Car of the Week 228: COTY GTS Finale

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TonyJZX
I am no fan of these cars... I think they look like a upturned bath tub someone put wheels and headlights on.

Saying that, even in the modern era there are cars with 1.5 litre four cyl.fuel injected n/a dohc 16 valve motors that do not make 100hp!
Click to expand...
Funnily enough, the 356 is nick named the “Upside-down bathtub” or the “Bathtub Porsche”.
 
I've compiled a list of all not yet chosen cars as a COTW car. Please use it when choosing the COTW and please take a look, if I made mistakes in the list. Apparently there are still 210 cars to be chosen. So here goes:

ABARTH (1)
1500 Biposto Bertone B.A.T 1 1952 (N100)

ALFA ROMEO (6)
4C Gr.3 (Gr.3)
4C Gr.3 Road Car (N500)
4C Gr.4 (Gr.4)
4C Launch Edition 2014 (N200)
Giulia TZ2 Carrozzata da Zagato CN.AR750106 1965 (Gr.X)
MiTo 1.4 T Sport 2009 (N200)

Alpine (3)
Vision Gran Turismo 2017 (Gr.1)
Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)
Vision Gran Turismo Race Mode (Gr.X)

ASTON MARTIN (6)
DB3S CN.1 1953 (Gr.X)
DB11 2016 (N600)
DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)
V12 Vantage GT3 2012 (Gr.3)
Vantage Gr.4 (Gr.4)
Vulcan 2016 (N800)

AUDI (10)
R8 4.2 FSI R Tronic 2007 (N400)
R8 LMS Audi Team Sport WRT 2015 (Gr.3)
R18 TDI Audi Team Sport Joest 2011 (Gr.1)
R18 TDI Le Mans 2011 (Gr.1)
R18 e-tron 2016 (Gr.1)
Sport quattro S1 Pikes Peak 1987 (Gr.B)
TT Coupe 3.2 quattro 2003 (N200)
TT Cup 2016 (Gr.4)
TTS Coupe 2014 (N300)
Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.1)

BMW (8)
M4 Coupe 2014 (N400)
M4 Safety Car (Gr.X)
M4 Gr.4 (Gr.4)
M6 GT3 Walkenhorst Motorsport 2016 (Gr.3)
M6 GT3 M Power Livery 2016 (Gr.3)
Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)
Z4 GT3 2011 (Gr.3)
Z8 2001 (N400)

BUGATTI (3)
Veyron Gr.4 (Gr.4)
Vision Gran Turismo Gr.1 (Gr.1)
Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)

CHAPARRAL (1)
Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)

CHEVROLET (2)
Camaro SS 2016 (N500)
Corvette Stingray Race Concept (C2) 1959 (Gr.X)

CITROËN (1)
GT by Citroen Gr.4 (Gr.4)

DAIHATSU (2)
Copen Active Top 2002 (N100)
Copen RJ Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)

DODGE (10)
Charger SRT Hellcat 2015 (N700)
Charger SRT Hellcat Safety Car (N700)
SRT Tomahawk VGT Gr.1 (Gr.1)
SRT Tomahawk VGT Racing (Gr.X)
SRT Tomahawk VGT Street (Gr.X)
SRT Tomahawk VGT Technology (Gr.X)
Superbee 1970 (N300)
Viper Gr.4 (Gr.4)
Viper SRT10 Coupe 2006 (N500)
Viper SRT GT3-R 2015 (Gr.3)

FERRARI (7)
250 GT Berlinetta passo corto CN.2521 1961 (N300)
250 GTO CN.3729GT 1962 (Gr.X)
458 Italia 2009 (N600)
458 Italia GT3 2013 (Gr.3)
Dino 246GT 1971 (N200)
Enzo Ferrari 2002 (N700)
F40 1992 (N500)

FIAT (2)
500 F 1968 (N100)
500 1.2 8v Lounge SS 2008 (N100)

FORD (7)
Focus Gr.B Rally Car (Gr.B)
GT 2006 (N600)
GT LM Spec II Test Car (Gr.3)
Mustang Gr.3 Road Car (N500)
Mustang Gr.B Rally Car (Gr.B)
Mustang GT Premium Fastback 2015 (N400)
Mustang Mach 1 1971 (N300)

GRAN TURISMO (6)
Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo (N600)
Chris Holstrom Concepts 1967 Chevy Nova 2013 (N700)
Racing Kart 125 Shifter (Gr.X)
Red Bull X2014 Standard 2014 (Gr.X)
Red Bull X2014 Junior 2014 (Gr.X)
Red Bull X2019 Competition (Gr.X)

HONDA (7)
Fit Hybrid 2014 (N100)
NSX Concept-GT Raybrig 2016 (Gr.2)
NSX Gr.3 (Gr.3)
NSX Gr.4 (Gr.4)
S660 2015 (N100)
S800 1966 (N100)
Sports Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)

HYUNDAI (5)
Genesis Gr.3 (Gr.3)
Genesis Gr.4 (Gr.4)
Genesis Gr.B Rally Car (Gr.B)
N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.1)
N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)

INFINITI (1)
Concept Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)

JAGUAR (7)
D-Type 1954 (Gr.X)
E-Type Coupe 1961 (N300)
F-Type Gr.3 (Gr.3)
F-Type Gr.4 (Gr.4)
XJ13 1966 (Gr.X)
XJR-9 1988 (Gr.1)
Vision Gran Turismo Coupe (Gr.X)

KTM (1)
X-BOW R 2012 (N300)

LAMBORGHINI (7)
Aventador LP700-4 2011 (N700)
Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce 2015 (N800)
Countach LP400 1974 (N400)
Huracan Gr.4 (Gr.4)
Huracan LP610-4 2015 (N600)
Miura P400 Bertone Prototype CN.0706 1967 (N400)
Veneno 2014 (N800)

LANCIA (1)
Stratos 1973 (N200)

LEXUS (4)
LC500 2017 (N500)
LF-LC GT Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)
RC F au Tom's 2016 (Gr.2)
RC F Gr.4 (Gr.4)

MAZDA (11)
Atenza Gr.3 Road Car (N500)
Atenza Gr.4 (Gr.4)
Atenza Sedan XD L Package 2015 (N200)
Demio XD Touring 2015 (N100)
LM55 Vision Gran Turismo Gr.1 (Gr.1)
LM55 Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)
Roadster Touring Car (N200)
Roadster S 2015 (N100)
RX500 1970 (N300)
RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) 2002 (N300)
RX-Vision GT3 Concept 2020 (Gr.3)

MCLAREN (7)
650S Gr.4 (Gr.4)
650S GT3 2015 (Gr.3)
F1 GTR BMW Kokusai Kaihatsu UK Racing 1995 (Gr.3)
MP4-12c 2010 (N600)
P1 GTR 2016 (Gr.X)
Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo Gr.1 (Gr.1)
Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)

MERCEDES-BENZ (11)
A45 AMG 4MATIC 2013 (N400)
AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+ (Gr.X)
AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+ Color Variation (Gr.X)
AMG Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)
AMG Vision Gran Turismo LH Edition (Gr.X)
AMG Vision Gran Turismo Racing Series (Gr.X)
Sauber C9 1989 (Gr.1)
SLR McLaren 2009 (N600)
SLS AMG 2010 (N600)
SLS AMG Gr.4 (Gr.4)
SLS AMG GT3 2011 (Gr.3)

MINI (2)
Cooper S 2005 (N200)
Clubman Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)

MITSUBISHI (5)
Lancer Evolution IV GSR 1996 (N300)
Lancer Evolution Final Edition 2015 (N300)
Lancer Evolution Final Edition Gr.3 (Gr.3)
Lancer Evolution Final Edition Gr.B Rally Car (Gr.B)
Lancer Evolution Final Edition Gr.B Road Car (N500)

NISSAN (12)
Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)
Fairlady Z Version S 2007 (N300)
GT-R Gr.4 (Gr.4)
GT-R Gr.B Rally Car (Gr.B)
GT-R LM Nismo 2015 (Gr.1)
GT-R Motul Autech 2016 (Gr.2)
GT-R Premium Edition 2017 (N600)
GT-R Safety Car (Gr.X)
GT-R Xanavi Nismo (Gr.2)
R92CP 1992 (Gr.1)
Skyline GT-R V-spec (R33) 1997 (N300)
Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nür (R34) 2002 (N300)

PEUGEOT (9)
208 GTI by Peugeot Sport 2014 (N200)
908 HDI FAP Team Peugeot Total 2010 (Gr.1)
RCZ Gr.3 (Gr.3)
RCZ Gr.3 Road Car (N500)
RCZ Gr.4 (Gr.4)
RCZ Gr.B Rally Car (Gr.B)
L500R Hybrid Vision Gran Turismo 2017 (Gr.X)
L750R Hybrid Vision Gran Turismo 2017 (Gr.1)
Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)

PONTIAC (1)
Firebird Trans Am 1978 (N200)

PORSCHE (6)
911 (993) Carrera RS Club Sport (N300)
911 GT3 (997) 2008 (N400)
911 GT3 RS 2016 (N600)
911 RSR 2017 (Gr.3)
962C 1988 (Gr.1)
Taycan Turbo S 2019 (Gr.X)

RENAULT (1)
R8 Gordini 1966 (Gr.X)

RENAULT SPORT (4)
Clio RS 220 EDC Trophy 2015 (N200)
Clio RS 220 EDC Trophy 2016 (N200)
Megane RS Trophy 2011 Safety Car (N300)
R.S.01 GT3 2016 (Gr.3)

SHELBY (1)
Cobra Daytona Coupe 1964 (Gr.X)

SUBARU (6)
BRZ S 2015 (N200)
BRZ Falken Tire/Turn 14 Distribution 2017 (Gr.X)
Impreza Coupe WRX Type R STi Version VI 1999 (N300)
WRX Gr.3 (Gr.3)
WRX Gr.B (Gr.B)
WRX STI Type S 2014 (N300)

TESLA (1)
Model S Signature Performance 2012 (Gr.X)

TOYOTA (19)
2000GT 1967 (N200)
86 Gr.4 (Gr.4)
86 Gr.B Rally Car (Gr.B)
86 GRMN 2016 (N200)
86 GT 2015 (N200)
86 GT Limited 2016 (N200)
Corolla Levin 3door 1600GT APEX (AE86) 1983 (N100)
Crown Athlete G Safety Car (N300)
FT-1 (Gr.X)
FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)
FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo Gr.3 (Gr.3)
GR Supra Racing Concept (Gr.3)
GR Supra RZ 2020 (N400)
MR2 GT-S 1997 (N200)
S-FR 2015 (N100)
Sprinter Trueno 3door 1600GT APEX (AE86) 1983 (N100)
TS030 Hybrid 2012 (Gr.1)
TS050 Hybrid Toyota Gazoo Racing 2016 (Gr.1)
Tundra TRD Pro 2019 (N400)

VOLKSWAGEN (7)
1200 1966 (N100)
Scirocco Gr.4 (Gr.4)
Golf VII GTI 2014 (N200)
GTI Roadster Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)
GTI Supersport Vision Gran Turismo (Gr.X)
GTI Vision Gran Turismo Gr.3 (Gr.3)
Samba Bus Type 2 (T1) 1962 (N100)

ZAGATO (1)
IsoRivolta Vision GT 2017 (Gr.X)
 
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To err is to human.

I don't expect any sympathy from anyone when I say this, but reviewing cars is hard. The old adage of "never meet your heroes" is well known and often propagated, yet, when the time comes to step on some toes in the name of journalism, many are put off by the fact that the dream cars they spend their entire lives idolising, lusting after, chasing, believing, sacrificing for, and that shape their lives is a load of crap. There seems to be no way of expressing discontent and disappointment - even rationally with supporting evidence - on the internet: someone's going to be upset by having their idols go through a mud facial under a boot in a review. I'm not above admitting that I may have made mistakes in my review; my day job was being a racing driver, and writing is only a hobby. And so it's not entirely inconceivable that I've expressed my disappointment in a few cars in the wrong way, and some higher up in COTW saw it fit to punish me for it.

Why else would I be subject to a fate so utterly despicable, inhumane, senseless, and cruel as being forced to race a Porsche 356 and be publicly humiliated like this this week?


I also don't expect any sympathy from the internet when the higher ups of my very fun and well paying job with a mostly flexible schedule tell me to flexibly bend over a table for some well paid fun. The sensible thing a sane person in a sane world would do would be to report it to HR and perhaps sue their employer, but this is a very, very different world, hence why the sensible thing to do for me is to bend over said table and ask what I should scream and how I should scream it. You may not guess it from how much I complain, but I really love my job. At the time, I wondered who it was that I had offended in my previous review; was it the childlike Ferrari? Supra fanboys? Stuck up BMW drivers? Mustang boomers? People who never drive cars at their limits and therefore can actually like the NC1 "NSX"?

"Yes, I do love racing dangerously! Oh daddy, give it to me raw, please! I don't need racing harnesses, seatbelts, roll cages, fire extinguishers, or even common sense-" *slapped* "Oh, airbags and locking differentials are just added mass! I love the older type of tyres, brakes, and such fine, precise footwork trained by driving without ABS! Such strong, heavy, muscular rear ends, swinging back and forth like a wrecking ball! Why yes, I do love it so when I can't see where I'm going and what I'm doing when I have a chrome, glaring metal rod at eye level! Being unable to see makes all my other senses perk up and the whole experience that much more enjoyable! Really!"

The answer, as it would appear, was me critiquing the (lack of) safety measures in the previous week.


To cover the scars on my body, I will at least have my fire retardant racing suit, and to cover my irreversibly scarred ego, my racing helmet with a mirror finish visor. Oh, and because safety is first and foremost, a personal responsibility, I'm also... fitted, with the very technologically advanced safety feature of a very strong suggestion to "just don't crash, then". Beyond that, I have a useless looking... hoop, over the rear seats that serve gosh knows what purpose, and a bucket seat to hold me in place; not even the crotch belts you get at dodgy traveling carnival rides to prevent you from going eyes first into the windshield frame in the event of a crash. And GT3 RS owners have the gall to whine about having straps for door handles.

I sigh as I lean forward - unrestricted by any seatbelts - to turn the key stuck right into the flat dash of the Porsche 356, invoking a sound somehow both mechanical and organic, as though you can hear the car physically draw breath when idling. Fuel Injection has long since wholly replaced carburetors in the automotive industry - evident by how I can't even spell the word without spellcheck - but driving so many old cars in COTW has really made me appreciate the sound of a carbureted engine breathing mechanically. The Flat 4 engine purrs irregularly far, far behind me, the vibration of which jittering the key tag to match the state of my nerves. As I completed the tyre warming parade lap, I took my second to last place on the grid, lining up against five other 356 Speedsters on the oddly dry British morning, essentially forming a 6 million USD pendulum set in some obscenely rich and masochistic kid's needlessly complicated physics experiment.

"Just don't crash, then", I guess.

To err-

*lights gone green*

is not an option.


The Porsche 356 is a rear engined car without locking diffs, modern springs, radial tyres, disc brakes, ABS, TCS, AWD, rear wheel steering, or advanced aerodynamics to help mask its inherent flaws like a modern 911. It therefore handles precisely like anyone would expect: it's an inconsolable tail wagging monster, and driving it at speed is incredibly frustrating. I mean, I don't know what else I'm supposed to tell you.


That really could've been the end of the review, but apparently it's not enough nowadays to just point out what should be common sense; I have to explain in detail why common sense holds true, like the kid in physics class that has to prove a theory in the textbook, and I'm surprised I wasn't in a school uniform prior to or during the race. I suppose then, my job this week is to provide you, dear reader, with the novelty and comical juxtaposition of driving this 64 year old car at its bleeding edge limits, and maybe survive enough to bring you some footage as evidence to supplement my argument of common sense, which, if not for word count padding to fill the page like any school assignment, can be summed up simply by, "it sucks".

Kore de ii, sensei?​

We really are all slaves our entire lives, regardless of jobs, aren't we?

You have to be sure to apply some throttle to shift weight over to the rear before you turn too hard for any corner, as otherwise the rear end will swing out. This makes setting up for a corner vastly different from conventional wisdom, as instead of full brake, partial brake and partial turn, engine brake and full turn, gas right before apex, and turn gently out, it's instead: full brake, engine brake and slight turn, slight hint of gas while waiting for weight to return to the rear and turning not too hard, and then hell for leather gas and hope you don't understeer too wide on corner exit.


While the comparatively heavy rear end of a RR car being a moody mess is common knowledge by now, what often gets drowned out by that is how soft the front springs on rear engined cars have to be to allow for weight transfer over the featherweight front end, already being pulled up by the see-saw effect even at a standstill. What this softness translates to in hard driving is that there is an incredible amount of squat under braking, which causes the rear end to become unhinged, and the understeer on power is quite hideous even with just 108PS. It's not at all an uncommon occurrence for a driver to viciously and violently snap between chronic understeer and apocalyptic oversteer several times in one bend, never being able to find that knife edge balance of neutrality in this toggle switch of a car. If you're at home and wondering how driving this car feels like, it'd be like trying to hold a light switch perfectly in the middle between on and off; it's flipping impossible because the switch just wants to snap to either side, just like this car just wants to snap between under and oversteer. Of course, this usually results in a passionate meeting with another competitor, or just a wall if you're feeling particularly responsible and self isolating. Safety is, after all, first and foremost, a personal responsibility.

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N-NANI?!

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DOITSU DORIFUTO?!​

There might be an argument to be made for a tail happy car being fun to drive, but I can assure you that this car is not at all fun to slide. Applying the throttle to shift weight over the rear after they break loose does a grand total of jack all, as the open diff means all the power will be sent to the inside wheel, which will be lifted so much it struggles to even generate smoke, much less do any slide adjusting, drift holding work. Given that it's impossible to drift or correct the car when it goes sideways, you have to make every effort into ensuring the car never breaks loose to begin with; a tall task given that even turning the wheel hard on full throttle makes the impatient rear end want to overtake the front. The only option you're therefore left with as a driver is to "just don't turn too hard", and I guarantee you every racing driver will be as happy to hear that as, "just don't crash, then".


Well, why don't you just stop a Tsunami by standing right in front of it and politely asking it to stop, then? Because that's exactly what trying to correct a slide in this thing feels like. It's going to happen, and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. The best you can do is to just brace for and make room for it to minimise casualties when it happens. Or, you know, you could drive really slowly - that works too in the sane world.


The car, especially for something conceived in the late 1940s, has a surprisingly aerodynamically slippery looking teardrop shape to it, with an implicit, striking beauty from its simplicity not found in cars today, with minimal protrusions and creases, exuding such a sense of slipperiness that it could almost make one feel velvet at their fingertips just by looking at it, even with the factory's flat paint, and especially when bathed in metallic paint like Rob's car. This teardrop shape however does unfortunately mean that the edges of the car, where the tyres are, are narrower than the width of the body at its centre, where you sit as a driver, and this width disparity is immediately obvious when you see the tyres from an angle that looks towards the centre of the car, so much so they look inset.


I really do wish the rear wheels can be set wider apart for more track and stability. As it is, precisely placing this car a unique challenge as well: on wide open racing tracks such as Goodwood, you'll want to make the most of the road width by running your tyres right up to the edge of the asphalt, which overhangs your car body over the grass. On walled in corners such as the very creatively named "The Chicane" on Goodwood, or even urban tracks, the definition of "making the most of the track" changes, as now the limiting factor isn't your tyre placement, but instead making sure you don't hit the wall with the protruding body of the car.


While the 356 looks vastly different from anything else Porsche has ever produced, there are some instantly recogniseable bits of DNA that has very prominently survived to the modern day, such as the twin bug eyes popping out of its surprisingly sleek and smooth body, and a flat engine that is, for reasons beyond my limited imagination, overhung out the rear. The gearing on the 356 also feels familiar to me as a proud, loving owner of a 981 Cayman GT4, in that 1st gear is in Stuttgart and 2nd is in Singapore. The gauges of the 356 too, show promising DNA that Porsche has knowingly built upon, being large, clear, and easy to read at a glance... provided that the sun isn't at an angle that strikes the chrome highlights of the dials, windshield, or steering wheel such that it casts a glare, which is an eventuality as unavoidable and dangerous as the rear end of this car stepping out, given that that the Speedster has no roof, and no tinted rear windows to filter out sunlight or high beams from other drivers from blinding you in your mirror.


A rather amusing overkill touch on the tachometer is that the rev range is separated into colour coded zones to tell you where the engine makes optimal power, exactly like you would find in modern diesel buses, except it really doesn't take being Lewis Hamilton or Ernst Fuhrmann to figure out that if you want good things to happen with this engine, rev the nuts off this NA 1.5L Flat 4 engine. While the tachometer suggests anything from 4,000rpm and above is useable, ideally I'd say you want to be above 5,000 for it to really feel like it's doing anything, and it really comes alive only at 6,000. Official specs claim that max power of 108PS happens at 6,500rpm, and peak torque of 123N⋅m happens at 5,000rpm. I know I just said this engine is lifeless at anything below that, but with how horrendously long the throws are, each gear change takes about an eternity and a half, and it might be faster to just lug the 840kg (1,852lbs) car around a track than to row it across with frequent gear changes, despite its canoe shape suggesting otherwise.


While I try to be of firm opinion in my reviews as much as is possible, I really do hesitate to critique historic cars. And with the Porsche 356 being the marque's first mass produced car, it's all the more precarious a task to critique it. I get that the first time is always special, but just as is getting bent over a table, there's no practical use for a RR layout: the rear seats of this thing are useless and the frunk is largely taken up by a spare tyre, anyway. Critiquing this car and holding it to modern standards and expectations is akin to asking your grandpa to work a 9-5 job and call into question his outdated views: it's entirely pointless. He's earned his respect and right to be who he is, and he knows it. The best you can get out of him is to sit down and calmly listen to his stories, how things were back then, and perhaps learning a few things from him, never talking back or challenging him because you're dedicating time to give him to talk, with quiet knowledge that his views and methods have worked for his time but may not today, and just nod along with him.

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Before you ask, this grandpa car still kicked my butt when I challenged it in a rental Demio.​

And that I feel is largely the same with classic cars as well: you have to dedicate a lot of time and resources to their upkeep, and once you look past their very glaring faults like the engine and its stupid placement, and stop heckling it to go fast, that's when I feel that the strengths of this car really comes to light. Despite me complaining about the massive squat under braking, the suspension of this car is surprisingly taut, darty, and responsive. It also handles bumps and road imperfections really well. It has a really good 160mm (6.3in) ground clearance to make travel room for its aforementioned soft front end, meaning you never have to worry about scraping like you would a modern supercar. The car may evidently be old, but it doesn't feel nearly its age when I was behind the wheel. Had the engine been put in a more sensible place, this would be right up there with the Mark I Golf GTI with how enjoyable it is to drive. On a wide open road in a T Shirt, shorts, with a small enough driver and just the right weather on just the right day, I think this would be one hell of a stylish, enjoyable cruiser, with its ever delightful engine never being rude or obnoxious, while still oozing character. Despite the word "Carrera" in its name, I never once felt comfortable with this car when driving it near its limits, and I would never want to race this again.

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All the gauges broke the instant this shot was taken, don't ask.​

Rear engine cars is a stupid idea that never had any practical application, be it on the road or for the racetrack, and I genuinely believe the 911 is a dinosaur of a car kept alive by the... *er-hem* enthusiasm of its fans, and bleeding edge technology that would've done more in a mid engined car. I can excuse the 356's rear engine layout because, come on, it's 1948. People didn't know better. But the important part about mistakes is that you learn from them, and make your future actions better than your past mistakes. Every Porsche that changed the game since have been mid engined; the 959 in 1986, the Boxster in 1996, Carrera GT and 2004, the 918 in 2013, and even the 911 RSR was finally forced to sensibly relocate the engine before the rear axle in 2016. And if Porsche can keep making mistakes to this day at the behest of their fans with the 911, then I should be able to keep ruffling feathers with my reviews as well as long as I'm still enjoying my job. If you don't like them, there are always other reviews, just as I've a Cayman GT4 in my garage instead of a 911.


I'm not apologising for a word I wrote, and I'd take more than bending me over a table to change my mind, because unlike when I was bent over the table, I actually felt something in the car that failed to get me killed.

*********************************************
​
@Alex p. your list has a few errors from what I know. I haven't compared it to the list on the first page yet, but I know that

The Camaro ZL1 was Week 56 and the Car of the Year for 2019
C2 Corvette was Week 89
Mustang Gr. 3 was Week 29
RC F GT3 was Week 96
Atenza Gr. 3 was Week 54
AMG GT S Safety Car is essentially the same as the road car, isn't it? That was Week 51
Evo Gr. 4 and WRX Gr. 4 were Week 82
Mégane Trophy Gr. 4 was Week 10
 
This car is pretty well known for having a spoiler attach at the back but Poly Digital seems to forget to add it or give it an ability to add the spoiler to the car. Also some people may recognize this car from the entrance scene in Cannon Ball Run but that is with its older sibling. This week we are taking a look at the Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary. This weeks car is chosen by @Alex p.

2880-1800-crop-lamborghini-countach-25th-anniversary-c917202012020184835_1.jpg
 
I would put it like this.

The 1974 Original P400 Countach is $1.8 mil.

This 1988 25th anniversary is $500k.

The 1974 is a trophy car. It is not worth $1.8 mil. It doesnt drive right at all.

The 1988 is an actually OK car. I can hustle it on the 'Ring quite ok. It does not drive like a 1980s mess. Its workable. The handling doesnt have much vices. I seem to recall the handling to be quite balanced strangely enough. For a car that is supposed to be hard to handle I think 25yrs was enough to iron out the kinks. It does acquit itself quite well against the modern N400 crowd and even the GT4s believe it or not.

I cant get the 1974 version to do anything right.
 
Man I love its iconic design. It is also much easier to drive than the L400 model, and is weirdly slower around the track. It definatly also sounds really nice and is quite the joy to drive, except the rather pronounced understeer. Love this car.

With its driven time, it is the 45th fastest car of all road legal cars. Its closest rivals are the Lexus RC F '14 with a 07:40.272 on the 46th place and the Toyota GR Supra RZ '20 with a 07.38.895 on the 44th place. It can reach a top speed of 303 km/h=188mp/h in the game, and is thus sharing the 50th-49th place top speed wise of all road legal cars with the BMW M3 '03, while its closest top speed rivals are the Nissan Fairlady Z '07 with 301km/h=187 mp/h on the 51st place and the TVR Tuscan Speed 6 '00 with 307km/h=191mp/h on the 48th place.

Driven stock on hard sport tyres without any driving aids, except ABS. First lap in third person view, second one in cockpit view and third one in cinematic replay view. All driven laps are the same lap.

Hot lap:

GTS Nordschleife hot lap STOCK Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary '88: 07.39.862


Comparison with closest rivals:



Some pics:

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Such a lovely car.

Please share your replays after tomorrow guys and girls!

Verdict: it does what's expected=neutral.
 
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AgentBlackDog
A screenshot and video of driving at Laguna Seca
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Lovely match. I also absolutely ADORE the song playing at the beginning btw. I always let it play out in the menus. Sometimes I wish I could speak Spanish...
Then there's also some French one: "Je ne veux pas travailler. Je ne veux pas dejeuner..." Quick Frenchies, correct my horrible French please. :D

IncredibleOrganicBug-size_restricted.gif


XSquareStickIt
To err is to human.

I don't expect any sympathy from anyone when I say this, but reviewing cars is hard. The old adage of "never meet your heroes" is well known and often propagated, yet, when the time comes to step on some toes in the name of journalism, many are put off by the fact that the dream cars they spend their entire lives idolising, lusting after, chasing, believing, sacrificing for, and that shape their lives is a load of crap. There seems to be no way of expressing discontent and disappointment - even rationally with supporting evidence - on the internet: someone's going to be upset by having their idols go through a mud facial under a boot in a review. I'm not above admitting that I may have made mistakes in my review; my day job was being a racing driver, and writing is only a hobby. And so it's not entirely inconceivable that I've expressed my disappointment in a few cars in the wrong way, and some higher up in COTW saw it fit to punish me for it.

Why else would I be subject to a fate so utterly despicable, inhumane, senseless, and cruel as being forced to race a Porsche 356 and be publicly humiliated like this this week?


I also don't expect any sympathy from the internet when the higher ups of my very fun and well paying job with a mostly flexible schedule tell me to flexibly bend over a table for some well paid fun. The sensible thing a sane person in a sane world would do would be to report it to HR and perhaps sue their employer, but this is a very, very different world, hence why the sensible thing to do for me is to bend over said table and ask what I should scream and how I should scream it. You may not guess it from how much I complain, but I really love my job. At the time, I wondered who it was that I had offended in my previous review; was it the childlike Ferrari? Supra fanboys? Stuck up BMW drivers? Mustang boomers? People who never drive cars at their limits and therefore can actually like the NC1 "NSX"?

"Yes, I do love racing dangerously! Oh daddy, give it to me raw, please! I don't need racing harnesses, seatbelts, roll cages, fire extinguishers, or even common sense-" *slapped* "Oh, airbags and locking differentials are just added mass! I love the older type of tyres, brakes, and such fine, precise footwork trained by driving without ABS! Such strong, heavy, muscular rear ends, swinging back and forth like a wrecking ball! Why yes, I do love it so when I can't see where I'm going and what I'm doing when I have a chrome, glaring metal rod at eye level! Being unable to see makes all my other senses perk up and the whole experience that much more enjoyable! Really!"

The answer, as it would appear, was me critiquing the (lack of) safety measures in the previous week.


To cover the scars on my body, I will at least have my fire retardant racing suit, and to cover my irreversibly scarred ego, my racing helmet with a mirror finish visor. Oh, and because safety is first and foremost, a personal responsibility, I'm also... fitted, with the very technologically advanced safety feature of a very strong suggestion to "just don't crash, then". Beyond that, I have a useless looking... hoop, over the rear seats that serve gosh knows what purpose, and a bucket seat to hold me in place; not even the crotch belts you get at dodgy traveling carnival rides to prevent you from going eyes first into the windshield frame in the event of a crash. And GT3 RS owners have the gall to whine about having straps for door handles.

I sigh as I lean forward - unrestricted by any seatbelts - to turn the key stuck right into the flat dash of the Porsche 356, invoking a sound somehow both mechanical and organic, as though you can hear the car physically draw breath when idling. Fuel Injection has long since wholly replaced carburetors in the automotive industry - evident by how I can't even spell the word without spellcheck - but driving so many old cars in COTW has really made me appreciate the sound of a carbureted engine breathing mechanically. The Flat 4 engine purrs irregularly far, far behind me, the vibration of which jittering the key tag to match the state of my nerves. As I completed the tyre warming parade lap, I took my second to last place on the grid, lining up against five other 356 Speedsters on the oddly dry British morning, essentially forming a 6 million USD pendulum set in some obscenely rich and masochistic kid's needlessly complicated physics experiment.

"Just don't crash, then", I guess.

To err-

*lights gone green*

is not an option.


The Porsche 356 is a rear engined car without locking diffs, modern springs, radial tyres, disc brakes, ABS, TCS, AWD, rear wheel steering, or advanced aerodynamics to help mask its inherent flaws like a modern 911. It therefore handles precisely like anyone would expect: it's an inconsolable tail wagging monster, and driving it at speed is incredibly frustrating. I mean, I don't know what else I'm supposed to tell you.


That really could've been the end of the review, but apparently it's not enough nowadays to just point out what should be common sense; I have to explain in detail why common sense holds true, like the kid in physics class that has to prove a theory in the textbook, and I'm surprised I wasn't in a school uniform prior to or during the race. I suppose then, my job this week is to provide you, dear reader, with the novelty and comical juxtaposition of driving this 64 year old car at its bleeding edge limits, and maybe survive enough to bring you some footage as evidence to supplement my argument of common sense, which, if not for word count padding to fill the page like any school assignment, can be summed up simply by, "it sucks".

Kore de ii, sensei?​

We really are all slaves our entire lives, regardless of jobs, aren't we?

You have to be sure to apply some throttle to shift weight over to the rear before you turn too hard for any corner, as otherwise the rear end will swing out. This makes setting up for a corner vastly different from conventional wisdom, as instead of full brake, partial brake and partial turn, engine brake and full turn, gas right before apex, and turn gently out, it's instead: full brake, engine brake and slight turn, slight hint of gas while waiting for weight to return to the rear and turning not too hard, and then hell for leather gas and hope you don't understeer too wide on corner exit.


While the comparatively heavy rear end of a RR car being a moody mess is common knowledge by now, what often gets drowned out by that is how soft the front springs on rear engined cars have to be to allow for weight transfer over the featherweight front end, already being pulled up by the see-saw effect even at a standstill. What this softness translates to in hard driving is that there is an incredible amount of squat under braking, which causes the rear end to become unhinged, and the understeer on power is quite hideous even with just 108PS. It's not at all an uncommon occurrence for a driver to viciously and violently snap between chronic understeer and apocalyptic oversteer several times in one bend, never being able to find that knife edge balance of neutrality in this toggle switch of a car. If you're at home and wondering how driving this car feels like, it'd be like trying to hold a light switch perfectly in the middle between on and off; it's flipping impossible because the switch just wants to snap to either side, just like this car just wants to snap between under and oversteer. Of course, this usually results in a passionate meeting with another competitor, or just a wall if you're feeling particularly responsible and self isolating. Safety is, after all, first and foremost, a personal responsibility.

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N-NANI?!

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DOITSU DORIFUTO?!​

There might be an argument to be made for a tail happy car being fun to drive, but I can assure you that this car is not at all fun to slide. Applying the throttle to shift weight over the rear after they break loose does a grand total of jack all, as the open diff means all the power will be sent to the inside wheel, which will be lifted so much it struggles to even generate smoke, much less do any slide adjusting, drift holding work. Given that it's impossible to drift or correct the car when it goes sideways, you have to make every effort into ensuring the car never breaks loose to begin with; a tall task given that even turning the wheel hard on full throttle makes the impatient rear end want to overtake the front. The only option you're therefore left with as a driver is to "just don't turn too hard", and I guarantee you every racing driver will be as happy to hear that as, "just don't crash, then".


Well, why don't you just stop a Tsunami by standing right in front of it and politely asking it to stop, then? Because that's exactly what trying to correct a slide in this thing feels like. It's going to happen, and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. The best you can do is to just brace for and make room for it to minimise casualties when it happens. Or, you know, you could drive really slowly - that works too in the sane world.


The car, especially for something conceived in the late 1940s, has a surprisingly aerodynamically slippery looking teardrop shape to it, with an implicit, striking beauty from its simplicity not found in cars today, with minimal protrusions and creases, exuding such a sense of slipperiness that it could almost make one feel velvet at their fingertips just by looking at it, even with the factory's flat paint, and especially when bathed in metallic paint like Rob's car. This teardrop shape however does unfortunately mean that the edges of the car, where the tyres are, are narrower than the width of the body at its centre, where you sit as a driver, and this width disparity is immediately obvious when you see the tyres from an angle that looks towards the centre of the car, so much so they look inset.


I really do wish the rear wheels can be set wider apart for more track and stability. As it is, precisely placing this car a unique challenge as well: on wide open racing tracks such as Goodwood, you'll want to make the most of the road width by running your tyres right up to the edge of the asphalt, which overhangs your car body over the grass. On walled in corners such as the very creatively named "The Chicane" on Goodwood, or even urban tracks, the definition of "making the most of the track" changes, as now the limiting factor isn't your tyre placement, but instead making sure you don't hit the wall with the protruding body of the car.


While the 356 looks vastly different from anything else Porsche has ever produced, there are some instantly recogniseable bits of DNA that has very prominently survived to the modern day, such as the twin bug eyes popping out of its surprisingly sleek and smooth body, and a flat engine that is, for reasons beyond my limited imagination, overhung out the rear. The gearing on the 356 also feels familiar to me as a proud, loving owner of a 981 Cayman GT4, in that 1st gear is in Stuttgart and 2nd is in Singapore. The gauges of the 356 too, show promising DNA that Porsche has knowingly built upon, being large, clear, and easy to read at a glance... provided that the sun isn't at an angle that strikes the chrome highlights of the dials, windshield, or steering wheel such that it casts a glare, which is an eventuality as unavoidable and dangerous as the rear end of this car stepping out, given that that the Speedster has no roof, and no tinted rear windows to filter out sunlight or high beams from other drivers from blinding you in your mirror.


A rather amusing overkill touch on the tachometer is that the rev range is separated into colour coded zones to tell you where the engine makes optimal power, exactly like you would find in modern diesel buses, except it really doesn't take being Lewis Hamilton or Ernst Fuhrmann to figure out that if you want good things to happen with this engine, rev the nuts off this NA 1.5L Flat 4 engine. While the tachometer suggests anything from 4,000rpm and above is useable, ideally I'd say you want to be above 5,000 for it to really feel like it's doing anything, and it really comes alive only at 6,000. Official specs claim that max power of 108PS happens at 6,500rpm, and peak torque of 123N⋅m happens at 5,000rpm. I know I just said this engine is lifeless at anything below that, but with how horrendously long the throws are, each gear change takes about an eternity and a half, and it might be faster to just lug the 840kg (1,852lbs) car around a track than to row it across with frequent gear changes, despite its canoe shape suggesting otherwise.


While I try to be of firm opinion in my reviews as much as is possible, I really do hesitate to critique historic cars. And with the Porsche 356 being the marque's first mass produced car, it's all the more precarious a task to critique it. I get that the first time is always special, but just as is getting bent over a table, there's no practical use for a RR layout: the rear seats of this thing are useless and the frunk is largely taken up by a spare tyre, anyway. Critiquing this car and holding it to modern standards and expectations is akin to asking your grandpa to work a 9-5 job and call into question his outdated views: it's entirely pointless. He's earned his respect and right to be who he is, and he knows it. The best you can get out of him is to sit down and calmly listen to his stories, how things were back then, and perhaps learning a few things from him, never talking back or challenging him because you're dedicating time to give him to talk, with quiet knowledge that his views and methods have worked for his time but may not today, and just nod along with him.

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Before you ask, this grandpa car still kicked my butt when I challenged it in a rental Demio.​

And that I feel is largely the same with classic cars as well: you have to dedicate a lot of time and resources to their upkeep, and once you look past their very glaring faults like the engine and its stupid placement, and stop heckling it to go fast, that's when I feel that the strengths of this car really comes to light. Despite me complaining about the massive squat under braking, the suspension of this car is surprisingly taut, darty, and responsive. It also handles bumps and road imperfections really well. It has a really good 160mm (6.3in) ground clearance to make travel room for its aforementioned soft front end, meaning you never have to worry about scraping like you would a modern supercar. The car may evidently be old, but it doesn't feel nearly its age when I was behind the wheel. Had the engine been put in a more sensible place, this would be right up there with the Mark I Golf GTI with how enjoyable it is to drive. On a wide open road in a T Shirt, shorts, with a small enough driver and just the right weather on just the right day, I think this would be one hell of a stylish, enjoyable cruiser, with its ever delightful engine never being rude or obnoxious, while still oozing character. Despite the word "Carrera" in its name, I never once felt comfortable with this car when driving it near its limits, and I would never want to race this again.

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All the gauges broke the instant this shot was taken, don't ask.​

Rear engine cars is a stupid idea that never had any practical application, be it on the road or for the racetrack, and I genuinely believe the 911 is a dinosaur of a car kept alive by the... *er-hem* enthusiasm of its fans, and bleeding edge technology that would've done more in a mid engined car. I can excuse the 356's rear engine layout because, come on, it's 1948. People didn't know better. But the important part about mistakes is that you learn from them, and make your future actions better than your past mistakes. Every Porsche that changed the game since have been mid engined; the 959 in 1986, the Boxster in 1996, Carrera GT and 2004, the 918 in 2013, and even the 911 RSR was finally forced to sensibly relocate the engine before the rear axle in 2016. And if Porsche can keep making mistakes to this day at the behest of their fans with the 911, then I should be able to keep ruffling feathers with my reviews as well as long as I'm still enjoying my job. If you don't like them, there are always other reviews, just as I've a Cayman GT4 in my garage instead of a 911.


I'm not apologising for a word I wrote, and I'd take more than bending me over a table to change my mind, because unlike when I was bent over the table, I actually felt something in the car that failed to get me killed.

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@Alex p. your list has a few errors from what I know. I haven't compared it to the list on the first page yet, but I know that

The Camaro ZL1 was Week 56 and the Car of the Year for 2019
C2 Corvette was Week 89
Mustang Gr. 3 was Week 29
RC F GT3 was Week 96
Atenza Gr. 3 was Week 54
AMG GT S Safety Car is essentially the same as the road car, isn't it? That was Week 51
Evo Gr. 4 and WRX Gr. 4 were Week 82
Mégane Trophy Gr. 4 was Week 10
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Fantastic review as always. If I would run a car site, I would definately hire you as a writer. I'm always so impressed with your knowledge and also enjoy your pics and gifs a lot. That copper 356 is gourgeos.

Can't agree on the 911s being mistakes though. Their performance stats disagree with you as well. ;)
 
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Alex p.
Fantastic review as always. If I would run a car site, I would definately hire you as a writer. I'm always so impressed with your knowledge and also enjoy your pics and gifs a lot. That copper 356 is gourgeos.

Can't agree on the 911s being mistakes though. Their performance stats disagree with you as well. ;)
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Thanks! The Copper 356 is @RobboGTAddict 's design. He hasn't shared that one though.

I know 911s are tremendously capable cars. The 911 GT3 RS in the game is one of the best N cars in any class its eligible for. I just think that all the engineering and technology that went into making it so fast would've gone even further in a MR car, with no real drawbacks to practicality. Of course, it's just an opinion, but the fact that no one, not even Porsche themselves, make any other RR cars makes me think that. Would you really want a RR 918 or Carrera GT?

Alex p.
Please share your replays after tomorrow guys and girls!
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I tried. I really did. But this car was so unwieldy everyone was understeering off the track. Not many battles happened as a result. This is the closest to a fight I've been able to put up to Vic in the week; the other races, he handstand moon walked away from the rest of the field while singing Lily Allen - F You... backwards.

​
 
XSquareStickIt
Thanks! The Copper 356 is @RobboGTAddict 's design. He hasn't shared that one though.

I know 911s are tremendously capable cars. The 911 GT3 RS in the game is one of the best N cars in any class its eligible for. I just think that all the engineering and technology that went into making it so fast would've gone even further in a MR car, with no real drawbacks to practicality. Of course, it's just an opinion, but the fact that no one, not even Porsche themselves, make any other RR cars makes me think that. Would you really want a RR 918 or Carrera GT?



I tried. I really did. But this car was so unwieldy everyone was understeering off the track. Not many battles happened as a result. This is the closest to a fight I've been able to put up to Vic in the week; the other races, he handstand moon walked away from the rest of the field while singing Lily Allen - F You... backwards.

​
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Thx! Great driving! Someone else uploaded sth.?
 
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I know we didn't have the best showing on Tuesday for COTW. I saw that a few were interested in running the Countach again on Tuesday.

So would you guys like to run the Countach or a new car for next Tuesday.
 
So the Alpine A110, For some it’s a nostalgic and successful rally car, for others it’s a crummy old french car that tries killing you every time you look at it funny. :P

But for me, it’s a little more than that.

For you see the A110 is the first ever car I drove for COTW and the first meet up I attended back on GT6 in 2014. :boggled:

So for me it’s a case of coming full circle and driving the car that started it all for me, meeting people I’d go on to consider good friends, have incredible battles in all sorts of cars and improving not just myself, but those who I’d raced with. :)

So no pressure eh A110? :P

It packs a 1565cc 4 cylinder engine with just under 140hp which was mounted at the back of the A110, which only weighed 715kgs. :drool:

When there’s no weight to heave, low power is all you need.

And it’s low weight helped in the world of rallying nabbing numerous wins and titles, including the first ever WRC title in 1973.

Though probably not in our hands will it win anymore as while it’s eagerness and rear engine set up make it a dirt road underdog, it’s a little too eager to rotate on tarmac.

“Pronto SquareStick & Obelisk?”
“Yes?”
“.... sBinnala” :cool: :lol:

Yes it had a very fine edge to it and was easy to get it wrong and over rotate.

Get it right however and not much can match it for the power levels in stock form.

But such a classic does command a 100k price tag, which does mean its eligible for the Supercar Lounge race series. ;)

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

The Gr4 version of the Ford Mustang I could summarise like this.

Like the Gr3 Mustang, but want a slower and more user friendly version?

The Gr4 version is the answer for you. :P

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

Next! :D

Next up is a Porsche and the first car they decided to make a hotter version of using racing parts, a tradition they continue to this day.

It’s the 1956 Porsche 356A Carrera 1500 GS GT, in its Speedster configuration.

At 1.2 million credits, it’s 12 times the price of the A110. :eek:

Its less powerful at 107hp from a 1.5 litre 4 cylinder engine which was taken from the 550 Spyder race car and de-tuned for road use, plus it’s heavier than the A110 at a still very light 840kgs.

That all might sound like how the A110 is a hellva bargain in comparison to the 356, but there’s a reason you pay through the nose for it.

It’s a collectors piece that can drive very good. :)

There’s a reason the Carrera nameplate is still used to this day and it’s the handling of this classic cruiser turned gentleman’s racer.

It grips up nice and isn’t as prone to try and kill you when you start shifting the weight around, unlike certain 911’s which would go on to claim the moniker ‘The Widowmaker’. :scared:

It’s the car of choice for those at the top in the 1950’s, like two of Hollywoods silver screen legends James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. (Both of whom were on my 356, I’ll share the design next time i’m on GTS. 👍)

A person who’s looking for the best bang for your buck(or pyrotechnics for your pound.:D) will see the A110 and 356A and jump into the Alpine without hesitation.

But the person who’s already been there and now wants to enjoy a more expensive classic sports car will give them both a good look over and then start up the Porsche. :sly:

Verdict: Neutral(but I’d highly recommend getting one.👍)

And lastly, but by no means leastly, the 25th Anniversary version of the Lamborghini Countach.

If you ask someone what car comes to mind when you think of classic 80’s Supercars, there’s a 50\50 chance it’s either a Ferrari or Lamborghini, specifically the Testarossa and Countach respectively.

The 25th Anniversary version was the final one before the Diablo took over the mantle, but it was arguably the best version of the Countach that got put into production.(The Turbo S and Evoluzione sadly were prototypes.)

Packing a 5.2 V12 with just under 450hp, its sent rear wards to the HUGE 345(!!:eek:) section tyres(the fronts were around 225 section on the road car and 245’s on the Turbo S prototypes.).

And it’s that tyre width difference plus just under 1500kgs meant that understeer was a common sight with it.

So you might ask, why didn’t PD give it the famous rear wing for downforce?

2 very good reasons.

1: Lamborghini never intended to have the rear wing made for the Countach.

2: It did the square root of jack 🤬 for the cars aerodynamics, if anything it made it slower at top speed AND it pulled the front wheels up even more than standard.

So why do people love the Countach with the rear wing?

Enter Walter Wolf, a canadian businessman and back then, owner of Walter Wolf Racing, an F1 team which housed a few notable drivers, James Hunt, Keke Rosberg and Jody Scheckter to name a few. :bowdown:

Anyways, Walter was a Lambo guy and felt the Countach at the time could be amped up a bit and he knew what he wanted, so he pays a visit to Gian Paolo Dallara, Lamborghini’s then Chief Engineer and told him what he wanted and money wasn’t an object. ;)

3 Walter Wolf Specials were built and they all had common points, the famous wing, fender flares to fit the wider custom Pirelli tyres and enlarged versions of the V12 among other things.

So Walter Wolfs want for a better Countach benefited Lamborghini and Petrol-heads in the long term.

That’s a good Canadian for ya. :lol:

After seeing it, many customers wanted the rear wing so Lamborghini made it, but because it wasn’t built and homologated with the wing, they had to take the completed cars from the factory to the parking lot where the wing was bolted on in 10 mins before the dealer transports took them away. :P

So the Countach, A dream to look at, a nightmare to drive in GTS.

I can’t call it a Beater, but it’s certainly no Sleeper. 💡

Verdict: Neutral Icon :cheers:
 
The Countach was never really a car I started off liking.

Most of the games I owned that had the Countach also had the Diablo SV (NFS III comes to mind), so it kind of got overshadowed from the get go. Not a bad car as such, there were just better and more interesting options avaliable.

Having grown up in the era of Diablos, Murcielagos and Gallardos, it was always fascinating to read what the press had to say about the Countach. It was Lamborghini's supercar in the 70's and 80's, and as such was subject to a variety of experiements and special versions. There were styling prototypes, streamlined record attempt models, forced induction options, of course the famous yellow Rain-X JGTC one, Koenig even got their hands on one. In fact, many, many more variants than I ever knew of!

Why we didn't get more of these in a GT game remains to be seen, but either way it all boils down to the Countach 25th Anniv. Reportedly the most popular of the Countach lineup, and in my opinion one of the cleanest.

In the game, it certainly feels like a pin up supercar from yesteryear. It's quick, but the handling is a bit wallowy and floaty, you can tell it's not quite as tight or as precise as, say, a Huracan. Oversteer certainly isn't an issue. If you manage to break grip with those THICC rear tyres, you're doing something very wrong.

The brakes also leave much to be desired. Many times I overshot the corners simply because it just doesn't pull up as well as you'd hope. It starts off great, but as it slows down it takes longer to slow down.... Try working that one out. :boggled:

Anyhoo, I can't be too angry at it. It's a glowing example of how far we've come with vehicle development from then to now. It's still gorgeous, it's still good for a thrill ride, and it'll always be "that 80's Lambo!"

Neutral for me.
 
I always think of this

maxresdefault.jpg


However thats a 79 and our subject is an 89.

I personally didnt find the issues you guys see with it. I found the brakes to be fine but then I'm an 'early braker' now.

I do detect a hint of understeer but nothing too bad. I do have a tune in mine and with it at N500 and with no weight loss i easily does sub 7'30" on the 'Ring.
 
Racer283
I know we didn't have the best showing on Tuesday for COTW. I saw that a few were interested in running the Countach again on Tuesday.

So would you guys like to run the Countach or a new car for next Tuesday.
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The attendance was poor at the start of the meet, but by the end of the night, most of the usual crowd was there. I don't think it's necessary to run the Countach again.

I'm open to redoing it if others want to, though.
 
"Please try to be nicer this week", she finishes off her lecture by saying.


This week on Car of the Week, we've gained a surprising lot: A roof and seatbelts, for a start. Locking diffs, radial tyres, and as a bonus, the engine was even in a sensible location! Lamborghini! Sensible! I guess the train of thought was that, even though the Porsche 356 from last week had almost every ingredient to become an al dente coffin, it was missing the most important spice in the recipe:

Power.

"For the last time, nobody at COTW is trying to kill you. Some of us enjoy your presence here", Esther the Editor reaffirms. "If it's any assurance, this week's car was chosen — and provided by — a very rich fan of COTW. Higher management hasn't spent a cent this week endeavouring towards your demise — if you crash it."

"IF?!"

"Well...", she begins, a hint of cheeky smile flashing across her face. "Just don't crash, then", she regurgitates what higher management told me last week with a barely stifled laugh.

"Flip off...", I retort in resignation as I fumble around for the downward facing button that opens the scissor doors of the Countach. I'll admit, despite my usual barbaric language and the indignity of having to grope a door panel for a button, I felt like a rock star simply because of the cool way the cool car opens its cool doors, as though the automotive equivalent of a middle finger. "Screw you, I'm going into my Countach", is what this car proclaims for you every time you open its doors and get in it.

As I reach my fat old arm up for the upward swung door from a seated position, I spot Esther leaving. "Hey!", I shout. "Don't you want to know more about the car?"

"Hmm? No, I have no desire to be in the vicinity when you're operating this dangerous piece of machinery".

"So you admit this is a death trap!"

"I said no such thing."

I slam the door shut downwards in anger, and the resulting slamming sound made me immediately regret it. I hope I didn't break anyth- Esther's walking towards me. Why is she walking towards me. WHY IS SHE WALKING TOWARDS ME?! Did I break something?

I wind down the pathetic bottom half of the window, which only opened halfway. Oh god, I broke the window, didn't I?

"I trust you", she leans in and tells me through the mailbox of a gap, before turning and leaving just as quickly.

Winding the power window back up and shutting her leaving silhouette out, I explain in my head to an imaginary Esther in the passenger seat. The Lamborghini Countach should need no introduction; even if you're not a fan of cars and don't know its name, you most likely are familiar with its unmistakable silhouette. It was the poster car of many kids and adults in the 70s and 80s alike, and not only defined its generation of supercars, but also pop culture as well. You've seen it in video games. You've seen it in movies. Even a manga simply titled, "Countach". If asked to picture a vintage supercar, this shape is probably what first comes to mind for most. Not only that, it went a long way in solidifying Lamborghini's identity as the wilder, crazier, unhinged rival to Ferrari.


It's a death trap. That, along with its iconic styling, is widespread, common knowledge.

"Please try to be nicer this week", she says. Bah. The saying, "never meet your heroes" is coined almost specifically to describe this car. It may have been the bedroom poster child for boys everywhere at one point, but the very few who did manage to have lives lucky enough to subsequently find themselves in the driver's seat of one of these things will unequivocally tell you how garbage the seating position is, requiring you to actively twist your legs to reach the pedals. Annoyances like the how the fuel gauge is directly behind your right hand on the steering wheel, how hopelessly rubbish the windshield wiper flopping about in the wind is, only swinging up to half of what's in front of you as a driver, how negligible the rear view out the rear "window" is, and, of course, how utterly uncontrollable the damn thing is. The whole car reeks of negligence, apathy, and thoughts of "eh, good enough". "Does this part work? No? Is it falling off the car? Can we be sued for this? No? No? Eh, good enough."


As kids grew up, they never stopped looking at the Countach, only except instead of a lofty fantasy to aspire to, the Countach is now what you'd find in textbooks as the cliché example of "show over go", which would explain away many of the car's ill thought out designs, as well as the famously useless rear wing that the owner of this car had not opted for. It was a very different time with very different priorities. About the only thing that really mattered was how it looked, how it sounded, and how much power it had. And it has power. This thing I'm told has 455PS, passionately belted out through a 5.2L NA V12, which was enough for a claimed (emphasis on "claimed") top speed of over 200mph. In a car weighing 1,490kg (3,285lbs) with a drag coefficient of 0.42? Yeah. You work that out yourself.

Given all this power, of course the sensible thing to do was to test this "200mph" car in a suffocatingly tight and technical racetrack like Interlagos, such that when things go sideways, forensics might still be able to salvage some teeth to ID your extra rare body, so that the owner of the car can sue the appropriate family members for the total loss of their 500k USD car. And while every Countach came factory standard with the rare feature of instant on site cremation in the event of a crash, no amount of high octane fuel or batteries exposed to the rain can burn away the shame of being "that guy" that crashed a priceless collectible special anniversary edition of an iconic supercar, even if simply driving one required balls the size of testosterone fueled bulls.


It took all of Senna S in the pit lane to dissuade all my fears of uncontrollable snap oversteer, as even at pedestrian speeds, I was having to fight the understeer from its enormous 345 section rear tyres and the tight differential. With only 225 section front tyres to rotate the car, this has got to be the single most disproportionately staggered tyre setup ever put into production. And with no power steering to help you, there really is no getting the rear end to come out without doing very, very naughty things to it, like misusing certain sticks or high speeds, where the car might just become aerodynamically unsettled enough to give you a hint of a slide.


The highly irregular pit lane of Interlagos dumps drivers onto a rather sizeable straight leading to the second of only two good overtaking spots: Turn 4. As with any good overtaking spot, there's hard braking involved from quite a speed leading into a tight corner, and this required the brakes of the Countach to come into play. At full tilt, you'll be braking for corners just before you even reach the first distance markers for these turns, placed 150m before the bend; rather jarring if you've long since been accustomed to driving GT3 and GT4 racing cars these distance markers seem to be tailored to. The brakes are "eh, good enough", and it's considered anorexic by 2020 standards in our ever fattening world. What I think is the cause of the horrific stopping distances of this car is that it has horrendous understeer on turn-in, requiring a lot more speed to be scrubbed off, and that there's only so much you can ask of economy sedan sized 225 section front tyres when it comes to slowing down, let alone juggling turning and stopping.


That said, because there's only 41% of the Countach's weight over the front tyres, the car stays shockingly flat through corners, displaying confidence and assuredness that, dare I say, made me think this is what a racing car would feel like if there was a class below GT4, ran on street tyres. Corner exits however, expose just how freakishly soft the damping is on this car. What this results in is... you guessed it: unrelenting understeer on power. The problem is at such a comical scale in the Countach that even lightly brushing your feet over the accelerator pedal sends this car jerking outwards, the magnitude of which is enough to make a modern hot hatch blush, making throttle management with your foot an exceptionally precise and precarious feat of labour. For the sort of driver that envies the thought of understeering and having to lift on Interlagos' home "straight" if a proper racing line isn't taken, there is no other car than the Countach for you.


The Lamborghini brand famously began as a tractor business, only starting their automotive venture as a rival to Ferrari after Ferruccio Lamborghini took issue with the clutch of the 250 GT, and that DNA is still very apparent even in the company's third full production car; the gear ratios are impeccable, yet the gear changes themselves make me feel more like a farmer than a racing driver. First gear is good for 96km/h (59.6mph), and second picks up right where it leaves off right in its peppy, ample powerband with gusto, something Porsche really should take notes from. However, 2nd to 3rd has a significantly larger leap in ratios, and the car is horrendously reluctant to change up from 2nd. To give you an idea of how long it takes for the revs to drop from 2nd to 3rd and how hard it is for the gated dog leg stick shift to slot down into third, this review has been specifically and meticulously formulated, trimmed, and controlled in length such that the time it takes to read it at the rate of an average Joe is closely matched to how long it takes to go from 2nd to 3rd in the Countach, and the dryness from my lack of writing talent probably makes your average Joe just as reluctant to get through it as the stick in the Countach is to slot into gears.


So far, everything I've described has been merely a regurgitation of common sense: the Countach is a terrible car to drive. At this age with the internet and many wannabe celebrities propagating the same crap over and over, there isn't any wonder, any surprises left in the world anymore, is there? We all already know how every car handles, don't we? We've already subconsciously placed cars in a rigid hierarchy in our heads, and start arguments when someone else's opinion doesn't line up with what we think we know, right?

Well, yes and no.

I had expected this thing to be an unruly, snappy, tail whipping bull before having driven it. Against my expectations and common sense, this is a bad car for the exact opposite reasons. But, as I drove the car more and more, the bigger surprise subtly began to emerge: I could not stop driving it. I drove it round and round the desolate track, trying to improve my times, trying to improve my lines, trying to get to know the nuances of the Countach better, and, yes, I even enjoyed having to fight it at every turn, at every gear change, at every off centre pull of the wheel, at every interaction I had with it.


The car may be unruly and uncooperative, and ergonomics may be an entirely alien concept to it. But while the car is difficult to get into physically, it was surprisingly inviting and easy to get into mentally. It sucks you into its own immersive world and makes you play by its own rules, what with its dog leg gearbox, long braking distances, lack of ABS, off centre pedals, horrendous power understeer, and having to short shift it. Stepping into the Countach then, felt like crossing over into a separate reality, a very different time. You don't drive a Countach like a car; you Countach a Countach like a Countach forces you to Countach it. It's not a car you can simply bring conventional expectations into and drive reactively based on said expectations, but rather, like any foreign country, the Countach is best enjoyed when you leave all expectations at the scissor door and go in only with an open mind to learn about its customs and try to go along with their ways of doing things, in effort to understand it more. It forces you to be fully awake, grabs your full dedication, and demands pre-emptive knowledge of how to drive it in the way it wants to be driven. It's a car that always challenges you to be sure of what you're doing and resolute in what you ask of it, as there truly is no taking back bad decisions in this car: it will not adjust its line mid corner if you cock something up in the bullfight against this car. And my god, it makes for a very, very compelling cartoon character, the likes of which you will never again see in today's climate, even from Volkswagen Lamborghini themselves.


If you manage to adapt to its rules and understand how to goad it into doing things you want it to do however, it becomes an incredibly engaging, communicative, stable, and dare I say, able car, one that never went back on its word or betrayed the trust it earned in me without me realising it, all while it belts out the most passionate and iconic of soundtracks right behind you, and endless call to attention to your every achievement and, indeed, your every mistake as well. If you extend the courtesy of making the time, dedication, and mental space for it, it becomes an engaging, communicative, rewarding, and adrenaline filled affair, not unlike an actual fight. It makes every interaction with it its own special event, as though you really were bullfighting in the presence of an audience, as though both you and it were stars performing on a stage. It never stops being a theatre of drama. Taming it, even getting it to trace just that beautiful line in any bend, is a hard fought victory worth celebrating. This car truly is an event, a theatre, in and of itself. And because of that, it's special. It's... fun.


I was so engaged, so absorbed, so mesmerised by the driving experience of the car, I began to choke the engine with hard g loads on low fuel levels, which was the only indication I had that I should probably stop in the pits for a refuel, seeing as the fuel gauge is flipping useless in this car. Finally coming to a stop in the pits, I wiped away the tears in my eyes from all the excitement, and the planet cried along with me as the car with the 120ℓ fuel tank drank its fill. I went out again, came back again, went out again, and had another drinking session with the car in the pits. When it came time for my fourth refill, Esther dragged me out of the car, slammed me to the asphalt, ripped off my helmet and stuck a bottle of water straight into my teeth, which was the only reason why I stopped driving. I mean, the tyres were shot to hell and back too, but pshh.

An autopsy of the tyres revealed that I had burnt through more than half the tread depth of the bespoke Pirelli P Zero tyres for the front, but only about a fifth of the rears, proving just how hard the fronts have to work to rotate the car, probably not helped by the fact that I had been making them scream in every braking zone with the absence of ABS. Hey, at least that means that the car remains stable even when the tyres go.


During the weekly meet, the aftermarket ABS system installed by the owner (singular) of these cars (plural) were all switched on, out of respect for our fellow friends and colleagues on the racetrack. Believe it or not, I actually think fitting ABS onto the Countach made it worse to drive; the front end goes completely numb, and the understeer makes trail braking a largely fruitless task. Even with ABS, I found myself pumping the brake pedal still, because that seemed to be the only way I could get the nose of the car to bite an apex. I had to almost let off the brakes entirely, let weight slosh over to the front outside tyre, turn to get the nose pointed somewhat towards the apex, and then brake semi-hard again once it does hook up, before repeating the process to meet the apex. You essentially have to trail brake twice back to back for every corner entry just to get the car to roughly nail an apex.


I never liked these aftermarket ABS systems, because I always find them too binary; you're either stopping, or turning, and it's difficult to modulate and transition between the two. It robs all feeling, feedback, and control from the car, and it only makes me marginally faster in the Countach. I find that I can actually trace a neater, smoother line without ABS, and honestly, I think the Countach meant to be driven with that fear and responsibility of, "it's all in your hands. Brake late if you dare" mentality. Putting ABS on a Countach only makes me complacent and lazy, and I paradoxically overshoot corners more with ABS than without, simply because the car isn't grabbing my attention and threatening me the same way as before. Just as ABS being mandated on all production cars hasn't reduced the number of traffic accidents, ABS doesn't make you any better a driver in a Countach, nor does it make the Countach any better to drive. For a car like a Countach that asks of you everything you have to give you the most immersive of experiences and theatre, for such a special car with so much to say, fitting ABS onto it is akin to censoring it, and I'm willing to go as far as to say that it positively ruins this car. It's meant to be driven. Drive it. Yourself.


The reason why I love cars and reviewing them is because cars are the perfect mix of the logical and the intangible. The cold, hard, engineering facts moving people in an organic way. There's no denying the Countach is, logically speaking, an awful car, even if you physically fit in it while being paradoxically strong enough to drive one. Even like minded petrolhead friends of mine don't seem to like it that much when we got together for our weekly races. But... I don't know, I just feel a special connection with this car. I can't explain it. Against common sense and widespread knowledge, I really like it. It really clicks with me. This car really surprised me with how much I enjoyed it, and sparked some wonder back into my jaded mind.

Older cars (not too old) are all very special to me, because cars nowadays aren't allowed to suck anymore. They all have to be luxurious, safe, (somewhat) economical, and fast. No one today would pay supercar money to suffer like they would in a Countach. As a result, they all feel so... samey. They've no character. They barely have an identity. This right here, is something special, and it's an experience everyone who loves driving ought to sample at least once in their lives.


Maybe I just have a thing for cartoon character cars that have huge NA Lamborghini engines producing about 450PS that need to be short shifted, have stick shifters, gigantic rear tyres, weighs about 1.5 tons, have no driver aids, spiteful ergonomics, and a reputable appetite for murder. I know I definitely have a thing for pop up headlights. I love the Countach, whatever the reasons may be, most of which I can't explain well.

See, if editors and higher ups weren't constantly pressuring me to "be nicer" in my reviews, this conclusion might seem less fabricated and suspicious.

 
I've just about had it up to here with not getting notifications about this thread, no matter how many times I make it clear to that site I want to know about it always!!

So, anyway, I'm starting to take Twitch a bit more seriously than I have in days gone by. Reckon its worth me streaming the COTW meets?

Oh, and follow me on Twitch! :D
 
Nismonath5
Reckon its worth me streaming the COTW meets?
Click to expand...

I'd love it if you could. I always love watching races from others' perspectives. Helps me improve and race cleaner knowing how my behaviour looks to the other guy. People who stumble into the stream might also join COTW too.

The only problem is that streaming takes a lot of bandwidth. I seem to recall Racer trying to stream on the Evo vs WRX Gr. 4 week, and the lag was quite bad. Hopefully your internet is better then.
 
XSquareStickIt
I'd love it if you could. I always love watching races from others' perspectives. Helps me improve and race cleaner knowing how my behaviour looks to the other guy. People who stumble into the stream might also join COTW too.

The only problem is that streaming takes a lot of bandwidth. I seem to recall Racer trying to stream on the Evo vs WRX Gr. 4 week, and the lag was quite bad. Hopefully your internet is better then.
Click to expand...

I tried it then and a lot of the international players had problems with me lagging where as I didn't have that much lag problems. Since then I haven't tried again as I'm not sure if it would cause the same problem as before.
 
I just did 2 'Ring laps in an n400 and 2 laps in n500 tuned Alfa Gr3 road car. Only L2 in power and weight. I dont think I want to put more points into this as gets ridiculous. I dont think they reach n300 or n600 anyway.

This car is a momentum car.. you have to keep speed up... if you lose speed it takes ages to get back up there.

They dont feel like 440/540hp cars.

Steering is magnificent. Fast accurate and if you oversteer the back end just steps out enough so you can just minor correct.

There's no power oversteer as there's no power.

For an MR chassis it is remarkably stable. You can sort of force oversteer by going too fast into a corner but you can back off quick and slight countersteer to get back on track. Plenty of grip in the back so you dont have to worry about unsticking the rear end.

The chassis is great, the steering is great, the turbo 1.8 is... adequate. I want for more but it is what it is.

You have to overtake with corner speed as there's no power to give.

What's bad? The top end. n500 tops out at about 275km/h, n400 265km/h.

I beat all the GT4 cars on pro by the 1st karussell in n500, the 2nd karussell in n400.

Easily a 7'10" car in n500. Add say 15-20 secs for n400.

Its good but I dont think its fun. I think the RCZ Gr3 road car is about the same but worse.
 
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