Car of the Week | NISMO 400R '95

And when that would be? Because i left my console playing the video and never got the ticket. :grumpy:
I've already gotten my ambulance even though I missed the deadline for the first distribution, but the game's website says the HiMedic will be available from Brand Central "late September".
 
So, we already know the Daihatsu Copen RJ Vision Gran Turismo costs a million credits, hasn't even 150HP to show for it, is Fail Wheel Drive, has next to no adjustability as a typical VGT, and to top it all off, I think it looks bloody ridiculous. As if it needed any more damning points, it's even more useless than the reproductive organs of an incel in the game's campaign, to paraphrase RX8 Racer's succinct and excellent post a little.

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Style by tsubo_ms-14s: RALLY JAPAN 2022 カラー
#rallyjapan #copen #dsport

Hell, the 2002 Copen Active Top we tested back in Week 2 won't even cost a fifth of the 2017 Copen RJ VGT's asking price, even when taking into account the cost of bringing the former close to the RJ VGT's performance level. While the 2002 car can't quite reach the 2017's raw specs even with a blank cheque, the 2002 car is a much more useful investment than the 2017 VGT simply because the production car has the classifications of a Road and Kei car, both of which the 2017 model completely lacks, thereby disallowing the RJ VGT in events where it might actually stand a fighting chance—and this is in spite of the RJ VGT's newly added in–game description for GT7 vehemently insisting that it's very much built to Kei regulations. The RJ VGT also cannot fit dirt tyres for some bizarre reason despite rocking a whopping 140mm (5.51in) ride height, which is 35mm (1.38in) higher than that of the road car which can fit dirt tyres. The fact that Copens in real life have been fielded in dirt rally stages, as the livery on my car shows, just adds to the bewilderment. If, like me, you don't like to tune, a 1997 turbo MR2 with just an upgrade to Sports Hard tyres to match those shoeing the RJ VGT's would be a close match assuming a rolling start, and a factory fresh S15 turbo from Week 11 wouldn't as much walk the RJ VGT as it would wrap the Racing Jacket around the VGT's neck and drag the Kei car wannabe through the mud.

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And this I think is all that would be relevant to most people, and they can take this very obvious "Beater" verdict and get on with their lives. But, there is just one thing I've read from maybe two people having wrote about this car back in GTS' COTW: that it drives well. Maybe the RJ VGT is a really expensive toy that only excels at its one job and nothing else, which is just fine—A set of anal beads wouldn't be a bad set just because it can't help you gain a competitive advantage in a chess match, right? It just has to give you the fizz to be good.

So, does it fizz?

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I'll start by saying that, if you're not the kind of driver that enjoys driving FF cars, this is not the car to change your mind; it's no DC2 ITR or a supercharged Mini. It will still make you hate your life with wheelspin and power understeer out of corners whilst beating you up via the steering wheel with nonstop judders and clatters, with no recourse other than to accept your own failures for having trusted too much and be forced to swallow your pride and accept your loss by backing out. It didn't give me that sense of driving nirvana, that place of Zen, a fizzing feeling, or whatever superlative people come up with to describe that very place so very few cars can bring a driver to.

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While others may generously describe the rest of the car as "good", I'll instead say that it's just fine... to the point where it feels completely lacking in any personality. The soulless 3–Cylinder engine has torque everywhere, which makes shifting almost irrelevant. Turn–in is sharp on its own, but the car will respond further with proportionate and immediate trimming of its turning radii with trail braking, which only gets better the further rearward the brake bias is shifted, and why wouldn't anyone with this current set of physics? The only thing to really watch out for when driving the RJ VGT is that the front end will get extremely high on gasoline, and OD–ing just a little on corner exit can send the RJ into a disproportionately long and arduous road to recovery—The front lifts on power as though a telescope, causing the car to struggle to put down its eager 202.5N⋅m (149.4lbf⋅ft) of torque, and using even the mildest traction control setting just kills the engine cold. All told, I'd say that the RJ VGT is better behaved than even bona fide Gr.4 racecars saddled with the FF layout, but at the same time, it's so well–behaved and unremarkable that it ends up not having much character to it, either. I was so, so tempted to just condense this whole paragraph down to, "it's a powerful FF, watch for power understeer".

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The 7 speed gearbox on the RJ VGT may look incredible, almost overkill for a car with only 147HP (110kW), but there are 2 caveats to that gearbox: the first is that 3 of the 7 gears in it are COMPLETELY useless, and the second is that this box is seemingly based on the second generation Copen's 7–Speed "Super Active Shift" CVT, which makes about as much sense to me as an overachieving couch potato, so don't ask me how it works. All I know from the comfort of my sweaty sim rig is that downshifts are particularly annoying in this car, because the drivetrain won't blip the throttle to rev match at all, and for someone whose T300RS eats downshift inputs when I click them in too quickly, not having the car affirm my inputs to have registered is particularly annoying. 1st and 2nd gears in the RJ are so short that they essentially serve as a normal car's first gear—completely useless once on the move. 3rd gear in the RJ is then the equivalent of a normal car's 2nd, corner exits at 80km/h (50mph) is taken in 4th, etc., etc.. It seems to me as if Daihatsu has somehow invented a dog–leg paddle shifter, because the RJ VGT makes me offset one gear number in my mind when shifting. So, not only do I have to manually count my downshifts with the lack of throttle blipping, I have to do mental gymnastics in my head to be one gear higher than would be intuitive. Great.

A 5 speed manual isn't that much of an ask, is it? After all, that has the exact number of useful gears on a racetrack as the 7CVT we wound up getting.

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The Daihatsu Copen RJ Vision Gran Turismo may cost a million credits, hasn't even 150HP to show for it, is Fail Wheel Drive, has next to no adjustability as a typical VGT, built for Gran Turismo games but is completely useless in said Gran Turismo games, doesn't give me the fizz, and to top it all off, I think it looks bloody ridiculous. But, none of that is the reason why I most dislike the RJ VGT—The reason why I most dislike the RJ VGT is that it's so clearly based off of a second generation Copen, with its exterior styling, gearbox and engine options, and even its dashboard being ripped straight from the production car. It makes me yearn for a GR Copen with a proper 5 speed stick shift, which would undoubtedly be cheaper by several magnitudes, not to mention eligible for so much more of the game's events. The usual excuse of, "it most likely is a licensing issue" hardly sounds plausible in this context, does it?

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In essence, the RJ VGT is a very bad tease, like a woman getting super flirty with me at a bar just to get a very expensive drink out of me, with zero intention of anything beyond that, short or long term. It's confusing at best and impossible not to begrudge at worst... especially when she isn't even attractive enough inside or out to try to get a free drink from anyone in the first place.
 
They may not have a prolific presence here in COTW, but @hyperspeed980 has been with this thread since the very beginning, even chiming in a few times (like last week!). Of course, them consistently liking my reviews and keeping my paper boat of an ego afloat to be able to do this for as long as I have is a big reason why they got to choose the car this week too :lol: After all, people who appreciate a work is often just as important in the creation of the work as the creator, isn't it?
Throughout the GT series, there have always been a few vehicles that end up being fan favourites, or cult classics. Cars that truly capture the franchise's spirit and distill it down into a four-wheeled festival of fun. And in recent months, GT7 has proved that it may still have a faint bit of that heart left in it.
Mm hmm, mm hmm! I know EXACTLY what you mean! If it weren't for Gran Turismo, I don't think I'd ever had fallen in love with cars, or even had a direction in life...

Izu Sky Line_.jpeg


So with that out of the way, I'm nominating the Toyota Alphard to be featured on Car of the Week!
...wait, what?

Izu Sky Line__2.jpeg


Izu Sky Line__1.jpeg


WHAT DO YOU MEAN the Spirit R isn't the Spirit of Gran Turismo, but a new–to–the–franchise marketing stunt Alphard is?!

But hyperspeed may just have been onto something: The Alphard, despite being a relatively recent addition to the game, has already skyrocketed up to the distinction of having the third most user created Styles among DLC cars shared within the game! With this in mind, it ought to be criminal to show up to our weekly race meets with a plain jane Alphard...

...which will be held on the 29th of August, Tuesday 10 P.M. CST with bone stock Alphards to see if the Alphard is as fun to drive as it is to make liveries for!

If racing isn't your thing, feel free to comment on your personal experiences, stories, or share tunes and liveries for the Alphard here on this thread!



I need a break from COTW for a while for personal reasons. Friends in the PS Chat group already know what happened. I will hand this thread over to the capable hands of @Vic Reign93 in the meantime, who will notify winners and prompt them to pick the nexy car. The Saturday lobbies will be called off until further notice, and I most likely won't engage in racing or reviews for a while. I will still update the thread title and OP.

I am very sorry. Please keep COTW alive in my absence.
 
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They may not have a prolific presence here in COTW, but @hyperspeed980 has been with this thread since the very beginning, even chiming in a few times (like last week!). Of course, them consistently liking my reviews and keeping my paper boat of an ego afloat to be able to do this for as long as I have is a big reason why they got to choose the car this week too :lol: After all, people who appreciate a work is often just as important in the creation of the work as the creator, isn't it?

Mm hmm, mm hmm! I know EXACTLY what you mean! If it weren't for Gran Turismo, I don't think I'd ever had fallen in love with cars, or even had a direction in life...

View attachment 1283171


...wait, what?

View attachment 1283172

View attachment 1283173

WHAT DO YOU MEAN the Spirit R isn't the Spirit of Gran Turismo, but a new–to–the–franchise marketing stunt Alphard is?!

But hyperspeed may just have been onto something: The Alphard, despite being a relatively recent addition to the game, has already skyrocketed up to the distinction of having the third most user created Styles shared within the game! With this in mind, it ought to be criminal to show up to our weekly race meets with a plain jane Alphard...

...which will be held on the 29th of August, Tuesday 10 P.M. CST with bone stock Alphards to see if the Alphard is as fun to drive as it is to make liveries for!

If racing isn't your thing, feel free to comment on your personal experiences, stories, or share tunes and liveries for the Alphard here on this thread!



I need a break from COTW for a while for personal reasons. Friends in the PS Chat group already know what happened. I will hand this thread over to the capable hands of @Vic Reign93 in the meantime, who will notify winners and prompt them to pick the nexy car. The Saturday lobbies will be called off until further notice, and I most likely won't engage in racing or reviews for a while. I will still update the thread title and OP.

I am very sorry. Please keep COTW alive in my absence.
@XSquareStickIt What happened mate?!

giphy (29).gif


I will miss you! :(

Review: Managed an 08.55.612 on the Nords with it, stock. "This thing is actually quite tail happy lol :D Not exactly easy to push out of all cars...and not THAT pleasant to drive in general. But yeah, I gotta be fair to it here, as it's obviously the contrary to a sports car and thus it's only logical, that it behaves on a race track, as it behaves (also thx to ****** tyres)."

 
@XSquareStickIt What happened mate?!
I was rear ended very hard while stopped at a junction. 0% my fault, but it will take a long while for all the paperwork to be processed and legal teams to stop bickering. In the meantime, I'm to bear all the costs incurred until the Traffic Police and insurance companies both agree that I'm not liable and reimburse me.

I was barely making ends meet before, and this is sinking me into deep financial trouble. I will certainly not be engaging in video games or hobbies for a long while and working my ass off.

Thank you for your concern and kind words.
 
Not a COTW participant, but as the creator of the stat, it is worth noting this stat is for DLC cars only.

You're right, thanks for pointing that out. I've reworded the original post.

You can participate if you want, there's no application form to fill out :)

(That's what I get for rushing things out).
 
I was rear ended very hard while stopped at a junction. 0% my fault, but it will take a long while for all the paperwork to be processed and legal teams to stop bickering. In the meantime, I'm to bear all the costs incurred until the Traffic Police and insurance companies both agree that I'm not liable and reimburse me.

I was barely making ends meet before, and this is sinking me into deep financial trouble. I will certainly not be engaging in video games or hobbies for a long while and working my ass off.

Thank you for your concern and kind words.
Crazy. That sounds...unnecessarily...complicated? What a system...
I hope everything will turn out well mate!
 
So the last 3 weeks worth of picks have a combined price of 6 million credits, had that happened in the early days of GT7, that would’ve been quite a painful grind. :P

That 6 million will get you a VGT of your choosing, The Daihatsu RJ Copen VGT in this case, the record setting EV in the form of the Volkswagen ID.R and the Le Mans winning LM Hypercar in the Toyota GR010 Hybrid.

We’ll start cheap and go up from there. ;)

The Racing Jacket Copen still packs the common Kei Car engine, a 660cc turbo 3 cylinder engine, but turned up to 146hp which did make it one of, if not the most powerful Kei Cars in the game. :cool:

That was until the parts update and the Honda S660 took that title with 160hp from its Turbo Inline 3 engine. :irked:

And that doesn’t even consider the engine swapped Kei Cars.

That 146hp is sent to the front wheels via a 7 speed CVT gearbox with ratios so short you can launch it in 3rd gear from a standstill and still spin the tyres. :odd:

7th is pretty much a highway cruising gear and believe me I've tried finding a use for it, it requires strong slipstream and all downforce trimmed off to even somewhat use it. :D

Despite the ‘Racing Jacket’ tag, it comes with Sports Hard tyres stock, just like the Civic TC IIRC, so traction can be sometimes at a premium, but thanks to its low 600kg weight, it still proved to be a decent, fun car.

Just not 1 Million credits worth of fun. :crazy:

But the biggest mark against it more than its price?

It’s got the Racing Car Tag, meaning its usage in Career is heavily limited and any events it can enter, it’s likely to be too far off the pace to be usable.

So yeah, if you’re buying cars for the collection, make this one of the last cars you get. :ouch:

Verdict: Beater 🤨👎(but Fun)

Next is the 2 Million credits Volkswagen ID.R, VW’s All Electric Racer built with breaking records for EV’s in mind.

But why you may ask?

VW and all the manufactures under their banner were thriving in motorsports as a whole, WRC, Dakar, Le Mans, if it was under the VAG banner, it was likely winning so why the sudden switch to an EV Hillclimber?

The answer? Damage Control.

In May 2014, A group of 4 Emissions testers in the USA were testing a VW Passat TDi on a 2000 mile drive to get an idea of its real world driving emission levels and inadvertently, stumbled on to the one of the biggest cases of fraud in automotive history. :crazy:

Plainly Difficult covered the Dieselgate scandal in his video on it.



Basically in layman’s terms, VW and it’s fellow manufactures we’re gonna get stripes torn of them for lying about their diesel emissions by using cheat devices to get past the stringent emissions standards.

And those stripes cost money, a LOT of money and effectively forced VAG to cease major motorsports efforts to save money to weather the incoming storm of buy backs, lawsuits and fines and try to clean up their act, pun slightly intended. :sly:

So VW went hard on EV’s and battery tech, but it needed something extreme to get peoples attention, it needed to make a statement that EV’s could be as fast or faster than ICE’s or Hybrids.

It needed, An Electric Racecar.

Enter, The VW ID.R.

With a chassis co-developed with Norma(No strangers to the odd Hillclimb racer), the ID.R had 2 electric motors to power both axles and give it 670hp in game and 4WD.

Weighing in at under 1100kgs(1030kgs in game), the ID.R was capable of low 2 second 0-60 runs and combined with the fact it doesn’t lose power at high altitudes unlike ICE power, it made history as not only beating the EV record, but the overall record set by Sebastian Loeb and the 208 T16 Pikes Peak at Pikes Peak with a 7:57.148, the first and so far only sub 8 minute time at the legendary hillclimb. :eek:

So.. Job done right?

Nope, Just one record wasn’t enough so next up was the EV record at the Nurburgring.

So VW revised the gearing and the aero package for more speed, added DRS and set it loose at the Ring, Clocking a 6:05.336, resetting the EV record and even beating the iconic 6:11 time set by Stefan Bellof in a Group C Porsche.

Another feather in its cap was being the unofficial king of the Goodwood Hillclimb by going under the 40 second barrier for the first time, but unlike the previous two records, this one was eventually beaten by the utterly insane, fan assisted McMurtry Speirling. :drool:

So this EV’s a monster on more technical tracks, but even in game, on faster tracks like Spa, it can still put up a fight against the likes of the GR010.

Oh, we’ll get to that car shortly. :P

Now the ID.R is somewhat limited in its usage in career mode like the Copen VGT is, but it’s due its high PP level, something you can actually address and make usable in the GT World Series 800PP championship.

It’s handling can be quite tricky in regards to braking and putting power down on low speed turns, but it does wake up as the speed picks up and you can begin to properly trust it.

Not quite lightweight Gr1 levels of trust, but not too far off either.

All in all, a solid silver lining to come out of the whole Dieselgate scandal.

Verdict: Sleeper 😉👍

And last, but not least, the 3 million credits Toyota GR010 Hybrid Le Mans Hypercar.

The Le Mans Hypercar class is what LMP1 used to be, but better regulated for new manufactures to join in and potentially be competitive out the gate.

Any petrol four stroke engine configuration is allowed, but max ICE power is capped at 670hp with the now single electric motor capped at 268hp and only allowed to drive the front wheels.

The minimum weight has also been raised to over 1000kgs compared to the sub 900kgs of the LMP1’s, all for balance and keeping the costs down.

The GR010 has upgraded from a 2.4 V6 to a 3.5 V6 to make the new limit of 670hp and driving the rear tyres via a 7 speed sequential gearbox.

Now on its own merits it’s a rapid car, if slightly twitchy when applying power in low speed turns as the hybrid kicks in at around 75mph and up until 155mph.

But this is where being the only Hypercar in the Gr1 class becomes a big problem.

First off, it’s in the same class as the cars it replaced IRL and those cars were capable of putting down faster times at Le Mans than what the Hypercar class were capable of.

Yes it’s got more power from the ICE than most Gr1’s, but it’s the second heaviest car in Gr1 with only the Audi VGT being heavier, but that makes 735hp from its ICE and a combined 1274hp with its hybrid system. :eek:

On twisty tracks like Kyoto it was slower than the Mazda VGT with its no hybrid, it’s full time 4wd and it being 160kgs lighter.

Even on faster tracks like Spa where you’d think it be alright, it can still be challenged by cars with lower top speeds, but higher acceleration and cornering speeds.

Something like for example, the VW ID.R. :sly:

And when you consider the 3 million price tag, the equally pricy 919 Hybrid starts looking like the better option for most tracks.

As I mentioned before, it’s not a terrible car on its own merits, it’s great in fact, but compared to its Gr1 counterparts, it’s only viable on very fast tracks like Le Mans, but then you have to deal with the Group C’s.

To drive, it’s a Sleeper, but a Beater if used against fellow Gr1’s in a competitive event.

Verdict: Beater 👎(but do pick one up at some point.)

Lastly, @Pickle_Rick74 here’s a ping to guide you back here. :lol:
 
With @XSquareStickIt unable to host the Saturday meets, I will be hosting the Saturday meets instead with his blessing.

Saturday meets will happen at the same time: 5pm at GMT+8, provided PD doesn’t drop a surprise GTWS Exhibition Season on me.
When is that again for middle European time? I think I would finally like to try to join. :) Wish it would be a different car though lol
 
Did you know? The numbers "2" and "3" when read individually in Japanese is "ni san", and the 23rd of November is read as "ii ni san", or "A good Nissan". What a coincidence then, that Week 23 is the soon to be engaged @Nismonath5 's turn to pick!

So, which Nissan did he pick?

The 2 door hot hatch version with a DSG, apparently. Week 23 of GT7 COTW features the Volkswagen Polo GTI '14!

Schorberg und Scheldköpfchen_.jpeg


So, will a Polo tee make us feel younger than we are, or older? Join us at our weekly lobbies at Tuesday, 5th September 10 P.M. CST hosted by @Vic Reign93 , or Saturday, 9th September 5 P.M. Singapore time, graciously hosted by @RX8 Racer in my absence!

As usual, we welcome any thoughts, stories, or experience with the car in writing, even if you don't join us :)
 
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Managed an 08.22.376 on the Nords with it, bone stock. YT review: "A seriously potent modern FF hot hatch from Volkswagen. A pretty good car I think. I enjoyed my time on the track with this one. :)
Driven stock on its stock CS tyres without any driving aids, except ABS. All 3 laps are the same driven lap.



The 1km drag race, it managed in 27.908 sec.



On Tsukuba, it managed a respectable 01.08.532.

 
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This week's a bit of a pickle to announce, because @Pickle_Rick74 hasn't exactly chosen a "car" for Car of the Week, per se...

Instead, this very fast Canadian has picked yet another bespoke machine to try to best Vic this week, because as an experienced Karter in real life, Rick has chosen the Gran Turismo RACING KART 125 Shifter for Week 24 of "Car" of the Week!

High Speed Ring_.jpeg


Karts may typically be associated with beginner racers, but mistake the 125 Shifter Kart for a beginner friendly learning tool at your own peril; the Kart has handled extremely nervously and almost randomly since Gran Turismo Sport, and with solid tyres, no springs, and zero aero, there isn't much one can do to massage those tendencies out of the car— I mean, Kart. Looks like anyone hopeful to challenge Vic and Rick's stranglehold on the top two spots in our weekly lobbies will just have to resort to good old fashioned banana peels and blue shells... or just snap a photo and send it to Nintendo if they show up in a Mario Kart livery.

Our weekly Tuesday lobby remains unchanged, hosted by @Vic Reign93 on Tuesday, 12th September, 10 P.M. CST. However, for those looking to join the Saturday lobbies, take note that the temporary host, @RX8 Racer , will host the lobby an hour earlier than usual at 4 P.M. Singapore time on the 16th of September.

If you've any horror stories or opinions on the Kart, do feel free to share them in writing here on this thread!
 
So the two cars we’ve tested recently are solid examples of what COTW seeks out, the modest & underused and the popular standouts. :P

Representing the modest choice is the 28k Cr 2014 VW Polo GTi and the 75k Cr 2018 Toyota Alphard Executive Lounge represents the Popular choice.

They also both represent different takes on what a desirable daily driver for the family man should be, the Polo goes for extra performance and practicality and the Alphard goes for extra luxury and practicality.

The Polo packs a 1.8 litre turbo inline 4 making 189hp and sending its power to the front wheels via a 6 speed manual gearbox and weighs in at 1272kgs.

The Alphard packs the same 3.5 litre V6 as the Toyota Crown, but in a slightly tamer tune of 296hp compared to 309hp in the Crown.

It sends that power to all 4 wheels via an 8 speed Automatic gearbox and weighs in at 2210kgs.:embarrassed:

Both cars come with Comfort tyres as stock, Mediums for the Alphard and Softs for the Polo, they both also like to rotate while braking.

It’s actually quite easy to slide both cars around without the handbrake with just the right amount of trailbraking, but when driven seriously they do tend to understeer at their limits.

The Polo does however, manage to be usable at its limit, to such an extent it could throw down against a car half its weight in the form of the recently tested Daihatsu Copen VGT and still be competitive. :D

The Alphard is more for the fun builds and events, just like the HiMedic, but faster. :sly:

The Polo is good just over 350hp fully tuned and the Alphard is good for just over 640hp fully tuned. :cool:

Overall, both are Sleepers in their own ways, but the Polo is the better ‘out of the box’ pick of the two and you can buy almost 3 Polo GTi’s for the cost of 1 Alphard. :crazy:

Verdict(s): Sleepers 👍👍
 
Managed a 07.52.010 in GT Sport at least. YT review: "That was certainly...a wild ride! :D I mean, you're going signficantly under 8 minutes around the Nords...in a go-cart! :D In real life you would probably fly out of the effing cart at that speed. :P
Driven stock on stock tyres (sport soft) without any driving aids, except ABS. First lap in third person view, second one in cockpit view and third one in cinematic replay view. All driven laps are the same lap."

Verdict: sleeper. A sub 8 minute time on the Nords with a go-cart (!) is truely insane, and the crazy (and I guess obvious) thing is, that on a normal track, it should fare A LOT better.



EDIT: For anyone, who cares; in the meantime, I uploaded a Tsukuba and 1000 meters comparison of an important car, that we've already tested here:


 
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Oh boy.
Recently I've been playing Rocket League and the new season came out. The headliner car for the season is the Porsche 911 Turbo (930). I have a special spot for the 911 Turbo because that was the car I grew up around as my dad has the convertible 911 Turbo. Going to school I always looked cool because I arrived in that car on nice sunny days.
Chosen by @Racer283 , this week's car is the Porsche 911 Turbo (930) '81.

Oh boy.

I'm just glad I'm not part of the proceedings this week.

Oh boy.

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Style by Glown11: Traction Master
#Porsche #midnight #930

Weekly lobbies at Tuesday 10 P.M. CST, and Saturday 4 P.M. Singapore time. Every hour and every day is going to be merry–go–round hours in this thing, though.

If you want to leave your thoughts on the car, try not to write in circles.

OH BOY, it's the widowmaker.
 
In GTS at least, I managed a 07.55.444 on SH tyres. I suspect, that in GT7, even on its CS tyres, it is still a tad faster, than that.



YT review: "Well, this might be the most fun I had yet with a sports car on the Nordschleife. What a perfect match it seems really. It really likes to drift, while losing very little speed doing so, if any. The handling is super, super fun and challenging at the same time, because yes, it can be rather snappy."

The 1km drag race, it does in 24.173 sec, securing 2nd place against the 3 other oldies.



On Tsukuba, it's a similar story, securing there 2nd place as well. Interesting would be to see, how the 3 oldest models (all on CS tyres), would fair against the only model from the 90s (also the only one on SH tyres). I think the 930 and also the 904 would possibly even beat the 964.



Verdict: deadly sleeper
 
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Due to the low attendance last week, we will be running the 930 Turbo again this week.

I know I made the 930 Turbo sound like a psychopath killer in my announcement post, but after driving it around a few circuits, I found it to not be nearly as bad as I remember. The only time it tried to step out on me was if I lifted hard into a turn, or tried some ham fisted maneuvers with ABS off, but considering the car's age and comfort soft tyres, I don't think the delicacy it demands of its driver is anything out of the ordinary. Other cars of its era, front or rear mid engined, often feel more of a chore to keep pointed straight. The 930 will work with its driver if treated with respect, and even when it does let go, it lets go slowly, linearly, and is controllable even after it bites. In short, it's certainly not for the inexperienced, but it will richly reward a skilled, measured drive like only a classic 911 can.

Under off neutral braking zones, it requires surgical precision with the brake pedal and its drivers toes, and rather than lift completely to let engine braking bite fully like in most cars, the 930 prefers keeping just a tad of throttle to finely balance the weight transfer off the rear. Do that, and the 930 Turbo is a shockingly reasonable and communicative darling that can let its hair down at any time upon request.

Don't try it in the wet, though. It's still bloody miserable there. You'll be crabbing through whole straights in full wet conditions.

Despite being the first turbo 911, this car already shows one of the biggest advantage of having a blower attached to its emblematic Flat 6: mid range torque. Of course, being an early 80s car, the turbo does take a while to wake up, and even when awake, it doesn't have the F–off torque from idle that modern cars have, but what it does have is some life support for the engine from as middling as 4,000rpm, and given that the 930 only has 4 long and wide forward gears, that mid range torque is a godsend out of corners. The engine respectfully taps out at 7,000rpm right when it runs out of shove, like a good athlete that knows when to retire, but it can sometimes leave me wanting more revs due to said wide gearing, forcing me to shift at awkward times.

I've been quietly thinking to myself that the current set of physics is a little biased towards understeer, and it's so refreshing to actually feel lift off oversteer in a car. It's also the first time where I felt like the aftermarket Anti Lag system actually does anything other than burn extra fuel; most modern cars don't have that much perceptible lag, rendering the ALS system just a party popper for photo shoots.

As one of the most infamous 911s ever made, it's hugely important to both Racer and Vic, and thus I urge our regulars to at least try making it to our usual Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning lobbies. I'll try my damndest to make it, with a comparison car that I think will give Vic a good challenge :) Throw away all the preconceived infamy of the car and just give it a chance; you just might come away pleasantly surprised.
 
Due to the low attendance last week, we will be running the 930 Turbo again this week.

I know I made the 930 Turbo sound like a psychopath killer in my announcement post, but after driving it around a few circuits, I found it to not be nearly as bad as I remember. The only time it tried to step out on me was if I lifted hard into a turn, or tried some ham fisted maneuvers with ABS off, but considering the car's age and comfort soft tyres, I don't think the delicacy it demands of its driver is anything out of the ordinary. Other cars of its era, front or rear mid engined, often feel more of a chore to keep pointed straight. The 930 will work with its driver if treated with respect, and even when it does let go, it lets go slowly, linearly, and is controllable even after it bites. In short, it's certainly not for the inexperienced, but it will richly reward a skilled, measured drive like only a classic 911 can.

Under off neutral braking zones, it requires surgical precision with the brake pedal and its drivers toes, and rather than lift completely to let engine braking bite fully like in most cars, the 930 prefers keeping just a tad of throttle to finely balance the weight transfer off the rear. Do that, and the 930 Turbo is a shockingly reasonable and communicative darling that can let its hair down at any time upon request.

Don't try it in the wet, though. It's still bloody miserable there. You'll be crabbing through whole straights in full wet conditions.

Despite being the first turbo 911, this car already shows one of the biggest advantage of having a blower attached to its emblematic Flat 6: mid range torque. Of course, being an early 80s car, the turbo does take a while to wake up, and even when awake, it doesn't have the F–off torque from idle that modern cars have, but what it does have is some life support for the engine from as middling as 4,000rpm, and given that the 930 only has 4 long and wide forward gears, that mid range torque is a godsend out of corners. The engine respectfully taps out at 7,000rpm right when it runs out of shove, like a good athlete that knows when to retire, but it can sometimes leave me wanting more revs due to said wide gearing, forcing me to shift at awkward times.

I've been quietly thinking to myself that the current set of physics is a little biased towards understeer, and it's so refreshing to actually feel lift off oversteer in a car. It's also the first time where I felt like the aftermarket Anti Lag system actually does anything other than burn extra fuel; most modern cars don't have that much perceptible lag, rendering the ALS system just a party popper for photo shoots.

As one of the most infamous 911s ever made, it's hugely important to both Racer and Vic, and thus I urge our regulars to at least try making it to our usual Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning lobbies. I'll try my damndest to make it, with a comparison car that I think will give Vic a good challenge :) Throw away all the preconceived infamy of the car and just give it a chance; you just might come away pleasantly surprised.

I agree on...everything really. Except one: the wet weather driving. @RX8 Racer and I have driven it in wet/drying conditions on SPA and in HEAVY wet conditions on the Nordschleife. 2 full laps. RX8 Racer didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I did (shocker :embarrassed:), but I loved it.

megusta.jpg
 
I agree on...everything really. Except one: the wet weather driving. @RX8 Racer and I have driven it in wet/drying conditions on SPA and in HEAVY wet conditions on the Nordschleife. 2 full laps. RX8 Racer didn't seem to enjoy it as much as I did (shocker :embarrassed:), but I loved it.

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I thought you were supposed to be tag teaming with him to create the worst car and track combos. That alliance fell through already? :sly:
 
We didn't PICK that Porsche, now did we?

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Nice to know your working relationship is so conditional 👍

Here's a banger of a race from this past Wednesday. Vic was dominating everyone so much that he could powerslide and inertia drift the whole day and still keep in front of everyone, and so I thought I needed something I was familiar with myself to bring the fight to him. No other reason at all for me picking the RX-7 to compare ;)



Crazy to think that this late 70s/early 80s sports car can more than hang with something else with a sensible layout, 20 years younger than it!
 
We've tested some of the best sports cars in the automotive industry, and sampled some of motorsports' fastest prototypes, but quite frankly, none of them made me feel as glad to see as an ambulance just over a month ago in my life when I was involved in a traffic accident. As ugly a thing as it is to say, I think we'll all get to that point in our lives where we'd be more glad to see an ambulance than anything else in the world.

Kaminarimon-dori, Asakusa_.jpeg


This week, we recognise and celebrate the all–important presence of ambulances and their drivers in the only way we know how... by flogging stock Toyota Ambulance Himedic '21s around a racetrack in a virtual setting, without any training whatsoever! Our weekly lobbies are at Tuesday, 3rd of October, 10 P.M. CST and Saturday, 7th of October, 4 P.M. Singapore time. Be sure to show up on time if you want to be a good ambulance driver!

Feel free to share any photos, videos, liveries, or just personal stories and experiences with the ambulance as well if you have any!

Now, with that out of the way, a word from the person who picked the HiMedic to feature this week, @Obelisk , and some insight into the wondrously complex philosophies as to why he chose the ambulance...
救急車が通ります。進路を譲ってください
that, which should translate as “the ambulance will pass by, please excuse [us]"
 
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