Car of the Week 228: COTY GTS Finale

[JackRyanWMU]

I wish things had gone nearly that well for me. Instead, I found myself punished for someone else's stupidity.

​

 

[JackRyanWMU]

Finland Rally Livery by gonpera
​

The Isle of Man Time Attack version of the Subaru Impreza WRX operates in a sort of grey zone in GT Sport. It's neither a totally road going car nor a ready to go race car. As such, it can be somewhat difficult to know what you're going to get when you drive it. It may have All-Wheel Drive and Racing Slick Tires but neither of them will save you from yourself if you mess up a corner. It may have a big wing in the back, but having the Drag Reduction System tied to the throttle rather than its own independent control creates a problem on some high speed corners. Will it cost you more time to lift and get some much needed downforce, or stay on it and perhaps careen off the blacktop?

​

That said, the WRX is murderously quick car. It easily dusted off @Nismonath5 's attempt to challenge it in a GT4 car. Even when I confronted it with a GT3 spec BMW M6, the Subaru was an even match. While the M6 was much better in the entry of corners with its wide tires and consistent downforce, the WRX held the edge on corner exits with its AWD and DRS.

Ultimately, the Subaru's biggest problem isn't the car itself but the limited opportunities it has for use in GT League (with Kaz's apparent disdain for all Group X cars that aren't his precious imaginary VGT cars). That said, if the Isle of Man WRX wasn't game-breaking against racing cars, it certainly would be against road cars. Not a Beater or Sleeper, just Insane.

 

[Draggon]

The WRX Time Attack is one of the cars in GTSport that I feel I'm in over my head with. I felt it wasn't balanced front/rear....something wrong with the chassis setup, or maybe the aero, and my performance showed this. I found it easier to drive at the Green Hell, which is more like the Isle of Man than the circuit courses we ran Tuesday. No matter what, Mark Higgins has his hands full with this one.

Verdict at the moment: Neutral. ShmoGT has a tune for this one I'm going to try out, so my verdict may change.

It looks mean though, and I love the sound of the blow off valve. I'll dig up a picture when I get back to the PS4.

 

[Nismonath5]

I'll be skipping the review for the IOM Impreza. Between setting up the new wheel, trying the new wheel, and all that was going on it wouldn't be fair on it to judge it based on a single normal race I got in.

Also, I think I forgot to tell you, but that "other driver" who was racing here and there was @Louie_Schumii

 

[Racer283]

This week we go from a proper Time Attack Car to a poster car from Fast and the Furious. Please welcome the Toyota Supra RZ '97, choosen by @Draggon

 

[Draggon]

I chose the Supra because of the latest game update which IMO changed the physics enough to make this one a lot of fun. Let's see how it fares tomorrow!

 

[Alex p.]

Did a 07.58.1xx with it on the Nordschleife. Because it is one of the fastest Japanese sports cars of the 90s I consider it a beater. It certainly is fast. I really like the car. Gonna upload my lap on my youtube channel in about 10 days or so, if anyone's interested.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Lobby’s up folks 👍

 

[JackRyanWMU]

​

 

[Louie_Schumii]

I'll be skipping the review for the IOM Impreza. Between setting up the new wheel, trying the new wheel, and all that was going on it wouldn't be fair on it to judge it based on a single normal race I got in.

Also, I think I forgot to tell you, but that "other driver" who was racing here and there was @Louie_Schumii

Lol yeah excuse the antics guys. Was helping Nate with his new wheel . Look forward to joining this weekly series when time permits

 

[Rinsky]

So now that Nate and Vic are back and have had awhile to get adjusted to GTS it was time for me to make another appearance after being absent for a short time.
All in all it was a good night and even though I couldn't get the win over @Vic Reign93 I sure didn't make it easy for him or let him run away.
We were swapping positions for the lead on many of occasions while having some intense battles in between. Like I said he turned on the win light every battle and that's what matters in the end. I did however keep the pressure on Vic when he was in the lead making him work hard for those wins unlike the days of GT6 where he would just leave the rest of us in the race far behind but now in GTS he has found some company as I was able to stay right behind him never giving Vic the chance to relax.

The most fun I had was against @Draggon at Alsace Village as we had 4 of us batting and swapping the lead position. On the next to last lap Draggon and myself ran almost an entire lap side by side without touching and losing very little time to the two people in front of us. Now that was some fun & intense racing. Unfortunately on the last lap I was expecting Draggon to brake in the same place going into one of the corners as we did the previous lap. When he braked early it caught me off guard and I hit him pretty good but fortunately he was able to keep it on the track. I slowed down enough to keep him in the 3rd position and we resumed our battle but the chances of us winning were now over. Completely my fault and its something I just normally don't do.

This weeks car was the 97 Supra on SH tires. I honestly don't know how to rate this car anymore since the newest tire model was released. I watched people over drive this car into the corners all night long without losing any time and our race Interlagos was the worst. So many people would over shoot T1 every lap getting the car sliding completely sideways and smoke rolling from all 4 tires and lose almost zero time compared to those who took that corner smoothly.
Because of the insane amount of grip that cars have now its really hard to call anything a beater as you are no longer punished for over driving the cars and at the same time your no longer rewarded for driving the cars smoothly with precision.

So I would say the 97 Supra 100% Stock is a Sleeper I guess. You can drive this car so far past its abilities without suffering any consequences.

 

[Draggon]

Well.....I learned something Tuesday night. The Supra is a lot better in career mode than battling it out with you folks. I was loving tossing it around and sliding through the turns offline, but that's not the fast way against live people.

Even so, I really enjoy this car. While it has a modest amount of understeer, it's manageable. It doesn't loose the rearend like some other FR cars we've tested (but that's most likely due to the new tire model) Gearing is OK. I found setting the brake bias 2 or 3 to the rear helped braking distance and turn-in.

The most fun I had was against @Draggon at Alsace Village as we had 4 of us batting and swapping the lead position. On the next to last lap Draggon and myself ran almost an entire lap side by side without touching and losing very little time to the two people in front of us. Now that was some fun & intense racing. Unfortunately on the last lap I was expecting Draggon to brake in the same place going into one of the corners as we did the previous lap. When he braked early it caught me off guard and I hit him pretty good but fortunately he was able to keep it on the track. I slowed down enough to keep him in the 3rd position and we resumed our battle but the chances of us winning were now over. Completely my fault and its something I just normally don't do.

That was a great race @Rinsky! I braked earlier hoping to get a better run up the hill to try and pass the first 2 cars and didn't realize you were so close. I did see you back off and let me keep the position. Thanks 👍 Like @Nismonath5 commented- "SR+" Getting a win at Kyoto-Miyabi was rewarding, but Alsace was more fun.

The crazy part of this car ( I mentioned Tuesday night ) is that with mileage upgrades it gets up to 903 hp and will go past 260 at Route X. That's 403 kmh for you metric folks.

Verdict: neutral only because it's a good car, just not a great one.

 

[Nismonath5]

Also guys, check this one out!!! This goes down in history as my best performance in a GT Championship to date!! That is, until I claim a pole + win combo...

 

[MisterWaffles]

Toyota Supra Tuesday race at Interlagos from my POV:



My livery supplied by @RZQSPEED. Also, @Draggon, what is up with your Supra having a Bentley livery? I thought that was kind of strange, but funny.

I gotta say, without tuning this car is a real pig. Super heavy and rotates quite slowly compared to the RX-7 in first I was chasing all race. On a tight track like Interlagos, not ideal. I found myself having to apply a lot of braking to get it set up how I wanted through the twisty back section. The spec racing was fun, though.

Sorry to the A80 fans, but I'm voting Beater. This one really doesn't feel all that sporty while untuned. I'd rather go for an A110, 996 or something within that range for N300. At least the Supra is stable, that's really the only praise I can give.

Also, it was a pleasure racing with you guys again, haven't done so with some of you since the GT6 special stages. Hopefully it wont be so long before the next time.

 

[Racer283]

Toyota Supra Tuesday race at Interlagos from my POV:



My livery supplied by @RZQSPEED. Also, @Draggon, what is up with your Supra having a Bentley livery? I thought that was kind of strange, but funny.

I gotta say, without tuning this car is a real pig. Super heavy and rotates quite slowly compared to the RX-7 in first I was chasing all race. On a tight track like Interlagos, not ideal. I found myself having to apply a lot of braking to get it set up how I wanted through the twisty back section. The spec racing was fun, though.

Sorry to the A80 fans, but I'm voting Beater. This one really doesn't feel all that sporty while untuned. I'd rather go for an A110, 996 or something within that range for N300. At least the Supra is stable, that's really the only praise I can give.

Also, it was a pleasure racing with you guys again, haven't done so with some of you since the GT6 special stages. Hopefully it wont be so long before the next time.

You're more than welcome to join us on Tuesday nights at 10pm CST.

 

[MisterWaffles]

You're more than welcome to join us on Tuesday nights at 10pm CST.

The problem is you guys usually start when it’s super late at night where I live and I can’t stay up that late. There was a snowstorm last Tuesday so I was free then and I could sleep in. But I’ll see what I can do in the future.

 

[Draggon]

Also, @Draggon, what is up with your Supra having a Bentley livery? I thought that was kind of strange, but funny.

Also, it was a pleasure racing with you guys again, haven't done so with some of you since the GT6 special stages. Hopefully it wont be so long before the next time.

Ha, glad you recognized it! I got bored awhile back, was wasting time browsing the internet and ran across that livery. I thought it might look cool on the Supra. Also, great to have you join us. It's been a long time....I think the last time we raced together was one of the DOTW races you held on GT6.

 

[Rinsky]

The problem is you guys usually start when it’s super late at night where I live and I can’t stay up that late. There was a snowstorm last Tuesday so I was free then and I could sleep in. But I’ll see what I can do in the future.

I remember your car but for some reason I didn't know this was you. I had no idea you were racing with us. The older I get the more I'm starting to lose my mind I'm telling you.

 

[JackRyanWMU]

Livery by PetrolTwo
​

I really don't get the fuss about this car.

Yes, I can already hear millions of people lining up to accuse me of heresy, but even when I first saw the '97 Toyota Supra in the original Gran Turismo back in the late '90s, it didn't strike me as a particularly attractive car. Twenty years later and I think the car now looks even worse with age. While other Japanese cars of the time had sharp distinctive angles and features, the utterly ovoid styling of the Supra fails to inspire, and the function-less hoop of a rear wing looks as about as cool as a fanny pack in 2019. But just because a car isn't great on the outside, doesn't mean it's not great inside. Except I don't think the Supra wins there either.

​

Yes, I can already hear you clamoring over that holy 2JZ engine; and yes, 300+ horsepower was no small feat in the '90s. However, the Supra is a far heftier car than its JDM contemporaries; and the car feels more "hesitant and timid" than "fast and furious" on corner entry. It's only once you've finally gotten the car turned in properly and want to mash back on the throttle that the back end wants to break loose and cost you precious seconds on corner exit.

I really don't see why people are paying huge markup prices on the Supra nowadays. Cars such as the Mazda RX-7 and Acura NSX are both more exciting to drive and far better looking to boot. The Toyota Supra may not be a terrible car, but if I had to buy a Japanese car tomorrow it wouldn't come close to making my shortlist. Which means I'm calling it a Beater.

----

Also, more past COTW week action to be found here:

​

 

[MidFieldMaven]

Toyota Supra RZ '97
2,997 cc
325 hp / 5,500 rpm
393 ft-lbs / 3,500 rpm
3,329 lbs (1,510 kg)

Fastest lap at Tsukuba:


Cars within 0.500 seconds:

1:04.394 - Subaru Impreza 22B-STi Version
1:04.455 - Gran Turismo Greddy Fugu Z
1:04.495 - Honda NSX Type R
1:04.506 - Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD)
1:04.628 - Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG
1:04.825 - Nissan Fairlady Z Version S (Z33)
1:04.835 - Toyota Supra RZ
1:05.144 - Honda Civic Type R (FK2)
1:05.144 - Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8
1:05.160 - Shelby G.T.350

Z33 is basically the same car, and can be had for around $25-30k less in the real world, so the Supra doesn't make much sense from a practical standpoint. As far as other cars from the 90s go, RX-7 beats it while looking better and having a far more interesting powerplant. Supra is overrated and heavy. It's more suited to drag racing than nailing apexes. I will say it is very stable and easy to drive, but it's a beater.

 

[JackRyanWMU]

Since I was selected to choose this week's car, I'll go ahead and announce it now. I couldn't quite decide if I wanted an American Car or an Italian Car. So instead, I put marinara sauce on my cheeseburger and had a little of both...

​

 

[Rinsky]

Nice choice Italian style with a Ford GT40 engine in the back.

Question @MrWaflz55

Since your not doing your Duel Challenges anymore why don't you get with @Racer283 and set up Time Trials for COTW?
Especially if you will be racing with everyone in COTW.

 

[Racer283]

As previously announced, we will be testing out the De Tomaso Pantera

 

[Rinsky]

The only photo I have of my Pantera on my phone. In my opinion this is a fun car to drive.

 

[05XR8]

Awesome car! Used it in a Nation's race.👍 Might have to dust them off a bit

 

[Nismonath5]

The Almighty Supra!!!!
Or so the hype would have you seem.

Like it or not, the Mk4 Supra is a JDM icon. Whether it actually deserves that title is down to personal preference, but regardless it will no doubt be one of the top 5 cars mentioned if you asked Mary and Joe average to list some Japanese cars.

Visually, it's stunning. I love it, have done from day one. It's gorgeous. I recall winning a purple one back in GT1 and racing it every chance I got (Also why I loved @RobboGTAddict 's livery)! And the Castrol Supra, in it's various incarnations throughout the GT franchise? MADLY IN LOVE. I think I even sent a letter to Hot wheels asking them to make a Castrol Racing Supra, back when I was madly into 1:64 scale model cars that I raced around my bedroom. Yeah, us car guys don't grow up. Our toys just get more expensive

Anyway, as far as looks it's a stunner, so how does it fare up stock? Well, that's where things start to go a bit downhill.
It's heavy, rear wheel drive and very torque-y, meaning more often than not that sideways antics are to be expected, and you get that loose, tail happy feeling sometimes in long sweeping turns. Having said that I put two Skylines (R32 and R33) up against it expecting to make mincemeat out of it, and both times I was defeated. The Skylines had much taller gearing, making me untouchable through the corners, but an easy target on the straights.

So really, not nearly as God-like as Hollywood and JDM fans would have you believe, but it's still a seriously competent sports car that can duke it out with the big boys. Sleeper.

 

[MidFieldMaven]

De Tomaso Pantera '71
5,763 cc
325 hp / 5,500 rpm
344 ft-lbs / 3,500 rpm
3,131 lbs (1,420 kg)

Freshly tested at Tsukuba last night:


Cars within 0.500 seconds:

1:03.622 - Alfa Romeo 4C
1:03.717 - Nissan R34 GT-R V-spec II Nur
1:03.795 - Ford Mustang GT
1:03.803 - BMW Z8
1:03.936 - Nissan R33 GT-R V-spec
1:04.038 - De Tomaso Pantera
1:04.047 - Audi TTS Coupe
1:04.226 - Alpine A110
1:04.273 - Nissan R32 GT-R V-spec II
1:04.276 - Subaru WRX STI Type S
1:04.296 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.Final
1:04.394 - Subaru Impreza 22B-STi Version
1:04.455 - Gran Turismo Greddy Fugu Z
1:04.495 - Honda NSX Type R
1:04.506 - Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD)

Not quite as fast as Ferrari 512 BB or Mazda RX500, but I love how the Pantera feels.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Lobby is up guys 👍

 

[Draggon]

Sorry for my performance tonight, especially to @JackRyanWMU and @Racer283 at Nurburgring. I was was too tired, and crashed into you both. Some nights 2 hours is just too much for me. Need to learn my limits!

 

[Nismonath5]

Sorry for missing tonight fellas, just topped off a 13 hour stint in the garage getting all three cars prepped for Lemons this weekend. Still a lot to be done over the next two days, so it's gonna be tight, but hopefully we'll see three cars start the race!