- 16,229
- Melbourne
- ScottPuss20
- CheetahsMeow
The car has quite a story and I really wanted to tell it in an entertaining way.
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Car of the Week | Toyota S-FR '15
- Thread starter XSquareStickIt
- 1,132 comments
- 360,199 views
- 3,931
- On the move
- SomePlayaDude
- 6,656
- Hanover/Germany
- alexpkas
The car itself is...amazing. Nimble, engaging, thrilling and a really nice sound to boot. Nice looks as well. Considering that it's over 20 years old (soon 25), just shows how brilliant it is. Such an overachiever this and an absolute joy to drive.
Verdict: absolute sleeper of a car.
GT Sport runs for comparison:
It's crazy how some cars are legit ~15 seconds quicker in GT7 around the Nordschleife compared to GT Sport.
Last edited:
- 3,931
- On the move
- SomePlayaDude
Decided to relook last week's challenge, and the maestro had a hiccup. I've already accepted defeat, but there's that 1:12 time covered by some guy who's effing invincible.
The 1:12 time is with the Group 3 car that I deem as not legal. I even foreshadowed this.. and maybe I'll call it the cheat. And after such an easy boss fight on the rainy helipad, here's the real cheat time.
Yes sir: it is in that beautiful in between time.
When you only tap the brakes for Madgwick and coast into St. Mary's, I feel you can definitely cut around 4 tenths with the Group 3 car. In it, you are flying around this place: and I'm glad I restricted it, because it literally is the cheat.
Who wants to see the tune? Why am I asking; it's here.
Oh yeah, that is a firm ass (yes I stole that bit of innuendo from the 4C Gr.3 analysis).
I'm taking an.. undisclosed duration break from the story writing (analyses and verdicts for the past 2 weeks I'll upload maybe tomorrow). Whenever that comes back, it's purely no plot nonsense.
After Saturday, my initial thoughts of the car's Neutral transformed into Top Sleeper. I weaved with a Huracan, had more fun than when I was in a Viper, and it also managed to humble in a high speed chase against the most controversial Gr.3 car of all: the Peugeot VGT. You need to check the replays. If there was any hint that exists a Tryhard SPD.. there might be the answer there.
The 1:12 time is with the Group 3 car that I deem as not legal. I even foreshadowed this.. and maybe I'll call it the cheat. And after such an easy boss fight on the rainy helipad, here's the real cheat time.
Yes sir: it is in that beautiful in between time.
When you only tap the brakes for Madgwick and coast into St. Mary's, I feel you can definitely cut around 4 tenths with the Group 3 car. In it, you are flying around this place: and I'm glad I restricted it, because it literally is the cheat.
Who wants to see the tune? Why am I asking; it's here.
Oh yeah, that is a firm ass (yes I stole that bit of innuendo from the 4C Gr.3 analysis).
I'm taking an.. undisclosed duration break from the story writing (analyses and verdicts for the past 2 weeks I'll upload maybe tomorrow). Whenever that comes back, it's purely no plot nonsense.
After Saturday, my initial thoughts of the car's Neutral transformed into Top Sleeper. I weaved with a Huracan, had more fun than when I was in a Viper, and it also managed to humble in a high speed chase against the most controversial Gr.3 car of all: the Peugeot VGT. You need to check the replays. If there was any hint that exists a Tryhard SPD.. there might be the answer there.
- 1,738
- Singapore
- XSquareStickIt
The short–lived Alfa Romeo 4C was probably too small a car to serve as the basis for a GT3 racecar in real life, but Gran Turismo's rough equivalent of said GT3 category, Gr.3, has accommodated so much more eccentric a racecar than a puffed out, ballasted up 4C, making it look downright at home. But where in the hierarchy does the sole car wearing the storied Alfa Romeo badge stand in Gr.3?
Alfa Romeo Orlen 4C Gr.3 by Z4E_Midnight85
#alfaromeo #orlen #4c
The Midnight Collection on GTPlanet Forums
[SuperGT 2005] #30 Reckless by HennyGingerale
#supergt #2005 #reckless
Gingerale Garage - Hundred replicas on GTPlanet Forums
The first thing that strikes an onlooker with a 4C Gr.3 is, of course, its comparatively tiny size, even with the flares and bulges. Being a rear mid–engined, tiny sports car, it's almost a foregone conclusion that the 4C would serve almost a Lotus Elise like niche in Gr.3, being the extremely lightweight, but severely underpowered surgical knife of a car that would compete against the bigger goliaths with sheer agility and frugality, but take either a quick look at the Balance of Performance tables or a 4C running amongst its peers, and that seemingly foregone conclusion quickly fades away: the 4C is only the 9th lightest and the 16th least powerful car in the zany Gr.3 category with v1.48 Mid–Speed BoP applied, rendering it rather prone to being lost in the shuffle when it comes time to pick a meta car. For a supposed cornering car, it has a surprising ability to sniff unsuspecting rear bumpers: my GT500 NSX struggled to rein in the 4C in the wake of the latter's miniscule slipstream around Grand Valley, and Alex's 4C set a faster lap in clean air than my F1 GTR aided with some slipstream... around Monza. The 4C also has a strong top end possibly owing to its lack of drag, making it punch above its weight on tracks that explore the speed limits of Gr.3 cars.
But that is not to say that the folks at Polyphony Digital will give up that illusion of an agile car that quickly: the 4C has a front end so sharp and responsive that it seemingly reacts more to a driver's brain waves rather than their hands. With a full rearward brake bias of +5, weak ABS, and downshifting as aggressive as the caricature flares of the 4C, its rear end comes around just a slight bit under hard braking into a corner, transitioning over seamlessly to the intuitively progressive turbocharged engine when it comes time for propulsion to carry that momentum. Of course, as a short wheelbase RMR car, the 4C will wear its rear tyres out more than its fronts—about twice as fast on the outside from my time flogging it around Sardegna A—but the 4C's personality doesn't change all that much even as its tyres wear down, being mainly limited by front grip. It's only in extreme wear cases, at about 10% life left on soft tyres, does the 4C start becoming squirrely. In terms short and sweet like the lifespan of the production car, the 4C a delight to toss around corners in spite of its spec sheet.
...if the course fits the car well, that is.
Looks can be deceiving, and the tiny RMR sports car is hardly the ideal cornering Gr.3 machine. To illustrate, I'll be comparing it against the car that has been the closest thing to being my go–to car in Gr.3, the 2017 Porsche 911 RSR, and I took both cars out onto the qualifying Time Trial of last week's Daily Race B at Maggiore GP. The 4C is just a bit more prone to power oversteer out of corners, and the fictional car is violently allergic to kerbs, grass, and sausages, with the whole car seemingly surrendering all semblance of grip and control and going completely limp the moment there's an imbalance of traction on one side, often resulting in a rather embarrassing meeting with the inside barrier at a perpendicular angle. Tracks that necessitate heinous track cuts or kerb riding, such as Maggiore and Dragon Trail, might as well be minefields for drivers in a 4C, while the 911 simply wafts past these road imperfections as though a gentle, passing breeze.
While the 4C gives drivers neck–snapping initial turn–in, it doesn't have the same turning ability of the 911 at the same speeds, and it's much less communicative when approaching said limits, resulting in a confidence inspiring, if not frantic turn–in, only for the steering wheel to suddenly feel like it has hit a brick wall mid rotation. The 911, while not as ferociously responsive initially, is much more gradual and communicative with its grip limits to me, and have I mentioned the 911 turns more at the same speed? All this is most evident at high speed sweeping corners like turn 13 of Maggiore, the deceptively scary right kink leading onto the home straight of the West End Layout with minimal runoff area. It's a flat out corner in the 911—but there isn't much wiggle room in the racing line if the turn is to be taken flat. The 4C has without fail, asked of me to lift for the turn, even if for a barely noticeable moment and a tiny smidge, and this is even with as perfect a line as I could manage. I had considered the possibility of the gung–ho 4C being faster at that point, or just having its downforce more biased to the rear, but the 911 and 4C share identical downforce values according to the game, and the 4C similarly asks me to lift much more for Turn 8 than the 911; the final left hander in a complex of corners before the gentle chicane leading onto the back straight.
While the svelte 4C isn't nearly my top pick for Gr.3, it is nonetheless a solid option if the track suits the car, even more so if the event heavily rewards frugality with tyres and fuel. And, hey, that's a lot more than what can currently be said about the brand's real life racing efforts in F1. That's got to amount to something, right?
Alfa Romeo Orlen 4C Gr.3 by Z4E_Midnight85
#alfaromeo #orlen #4c
The Midnight Collection on GTPlanet Forums
[SuperGT 2005] #30 Reckless by HennyGingerale
#supergt #2005 #reckless
Gingerale Garage - Hundred replicas on GTPlanet Forums
The first thing that strikes an onlooker with a 4C Gr.3 is, of course, its comparatively tiny size, even with the flares and bulges. Being a rear mid–engined, tiny sports car, it's almost a foregone conclusion that the 4C would serve almost a Lotus Elise like niche in Gr.3, being the extremely lightweight, but severely underpowered surgical knife of a car that would compete against the bigger goliaths with sheer agility and frugality, but take either a quick look at the Balance of Performance tables or a 4C running amongst its peers, and that seemingly foregone conclusion quickly fades away: the 4C is only the 9th lightest and the 16th least powerful car in the zany Gr.3 category with v1.48 Mid–Speed BoP applied, rendering it rather prone to being lost in the shuffle when it comes time to pick a meta car. For a supposed cornering car, it has a surprising ability to sniff unsuspecting rear bumpers: my GT500 NSX struggled to rein in the 4C in the wake of the latter's miniscule slipstream around Grand Valley, and Alex's 4C set a faster lap in clean air than my F1 GTR aided with some slipstream... around Monza. The 4C also has a strong top end possibly owing to its lack of drag, making it punch above its weight on tracks that explore the speed limits of Gr.3 cars.
But that is not to say that the folks at Polyphony Digital will give up that illusion of an agile car that quickly: the 4C has a front end so sharp and responsive that it seemingly reacts more to a driver's brain waves rather than their hands. With a full rearward brake bias of +5, weak ABS, and downshifting as aggressive as the caricature flares of the 4C, its rear end comes around just a slight bit under hard braking into a corner, transitioning over seamlessly to the intuitively progressive turbocharged engine when it comes time for propulsion to carry that momentum. Of course, as a short wheelbase RMR car, the 4C will wear its rear tyres out more than its fronts—about twice as fast on the outside from my time flogging it around Sardegna A—but the 4C's personality doesn't change all that much even as its tyres wear down, being mainly limited by front grip. It's only in extreme wear cases, at about 10% life left on soft tyres, does the 4C start becoming squirrely. In terms short and sweet like the lifespan of the production car, the 4C a delight to toss around corners in spite of its spec sheet.
...if the course fits the car well, that is.
Looks can be deceiving, and the tiny RMR sports car is hardly the ideal cornering Gr.3 machine. To illustrate, I'll be comparing it against the car that has been the closest thing to being my go–to car in Gr.3, the 2017 Porsche 911 RSR, and I took both cars out onto the qualifying Time Trial of last week's Daily Race B at Maggiore GP. The 4C is just a bit more prone to power oversteer out of corners, and the fictional car is violently allergic to kerbs, grass, and sausages, with the whole car seemingly surrendering all semblance of grip and control and going completely limp the moment there's an imbalance of traction on one side, often resulting in a rather embarrassing meeting with the inside barrier at a perpendicular angle. Tracks that necessitate heinous track cuts or kerb riding, such as Maggiore and Dragon Trail, might as well be minefields for drivers in a 4C, while the 911 simply wafts past these road imperfections as though a gentle, passing breeze.
While the 4C gives drivers neck–snapping initial turn–in, it doesn't have the same turning ability of the 911 at the same speeds, and it's much less communicative when approaching said limits, resulting in a confidence inspiring, if not frantic turn–in, only for the steering wheel to suddenly feel like it has hit a brick wall mid rotation. The 911, while not as ferociously responsive initially, is much more gradual and communicative with its grip limits to me, and have I mentioned the 911 turns more at the same speed? All this is most evident at high speed sweeping corners like turn 13 of Maggiore, the deceptively scary right kink leading onto the home straight of the West End Layout with minimal runoff area. It's a flat out corner in the 911—but there isn't much wiggle room in the racing line if the turn is to be taken flat. The 4C has without fail, asked of me to lift for the turn, even if for a barely noticeable moment and a tiny smidge, and this is even with as perfect a line as I could manage. I had considered the possibility of the gung–ho 4C being faster at that point, or just having its downforce more biased to the rear, but the 911 and 4C share identical downforce values according to the game, and the 4C similarly asks me to lift much more for Turn 8 than the 911; the final left hander in a complex of corners before the gentle chicane leading onto the back straight.
While the svelte 4C isn't nearly my top pick for Gr.3, it is nonetheless a solid option if the track suits the car, even more so if the event heavily rewards frugality with tyres and fuel. And, hey, that's a lot more than what can currently be said about the brand's real life racing efforts in F1. That's got to amount to something, right?
Last edited:
- 6,656
- Hanover/Germany
- alexpkas
That's just the driver factor.
Sorry haha I'm still riding the Porsche hot lap high wave.
- 3,931
- On the move
- SomePlayaDude
Well, hello there, Night Moves! Why's it here already?
Oh..
Oh no.
It's happening again.
Even though I'm ready for this, part of me still can't believe it.
Oh, goody. Week 63 gives us a moment of poetic significance. I approve, and I disapprove the fact I see nobody else referencing this. So I gotta write this..
Back in 1963, thanks to a dispute stemmed from a broken clutch from a broken Ferrari, one of the greatest marques in the Italian automobile industry came to be. That brand would be named Automobili Lamborghini, of course with a namesake sourced by the man behind it: tractor engineer turned automotive giant Ferruccio Lamborghini.
I've already wrote a whole set of paragraphs when I nominated this car's production model back in Mini Mexico. I'll just make a quick summary derived from that instead.
Made as a side project, the Miura was born thanks to the combined efforts of the company's young engineers. Big names too had a part, from eventual aerodynamics specialist Gian Paolo Dallara penning the chassis, a Marcello Gandini designed body, and long time Lamborghini engineer Paolo Stanzani handling the inner details.
By 1966, the car then got its first showing in the Geneva Motor Show. It really took the attention of the people who, at the time, attributed mid engined cars as ones born for the track. But the Miura was road legal, and thanks to this overwhelming support, Ferruccio would attribute the Miura as the company's first giant leap into the industry, birthing the trend of Lamborghini flagships being mid-mounted V12 screamers.
I guess what's the most important detail of all would be Ferrari as a company started sweating buckets, with Ford threatening them on the track, and the Miura being the hottest Italian sports machine about. All because Enzo knew how to touch a nerve in where it hurts the most: pride.
Uniquely, the Miura that's debuted since Gran Turismo 5 isn't your run of the mill P400. It's one of the 5 prototypes that got modified into one of the road cars. More specifically it's the second. As sourced from the in game descriptions, this model, etched as chassis 0706, survived 4 decades of wear and tear without needing restoration. No, I don't know what significance does it mean.
Powered by the famed Giotto Bizzarrini V12's which philosophy goes on all the way to even modern Lamborghini V12s, the Miura has a not so modest 350 horsepower empowering a much lighter than usual 950 kilos through a 5 speed manual. If there was an association of cars to a person, the Miura is that to me. One of the most viewed Media pieces on this website that's a car would be this purple one with gold trim, one I dubbed as Night Moves: a name I took from a certain hit from a certain Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band.
Ever since it's appeared in GT Sport, I'm still figuring out how to insert Night Moves into the story. It's not a museum, but a smuggling ring handled by a certain ravishing Dutch classic car nut might be that ticket.
This week's theme song:
Midnight Rider
Bob Seger
Back in '72
So, let's begin by saying one: I keep reminding you all that racers back in the 60s are a different breed of badass. So am I, but only I get to say good things about myself proper and get nothing out of it from everyone else. It's the main drawback of being egotistical.
How about we begin with something hot: like for me roast you personally? Well.. while this week's intent on the nomination meant to disturb me, that idea seems to wane as soon as I see everyone either trying to contend with this car in similar paced cars, or handling the reins of this bull. It's like a sniper with their sights on me, but ending up killing everyone else around. Like a rodeo, you have to hang on tight and understand the many behaviours of this bovine to bring the best of it. So, if there was a 5 star rating for how tough this is to bring about, the Miura is an easy 6 star. It didn't stop me for knowing and understanding how it drives for the past 6 years.
Let's formally begin with an SPD staple: brakes. In terms of stopping power, they are not bad (I drove the C8 Corvette and they are WORSE). Catch: hold them hard enough, and people with weaker ABS settings will lock the rear. From me: this is the first of this behaviour so far here, and strangely one I find also in Mini Mexico. I must also add that you should also engine brake responsibly. But instead you find in this quandary that you either don't do it, and you slip. And if you do it, should it be done haphazardly, you slip. So gradually slow downshifts with this one would be a good idea. Or rather the only idea for those who are alive. Yet again: this car is very similar to the original Countach in all this.
The other big problem is traction. Hoo boy. 5 long gears and no turbo to mess up the power, and you're saying something's up? Maybe I should tell you how loose this car's LSD is. And how floaty the whole ride is, but let's go to the LSD first: Letting the car's accelerator off when turning is not quite what you want to do, because . It indeed is a must you do some form of brake throttling to keep the car level. And then when it's time to accelerate, you do that gradually as the car seems to generate power before getting it into the tires. This, also, is scarily accurate when I drove the car in Mini Mexico.
You know, there sure are a lot of things you can get wrong with the Miura that's accurately depicted. That disturbs me.
While the Miura is a floaty ride, going against it is actually much more simple than you think. Doctors hate this one simple trick SPD uses to maximise his Miura dominance. I've been driving manual for over a decade, and in the Miura, it's needed. It feels heavy to bring it up to its best rev range, but that's the experience I feel aroused when in the Miura. Having a gear up at most times is my secret, except on longer straights where keeping it basic is the way to go. Careful though: bringing up a gear does play with the clutch that messes up the car's stability.
But don't you dismiss that 360 horsepower for a car that won't burn rubber.. it burns it, and it burns it FINE.
Okay. Back to it: when you lose traction with this, it's manageable enough you can hop back in with a rev bounce or two, only with said setback being a bit more noticeable as the car has less than meager acceleration.. 'feeling'.. is feeling even the word for this?
Umm.. on the low revs, it's sluggish. On the higher revs, you will see the Miura showing its greatest asset: acceleration. It's like the Escudo, but not as horrendously pronounced: you want this car on high revs at almost all times, so you shift when you hit that rev bounce! This is a feeling I also get with the Peugeot VGT Group 3: another car I have tons on miles with. As mentioned earlier, you don't short shift these things if not playing with the handling. Having good inputs is a plus, especially in the rain. Y'know I don't know how that last turn incident happened. Must've gotten my mind filled with something.
The Miura simply is a car for those who want to find a groove in what is the first of its kind. But it won't let you find it so easy with all these ways it plans to kill you, even if it does have nice wicked lashes on its eyes.
How about we begin with something hot: like for me roast you personally? Well.. while this week's intent on the nomination meant to disturb me, that idea seems to wane as soon as I see everyone either trying to contend with this car in similar paced cars, or handling the reins of this bull. It's like a sniper with their sights on me, but ending up killing everyone else around. Like a rodeo, you have to hang on tight and understand the many behaviours of this bovine to bring the best of it. So, if there was a 5 star rating for how tough this is to bring about, the Miura is an easy 6 star. It didn't stop me for knowing and understanding how it drives for the past 6 years.
Let's formally begin with an SPD staple: brakes. In terms of stopping power, they are not bad (I drove the C8 Corvette and they are WORSE). Catch: hold them hard enough, and people with weaker ABS settings will lock the rear. From me: this is the first of this behaviour so far here, and strangely one I find also in Mini Mexico. I must also add that you should also engine brake responsibly. But instead you find in this quandary that you either don't do it, and you slip. And if you do it, should it be done haphazardly, you slip. So gradually slow downshifts with this one would be a good idea. Or rather the only idea for those who are alive. Yet again: this car is very similar to the original Countach in all this.
The other big problem is traction. Hoo boy. 5 long gears and no turbo to mess up the power, and you're saying something's up? Maybe I should tell you how loose this car's LSD is. And how floaty the whole ride is, but let's go to the LSD first: Letting the car's accelerator off when turning is not quite what you want to do, because . It indeed is a must you do some form of brake throttling to keep the car level. And then when it's time to accelerate, you do that gradually as the car seems to generate power before getting it into the tires. This, also, is scarily accurate when I drove the car in Mini Mexico.
You know, there sure are a lot of things you can get wrong with the Miura that's accurately depicted. That disturbs me.
While the Miura is a floaty ride, going against it is actually much more simple than you think. Doctors hate this one simple trick SPD uses to maximise his Miura dominance. I've been driving manual for over a decade, and in the Miura, it's needed. It feels heavy to bring it up to its best rev range, but that's the experience I feel aroused when in the Miura. Having a gear up at most times is my secret, except on longer straights where keeping it basic is the way to go. Careful though: bringing up a gear does play with the clutch that messes up the car's stability.
But don't you dismiss that 360 horsepower for a car that won't burn rubber.. it burns it, and it burns it FINE.
Okay. Back to it: when you lose traction with this, it's manageable enough you can hop back in with a rev bounce or two, only with said setback being a bit more noticeable as the car has less than meager acceleration.. 'feeling'.. is feeling even the word for this?
Umm.. on the low revs, it's sluggish. On the higher revs, you will see the Miura showing its greatest asset: acceleration. It's like the Escudo, but not as horrendously pronounced: you want this car on high revs at almost all times, so you shift when you hit that rev bounce! This is a feeling I also get with the Peugeot VGT Group 3: another car I have tons on miles with. As mentioned earlier, you don't short shift these things if not playing with the handling. Having good inputs is a plus, especially in the rain. Y'know I don't know how that last turn incident happened. Must've gotten my mind filled with something.
The Miura simply is a car for those who want to find a groove in what is the first of its kind. But it won't let you find it so easy with all these ways it plans to kill you, even if it does have nice wicked lashes on its eyes.
Tuner's, eh? What can you do to a car born from an era where race viability comes in what's already on the car?
Nope, not style points. You race a Miura, you have to dedicate yourself to doing so. Start by putting on the only additions from GT Auto: a widekit and a spoiler. While I will hate you for the rest of your life for doing so, it really helps keeping the car in check when all others fail. If you ask me, it might be what the car only needs to survive, but I'm me, and I'm not joking with 6 out of 5 stars, okay?
Interestingly, the Miura in Forza Horizon doesn't have an engine swap. It doesn't have one here too, but it also has no added aspiration changes. You'll get quite a few of these restrictions with Lamborghini cars in this game after all. I too don't want a turbo in my Bizzarrini V12, but I've yet to describe properly on the why.
Due to its issues holding on the road, the anti roll bars are the main source of your adjusting needs. Get those high. How high? Mine are both at 8, and I often swap the front between 8 to 10 depending on the mood. I am sick with the flu this week, so that's an easy 10 for today.. but you be you: just keep them high.
After anti-roll bars, it's a higher rear negative camber for more turning grip. After that, it's free reign, though I'd play around with the toe a bit.. I'm not confident with toe, so don't ask me for advice here.
Now with the brakes. You can just opt to get better brakes, but if you want to cheat a bit, just buy the brake balance controller, and set it to at least -1. When I mean 'at least -1', I mean at least it's a bit to the front so that if you need more to the front, that's welcomed.
We probably should address the LSD. That's coming, alright? Umm.. Get a good high number for the deceleration. 25 to 30 is good. Acceleration you want at least 10, maybe higher if you're looking for a good time akin to the stock ride. And before you ask: even on harder tires you want these: it's still a hoot to run this car stock with slicks, see me on Week 58.. the day I dissed my fourth wall breaking ninja wannabe.
Let's get this out of the way. Yes, it's a purists wet dream. Yes I may be a purist. But I don't care if you're a f[BLEEP]ing pussy or anything like that. I want you to come back from driving this car with happy smiles and not a tinge on your mental state. Like me on any day I get a chance to sneak this car in a week in the past, or whatever may come in the future. And let me refer once again to the story: come back to us as Candy, not as caramel.
Nope, not style points. You race a Miura, you have to dedicate yourself to doing so. Start by putting on the only additions from GT Auto: a widekit and a spoiler. While I will hate you for the rest of your life for doing so, it really helps keeping the car in check when all others fail. If you ask me, it might be what the car only needs to survive, but I'm me, and I'm not joking with 6 out of 5 stars, okay?
Interestingly, the Miura in Forza Horizon doesn't have an engine swap. It doesn't have one here too, but it also has no added aspiration changes. You'll get quite a few of these restrictions with Lamborghini cars in this game after all. I too don't want a turbo in my Bizzarrini V12, but I've yet to describe properly on the why.
Due to its issues holding on the road, the anti roll bars are the main source of your adjusting needs. Get those high. How high? Mine are both at 8, and I often swap the front between 8 to 10 depending on the mood. I am sick with the flu this week, so that's an easy 10 for today.. but you be you: just keep them high.
After anti-roll bars, it's a higher rear negative camber for more turning grip. After that, it's free reign, though I'd play around with the toe a bit.. I'm not confident with toe, so don't ask me for advice here.
Now with the brakes. You can just opt to get better brakes, but if you want to cheat a bit, just buy the brake balance controller, and set it to at least -1. When I mean 'at least -1', I mean at least it's a bit to the front so that if you need more to the front, that's welcomed.
We probably should address the LSD. That's coming, alright? Umm.. Get a good high number for the deceleration. 25 to 30 is good. Acceleration you want at least 10, maybe higher if you're looking for a good time akin to the stock ride. And before you ask: even on harder tires you want these: it's still a hoot to run this car stock with slicks, see me on Week 58.. the day I dissed my fourth wall breaking ninja wannabe.
Let's get this out of the way. Yes, it's a purists wet dream. Yes I may be a purist. But I don't care if you're a f[BLEEP]ing pussy or anything like that. I want you to come back from driving this car with happy smiles and not a tinge on your mental state. Like me on any day I get a chance to sneak this car in a week in the past, or whatever may come in the future. And let me refer once again to the story: come back to us as Candy, not as caramel.
It all culminates here. Here is where the anger will go: to a car that you cannot be furious at no matter how bad things are going about.
So, happy 2nd year of laughing along what might be the only time I'll ever break because someone hijacked my nominee in another world, but it became much more memorable than it should be.
I guess that's the thing about one trick ponies: they only work once. If that's a definition of such. Anyways..
Back in 2013, Alfa Romeo released their new flagship in the form of the 4C: a skittish little midships sports car that has earned its name as a baby supercar thanks to its carbon monocoque combined with aluminum that's accessible. Using a small engine sourced from its hot hatch contemporary the Giuletta, the car produces 236 horses but has a paltry weight of under 900 kilos, which means if it doesn't seem fast, you're going to be surprised.
Taking the shape of another classic Alfa in the beautiful 33 Stradale, the 4C is a domestically priced car with long wait times being the first of its problems. Do I know more problems with it? It's not quite a problem, but well.. one might ask.. can it race?
Aside some roots based teams, we're not seeing this kind of car in any official form. But in Gran Turismo land, we can see that form come in with this: a GT racer with a specailly homologated variant. Today we take on the race car. Now, aside the large wing, and specially made new body its got, one can also notice the fully covered headlights that you don't get when you use the regular 4C. As it stands, the car's engine is upgraded to pump out 528 horsepower, but it gains a 300 kilo load to keep its cornering ability to match its competitors.
Since it's completely fictional.. but I'd say completely feasible as well (looking at the Beetle Gr.3 on this..), it's one car that's quite striking, but can it DO the strikes? On BOP, you get 496-503 horsepower bringing 1285-1305 kilos, depending on locale. So it's nerfed, but what isn't?
Time to make begin the end of Phase 4. Now, I can't be the only guy here who enjoys a bit of Pink Floyd, right?
This week's theme song:
Run Like Hell
Pink Floyd
The Wall
So, rule 43 of the Internet states that "the more beautiful and pure a thing is, the more satisfying it is to corrupt it". Honestly, since the 4C isn't subject to appear in any of the recent Need For Speed games, I can't seem to enable this kind of idea in a radical way towards the 4C. Well, all you can do is what people do when they first make liveries: spray it with memes: the DNA of the soul.
Alfa Romeo cars are beautiful. And I can't say the 4C itself is pure: it has a turbo, after all, and it's a splitting image of the 33 Stradale: a 60s sports car with a naturally aspirated V8. Now that's pure. Perhaps the 4C is the corruption of that car, and this week's Group 3 racecar is the corruption of that corruption. Would I say this is the first ever double corruption?
Like a lot of what comes out of it's impossible to prove. While I do have a nice argument, if I need to back this up, you can say my source is that I made it the eff up.
To test out the car, instead of taking it away on Goodwood for some weekly challenge cheating, I went to Lago Maggiore and headed for the Circuit Experience there.. it's one I haven't done and kept that million for a rainy day when.. umm.. something like the 33 Stradale gets in the game, I guess? As I've said 2 years ago: any car on Circuit Experience gets nominated for the worst car in the game. That might as well have been aged like milk; we have Sleepers there like the Radical SR3. Overall, this is a blessing in disguise as the myriad of technical segments in Maggiore gives me a good variety to play around with some way to tell you've done it right or not.
You probably should know midships/RR cars in Group 3 are usually dangerous rides, exhibit A being the Ferrari we had a few weeks back. The Alfa Romeo, thanks to its small size and well planted form, is notably one of the exceptions. Actually, it's literally the training wheels bike for aspiring racers who wants to get in the oversteery Group 3 lot, but you do sacrifice that oversteer for a car with some understeer in place.. as well as a notably lacking pace that needs you to really grind your gears to make the best of it. And unlike my inner Senator Armstrong (oh God why is this starting to manifest?!), I've never ever ever seen this car appear on the radar at all. It's literally just another footnote for what other manufacturers see Alfa Romeo as in the whole scheme. A shame, that's what this all is.
While the car's not got issues that's glaring, let's go over what it does good. Like I said: it's safe. Like so safe, you'd wonder why it's got a turbo, and you're not going to find yourself oversteering out of a corner so easy when it reaches that RPM range where the turbo spools proper. Quick look at the powerband reveals that happens rather early on.. at around the 3500 RPM zone. And the torque clocks in at 390 on stock, meaning you're not going to get much oomph when you do need it in higher revs.
But if there's one thing, this Group 3 car wants most out of to get it to work. It demands your input being as aggressive as you can without heading to certain unwanted places where you'd want a car on the racetrack. The biggest giveaway of this safety is that it's got out of this world stability while turning, great acceleration on corner exits (easy to exit means less wheelspin), traction that makes you wonder if this is a nano sized turbo, and a general feeling of something light. It's definitely in that region of a light Group 3 car, but the GR Supra is lighter on BOP.
Here's a nice little surprise I found on the Saturday lobby: the 4C actually has an excellent top end. After getting to the final gear, it seems whatever turbo is underneath really helps it accelerate in the top end. I guess acceleration is a forte this car is not being obvious with.
It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however. When can that even happen? With that much power, you can slip at the occassional off track turfing or notably angled curbing. On normal driving, I find it to be slippery only on the first 2 gears at that aforementioned 3500 RPM zone. Elsewhere, this has to be one of the few cars you are allowed to go wild. Be a bit more wary on elevation, turfing, or a combination of the both, since it can unsettle the ride due to its low slung setup. If you main the car, do take care when trying for other Group 3 machines to move on to when you do need to level up.
Another issue: understeer. That's why you're not slipping out: the car's nature doesn't want you to do so at stock settings. I offset a little brake balance to the rear to manage this, but that's usually not enough. You're going to want to let the car roll across corners, and accelerate just when you truly know when. And if you ask me.. THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! Getting the car's gears low and to the right position is key to taking corners: it's why I've been struggling to get a gold time with this car around Spa on the Group 3 time trial that's about to expire. Past SPD should've taken to the '4C Gr.3 for Dummies' pages before the track. It's the mindset of midships Group 3 I've adopted that caused this, and this is the exception, after all.
Aesthetic wise.. well.. it's not ugly or satisfyingly corrupted as Rule 43 would say. The car reeks of those massively tuned 4Cs used in hillclimbs. From memory, I recall ones with Judd V8s roaring across these natural vistas. Where do you think I got the initial idea for Sophia D'Antonio? The euro hillclimb scene. And her signature car is pretty much taken from that scene in the form of those 4Cs.
Tuning? You know what: you can read my mind for this one. It's soo easy.
So... if your inner psychic says something about a really hard backside, then congratulations, you're officially insane.. and perverted.. but also insane! But in all seriousness, because the darn thing is soo easy to drive, I say it's borderline impossible for you to mess up a tune on the car. I don't have any advice. No, I haven't been drinking some weird stuff lately: the car's slogan from me is literally just go wild. Really! Go wild with the car, go wild with the tuning, and if it takes you somewhere, great!
And if not, you can always go back.. the 4C still awaits you with those googly eyes and general sisterly vibes from a waifu in Shonen anime. Unless you abuse her, they'll love you forever.
Alfa Romeo cars are beautiful. And I can't say the 4C itself is pure: it has a turbo, after all, and it's a splitting image of the 33 Stradale: a 60s sports car with a naturally aspirated V8. Now that's pure. Perhaps the 4C is the corruption of that car, and this week's Group 3 racecar is the corruption of that corruption. Would I say this is the first ever double corruption?
Like a lot of what comes out of it's impossible to prove. While I do have a nice argument, if I need to back this up, you can say my source is that I made it the eff up.
To test out the car, instead of taking it away on Goodwood for some weekly challenge cheating, I went to Lago Maggiore and headed for the Circuit Experience there.. it's one I haven't done and kept that million for a rainy day when.. umm.. something like the 33 Stradale gets in the game, I guess? As I've said 2 years ago: any car on Circuit Experience gets nominated for the worst car in the game. That might as well have been aged like milk; we have Sleepers there like the Radical SR3. Overall, this is a blessing in disguise as the myriad of technical segments in Maggiore gives me a good variety to play around with some way to tell you've done it right or not.
You probably should know midships/RR cars in Group 3 are usually dangerous rides, exhibit A being the Ferrari we had a few weeks back. The Alfa Romeo, thanks to its small size and well planted form, is notably one of the exceptions. Actually, it's literally the training wheels bike for aspiring racers who wants to get in the oversteery Group 3 lot, but you do sacrifice that oversteer for a car with some understeer in place.. as well as a notably lacking pace that needs you to really grind your gears to make the best of it. And unlike my inner Senator Armstrong (oh God why is this starting to manifest?!), I've never ever ever seen this car appear on the radar at all. It's literally just another footnote for what other manufacturers see Alfa Romeo as in the whole scheme. A shame, that's what this all is.
While the car's not got issues that's glaring, let's go over what it does good. Like I said: it's safe. Like so safe, you'd wonder why it's got a turbo, and you're not going to find yourself oversteering out of a corner so easy when it reaches that RPM range where the turbo spools proper. Quick look at the powerband reveals that happens rather early on.. at around the 3500 RPM zone. And the torque clocks in at 390 on stock, meaning you're not going to get much oomph when you do need it in higher revs.
But if there's one thing, this Group 3 car wants most out of to get it to work. It demands your input being as aggressive as you can without heading to certain unwanted places where you'd want a car on the racetrack. The biggest giveaway of this safety is that it's got out of this world stability while turning, great acceleration on corner exits (easy to exit means less wheelspin), traction that makes you wonder if this is a nano sized turbo, and a general feeling of something light. It's definitely in that region of a light Group 3 car, but the GR Supra is lighter on BOP.
Here's a nice little surprise I found on the Saturday lobby: the 4C actually has an excellent top end. After getting to the final gear, it seems whatever turbo is underneath really helps it accelerate in the top end. I guess acceleration is a forte this car is not being obvious with.
It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however. When can that even happen? With that much power, you can slip at the occassional off track turfing or notably angled curbing. On normal driving, I find it to be slippery only on the first 2 gears at that aforementioned 3500 RPM zone. Elsewhere, this has to be one of the few cars you are allowed to go wild. Be a bit more wary on elevation, turfing, or a combination of the both, since it can unsettle the ride due to its low slung setup. If you main the car, do take care when trying for other Group 3 machines to move on to when you do need to level up.
Another issue: understeer. That's why you're not slipping out: the car's nature doesn't want you to do so at stock settings. I offset a little brake balance to the rear to manage this, but that's usually not enough. You're going to want to let the car roll across corners, and accelerate just when you truly know when. And if you ask me.. THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! Getting the car's gears low and to the right position is key to taking corners: it's why I've been struggling to get a gold time with this car around Spa on the Group 3 time trial that's about to expire. Past SPD should've taken to the '4C Gr.3 for Dummies' pages before the track. It's the mindset of midships Group 3 I've adopted that caused this, and this is the exception, after all.
Aesthetic wise.. well.. it's not ugly or satisfyingly corrupted as Rule 43 would say. The car reeks of those massively tuned 4Cs used in hillclimbs. From memory, I recall ones with Judd V8s roaring across these natural vistas. Where do you think I got the initial idea for Sophia D'Antonio? The euro hillclimb scene. And her signature car is pretty much taken from that scene in the form of those 4Cs.
Tuning? You know what: you can read my mind for this one. It's soo easy.
So... if your inner psychic says something about a really hard backside, then congratulations, you're officially insane.. and perverted.. but also insane! But in all seriousness, because the darn thing is soo easy to drive, I say it's borderline impossible for you to mess up a tune on the car. I don't have any advice. No, I haven't been drinking some weird stuff lately: the car's slogan from me is literally just go wild. Really! Go wild with the car, go wild with the tuning, and if it takes you somewhere, great!
And if not, you can always go back.. the 4C still awaits you with those googly eyes and general sisterly vibes from a waifu in Shonen anime. Unless you abuse her, they'll love you forever.
- 1,738
- Singapore
- XSquareStickIt
The results for last week's "GT3 Time Trial" challenge are in!
Congrats, Alex! Making Vic wave the white flag is pretty much unheard of in my time here at COTW!
It's time for the touring car guru, @05XR8 , to pick the next Car of the Week! And though it's not yet got a touring car reputation in the real world, that hasn't stopped 05XR8 from making it into one in the game!
Week 66 of GT7 COTW features the Genesis G70 GR4!
Sharing a base with the Kia Stinger, the road–going G70 seemed an unlikely upstart in the luxury car segment, until it gave discerning customers more features for less of an asking price than established brands. Though that makes it ill–suited for a racing game, the Gr.4 racing car version of it, the G70 GR4, has replicated the road car's success on the racetrack. This week, we take the AWD sedan to the track to find out if Genesis can similarly carve out a place for itself in the cutthroat world of e–motorsport!
Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~10 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: No Limit
Car: Gr.4
Tyres: Racing Hard
This week's special challenge takes that to the extreme. Interested parties can take a bone stock G70 GR4 on Racing Hard tyres and set up the following race:
Track: Brand's Hatch GP
Laps: 1
Damage: Heavy
Tyre Wear/Fuel Con: Off
Start Type: Standing Start
Starting Pos.: 20/20
BoP: On
Opponent Type: Gr.4/Choose from Garage (only Gr.4 opponents allowed!)
Difficulty: Hard/Professional
The goal is to claim as many positions as possible within that one lap!
The twist? If both you and your opponents are wearing BTCC liveries, you don't need to get the Clean Race Bonus for your run to be valid. Replica or fantasy BTCC liveries count! Make your own or search Discover for them. Do SpacedustDaddy proud now
Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the thread!
| Molmaz | ASM/TCS On | 7:44.900 |
| XSquare | ASM/TCS On | 7:37.183 |
| Vic Reign93 | ASM/TCS On | 7:34.087 |
| Vic Reign93 | Unrestricted | 7:27.413 |
| Alex p. | Unrestricted | 7:25.452 |
Congrats, Alex! Making Vic wave the white flag is pretty much unheard of in my time here at COTW!
It's time for the touring car guru, @05XR8 , to pick the next Car of the Week! And though it's not yet got a touring car reputation in the real world, that hasn't stopped 05XR8 from making it into one in the game!
Week 66 of GT7 COTW features the Genesis G70 GR4!
Sharing a base with the Kia Stinger, the road–going G70 seemed an unlikely upstart in the luxury car segment, until it gave discerning customers more features for less of an asking price than established brands. Though that makes it ill–suited for a racing game, the Gr.4 racing car version of it, the G70 GR4, has replicated the road car's success on the racetrack. This week, we take the AWD sedan to the track to find out if Genesis can similarly carve out a place for itself in the cutthroat world of e–motorsport!
Weekly Lobbies
Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing G70 GR4s under BoP conditions!Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!
The Americas Lobby
- Tuesday. 16th July, 10 P.M. CST
- Host: Victory_Reign93
The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby
- Saturday, 20th July, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
- Host: XSquareStickIt
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~10 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: No Limit
Car: Gr.4
Tyres: Racing Hard
~Special Challenge!~
A popular saying in COTW before I joined goes, "Cleaner than BTCC, Dirtier than F1".This week's special challenge takes that to the extreme. Interested parties can take a bone stock G70 GR4 on Racing Hard tyres and set up the following race:
Track: Brand's Hatch GP
Laps: 1
Damage: Heavy
Tyre Wear/Fuel Con: Off
Start Type: Standing Start
Starting Pos.: 20/20
BoP: On
Opponent Type: Gr.4/Choose from Garage (only Gr.4 opponents allowed!)
Difficulty: Hard/Professional
The goal is to claim as many positions as possible within that one lap!
The twist? If both you and your opponents are wearing BTCC liveries, you don't need to get the Clean Race Bonus for your run to be valid. Replica or fantasy BTCC liveries count! Make your own or search Discover for them. Do SpacedustDaddy proud now
Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the thread!
- 6,656
- Hanover/Germany
- alexpkas
Thx mate.
Genesis review:
Did a 06.49.913 on the Nords with it:
YT review: "An exceptionally stable Gr.4 offering all around, which makes sense I guess, as it features all wheel drive. It doesn't like big curbs though, as it tends to jump after hitting them a tad too much and get into a slide. Good car really."
Verdict: slight sleeper?
Last edited:
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- Australia
- SpacedustDaddy
- 6,656
- Hanover/Germany
- alexpkas
- 1,738
- Singapore
- XSquareStickIt
Community Notes:
05XR8:
Not too sure about a Special Stage, but I guess slapping on a BTCC livery and setting up the G70 in BTCC Super Tourer spec, throwing it around a momentum track would be appropriate. Kerbs/Curbs. Lots of kerbs/curbs! If you don’t have two wheels in the air, ya ain’t doin’ it right!
Maybe a race and/or a time attack at Road Atlanta? If that’s not appealing you all always come up with ways to enjoy the COTW.
- 1,738
- Singapore
- XSquareStickIt
It's been a while since my last cUrSeD lIvErY
Since it's Week 66 and all...
Now, if anyone's got some spare Kevlar vests they don't need, please consider donating them to this idiot who didn't think to prepare adequate protection before provoking the gun enthusiast in this thread
Since it's Week 66 and all...
Now, if anyone's got some spare Kevlar vests they don't need, please consider donating them to this idiot who didn't think to prepare adequate protection before provoking the gun enthusiast in this thread
Obelisk
Premium
- 9,740
- United States
- RMedia_Obelisk
Hey, HEY, HEY!!It's been a while since my last cUrSeD lIvErY
Since it's Week 66 and all...
Now, if anyone's got some spare Kevlar vests they don't need, please consider donating them to this idiot who didn't think to prepare adequate protection before provoking the gun enthusiast in this thread
HOW DARE YOU!
- 515
- Singapore
I do hope you aren’t planning on any trips to America for the foreseeable future…. XDIt's been a while since my last cUrSeD lIvErY
Since it's Week 66 and all...
Now, if anyone's got some spare Kevlar vests they don't need, please consider donating them to this idiot who didn't think to prepare adequate protection before provoking the gun enthusiast in this thread
- 1,738
- Singapore
- XSquareStickIt
Luxury car brands in motorsports may be almost as old as the concept of the motor race itself, but they've always struck me as an anamolous sight nonetheless. After all, what does a stiffly sprung, flame spitting, sponsor slathered, stripped out coffin share with the the plush, quiet, refined, and comfortable road car on which it's based, other than a generic silhouette? But, lo and behold, it's 2024, and Genesis, premium arm of Hyundai, has officially partnered with video game series Gran Turismo to debut to armchair racers around world a a trio of racecars—the Gran X Racer Vision Gran Turismo Concept, the X GR3, and G70 GR4. This week, we're taking a look at the latter: a luxury 4 door sedan wrought for Gr.4 competition.
G70 GR4 BTCC Tribute livery by BlackGasoline
#btcc #rydell #motorsport
大崎甜花 G70 by Lotus_RacingT128
#anime #itasha #imas
In the lenient transition to Gr.4 racing, the G70 has retained the use of its Kia Stinger derived Lambda II twin–turbocharged 3.3L V6 engine and optional All–Wheel–Drive from its VIP chauffeuring days, and when coupled with competition springs stiff even by racecar standards, the G70 GR4 is one of the easiest, if not the easiest Gr.4 car to drive. Said twin–turbocharged V6 engine delivers an unfaltering tabletop of torque anytime, anywhere upon request true to its luxury car roots, and drivers can simply leave the chore of shifting entirely to the game at no penalty whatsoever. Should the distinguished individual behind the wheel wish to indulge in the traditional art of changing cogs themselves, they'll find that the G70 GR4 hardly loses any pace when short–shifting to sip fuel. Being on the VIP list of V1.48 BoP, the G70 GR4 has exclusive, early access to most corners on a racetrack, and even mother nature herself and her oppressive air struggles to tax the G70 GR4. In short, this engine is everything a person could ask for, whichever suit they happen to be wearing.
But the G70 GR4 is far from a one–trick pony; when the roads meander, the G70 GR4 is lavishly appointed with tools to trivialise the challenges of any racetrack. It of course has the aforementioned stiff suspension setup that gives the luxobarge an unethical degree of directness and immediate response, which the car keeps deep into a corner under trail braking. When coupled with its coveted AWD and surprisingly balanced 52:48 mass distribution, trifling matters like bumps and kerbs are sorted by the unflinchingly neutral car before any of it reaches the driver, who only needs concern themself with picking an earlier–than–usual apex and fully depressing the throttle pedal past which. Should the G70 GR4 be pushed too far, it defaults to very calm and mild understeer, never lashing out unexpectedly. It is a car that is simply challenging to get to break composure, and as such, is a car that can completely disappear into the background of a driver's mind, letting them concentrate on more pressing matters, like (urgh) other people.
For the connoisseur who value immersion, the G70 GR4 is also equipped with a wide and clear rear camera, which sits dead centre on the car's dash behind a minimally obstructive rectangular steering wheel, making the task of assessing approaching danger much, much easier—or to simply gloat at the peasants they've passed. The shift lights are immaculately calibrated with the car's revs, flashing blue when the V6 reaches the last few hundred rpms in the rev range, where it finally shows hints of waning, meaning that blue flashes happen right when the car wants to be shifted, sparing the driver any mental gymnastics of figuring out when to shift or how to read the car, and it quite frankly makes the more eccentric and picky competition look cheap and cumbersome in comparison. A slight complaint I have though, is that I do wish the shift lights were mounted above the rear camera, because as they are right now, they're mounted in the middle of the steering wheel, which will require the driver to avert their eyes far from the road ahead to see.
That said, in the spirit of sportsmanship, the G70 GR4 does have its fair share of flaws. As of v1.48 BoP, it ranks the 6th heaviest car of the 33 models in Gr.4 (7th in Low–Speed BoP), and while its stiff springs, large 19–Inch carbon wheels, and ample power do a spectacular job of masking that mass, they can't hide the heft for long. Like all front–engined AWD cars, the G70 GR4 will quickly consume its front tyres as though a spoiled child. This is not a problem when chauffeuring cherishables around, but in the context of a race, it means that the rapid pace the G70 has in a sprint scenario quickly wanes. Also, while getting the G70 GR4 to break composure is a challenge, it becomes wildly and violently unpredictable if one side of the car is dipped into grass or gravel beyond paved tarmac, so drivers would be wise to avoid cutting corners too much. In terms of alternatives, the Lamborghini Huracán Gr.4 or a Subaru WRX Gr.4 are both similarly rock solid, stable drives, and while they don't have the straight line surge of the Genesis, the Huracán conserves its tyres and fuel better, while the WRX is softer and thus more forgiving to drive.
The Genesis G70 GR4 is a proven meta pick in certain scenarios, but it's more than just fast; it's stable, easy to drive, difficult to upset, and is even accommodating to beginners. Be they a seasoned competitor or a gentleman racer looking to learn the craft, the Genesis G70 GR4 truly makes lives easier and better, and should be viewed as an object of envy. In short, it is truly a luxurious racecar.
G70 GR4 BTCC Tribute livery by BlackGasoline
#btcc #rydell #motorsport
大崎甜花 G70 by Lotus_RacingT128
#anime #itasha #imas
In the lenient transition to Gr.4 racing, the G70 has retained the use of its Kia Stinger derived Lambda II twin–turbocharged 3.3L V6 engine and optional All–Wheel–Drive from its VIP chauffeuring days, and when coupled with competition springs stiff even by racecar standards, the G70 GR4 is one of the easiest, if not the easiest Gr.4 car to drive. Said twin–turbocharged V6 engine delivers an unfaltering tabletop of torque anytime, anywhere upon request true to its luxury car roots, and drivers can simply leave the chore of shifting entirely to the game at no penalty whatsoever. Should the distinguished individual behind the wheel wish to indulge in the traditional art of changing cogs themselves, they'll find that the G70 GR4 hardly loses any pace when short–shifting to sip fuel. Being on the VIP list of V1.48 BoP, the G70 GR4 has exclusive, early access to most corners on a racetrack, and even mother nature herself and her oppressive air struggles to tax the G70 GR4. In short, this engine is everything a person could ask for, whichever suit they happen to be wearing.
But the G70 GR4 is far from a one–trick pony; when the roads meander, the G70 GR4 is lavishly appointed with tools to trivialise the challenges of any racetrack. It of course has the aforementioned stiff suspension setup that gives the luxobarge an unethical degree of directness and immediate response, which the car keeps deep into a corner under trail braking. When coupled with its coveted AWD and surprisingly balanced 52:48 mass distribution, trifling matters like bumps and kerbs are sorted by the unflinchingly neutral car before any of it reaches the driver, who only needs concern themself with picking an earlier–than–usual apex and fully depressing the throttle pedal past which. Should the G70 GR4 be pushed too far, it defaults to very calm and mild understeer, never lashing out unexpectedly. It is a car that is simply challenging to get to break composure, and as such, is a car that can completely disappear into the background of a driver's mind, letting them concentrate on more pressing matters, like (urgh) other people.
For the connoisseur who value immersion, the G70 GR4 is also equipped with a wide and clear rear camera, which sits dead centre on the car's dash behind a minimally obstructive rectangular steering wheel, making the task of assessing approaching danger much, much easier—or to simply gloat at the peasants they've passed. The shift lights are immaculately calibrated with the car's revs, flashing blue when the V6 reaches the last few hundred rpms in the rev range, where it finally shows hints of waning, meaning that blue flashes happen right when the car wants to be shifted, sparing the driver any mental gymnastics of figuring out when to shift or how to read the car, and it quite frankly makes the more eccentric and picky competition look cheap and cumbersome in comparison. A slight complaint I have though, is that I do wish the shift lights were mounted above the rear camera, because as they are right now, they're mounted in the middle of the steering wheel, which will require the driver to avert their eyes far from the road ahead to see.
That said, in the spirit of sportsmanship, the G70 GR4 does have its fair share of flaws. As of v1.48 BoP, it ranks the 6th heaviest car of the 33 models in Gr.4 (7th in Low–Speed BoP), and while its stiff springs, large 19–Inch carbon wheels, and ample power do a spectacular job of masking that mass, they can't hide the heft for long. Like all front–engined AWD cars, the G70 GR4 will quickly consume its front tyres as though a spoiled child. This is not a problem when chauffeuring cherishables around, but in the context of a race, it means that the rapid pace the G70 has in a sprint scenario quickly wanes. Also, while getting the G70 GR4 to break composure is a challenge, it becomes wildly and violently unpredictable if one side of the car is dipped into grass or gravel beyond paved tarmac, so drivers would be wise to avoid cutting corners too much. In terms of alternatives, the Lamborghini Huracán Gr.4 or a Subaru WRX Gr.4 are both similarly rock solid, stable drives, and while they don't have the straight line surge of the Genesis, the Huracán conserves its tyres and fuel better, while the WRX is softer and thus more forgiving to drive.
The Genesis G70 GR4 is a proven meta pick in certain scenarios, but it's more than just fast; it's stable, easy to drive, difficult to upset, and is even accommodating to beginners. Be they a seasoned competitor or a gentleman racer looking to learn the craft, the Genesis G70 GR4 truly makes lives easier and better, and should be viewed as an object of envy. In short, it is truly a luxurious racecar.
- 1,738
- Singapore
- XSquareStickIt
The results for last week's Special Challenge, the "BTCC One Lap Magic", are in!
Vic is the winner, not just because he placed 1st, but also because he decked out the grid with touring car liveries! Good effort from Molmaz and Baron too!
We're only a few days away from Update 1.49 arriving, bringing with it new physics! That means that this week's car will be ran on two different physics versions, the current one on Tuesday, and the new one on Saturday.
With that in mind, I'm once again pulling rank and choosing an easily accessible, (somewhat) easy to drive car for this week to dip our toes into the new physics!
It's the Subaru BRZ S '21!
...
AND the Toyota GR86 RZ '21!
Originally debuting in 2012, the first generations of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 appeared at a time when the cheap, affordable, simple, yet fun sports car was a critically endangered species on the road. Now in their second generation, the BRZ and GR86 look to continue trying to bring the 90s into modern day motoring, at least, until the sun sets on the internal combustion engine.
But just how good are they exactly? Should the past be left in the past, or is everything in the 90s simply better? Let's find out!
Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 500 (Tue), TBD (Sat)
Car: No Limit
Tyres: Sports Hard (Tue), TBD (Sat)
Here's a Custom "Race" I cooked up, combining as much as I could in one comprehensive test!
Car: Subaru BRZ S '21/Toyota GR86 RZ '21
Setup: Whatever you're the most comfortable with
Track: Nürburgring 24h
Laps: 3
Starting Grid & Pos: Any, ideally not obstructive
Tyre wear: 25x
Fuel con: 1x
Grip Reduction Off Track: Real
Weather Selection: Custom
Time of Day: Late Morning
S01 R08 R08 S01 S01 S01 S01 S01
Rivals Selection: Any, ideally not obstructive
A casual run for this week's challenge. Report any findings here on this thread! Let's see if road cars and Sports tyres get the same attention as the racing cars!
Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the cars here on the thread!
| Molmaz | 4th |
| Baron Blitz Red | 3rd |
| Vic Reign93 | 1st |
Vic is the winner, not just because he placed 1st, but also because he decked out the grid with touring car liveries! Good effort from Molmaz and Baron too!
We're only a few days away from Update 1.49 arriving, bringing with it new physics! That means that this week's car will be ran on two different physics versions, the current one on Tuesday, and the new one on Saturday.
With that in mind, I'm once again pulling rank and choosing an easily accessible, (somewhat) easy to drive car for this week to dip our toes into the new physics!
It's the Subaru BRZ S '21!
...
AND the Toyota GR86 RZ '21!
GR86 40th anniversary edition by kuronana_325i
#gr86 #86 #jdm
BRZ touge edition by kuronana_325i
#brz #touge #toyobaru
#gr86 #86 #jdm
BRZ touge edition by kuronana_325i
#brz #touge #toyobaru
Originally debuting in 2012, the first generations of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 appeared at a time when the cheap, affordable, simple, yet fun sports car was a critically endangered species on the road. Now in their second generation, the BRZ and GR86 look to continue trying to bring the 90s into modern day motoring, at least, until the sun sets on the internal combustion engine.
But just how good are they exactly? Should the past be left in the past, or is everything in the 90s simply better? Let's find out!
Weekly Lobbies
Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing bone stock BRZs and GR86s under BoP conditions!Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!
The Americas Lobby
- Tuesday. 23rd July, 10 P.M. CST
- Host: Victory_Reign93
The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby
- Saturday, 27th July, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
- Host: XSquareStickIt
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 500 (Tue), TBD (Sat)
Car: No Limit
Tyres: Sports Hard (Tue), TBD (Sat)
~Special Challenge!~
We're not just testing cars this week; we're testing physics as well!Here's a Custom "Race" I cooked up, combining as much as I could in one comprehensive test!
Car: Subaru BRZ S '21/Toyota GR86 RZ '21
Setup: Whatever you're the most comfortable with
Track: Nürburgring 24h
Laps: 3
Starting Grid & Pos: Any, ideally not obstructive
Tyre wear: 25x
Fuel con: 1x
Grip Reduction Off Track: Real
Weather Selection: Custom
Time of Day: Late Morning
S01 R08 R08 S01 S01 S01 S01 S01
Rivals Selection: Any, ideally not obstructive
A casual run for this week's challenge. Report any findings here on this thread! Let's see if road cars and Sports tyres get the same attention as the racing cars!
Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the cars here on the thread!
- 3,931
- On the move
- SomePlayaDude
- 1,738
- Singapore
- XSquareStickIt
Hey you. Yeah, you, reading this. You're on GTPlanet Forums, so I assume you know a bit about cars? How about a pop quiz? "When was water–cooling for engines first adopted in a passenger vehicle?"
You don't know? Of course you don't; you're not a walking collection of useless trivia nor Google incarnate. Engines switching their methods of cooling from surrounding air being funnelled around the engine to having specialty liquids designed to extract heat being pumped around engines to cool them is a straight upgrade: it gives engine more power density, more revs, less NVH and emissions, and, you know, reduces the risk of the whole thing going kaboom mid drive. That switch to water–cooling isn't even worth thinking about. Unless of course, you're a Porsche 911 fan over the age of boomer, in which case you know exactly when the hell your favourite Carrera got drowned in the evil liquid that is engine coolant: July 17, 1997, the birthday of the rebellious 5th–generation 911, the 996.
Okay, yes, fine, the engine sound is muffled a bit compared to the traditional air–cooled units found in the prior four generations of 911s, and unfortunately, early 996 engines had a reputation that didn't hold water; sometimes literally, as reliability issues such as oil leaks and Intermediate Shaft Bearing failures were commonly reported, forever tainting the all–important first impression of the 996. But Porsche didn't become the most dominant manufacturer in Le Mans history by accepting defeat and rolling back changes. With their backs against the wall, they called upon the man who made them such a dominant force in the endurance racing world to begin with—Hans Mezger—to administer CPR to the drowning engine half a crank case in a watery grave. You might know his name if you're familiar with the 917 that won Porsche its first overall victory in Le Mans, the 804 that gave Porsche its only win in Formula 1 to date, or maybe if you have a strange fascination with the mid–engined, water–cooled 911 GT1 that won Le Mans in 1998. Heck, if you've ever driven any of the prior 4 generations of 911s, you'd have at the very least sampled his work; they were all powered by engines colloquially known as "Mezger Engines". Under the trained hands and watchful eyes of the legendary engineer, the ill–fated M96 3,387cc Flat 6 gained 213cc and .76 to its name. This was apparently all it took to silence the outcries of reliability issues... or they were simply drowned out by the sound of even more power.
This new breed of M96.76 3.6L Flat 6 engines? Porsche fans came to know it as... the "Mezger Engine". Man, these guys resist change as if everything came in five cent coins. What are they going to complain about next, that the headlights aren't round on the 996?
Almost as if to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that this new M96.76 Mezger Engine is reliable enough to withstand the rigours of racing, Porsche introduced the "GT3" trim to the 911 lineup in 1999 for the first time in the model's history, equipped of course with the brand spanking new 3.6L NA Flat 6. As a homologation model for Group N-GT (a category predating FIA's own GT3 category!), 996 GT3s were sold to customers bereft of creature comforts like sound deadening, ride comfort, audio systems, and air con, though the latter could be optioned back in at no extra charge. It's the sort of car that kids fall in love with, and the kids that grow up to be engineers wish they could make, but the bean counters at Porsche were wisely cautious with expectations, planning for only as many 996 GT3s to be made as the 996 GT3s weighed in kilograms, and given that it's a stripped out track toy made to be as light as possible, the GT3 sure seemed damned by accountants from conception to be an obscure footnote in the 911 history books. However, demand for these spine–smushing, ear–rupturing coffins so greatly exceeded the initially planned run of 1,350 cars (that's 2,976lbs for you freedom loving folks) that production of the 996.1 GT3 totalled 1,868 cars in three short years, ensuring that this love letter GT3 grade would become a linchpin in the 911 lineup in later generations.
Among those smitten by torture is Gran Turismo director and Polyphony Digital CEO, Yamauchi Kazunori, who owns a 996 GT3 to this day, and has gone on record praising it for its body rigidity, direct response, and opining that it is still a benchmark for modern performance cars. Almost as though Kaz was trying to build the car its own legacy, the 996 GT3 would gain almost a mythical status in the digital realm of Gran Turismo; a 2001 996 GT3, plausibly modelled after Kaz's own ride, was included in the Japanese and American versions of 2001's Gran Turismo 3, albeit inaccessible via normal gameplay as an unused asset. While RUF does serve as a stand in for Porsche models in Gran Turismo 3, Polyphony Digital seemed to not even be allowed to as much as mention Porsche, resulting in some very painful and obvious dancing around the name in RUF cars' descriptions, such as "a famous German automaker", or "based on a unit used in that automaker's larger sports car", all while having to stress every time that RUF is an automaker recognised by the German government. It's a wonder how the heck they didn't get in more trouble for including a fully–functional, albeit unused 996 GT3 in the game!
The fully–functional 996 GT3 as an unused asset in Gran Turismo 3
It would take another 17 years before the very same 2001 996 GT3 would be officially included and proudly advertised in a Gran Turismo game: GT Sport. But just when it seemed time for the 996 GT3 to melt away into the background as just another road car in the games' car list, a State of Play trailer for Gran Turismo 7 would shine yet another spotlight on an elusive, behind–the–scenes 996, albeit this time, only on its engine, as an explicitly named "M96/76" powerplant was seen somehow smushed into the back of a 1966 Volkswagen Type 1200 as a way of advertising a new feature to the series: Engine Swaps. We GT7 players would end up never being able to do that very specific swap, with the 964's air–cooled Flat 6 slotting snug into the back of the bug instead. Mik Hizal still hasn't received that memo, though; he still insists that there is a "911 GT3 engine" in the back of his Beetle.
So, with all the hype and waiting out of the way, how does the 2001 996 GT3 hold up as "just another car", as "just another 911" in Gran Turismo 7?
It's not just in the mechanicals where the 996 GT3 spits on its forbearers' legacy: it also does a full 180 in the driving experience as well, ironically by actually holding straight and true. There may have been "pure" and stripped out 911s before, but as a straight up, no–nonsense homologation model, the 996 GT3 makes the already hardcore 993 RS Club Sport look like a casual garden shed strip job in comparison. Road going 911s up to this point have more or less felt like products of their time, having noticeable pitch and roll whatever it is they did, which, when combined with their rear heaviness, makes them outright hazardous to drive in the worst of times. The 996 GT3 on the other hand, feels like wearing a pair of jeans a size too small; it feels tight and restrictive, and the driver will have to fight the car to get it to do anything, including turning a corner.
The 996 GT3 defaults to safe, controllable understeer in any situation, as its the front tyres that are the limiting factor from corner entry to exit; the front tyres of course do most of the braking and all of the turning on entry, but the rear end is so rock solid and bereft of all drama that it's almost deadpan. In fact, the 996 GT3 can feel eerily like an EV to drive at times, simply because there's no sensation of a big lump of concentrated mass anywhere in the car, having its heaviest component, the engine, sat behind what feels like anchor–laden rear axles, which ardently refuse to give. To get the 996 GT3 to do its best work then, requires a very well educated right foot on trail braking and throttle blipping, as it's only with gentle, yet persuasive footwork will the 996 GT3 show its true cornering ability. On corner exits, overzealous drivers will find that it's also understeer that causes them to lift off the loud pedal instead of oversteer, as what little weight is over the front axles flies clean off to ensure that none of the 354HP (264kW) are allowed to run loose, almost as if Porsche made a FF hot hatch! The 996 GT3 was never offered with traction control, and quite honestly, it's completely unnecessary in the dry—it'd have to be provoked with a flaming barbed wire stick to get it to lash out on its driver, like flooring the throttle pedal in the first two gears, or deliberately trying to inertia drift it. I would not recommend trying the latter, as I'm sure even Vic will concur.
As the first GT3 in 911 history, the 996 GT3 is unflinchingly raw and mechanical, having none of the electrical wizardry of the later models to help hide or assuage its few flaws on a racetrack. While the entire car is extremely stiffly sprung, there is a lot of travel in the front suspension necessary to put weight over the featherweight front end; enough for the front wheels to hit the fenders in the most extreme of circumstances, like, say, if someone were to try to Kansei Dorifuto it. Even when driven "normally", this long stroke can become a prevalent problem at high speed. The 996 GT3 is one of the very few road cars of its time that actually produces downforce, and quite a bit of it at that: 30–120 front and rear according to whatever obtuse unit and measurement method GT7 uses. If the 996 GT3 was already limited by front grip in low speed corners, imagine dumping heavily rear–biased downforce into the mix. Even in mid 4th gear at around 180km/h, the steering wheel seemingly stops talking to me, and the front end becomes increasingly numb and slow to respond to steering inputs. Lifting even a bit does help tremendously with that, but the issue is that there's so much front travel in the suspension that the front end can quickly go from barely interested to turning too much with just a partial lift, making it extremely hard for me to tell just how much the front end wants to respond to every tug of the steering wheel off centre, and it's this vagueness that keeps me from really exploring the 996 GT3's limits at speed. Skill issue? Very possibly, but certainly not exclusively. Thankfully, this is an issue that is only prominent on a track like the Nordschleife, with the vast majority of its turns taken at speed; it's much less noticeable on other tracks.
The 996 GT3 is undeniably fast if a fast driver works with the car to work the car, which can be a very rewarding driving experience at times, but it can get rather tiresome quickly. I know the car can turn at speed, so why do I have to figuratively argue with the car to convince it to do so each and every time? For those unlucky enough to relate, it's like having to argue with oneself just to do basic things like getting out of bed and taking a shower. It's more or less fine when you're on your own with no commitments, but in a racing scenario where I might have to dodge something quickly or adjust my line to give space, I don't always have time to baby the car and set it up nicely to get it to do what it needs to. Worse still is when the reward for hard work is vague and not guaranteed, it makes said hard work just a chore and a gamble. Going back to the shower scenario: if there's no guarantee my life will get any better even if I go take that shower, and I expend all that energy and willpower to do it and end up feeling indifferent, I just feel like I never should've bothered.
But such too is the way of progress; the 996 GT3 is so fast that it can't even afford to fantasise about being as playful and whimsical as the 993 RS CS or NA2 NSX-R. Absent the sophisticated computer aids of today, the 996 GT3 can't afford to trust the driver enough to leave as much in their fleshy, flawed hands, simply because everything around it is happening so much faster, and while cars keep getting faster, humans sadly do not. In a way, having to fight that understeer is a primitive, mechanical way for the driver to prove to the car that they know what they're doing, absent any electrical wizardry to alter the driving experience. Unfortunately, in becoming so raw and focused, I think the 996 GT3 inadvertently shows clearly with no room for doubt the flaws of an RR layout, as even a run–off–the–mill V8 R8 is faster and easier to drive, and cheaper to boot! Of course, Porsche would keep getting better at their craft, and the 997 GT3 and Cayman GT4 are both newer, faster, and somehow, cheaper machines than the 996 GT3 in GT7's twisted and illogical economy. That said, the 996 GT3 does have a neat niche in this game as of v1.48, sitting at just under 550PP fresh from the Brand Central: 548.92PP to be exact. This makes the 996 GT3 a shoe–in as–is for 550PP events without any need for aftermarket parts and tinkering, such as the Kyoto 1 Hour Endurance mission race, which the 996 GT3 handily cleans up running flat out with just one stop, even on "Normal" difficulty (which I believe is the hardest difficulty for Mission Races due to a bug still unaddressed in the game as of v1.48). For this fuss free, ready–to–race state out of the box, the 996 GT3 could well be worth the 180,000 Credits Porsche asks for.
The 996 unfortunately suffers from being the middle child of many siblings; it isn't as playful as its older, slower predecessors, but doesn't yet have the magic of its younger successors. While the 996 GT3 isn't a car I foresee myself going back to, it is nonetheless one of the most important models in the 911 series, and has helped me gain yet more respect for Porsche. Even though they were in dire financial straits in the 90s, they quickly addressed the 996's initial issues, and even went as far as to create a pure, sporty variant of the car they didn't expect to sell well. Since then, Porsche has never relented on offering as raw an experience as modern laws would allow; just look at the 991 R and the 992 S/T. A sports car, a product, always needs to keep evolving, even if said changes look uncomfortable. Can anyone imagine a car with an air–cooled engine being offered in dealerships today, much less be a benchmark for the do–it–all car? Writing as a fan of Mazda's Wankel Engine sports cars, I think Porsche fans are the luckiest enthusiasts in the world to have the car they fell in love with at any point in the past six decades not only survive to this day, but stand as a benchmark for other automakers to follow, and I think the 996 deserves a lot of credit for that. Speaking for myself personally, the 996 GT3 has shown me that, if forced to make another big change in the very quiet future, Porsche will do right by their fans and do it right.
You don't know? Of course you don't; you're not a walking collection of useless trivia nor Google incarnate. Engines switching their methods of cooling from surrounding air being funnelled around the engine to having specialty liquids designed to extract heat being pumped around engines to cool them is a straight upgrade: it gives engine more power density, more revs, less NVH and emissions, and, you know, reduces the risk of the whole thing going kaboom mid drive. That switch to water–cooling isn't even worth thinking about. Unless of course, you're a Porsche 911 fan over the age of boomer, in which case you know exactly when the hell your favourite Carrera got drowned in the evil liquid that is engine coolant: July 17, 1997, the birthday of the rebellious 5th–generation 911, the 996.
Okay, yes, fine, the engine sound is muffled a bit compared to the traditional air–cooled units found in the prior four generations of 911s, and unfortunately, early 996 engines had a reputation that didn't hold water; sometimes literally, as reliability issues such as oil leaks and Intermediate Shaft Bearing failures were commonly reported, forever tainting the all–important first impression of the 996. But Porsche didn't become the most dominant manufacturer in Le Mans history by accepting defeat and rolling back changes. With their backs against the wall, they called upon the man who made them such a dominant force in the endurance racing world to begin with—Hans Mezger—to administer CPR to the drowning engine half a crank case in a watery grave. You might know his name if you're familiar with the 917 that won Porsche its first overall victory in Le Mans, the 804 that gave Porsche its only win in Formula 1 to date, or maybe if you have a strange fascination with the mid–engined, water–cooled 911 GT1 that won Le Mans in 1998. Heck, if you've ever driven any of the prior 4 generations of 911s, you'd have at the very least sampled his work; they were all powered by engines colloquially known as "Mezger Engines". Under the trained hands and watchful eyes of the legendary engineer, the ill–fated M96 3,387cc Flat 6 gained 213cc and .76 to its name. This was apparently all it took to silence the outcries of reliability issues... or they were simply drowned out by the sound of even more power.
This new breed of M96.76 3.6L Flat 6 engines? Porsche fans came to know it as... the "Mezger Engine". Man, these guys resist change as if everything came in five cent coins. What are they going to complain about next, that the headlights aren't round on the 996?
Almost as if to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that this new M96.76 Mezger Engine is reliable enough to withstand the rigours of racing, Porsche introduced the "GT3" trim to the 911 lineup in 1999 for the first time in the model's history, equipped of course with the brand spanking new 3.6L NA Flat 6. As a homologation model for Group N-GT (a category predating FIA's own GT3 category!), 996 GT3s were sold to customers bereft of creature comforts like sound deadening, ride comfort, audio systems, and air con, though the latter could be optioned back in at no extra charge. It's the sort of car that kids fall in love with, and the kids that grow up to be engineers wish they could make, but the bean counters at Porsche were wisely cautious with expectations, planning for only as many 996 GT3s to be made as the 996 GT3s weighed in kilograms, and given that it's a stripped out track toy made to be as light as possible, the GT3 sure seemed damned by accountants from conception to be an obscure footnote in the 911 history books. However, demand for these spine–smushing, ear–rupturing coffins so greatly exceeded the initially planned run of 1,350 cars (that's 2,976lbs for you freedom loving folks) that production of the 996.1 GT3 totalled 1,868 cars in three short years, ensuring that this love letter GT3 grade would become a linchpin in the 911 lineup in later generations.
Among those smitten by torture is Gran Turismo director and Polyphony Digital CEO, Yamauchi Kazunori, who owns a 996 GT3 to this day, and has gone on record praising it for its body rigidity, direct response, and opining that it is still a benchmark for modern performance cars. Almost as though Kaz was trying to build the car its own legacy, the 996 GT3 would gain almost a mythical status in the digital realm of Gran Turismo; a 2001 996 GT3, plausibly modelled after Kaz's own ride, was included in the Japanese and American versions of 2001's Gran Turismo 3, albeit inaccessible via normal gameplay as an unused asset. While RUF does serve as a stand in for Porsche models in Gran Turismo 3, Polyphony Digital seemed to not even be allowed to as much as mention Porsche, resulting in some very painful and obvious dancing around the name in RUF cars' descriptions, such as "a famous German automaker", or "based on a unit used in that automaker's larger sports car", all while having to stress every time that RUF is an automaker recognised by the German government. It's a wonder how the heck they didn't get in more trouble for including a fully–functional, albeit unused 996 GT3 in the game!
The fully–functional 996 GT3 as an unused asset in Gran Turismo 3
It would take another 17 years before the very same 2001 996 GT3 would be officially included and proudly advertised in a Gran Turismo game: GT Sport. But just when it seemed time for the 996 GT3 to melt away into the background as just another road car in the games' car list, a State of Play trailer for Gran Turismo 7 would shine yet another spotlight on an elusive, behind–the–scenes 996, albeit this time, only on its engine, as an explicitly named "M96/76" powerplant was seen somehow smushed into the back of a 1966 Volkswagen Type 1200 as a way of advertising a new feature to the series: Engine Swaps. We GT7 players would end up never being able to do that very specific swap, with the 964's air–cooled Flat 6 slotting snug into the back of the bug instead. Mik Hizal still hasn't received that memo, though; he still insists that there is a "911 GT3 engine" in the back of his Beetle.
So, with all the hype and waiting out of the way, how does the 2001 996 GT3 hold up as "just another car", as "just another 911" in Gran Turismo 7?
It's not just in the mechanicals where the 996 GT3 spits on its forbearers' legacy: it also does a full 180 in the driving experience as well, ironically by actually holding straight and true. There may have been "pure" and stripped out 911s before, but as a straight up, no–nonsense homologation model, the 996 GT3 makes the already hardcore 993 RS Club Sport look like a casual garden shed strip job in comparison. Road going 911s up to this point have more or less felt like products of their time, having noticeable pitch and roll whatever it is they did, which, when combined with their rear heaviness, makes them outright hazardous to drive in the worst of times. The 996 GT3 on the other hand, feels like wearing a pair of jeans a size too small; it feels tight and restrictive, and the driver will have to fight the car to get it to do anything, including turning a corner.
The 996 GT3 defaults to safe, controllable understeer in any situation, as its the front tyres that are the limiting factor from corner entry to exit; the front tyres of course do most of the braking and all of the turning on entry, but the rear end is so rock solid and bereft of all drama that it's almost deadpan. In fact, the 996 GT3 can feel eerily like an EV to drive at times, simply because there's no sensation of a big lump of concentrated mass anywhere in the car, having its heaviest component, the engine, sat behind what feels like anchor–laden rear axles, which ardently refuse to give. To get the 996 GT3 to do its best work then, requires a very well educated right foot on trail braking and throttle blipping, as it's only with gentle, yet persuasive footwork will the 996 GT3 show its true cornering ability. On corner exits, overzealous drivers will find that it's also understeer that causes them to lift off the loud pedal instead of oversteer, as what little weight is over the front axles flies clean off to ensure that none of the 354HP (264kW) are allowed to run loose, almost as if Porsche made a FF hot hatch! The 996 GT3 was never offered with traction control, and quite honestly, it's completely unnecessary in the dry—it'd have to be provoked with a flaming barbed wire stick to get it to lash out on its driver, like flooring the throttle pedal in the first two gears, or deliberately trying to inertia drift it. I would not recommend trying the latter, as I'm sure even Vic will concur.
As the first GT3 in 911 history, the 996 GT3 is unflinchingly raw and mechanical, having none of the electrical wizardry of the later models to help hide or assuage its few flaws on a racetrack. While the entire car is extremely stiffly sprung, there is a lot of travel in the front suspension necessary to put weight over the featherweight front end; enough for the front wheels to hit the fenders in the most extreme of circumstances, like, say, if someone were to try to Kansei Dorifuto it. Even when driven "normally", this long stroke can become a prevalent problem at high speed. The 996 GT3 is one of the very few road cars of its time that actually produces downforce, and quite a bit of it at that: 30–120 front and rear according to whatever obtuse unit and measurement method GT7 uses. If the 996 GT3 was already limited by front grip in low speed corners, imagine dumping heavily rear–biased downforce into the mix. Even in mid 4th gear at around 180km/h, the steering wheel seemingly stops talking to me, and the front end becomes increasingly numb and slow to respond to steering inputs. Lifting even a bit does help tremendously with that, but the issue is that there's so much front travel in the suspension that the front end can quickly go from barely interested to turning too much with just a partial lift, making it extremely hard for me to tell just how much the front end wants to respond to every tug of the steering wheel off centre, and it's this vagueness that keeps me from really exploring the 996 GT3's limits at speed. Skill issue? Very possibly, but certainly not exclusively. Thankfully, this is an issue that is only prominent on a track like the Nordschleife, with the vast majority of its turns taken at speed; it's much less noticeable on other tracks.
The 996 GT3 is undeniably fast if a fast driver works with the car to work the car, which can be a very rewarding driving experience at times, but it can get rather tiresome quickly. I know the car can turn at speed, so why do I have to figuratively argue with the car to convince it to do so each and every time? For those unlucky enough to relate, it's like having to argue with oneself just to do basic things like getting out of bed and taking a shower. It's more or less fine when you're on your own with no commitments, but in a racing scenario where I might have to dodge something quickly or adjust my line to give space, I don't always have time to baby the car and set it up nicely to get it to do what it needs to. Worse still is when the reward for hard work is vague and not guaranteed, it makes said hard work just a chore and a gamble. Going back to the shower scenario: if there's no guarantee my life will get any better even if I go take that shower, and I expend all that energy and willpower to do it and end up feeling indifferent, I just feel like I never should've bothered.
But such too is the way of progress; the 996 GT3 is so fast that it can't even afford to fantasise about being as playful and whimsical as the 993 RS CS or NA2 NSX-R. Absent the sophisticated computer aids of today, the 996 GT3 can't afford to trust the driver enough to leave as much in their fleshy, flawed hands, simply because everything around it is happening so much faster, and while cars keep getting faster, humans sadly do not. In a way, having to fight that understeer is a primitive, mechanical way for the driver to prove to the car that they know what they're doing, absent any electrical wizardry to alter the driving experience. Unfortunately, in becoming so raw and focused, I think the 996 GT3 inadvertently shows clearly with no room for doubt the flaws of an RR layout, as even a run–off–the–mill V8 R8 is faster and easier to drive, and cheaper to boot! Of course, Porsche would keep getting better at their craft, and the 997 GT3 and Cayman GT4 are both newer, faster, and somehow, cheaper machines than the 996 GT3 in GT7's twisted and illogical economy. That said, the 996 GT3 does have a neat niche in this game as of v1.48, sitting at just under 550PP fresh from the Brand Central: 548.92PP to be exact. This makes the 996 GT3 a shoe–in as–is for 550PP events without any need for aftermarket parts and tinkering, such as the Kyoto 1 Hour Endurance mission race, which the 996 GT3 handily cleans up running flat out with just one stop, even on "Normal" difficulty (which I believe is the hardest difficulty for Mission Races due to a bug still unaddressed in the game as of v1.48). For this fuss free, ready–to–race state out of the box, the 996 GT3 could well be worth the 180,000 Credits Porsche asks for.
The 996 unfortunately suffers from being the middle child of many siblings; it isn't as playful as its older, slower predecessors, but doesn't yet have the magic of its younger successors. While the 996 GT3 isn't a car I foresee myself going back to, it is nonetheless one of the most important models in the 911 series, and has helped me gain yet more respect for Porsche. Even though they were in dire financial straits in the 90s, they quickly addressed the 996's initial issues, and even went as far as to create a pure, sporty variant of the car they didn't expect to sell well. Since then, Porsche has never relented on offering as raw an experience as modern laws would allow; just look at the 991 R and the 992 S/T. A sports car, a product, always needs to keep evolving, even if said changes look uncomfortable. Can anyone imagine a car with an air–cooled engine being offered in dealerships today, much less be a benchmark for the do–it–all car? Writing as a fan of Mazda's Wankel Engine sports cars, I think Porsche fans are the luckiest enthusiasts in the world to have the car they fell in love with at any point in the past six decades not only survive to this day, but stand as a benchmark for other automakers to follow, and I think the 996 deserves a lot of credit for that. Speaking for myself personally, the 996 GT3 has shown me that, if forced to make another big change in the very quiet future, Porsche will do right by their fans and do it right.
Also, Gallo thinks the NSX is a front–engined car...
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So.. I figured if I’m trying to get my motivation to do reviews back, I may as well pick up from where I last left off, that was with the Lamborghini Urus.
So let’s address the 2.2 ton elephant in the room of the cars I haven’t yet written up shall we?
So the Urus, officially Lamborghini’s first ever turbocharged production car and that’s down to the fact it shares most its underpinnings and engine with the Audi RSQ8, but Lamborghini adds their personal touches to the chassis and engine to put it a step up over the RSQ8.
The 4.0 Twin Turbo V8 kicks out over 640hp, which goes to all 4 corners via a 8 speed dual clutch gearbox, which gives it a 0-60 time of around 3.5 seconds, though some review outlets have tested it as low as 3.1 seconds.
Which for a 2.2 ton, Non hybrid assisted SUV is pretty absurd no matter which way you slice it.
‘But Vic,’ you may say, ‘So what if it can?’ ‘It’ll just end up being used by wannabe influencers trying to sell you their latest crypto scam or folks living beyond their means because they care about appearances in front of random people who couldn’t give even the smallest of 🤬’s about them.’
I mean… you’re slightly outta line, but not exactly wrong either.
The Urus is the cheapest of all the new Lambos, but even over here on this little island, an entry level Urus is nearly £190K before options.
In GT7, it’s actually the second cheapest lambo, only 3k more than the Huracan, but still costing 300k credits to buy.
So what do you get for that money?
Well aside from that it’s literally in a class of its own as the only SUV currently in GT7, you also get a very capable off roader when you bolt some off road tyres to it, as shown by the special challenge we ran with the Urus.
As for its tarmac handling, while you can’t defy physics completely, it handles its 2.2 tons better than it has any right to, I distinctly remember saying that I’ve driven lighter cars that felt heavier to drive than the Urus did.
Yes it’s gonna understeer, but the factory differentials and torque split settings meant at Tsukuba, I actually threw traditional circuit driving out the window and decided to throw the Urus into the tighter turns nearly sideways, got the nose pointed to the inside, then 4 wheel power-slide on through to the corner exit.
It actually was faster to do so than normal driving and i’m willing to die on that particular hill to argue that point.
Fully tuned you’re looking at 1038hp and weighing just over 1500kgs.
At just under 550pp (At the time of writing this prior to the physics update) in stock form, it is deceptively quick against similar level machines and on faster flowing tracks.
Ironically, despite being both a SUV and a Lamborghini, things you wouldn’t associate with being subtle, it’s actually quite the Sleeper in the right hands.👍
Seeing as i’m here, I might as well quickly sum up the Swift swapped Suzuki Jimny considering we drove the standard version awhile ago.
Slightly heavier, but a much higher max power ceiling, however that does mean you’ll likely start overpowering the chassis & brakes and I don’t believe the Jimny has aero parts that offer downforce to help tame that.
It’s among the cheapest of all swaps, but it’s still low to mid 100ks, but probably not the engine you’d want to win from a ticket, especially compared to the ultra pricy ones like the 4 Rotor or the W16 swap.
Still a Sleeper IF you take its limitations into consideration. 😉👍
So let’s address the 2.2 ton elephant in the room of the cars I haven’t yet written up shall we?
So the Urus, officially Lamborghini’s first ever turbocharged production car and that’s down to the fact it shares most its underpinnings and engine with the Audi RSQ8, but Lamborghini adds their personal touches to the chassis and engine to put it a step up over the RSQ8.
The 4.0 Twin Turbo V8 kicks out over 640hp, which goes to all 4 corners via a 8 speed dual clutch gearbox, which gives it a 0-60 time of around 3.5 seconds, though some review outlets have tested it as low as 3.1 seconds.
Which for a 2.2 ton, Non hybrid assisted SUV is pretty absurd no matter which way you slice it.
‘But Vic,’ you may say, ‘So what if it can?’ ‘It’ll just end up being used by wannabe influencers trying to sell you their latest crypto scam or folks living beyond their means because they care about appearances in front of random people who couldn’t give even the smallest of 🤬’s about them.’
I mean… you’re slightly outta line, but not exactly wrong either.
The Urus is the cheapest of all the new Lambos, but even over here on this little island, an entry level Urus is nearly £190K before options.
In GT7, it’s actually the second cheapest lambo, only 3k more than the Huracan, but still costing 300k credits to buy.
So what do you get for that money?
Well aside from that it’s literally in a class of its own as the only SUV currently in GT7, you also get a very capable off roader when you bolt some off road tyres to it, as shown by the special challenge we ran with the Urus.
As for its tarmac handling, while you can’t defy physics completely, it handles its 2.2 tons better than it has any right to, I distinctly remember saying that I’ve driven lighter cars that felt heavier to drive than the Urus did.
Yes it’s gonna understeer, but the factory differentials and torque split settings meant at Tsukuba, I actually threw traditional circuit driving out the window and decided to throw the Urus into the tighter turns nearly sideways, got the nose pointed to the inside, then 4 wheel power-slide on through to the corner exit.
It actually was faster to do so than normal driving and i’m willing to die on that particular hill to argue that point.
Fully tuned you’re looking at 1038hp and weighing just over 1500kgs.
At just under 550pp (At the time of writing this prior to the physics update) in stock form, it is deceptively quick against similar level machines and on faster flowing tracks.
Ironically, despite being both a SUV and a Lamborghini, things you wouldn’t associate with being subtle, it’s actually quite the Sleeper in the right hands.
👍Seeing as i’m here, I might as well quickly sum up the Swift swapped Suzuki Jimny considering we drove the standard version awhile ago.
Slightly heavier, but a much higher max power ceiling, however that does mean you’ll likely start overpowering the chassis & brakes and I don’t believe the Jimny has aero parts that offer downforce to help tame that.
It’s among the cheapest of all swaps, but it’s still low to mid 100ks, but probably not the engine you’d want to win from a ticket, especially compared to the ultra pricy ones like the 4 Rotor or the W16 swap.
Still a Sleeper IF you take its limitations into consideration. 😉👍
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I guess I can't complain about no one having spoken about the new physics changes here; there are multiple threads serving that purpose, and we're all a bit busy with the new Kazunori Space Program minigame that came with Update 1.49
It's just too bad this week's car can't become a rocket...
@RX8 Racer has already summarised the reasons for the late post. He is also the one due to pick next after those two, and he's already reserved this pick of his ever since he drove it during Week 46 when we tested the Peugeot 206.
Another hot hatch? Quite literally, because the engine will be right in there in the cabin with you It's the Renault Sport Clio V6 24V '00!
Renault were the first to sling an engine behind the driver of a hatchback car, doing so with the fondly–remembered Renault 5 Turbo (which we tested in Week 56!). At the turn of the millennium, Renault looked to channel that spirit with the unassuming Clio, forming the basis for the first Renault hatchback Trophy cup car, in so doing birthing a long standing tradition for the brand.
But is the midship, rear–drive Clio a rare gem, or a curse best left in the past?
Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 479
Car: No Limit
Tyres: Comfort Soft
Since the Clio V6 can trace its heritage back to the R5 Turbo rally car, we'll see just how much of its forbearer's legacy it retained! Anyone interested can try to win the WTC700 event at Sardegna: Windmills with a Clio in any state of tune. Bonus points if done on Hard difficulty!
Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the cars here on the thread!
It's just too bad this week's car can't become a rocket...
@RX8 Racer has already summarised the reasons for the late post. He is also the one due to pick next after those two, and he's already reserved this pick of his ever since he drove it during Week 46 when we tested the Peugeot 206.
Another hot hatch? Quite literally, because the engine will be right in there in the cabin with you
It's the Renault Sport Clio V6 24V '00!Renault were the first to sling an engine behind the driver of a hatchback car, doing so with the fondly–remembered Renault 5 Turbo (which we tested in Week 56!). At the turn of the millennium, Renault looked to channel that spirit with the unassuming Clio, forming the basis for the first Renault hatchback Trophy cup car, in so doing birthing a long standing tradition for the brand.
But is the midship, rear–drive Clio a rare gem, or a curse best left in the past?
Weekly Lobbies
Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing bone stock Clios under BoP conditions!Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!
The Americas Lobby
- Tuesday. 30th July, 10 P.M. CST
- Host: Victory_Reign93
The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby
- Saturday, 3rd August, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
- Host: XSquareStickIt
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 479
Car: No Limit
Tyres: Comfort Soft
~Special Challenge!~
So I hear dirt physics have gotten really good since the 1.49 update...Since the Clio V6 can trace its heritage back to the R5 Turbo rally car, we'll see just how much of its forbearer's legacy it retained! Anyone interested can try to win the WTC700 event at Sardegna: Windmills with a Clio in any state of tune. Bonus points if done on Hard difficulty!
Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the cars here on the thread!
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