already a formidable opponent on the track in his own right, but it's only with the advent of Weekly Challenges introduced late this year that I really got to appreciate just how freaking fast he can be given enough time to really practice! And don't go mistaking him for a one trick pony, either; he's smashed a variety of special challenges from time attacks, livery creations, and even last week's photography challenge! And of course, he's stepped up to host the Saturday lobbies when real life hit me hard (quite literally!), and it's something I'm beyond thankful for. So thank you once again!
Back to the cars...
Just as the right to free speech and to bear arms have been with America's inception, The Most American Car Award has been with COTW since times immemorial, and has struggled and survived when other awards have been axed along the way! "What's the secret to such longevity?!", you might be asking. Well, apparently, it's being big, powerful, loud, clumsy, wasteful, will–drink–piss–for–fuel–and–still–beat–you–to–the–quarter–mile–by–the–way–wtf's–a–kilometer brash! The screeching eagles, machine gun fire, and profanity–laden theme song played with a healthy backing of explosions might also help...
Unlike the American political system, we actually have more than two options to choose from to represent your values and needs, and the nominees are...
...okay, we have ONE more option than America's political system, but it's a start, alright?!
In a show of unity Americans can only dream of, the winner of all the oil in the world with a whopping four votes is...
(drumroll)
And now, the big one. You might know it as that feeling when you're in a car that smushes up against the wall every time the track cambers a little, or that distinct sensation of a car blowing up when you turn on the windshield wipers. Or maybe even that slow, creeping realisation of having pissed away your life savings on an utter scam of a car... whose brakes fail on the way home from the dealership, the only thing saving the lives of those children in the orphanage you hit being that the car couldn't go fast enough to be a threat. The 2023 Beater of the Year Award nominees are...
Legal disclaimer: The fact that there are five nominees is in no way insinuating that we've hit orphanages five times this past year.
We have another tie for the Beater of the Year, with two seperate cars each receiving two votes! Looks like I'm going to have to cast a tiebreaker vote again, which means that the "winner" of the 2023 Beater of the Year award is...
(drumroll)
And here it is: the big one that you've ACTUALLY been waiting for (because we're rerunning this car this week!). The car we wade through cesspools to discover and experience. The car that makes doing this week in and week out worth it. The car that rewrites expectations and resets yardsticks in the minds of everyone who drives it. For as subjective as opinions ought to be, sometimes, there just is a correct answer, and this car, in our unprofessional opinion, is it.
The nominees are...
aND the winner is, with an Magnificent 3 votes...
Remember, for this week, we'll be running the 2023 Car of the Year again for the first week of 2024! Our weekly lobbies are at Tuesday, 2nd January, 10 P.M. CST (Host: Vic_Reign93) and Saturday, 6th January, 4 P.M. Singapore time (Host: RX8Racer556) if you'd like to join us in racing 2023 Car of the Year with BoP applied on its default tyres! Surely, the 2023 Car of the Year is going to be a blast to run again, right?
And with that, we begin the cycle anew in 2024! Thanks to everyone who contributed, and hopefully there's more good things to come!
I know what you're here for, and you know what it is: Car of the Year Awards!
Let's just skip the meandering speeches and get right to it, shall we?
Best Looking Car Award:
- RE Amemiya μ Boost Up 7
Car That Facilitates The Best Racing:
- Mazda Roadster NR-A (ND) '22
Best Sounding Car Award:
- Mazda 787B '91
Most Influential Car of GT7 COTW Award:
- Mazda RX-7 GT-X (FC) '90
Car of the Year:
- Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) '02
Thanks for the great year, everyone! See you all next year!
......
What? Do you have any idea how much time and effort I put into Car of the Week?! Don't you think I should be rewarded for it by abusing my power ONE day of the year?!
Ahh sheesh, okay, here's the real thing. Car of the Year: as voted by the majority, whatever THEY amount to... (mumble mumble...)
The Best Looking Car Award:
Talent need not apply! It may drive like a drunk, drink like a desert, and cost more than an alimony, but none of that really matters when you first see the genetically blessed car, which is where half the battle takes place. Now, I'm not saying the nominees of The Best Looking Car Award necessarily fit any of those descriptions, but they have been voted by the majority to have put our (eye)balls in a vice just by simply setting sights on the car. The nominees are...
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR '98
- Toyota FT-1 VGT Gr.3
- Porsche 911 Turbo (930) '81
- Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) '02
- Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm '20
Amazingly, two of the nominees have had two votes, and so it falls upon me to cast my vote as a tiebreaker. And the winner is...
(drumroll)
The Porsche 911 Turbo (930) '81!
The 930 Turbo and Giulia GTAm both had two votes, and I personally don't like all the tacky bits stuck onto the Giulia. Besides, I already had the photo above shot and uploaded before Vic cast his pesky vote, and making the Giulia Best Looking Car would've meant retaking another, and ain't nobody got time for dat! Besides, Vic himself had the 930 in his honourable mentions, didn't he? Let's just say that's half a vote
I hope you guys realise I could've voted for the FD RX-7 to make this a three way tie instead. Y'all better recognise the sacrifices I make to keep this show going!
The 930 Turbo and Giulia GTAm both had two votes, and I personally don't like all the tacky bits stuck onto the Giulia. Besides, I already had the photo above shot and uploaded before Vic cast his pesky vote, and making the Giulia Best Looking Car would've meant retaking another, and ain't nobody got time for dat! Besides, Vic himself had the 930 in his honourable mentions, didn't he? Let's just say that's half a vote
I hope you guys realise I could've voted for the FD RX-7 to make this a three way tie instead. Y'all better recognise the sacrifices I make to keep this show going!
The Worst Looking Car Award:
On the flipside of the retinal spectrum, we find the Yin to the Yang: atrocities against taste and crimes against art. Cars like these are a sordid reminder that the world isn't a fair place, because if it were, a toddler would have the rather high paying jobs of these so–called designers, and yet we here at Car of the Week must expose ourselves to the entirety of the 500,000 polygons of straight FUGLY that somehow passes as automotive design. The unsightly nominees are...
- Toyota Prius G '09
- Chaparral 2J '70
- Genesis X GR3
- Mini Clubman Vision Gran Turismo
- DMC DeLorean S2 '04
- Daihatsu Copen RJ Vision Gran Turismo
With a last minute vote to break the six–way tie causing me to rewrite this entire section, the car with the dubious distinction of taste deficiency is...
(drumroll)
The Toyota Prius G '09!
I personally find the Prius to be a really cool car, and I don't even think it looks bad at all. Maybe it is ugly, and the only reason I don't feel that way is because I'm just so accustomed to seeing them on our roads, born into some sort of dystopian hell that I'm not conscious of. Which would mean that the two people who voted it the Worst Looking Car of 2023 just aren't used to having the Prius beat over their heads yet.
C'mere and let me bash your head in with a Prius!
I personally find the Prius to be a really cool car, and I don't even think it looks bad at all. Maybe it is ugly, and the only reason I don't feel that way is because I'm just so accustomed to seeing them on our roads, born into some sort of dystopian hell that I'm not conscious of. Which would mean that the two people who voted it the Worst Looking Car of 2023 just aren't used to having the Prius beat over their heads yet.
C'mere and let me bash your head in with a Prius!
Regulars' Shoutout:
We take a bit of a break from the car awards to acknowledge some people that ought to have their own awards. After all, COTW wouldn't be possible without the community that makes it up!
Vic has been one of the mainstays of COTW since its early GT6 days, and has always been THE yardstick to compare oneself against in terms of utter, unadulterated, otherworldy pace, whatever weird or unwieldy machinery we may be in on any particular week! Since then, he's taken up the mantle of hosting the Tuesdays Americas lobby at an ungodly 3 A.M. on his side, and has been doing so almost without break for years now! As one of the most integral members of COTW, let me say a big "THANK YOU!" to all that you do!
SPD may be the newest regular here, but he wasted no time in pulling more than his weight, hitting the ground running with elaborate reviews, wrapped up in unique stories reminiscent of times long past! He shows up to both lobbies, partakes in special challenges... he does it all! Except for maybe saying the three words he's known for in FH5's COTW...
Thank you for being such an active contributor!
And of course, special shoutout to Obelisk as well for bringing SPD from Mexico over to here. Obelisk himself also deserves special mention for being an incredible friend whom I can confide in in more personal matters, from ugly emotions, writing tips, and so on! He was the one that floated the idea of weekly special challenges to me, so you have him to thank for that if you enjoy those!
@RX8 Racer is already a formidable opponent on the track in his own right, but it's only with the advent of Weekly Challenges introduced late this year that I really got to appreciate just how freaking fast he can be given enough time to really practice! And don't go mistaking him for a one trick pony, either; he's smashed a variety of special challenges from time attacks, livery creations, and even last week's photography challenge! And of course, he's stepped up to host the Saturday lobbies when real life hit me hard (quite literally!), and it's something I'm beyond thankful for. So thank you once again!
Back to the cars...
The Most American Car Award:
Just as the right to free speech and to bear arms have been with America's inception, The Most American Car Award has been with COTW since times immemorial, and has struggled and survived when other awards have been axed along the way! "What's the secret to such longevity?!", you might be asking. Well, apparently, it's being big, powerful, loud, clumsy, wasteful, will–drink–piss–for–fuel–and–still–beat–you–to–the–quarter–mile–by–the–way–wtf's–a–kilometer brash! The screeching eagles, machine gun fire, and profanity–laden theme song played with a healthy backing of explosions might also help...
Unlike the American political system, we actually have more than two options to choose from to represent your values and needs, and the nominees are...
- Jeep Willys MB '45
- Dodge Challenger SRT Demon '18
- Dodge Viper GTS '13
...okay, we have ONE more option than America's political system, but it's a start, alright?!
In a show of unity Americans can only dream of, the winner of all the oil in the world with a whopping four votes is...
(drumroll)
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon '18!
...something tells me it isn't beating many things to the quarter mile in the game, though. Nor is it THAT powerful most of the time. And it wants to drink race fuel. And last I checked, a Glock isn't on the list of options. But hey, hopefully it will at least get you to the nearest Popeyes before running out of petr— oh, sorry, gas.
Boy, wouldn't it be funny if "The Most American Car" also happens to win the "Beater of the Year" award?!
Style by Sagittarius-A_64: America, f### yeah !
#america #eagle #usa
#america #eagle #usa
...something tells me it isn't beating many things to the quarter mile in the game, though. Nor is it THAT powerful most of the time. And it wants to drink race fuel. And last I checked, a Glock isn't on the list of options. But hey, hopefully it will at least get you to the nearest Popeyes before running out of petr— oh, sorry, gas.
Boy, wouldn't it be funny if "The Most American Car" also happens to win the "Beater of the Year" award?!
The 2023 Beater of the Year:
And now, the big one. You might know it as that feeling when you're in a car that smushes up against the wall every time the track cambers a little, or that distinct sensation of a car blowing up when you turn on the windshield wipers. Or maybe even that slow, creeping realisation of having pissed away your life savings on an utter scam of a car... whose brakes fail on the way home from the dealership, the only thing saving the lives of those children in the orphanage you hit being that the car couldn't go fast enough to be a threat. The 2023 Beater of the Year Award nominees are...
- Toyota Prius G '09
- Daihatsu Copen RJ Vision Gran Turismo
- Toyota Ambulance Himedic '21
- Dodge Challenger SRT Demon '18
- De Tomaso Mangusta '69
Legal disclaimer: The fact that there are five nominees is in no way insinuating that we've hit orphanages five times this past year.
We have another tie for the Beater of the Year, with two seperate cars each receiving two votes! Looks like I'm going to have to cast a tiebreaker vote again, which means that the "winner" of the 2023 Beater of the Year award is...
(drumroll)
The De Tomaso Mangusta '69!
If given the choice between the Himedic and Mangusta, the latter is the easy "winner" of my vote. The Himedic may be slow, but it at least won't kill its drivers unless they steer it head on into a wall. Not to mention, it's a fantastic canvas for liveries, and it has some really cool and unique sirens and announcements! AND it's a readily available freebie! How can anyone dunk on that?
The Mangusta on the other hand, is expensive, selectively available, and despite sharing what appears to be the exact same mesh, liveries between the De Tomaso and Dior Mangustas aren't interchangeable. It... also drives the way it does.
If I didn't have to use my vote as a tiebreaker, though? The Kart is a no brainer. I'm surprised NO ONE voted it for Beater of the Year!
If given the choice between the Himedic and Mangusta, the latter is the easy "winner" of my vote. The Himedic may be slow, but it at least won't kill its drivers unless they steer it head on into a wall. Not to mention, it's a fantastic canvas for liveries, and it has some really cool and unique sirens and announcements! AND it's a readily available freebie! How can anyone dunk on that?
The Mangusta on the other hand, is expensive, selectively available, and despite sharing what appears to be the exact same mesh, liveries between the De Tomaso and Dior Mangustas aren't interchangeable. It... also drives the way it does.
If I didn't have to use my vote as a tiebreaker, though? The Kart is a no brainer. I'm surprised NO ONE voted it for Beater of the Year!
The 2023 Car of the Year:
And here it is: the big one that you've ACTUALLY been waiting for (because we're rerunning this car this week!). The car we wade through cesspools to discover and experience. The car that makes doing this week in and week out worth it. The car that rewrites expectations and resets yardsticks in the minds of everyone who drives it. For as subjective as opinions ought to be, sometimes, there just is a correct answer, and this car, in our unprofessional opinion, is it.
The nominees are...
- Radical SR3 SL '13
- Chaparral 2J '70
- Volkswagen Polo GTI '14
- Mazda Roadster NR-A (ND) '22
- BMW M3 Sport Evolution '89
aND the winner is, with an Magnificent 3 votes...
The BMW M3 Sport Evolution '89!
Simple, lightweight, FR, manual gearbox, and dripping with prestige and history. There is almost no argument against an E30 M3, except for maybe its price and availability, but when those things are attached to a car that's actually good, that just seems to make it all the more desirable.
Simple, lightweight, FR, manual gearbox, and dripping with prestige and history. There is almost no argument against an E30 M3, except for maybe its price and availability, but when those things are attached to a car that's actually good, that just seems to make it all the more desirable.
Remember, for this week, we'll be running the 2023 Car of the Year again for the first week of 2024! Our weekly lobbies are at Tuesday, 2nd January, 10 P.M. CST (Host: Vic_Reign93) and Saturday, 6th January, 4 P.M. Singapore time (Host: RX8Racer556) if you'd like to join us in racing 2023 Car of the Year with BoP applied on its default tyres! Surely, the 2023 Car of the Year is going to be a blast to run again, right?
And with that, we begin the cycle anew in 2024! Thanks to everyone who contributed, and hopefully there's more good things to come!
- 6,654
- Hanover/Germany
- alexpkas
Thx for not mentioning my name under the regulars. Much appreciated 😉Happy new year, everyone!
I know what you're here for, and you know what it is: Car of the Year Awards!
Let's just skip the meandering speeches and get right to it, shall we?
Best Looking Car Award:
- RE Amemiya μ Boost Up 7
Car That Facilitates The Best Racing:
- Mazda Roadster NR-A (ND) '22
Best Sounding Car Award:
- Mazda 787B '91
Most Influential Car of GT7 COTW Award:
- Mazda RX-7 GT-X (FC) '90
Car of the Year:
- Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) '02
Thanks for the great year, everyone! See you all next year!
......
What? Do you have any idea how much time and effort I put into Car of the Week?! Don't you think I should be rewarded for it by abusing my power ONE day of the year?!
Ahh sheesh, okay, here's the real thing. Car of the Year: as voted by the majority, whatever THEY amount to... (mumble mumble...)
The Best Looking Car Award:
Talent need not apply! It may drive like a drunk, drink like a desert, and cost more than an alimony, but none of that really matters when you first see the genetically blessed car, which is where half the battle takes place. Now, I'm not saying the nominees of The Best Looking Car Award necessarily fit any of those descriptions, but they have been voted by the majority to have put our (eye)balls in a vice just by simply setting sights on the car. The nominees are...
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR '98
- Toyota FT-1 VGT Gr.3
- Porsche 911 Turbo (930) '81
- Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) '02
- Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm '20
Amazingly, two of the nominees have had two votes, and so it falls upon me to cast my vote as a tiebreaker. And the winner is...
(drumroll)
The Porsche 911 Turbo (930) '81!
View attachment 1315548
The 930 Turbo and Giulia GTAm both had two votes, and I personally don't like all the tacky bits stuck onto the Giulia. Besides, I already had the photo above shot and uploaded before Vic cast his pesky vote, and making the Giulia Best Looking Car would've meant retaking another, and ain't nobody got time for dat! Besides, Vic himself had the 930 in his honourable mentions, didn't he? Let's just say that's half a vote
I hope you guys realise I could've voted for the FD RX-7 to make this a three way tie instead. Y'all better recognise the sacrifices I make to keep this show going!
The Worst Looking Car Award:
On the flipside of the retinal spectrum, we find the Yin to the Yang: atrocities against taste and crimes against art. Cars like these are a sordid reminder that the world isn't a fair place, because if it were, a toddler would have the rather high paying jobs of these so–called designers, and yet we here at Car of the Week must expose ourselves to the entirety of the 500,000 polygons of straight FUGLY that somehow passes as automotive design. The unsightly nominees are...
- Toyota Prius G '09
- Chaparral 2J '70
- Genesis X GR3
- Mini Clubman Vision Gran Turismo
- DMC DeLorean S2 '04
- Daihatsu Copen RJ Vision Gran Turismo
With a last minute vote to break the six–way tie causing me to rewrite this entire section, the car with the dubious distinction of taste deficiency is...
(drumroll)
The Toyota Prius G '09!
View attachment 1315712
I personally find the Prius to be a really cool car, and I don't even think it looks bad at all. Maybe it is ugly, and the only reason I don't feel that way is because I'm just so accustomed to seeing them on our roads, born into some sort of dystopian hell that I'm not conscious of. Which would mean that the two people who voted it the Worst Looking Car of 2023 just aren't used to having the Prius beat over their heads yet.
C'mere and let me bash your head in with a Prius!
Regulars' Shoutout:
We take a bit of a break from the car awards to acknowledge some people that ought to have their own awards. After all, COTW wouldn't be possible without the community that makes it up!
Vic has been one of the mainstays of COTW since its early GT6 days, and has always been THE yardstick to compare oneself against in terms of utter, unadulterated, otherworldy pace, whatever weird or unwieldy machinery we may be in on any particular week! Since then, he's taken up the mantle of hosting the Tuesdays Americas lobby at an ungodly 3 A.M. on his side, and has been doing so almost without break for years now! As one of the most integral members of COTW, let me say a big "THANK YOU!" to all that you do!
SPD may be the newest regular here, but he wasted no time in pulling more than his weight, hitting the ground running with elaborate reviews, wrapped up in unique stories reminiscent of times long past! He shows up to both lobbies, partakes in special challenges... he does it all! Except for maybe saying the three words he's known for in FH5's COTW...
Thank you for being such an active contributor!
And of course, special shoutout to Obelisk as well for bringing SPD from Mexico over to here. Obelisk himself also deserves special mention for being an incredible friend whom I can confide in in more personal matters, from ugly emotions, writing tips, and so on! He was the one that floated the idea of weekly special challenges to me, so you have him to thank for that if you enjoy those!
@RX8 Racer is already a formidable opponent on the track in his own right, but it's only with the advent of Weekly Challenges introduced late this year that I really got to appreciate just how freaking fast he can be given enough time to really practice! And don't go mistaking him for a one trick pony, either; he's smashed a variety of special challenges from time attacks, livery creations, and even last week's photography challenge! And of course, he's stepped up to host the Saturday lobbies when real life hit me hard (quite literally!), and it's something I'm beyond thankful for. So thank you once again!
Back to the cars...
The Most American Car Award:
Just as the right to free speech and to bear arms have been with America's inception, The Most American Car Award has been with COTW since times immemorial, and has struggled and survived when other awards have been axed along the way! "What's the secret to such longevity?!", you might be asking. Well, apparently, it's being big, powerful, loud, clumsy, wasteful, will–drink–piss–for–fuel–and–still–beat–you–to–the–quarter–mile–by–the–way–wtf's–a–kilometer brash! The screeching eagles, machine gun fire, and profanity–laden theme song played with a healthy backing of explosions might also help...
Unlike the American political system, we actually have more than two options to choose from to represent your values and needs, and the nominees are...
- Jeep Willys MB '45
- Dodge Challenger SRT Demon '18
- Dodge Viper GTS '13
...okay, we have ONE more option than America's political system, but it's a start, alright?!
In a show of unity Americans can only dream of, the winner of all the oil in the world with a whopping four votes is...
(drumroll)
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon '18!
View attachment 1315551
Style by Sagittarius-A_64: America, f### yeah !
#america #eagle #usa
...something tells me it isn't beating many things to the quarter mile in the game, though. Nor is it THAT powerful most of the time. And it wants to drink race fuel. And last I checked, a Glock isn't on the list of options. But hey, hopefully it will at least get you to the nearest Popeyes before running out of petr— oh, sorry, gas.
Boy, wouldn't it be funny if "The Most American Car" also happens to win the "Beater of the Year" award?!
The 2023 Beater of the Year:
And now, the big one. You might know it as that feeling when you're in a car that smushes up against the wall every time the track cambers a little, or that distinct sensation of a car blowing up when you turn on the windshield wipers. Or maybe even that slow, creeping realisation of having pissed away your life savings on an utter scam of a car... whose brakes fail on the way home from the dealership, the only thing saving the lives of those children in the orphanage you hit being that the car couldn't go fast enough to be a threat. The 2023 Beater of the Year Award nominees are...
- Toyota Prius G '09
- Daihatsu Copen RJ Vision Gran Turismo
- Toyota Ambulance Himedic '21
- Dodge Challenger SRT Demon '18
- De Tomaso Mangusta '69
Legal disclaimer: The fact that there are five nominees is in no way insinuating that we've hit orphanages five times this past year.
We have another tie for the Beater of the Year, with two seperate cars each receiving two votes! Looks like I'm going to have to cast a tiebreaker vote again, which means that the "winner" of the 2023 Beater of the Year award is...
(drumroll)
The De Tomaso Mangusta '69!
View attachment 1315552
If given the choice between the Himedic and Mangusta, the latter is the easy "winner" of my vote. The Himedic may be slow, but it at least won't kill its drivers unless they steer it head on into a wall. Not to mention, it's a fantastic canvas for liveries, and it has some really cool and unique sirens and announcements! AND it's a readily available freebie! How can anyone dunk on that?
The Mangusta on the other hand, is expensive, selectively available, and despite sharing what appears to be the exact same mesh, liveries between the De Tomaso and Dior Mangustas aren't interchangeable. It... also drives the way it does.
If I didn't have to use my vote as a tiebreaker, though? The Kart is a no brainer. I'm surprised NO ONE voted it for Beater of the Year!
The 2023 Car of the Year:
And here it is: the big one that you've ACTUALLY been waiting for (because we're rerunning this car this week!). The car we wade through cesspools to discover and experience. The car that makes doing this week in and week out worth it. The car that rewrites expectations and resets yardsticks in the minds of everyone who drives it. For as subjective as opinions ought to be, sometimes, there just is a correct answer, and this car, in our unprofessional opinion, is it.
The nominees are...
- Radical SR3 SL '13
- Chaparral 2J '70
- Volkswagen Polo GTI '14
- Mazda Roadster NR-A (ND) '22
- BMW M3 Sport Evolution '89
aND the winner is, with an Magnificent 3 votes...
The BMW M3 Sport Evolution '89!
View attachment 1315553
Simple, lightweight, FR, manual gearbox, and dripping with prestige and history. There is almost no argument against an E30 M3, except for maybe its price and availability, but when those things are attached to a car that's actually good, that just seems to make it all the more desirable.
Remember, for this week, we'll be running the 2023 Car of the Year again for the first week of 2024! Our weekly lobbies are at Tuesday, 2nd January, 10 P.M. CST (Host: Vic_Reign93) and Saturday, 6th January, 4 P.M. Singapore time (Host: RX8Racer556) if you'd like to join us in racing 2023 Car of the Year with BoP applied on its default tyres! Surely, the 2023 Car of the Year is going to be a blast to run again, right?
And with that, we begin the cycle anew in 2024! Thanks to everyone who contributed, and hopefully there's more good things to come!
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Don't feel too bad: I get no props for being the F.N.G.
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Ohhh...
Stupid past SPD. Thinking like he lives in 2023, that fella.
EDIT: now that I feel like mentioning it, I did upload a week 34 spoiler in the PS group discussion. I need to write that.
Stupid past SPD. Thinking like he lives in 2023, that fella.
EDIT: now that I feel like mentioning it, I did upload a week 34 spoiler in the PS group discussion. I need to write that.
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You guys do know that, if you put me in a position where I either have to shout out everybody or nobody, I'm just going to be lazy, right?
Nobody's getting a shoutout this year! You whiny children go sit in a corner and think about what you've done!
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You guys do know that, if you put me in a position where I either have to shout out everybody or nobody, I'm just going to be lazy, right?
Nobody's getting a shoutout this year! You whiny children go sit in a corner and think about what you've done!
As if it's so many more. (Like what? 3-5 more people. THAT is a lot to you? The one who writes entire books for reviews?) You made your priorities clear, and also often displayed your animosity towards my person. Look, I'm not gonna beg for any pathetic attention, but to give shout outs to regulars and NOT to mention the one, who had to say (and to show different hot laps, drag races, comparisons) of EVERY SINGLE CHOSEN CAR, well...
That's the last thing I'm gonna say about it. I'll keep posting my hot laps, thoughts on the cars, etc. as I know, that at least a selected few know to value those.
Happy New Year to all and I'm looking forward to the new year. Having said that, guys, as you know I'm only picking ****** cars, here's my plead to you: the XJ220 returned, the MC20 got added, and the FREAKIN 959, 911 GT1 Straßenversion AND CARRERA GT GOT ADDED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN GT HISTORY AND NONE OF YOU PICKED ANY OF THOSE?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!
[jk]
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If you're putting this much worth into someone mentioning you/lack of a mention on a one-off post, you're looking at this the wrong way...
I personally would not have cared if xSquare mentioned me or not. It's a single post out of... god, how many are we at now in this thread? Almost 500 posts in this thread. One post at this point amounts to 0.2% of the total content here.
Just seems really silly to be starting off the year like this.
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Today, January 5th, is @RX8 Racer 's birthday! Let's all wish him a happy birthday, shall we?
Happy birthday, RX8! You might be glad to hear that I took an RX-8 out to battle the M3SEs on Wednesday at Tokyo South.
Happy birthday, RX8! You might be glad to hear that I took an RX-8 out to battle the M3SEs on Wednesday at Tokyo South.
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Since we’re airing grievances, I’d like to self-acknowledge my personal Ongoing contributions to the club, this thread, and our PSN chat.
Happy birthday RX8 👍🏼
Happy birthday RX8 👍🏼
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Yard, read the damn room.
Drop it.
Drop it.
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@Yard_Sale sorry for snapping at you yesterday. I have been incredibly on edge lately, and it's regrettably spilling over to COTW. I'll probably take a step back and disconnect for a bit to breathe...
after next week
And @Alex p. , I've thought about it for the past few days, and I've realised that you're one of the most consistent regulars here too with your Nordschleife videos. Thanks for what you do, I appreciate it. Sorry for not mentioning it sooner.
Lobby is now up too
after next week
And @Alex p. , I've thought about it for the past few days, and I've realised that you're one of the most consistent regulars here too with your Nordschleife videos. Thanks for what you do, I appreciate it. Sorry for not mentioning it sooner.
Lobby is now up too
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@Yard_Sale sorry for snapping at you yesterday. I have been incredibly on edge lately, and it's regrettably spilling over to COTW. I'll probably take a step back and disconnect for a bit to breathe...
after next week
And @Alex p. , I've thought about it for the past few days, and I've realised that you're one of the most consistent regulars here too with your Nordschleife videos. Thanks for what you do, I appreciate it. Sorry for not mentioning it sooner.
Lobby is now up too
No biggie fam.
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Since it had been @RX8 Racer 's birthday this past Friday, they've been given the pick for this week! Did you manage to guess the car with the extremely heavy foreshadowing we dropped throughout last week?
New to the Gran Turismo series, we're featuring RX8 Racer's namesake, the Mazda RX-8 Spirit R '12!
Coming with only meek numbers from the factory and certainly nowhere near as beautiful, the RX-8 has always languished in the svelte shadow of its older sibling, the FD3S RX-7, with much fewer toys and models being made of it, and racing games rarely including it. This week, we aim to find out if the last production Rotary Engine deserved to fizzle out, or if it has something unique that's been criminally overlooked! Our usual weekly lobbies will be held at Tuesday, 9th January, 10 P.M. CST (Host: Vic_Reign93) and Saturday, 13th January, 4 P.M. Singapore time (Host: XSquareStickIt), where we will race the RX-8 bone stock with BoP enforced (so no wide bodies or engine swaps!)
If you do have your RX-8 irreversibly thickened and/or heart transplanted, don't worry, we have a ~Special Challenge~ this week that requires a skilled tinkerer, too!
New to the Gran Turismo series, we're featuring RX8 Racer's namesake, the Mazda RX-8 Spirit R '12!
Coming with only meek numbers from the factory and certainly nowhere near as beautiful, the RX-8 has always languished in the svelte shadow of its older sibling, the FD3S RX-7, with much fewer toys and models being made of it, and racing games rarely including it. This week, we aim to find out if the last production Rotary Engine deserved to fizzle out, or if it has something unique that's been criminally overlooked! Our usual weekly lobbies will be held at Tuesday, 9th January, 10 P.M. CST (Host: Vic_Reign93) and Saturday, 13th January, 4 P.M. Singapore time (Host: XSquareStickIt), where we will race the RX-8 bone stock with BoP enforced (so no wide bodies or engine swaps!)
If you do have your RX-8 irreversibly thickened and/or heart transplanted, don't worry, we have a ~Special Challenge~ this week that requires a skilled tinkerer, too!
It is at this point where I feel like mentioning that RX8 Racer also has a free COTW pick he can use at any time, like, say, next week, and if they win the special challenge from next week, maybe we'll end up having a second Month of Mazda here at COTW... just a thought.RX8 Racer
Here’s my special challenge (taking a leaf out of Baron’s book for this one):
Build a car to 600PP and beat my modified RX-8 time of 11:05.050 with CRB at the 5 lap WTC 600 Tokyo South CCW (not the 12 lap Tokyo East CW). Fastest time wins!
Rules:
1) The car must be a street-legal (Road Car or Professionally Tuned) RWD car.
2) The car must either be Japanese in origin (engine swapping to a foreign engine is allowed) or be engine swapped to have an engine that is Japanese in origin (e.g. Abarth 595 with the K20 swap).
3) Since it is based on a Japanese RWD car, the GReddy Fugu Z is also allowed for this challenge.
4) Unlimited budget on car and modifications.
5) No nitro.
For the sake of convenience, I’ve compiled the list of eligible RWD foreign cars with Japanese engine swaps:
- Abarth 595 (Honda K20C1)
- Alpine A110 ‘17 (Nissan VR38DETT)
- Alfa Romeo 4C Gr.3 Road Car (Suzuki V8 VGT Gr.3)
- BMW M3 ‘89 (Suzuki V8 VGT Gr.3)
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Put it this way, in the real world, the RX-8 is running strong.
speedcafe.com
speedcafe.com
I know the COTW is bone stock, but in GT spec, mmm mmm mmm.
RX8 Cup and Mazda Pro8 in joint Trans-Tasman Partnership
Australian RX8 Cup drivers will be able to race in New Zealand's Mazda Pro8 and vice versa. Image: Supplied Started
speedcafe.com
Formula RX8 – the new not-for-profit Mazda RX8 series
Justin Lewis and associates have formed a not-for-profit RX8 Cup alternative in Formula RX8. There will be a new one-make
speedcafe.com
I know the COTW is bone stock, but in GT spec, mmm mmm mmm.
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I want to make an aside about the COTY:
I'm currently supporting/participating in a league that's using a mix of Group A cars and adjancent peers.
The team running the E30 M3 Evo is so dominant that the car is being swapped out for the base version. It certainly has proven its worth to me.
I'm currently supporting/participating in a league that's using a mix of Group A cars and adjancent peers.
The team running the E30 M3 Evo is so dominant that the car is being swapped out for the base version. It certainly has proven its worth to me.
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Hold up, above eleven minutes? How could one win this at above eleven minutes while..
why the hell is there no AI Haywood to say adios?!
WHAT KIND OF BARNACLES IS THIS, DON'T TRY TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER, HOW DARE YOU!
On a serious side note: some of the most broken engine swaps are Japanese in nature, and I'm getting to the obvious one that is the Cappucino rotary. That car's going to be the one that'll slay the times here.
why the hell is there no AI Haywood to say adios?!
WHAT KIND OF BARNACLES IS THIS, DON'T TRY TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER, HOW DARE YOU!
On a serious side note: some of the most broken engine swaps are Japanese in nature, and I'm getting to the obvious one that is the Cappucino rotary. That car's going to be the one that'll slay the times here.
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Managed an 08.04.024 on the Nords. YT review: "One of those cars, where you can loose lots of time by sliding just a tad too much. It's pretty fun nonetheless I gotta say! I also love how its head- and backlights look a lot! And its Wankel engine gives it some plus points too of course. "
Verdict: lovely car, but slightly slow, thus neutral
"Verdict: lovely car, but slightly slow, thus neutral
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