Car of the Week 228: COTY GTS Finale

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Is there an substantiative difference between the R35 Nismo Edition and the std. R35 Premium?
In real life they have the same power output. But the Nismo has a stiffened chasis, stiffened hood to prevent flexing at high speed, larger grille on the front bumper for more air, reworked aero, and a totally reworked suspension.
 
We leave the track in ruins from the Nissan GT-R Nismo and head to the much greener pasture of Britain. This week we are driving the Mr. Bean Mini Cooper. Please welcome the Mini Cooper S '65.

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Oh, yes. Let us know when the room is up. I'm in there like swimwear!

Also, there's a rumor that the track update might be Goodwood( Motor Circuit). How fitting would that be for the Mini? :) A few more hours to go.
 
Welp, It’s been awhile since I did a write up, what needs a write up?

*Checks the list*

Right so 5 cars worth of reviewing. :ouch:

*sigh* *Cracks knuckles* Right lets get to it shall we? :P

The 2019 Toyota Z4.. I mean the BMW Supra.. wait, ok let’s try this again. :dunce:

The 2019 Toyota Supra is the return of the Supra name, but as my mix up shows, it wasn’t a one manufacturer deal, but rather a collaboration with BMW.

Both versions get lower model 4 cylinder engines alongside the 335hp 3.0 6 cylinder turbo courtesy of BMW, both also have 8 speed automatic gearbox’s and rear wheel drive.

Weight is just over 1500kgs, but it’s decently balanced, unlike say for example, it’s handling characteristics.

As many noted and found out, it was very lively at the rear which was a issue for some, but not for others. :D

It’s stats don’t seem too extreme, but BMW’s turbo 6’s tend to have ‘table top’ torque/power curves which means it’s very usable power, but it also means it doesn’t take much to kick the tail out. ;)

Now with this being the newest car here and the fact that the Supra is reportedly gonna be getting revised based on player feedback and the upcoming one make series, it’s possible that the Supra we drove awhile ago won’t be anything like that in the future so it might be worth a revisit down the line.

For now, it’s fun to hoon about in, but will require a set up to dial the handling in.

Verdict: Neutral :)

Next up is another Japanese concept car that’s based around a bike, nope it’s not the Suzuki GSXR-4, but the Honda 2&4 Concept

A Honda Bike powered light weight track toy, now why does that sound familiar??:confused:


Oh I know why, that description also sums up the Caterham Seven Fireblade, A car that was a total letdown and had a marriage rivallingly long 1st gear. :lol:

Thought you heard the last of that old chestnut? :sly:

Might as well address the 2&4’s gearbox while I’m on that line of thought, the gearing itself is perfectly fine, but suffers the same issue as most manual gearbox cars do in GTS.

The problem being that you could read a book in the time it takes for the game to change gear hence why @Nismonath5 had a advantage with his wheel and shifter set up and I countered by minimising the number of shifts by using higher gears for low speed turns(or when we used SS tyres, launching it in 2nd gear.).

While initial turn in is a bit understeery, by playing with the throttle you can some quite graceful 4 wheel drifts going and make that Honda V4 really sing. :drool:

Once we got used to it, it was a good laugh to drive all around.

See Caterham Fireblade? This is what you could’ve been, instead you became the basis for a witty one-liner that got me a COTW pick a short time later. :D

Verdict: Sleeper :)👍

Next up is the Gr3 Version of the Ford Mustang GT of which Nismo kindly did custom COTW livery’s for all of us so big thanks to him for that. :cheers:

While the race night was hampered by heavy lag, we did get a few races done after driving the more recent COTW pick and some of those races were quite good. 👍

Packing a race version of the 5.0 V8 and chucking out 575hp and weighing just under 1300kgs before BOP and around 690hp fully upgraded.

Interestingly Bop on Ovals takes the engines and cranks them up even further to the mid 700’s and raises the RPM limit to over 9K for the Mustang. :drool:

Handling? Well it’s like most Gr3 cars for the most part, good amount of grip, hint of understeer and oversteer on command if you’re a spanner with your throttle input. :P

All in all, if you like racing Mustangs then it’s a prime candidate for you, if not.. Well it’s not like your short of other picks now?

Verdict: Neutral :)

Next up is a cute, but feisty Italian in the form of the Fiat Abarth 500.

Packing a 1.4 litre turbo 4 banger making 133hp and roughly the same in torque, it’s pulling a car weighing 1035kgs whilst sounding quite raspy at full noise.

It also was quite a design showcase on race night with many well done designs using the 500 as their canvas. :cheers:

But while it could hold off close rivals like the Suzuki Swift, rear drive cars like the Honda S660, Toyota SF-R Concept and the Mazda MX-5 could more than hold their own against it.

Handling was rather predictable and minus the lack of a decent limited slip diff, wasn’t too bad overall.

It’s not world beating, but for less than 30k, it’s not wallet beating either. :sly:

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

And lastly the Nissan Nismo GT-R.

Oh boy this might ruffle a few feathers or it may not, but it was quite the letdown.:ill:

The GTR has always lived up to the Godzilla moniker it got in the real world, but for some reason not here.

Oh it is quick, with near 600hp on tap from its 3.8 TT V6, but it still weighs over 1.7 tons, that weight might help it irl but not here in GT Sport.

You really had to stand on the brakes quite early to pull up for a turn, it didn’t seem overly eager to turn in so I ended running heavy rear brake bias and keeping the rear slightly unsettled to help it turn in.

The SH tyres it comes with stock just don’t cut it, SS tyres go some way to address that, but you might as well strip out the excess weight to make damn sure it does.

The thing is, the GT-R is a proven track animal in real life, but for some reason it struggles to bring that giant killer capability to the virtual world.

A shame really. :indiff:

Verdict: Beater 👎

Roll on the Cooper and whatever is picked from the new batch of cars for afterwards. :cheers:
 
Wow, i'm late for this week ! Anyway, the Mini. Here's where its stands.

1 – Week 4 – Fittipaldi EF7 VGT : 1'15,991

2 – Week 24 – BMW M3 GT Gr.3 : 1'17,951

3 – Week 9 – Chevrolet Corvette Gr.3 : 1'18,275

4 – Week 21 – Subaru WRX STI Isle of Man Time Attack Car : 1'18,306

5 – Week 29 – Ford Mustang Gr.3 : 1'19,156

6 - Week 31 - Nissan GT-R Nismo : 1'21.158

7 – Week 17 – Shelby Cobra : 1'21,171

8 – Week 12 – Lamborghini Diablo GT'00 : 1'21,462

9 – Week 9 – Chevrolet Corvette Gr.4 : 1'22,336

10 – Week 3 – Toyota S-FR Racing Concept : 1'22,483

11 – Week 20 – Jaguar F-Type R Coupe'14 : 1'22,719

12 – Week 10 – Renault Megane Gr.4 : 1'22,893

13 – Week 9 – Chevrolet Corvette Stingray'14 : 1'23,778

14 – Week 16 – Dodge Viper GTS'02 : 1'24,113

15 – Week 28 – Honda Project 2&4 : 1'24,543

16 – Week 27 – Toyota GR Supra'19 : 1'25,250

17 – Week 5 – Porsche 911 GT3 996 :1'26,845

18 – (2018 Car of the Year) Week 2 – Alpine A110 Premiere Edition'17 : 1'27,799

19 – Week 24 – BMW M3 Coupe : 1'28,179

20 – Week 7 – Honda NSX Type R'92 : 1'28,450

21 – Week 23 – De Tomaso Pantera'71 : 1'28,488

22 – Week 14 – Sung Kang's Greddy Fugu Z : 1'28,818

23 – Week 22 – Toyota Supra RZ'97 : 1'28,856

24 – Week 1 – Honda Civic Type R'15 : 1'29,156

25 – Week 13 – Subaru Impreza 22B : 1'29,349

26 – (2018 Beater of the Year) Week 11 – Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track'13 : 1'29,503

27 – Week 6 – Nissan 300 ZX : 1'30,978

28 – Week 10 – Renault Megane R.S. Trophy'11 : 1'31,768

29 – Week 15 – BMW M3 Sport Evolution'89 : 1'33,234

30 – Week 30 – Abarth 500'09 : 1'40,633

31 – Week 19 – Suzuki Swift'07 : 1'41,266

32 – Week 26 – Mazda MX 5 Eunos Roadster'89 : 1'43,429

33 - Week 32 - Mini Cooper S'65 : 1'52.555

Yes, it is slow. But Holy cow, it's fun !
 
Mini Mini-Cooper 'S' '65
970 cc
64 hp / 6500 rpm
55 ft-lbs / 5000 rpm
1,334 lbs

Fastest lap at Tsukuba:



7 seconds slower than Renault R8 Gordini.'66
19 seconds faster than Fiat 500 F '68
8 seconds faster than Volkswagen 1200 '66

Americans at the time had muscle cars, but for the rest of the world, this Mini was a fantastic ride that could be considered a muscle car. I mean it destroys the Fiats and Volkswagens of the period...
 
Gr.3 Mustang

Unfortunately I missed the Gr.3 Mustang do to a stomach virus both me and my wife had. The Gr.3 Mustang is one of my favorite Gr.3 cars in this game and one that I have put over 6 thousand miles on. So I can honestly say this car is no beater for me and I will definitely call the Gr.3 Mustang a Sleeper.


ABARTH 500

My first experience with this little car was in GT6 and the Sierra Time Trial Challenges ( I really would like to see that track come to GTS) The ABARTH 500 is not a car most would pick to do any GT League event and with good reason, its just not competitive.
But racing this car against others in a one make lobby race to my surprise was quite fun once its match with other cars its level.
So my conclusion is Neutral on the ABARTH 500. To me it's not worth racing anywhere in the game except for one make lobby racing and that's when this thing becomes fun.


Nissan GT-R Nismo

The N-600 class is one of my favorite in the game with some of the most iconic cars ever made.
There is nothing good I can say about this car within this class. It has to be one of the most ill handling cars in GTS completely stock on SH tires. A huge disappointment for such an iconic car and everyone was struggling to get a handle on this thing. Switching to SS definitely makes the car come alive but not enough to give it a good rating.
Out of the 20 something GTR's in the game the GT-R V-spec II (R32) 1994 will always be my favorite.
But this GT-R gets my top Beater nomination so far this year.

Mini Cooper S'65

Here is another car that's only good for doing one make races with it.
I'm just not one of those people who find this car even remotely interesting. I will give it a Neutral rating because I did have some very close battles on race night.
 
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Livery by v8stage1
I'll admit, when the old Mini Cooper was announced as the selection for this week, I didn't think I was going to like the car. A paltry 65 horsepower? How are we going to have any fun with this?

As it turned out, we were granted some extra power due to the idiosyncrasies of GT Sport's online regulations. And it wasn't a bad time at all. The car was forgiving and its small size meant side-by-side action was easily had without making contact with each other. It makes a very fun spec racer, but with limited usefulness outside of that, it wouldn't have been anything more than Neutral if I had left it there.

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However, thanks to a mod for this car from assetto-db.com, I was able to take it to the Highlands street course in Assetto Corsa. In its natural habitat of the tight confines of a Scottish town, my experience in the Mini was almost a revelation. Working the wheel and pedals to fling the Cooper around the mix of asphalt and cobblestones of the circuit, I couldn't help but be charmed by how playful the Mini was. Every lap it seemed like the car was just egging me on to drive it faster, like it was enjoying itself on that drive just as much as I was. It broke through my cynicism and put a smile on my face. If that's not worthy of a Sleeper rating, I don't know what is.

With that, it's video time! First, an FIA race with one of the wildest near-misses I've ever had. Then, an early test of getting video capture from my PC.



 
McLaren 650S '14
3,799 cc
641 hp / 7,500 rpm
501 ft-lbs / 6,000 rpm
2,932 lbs (1,330 kg)

Fastest lap at Tsukuba:



Cars within 0.500 seconds:

0:59.300 - Ferrari Enzo Ferrari
0:59.339 - Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4
0:59.414 - Gran Turismo Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo
0:59.424 - Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991)
0:59.625 - Subaru WRX Gr.B Road Car
0:59.646 - Aston Martin Vulcan
0:59.665 - Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4
0:59.678 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.Final Gr.B Road Car
0:59.701 - McLaren 650S
0:59.714 - Aston Martin One-77
0:59.819 - GT Awards (SEMA) Mach Forty
0:59.853 - Ferrari F40
0:59.869 - Nissan GT-R Nismo
0:59.888 - McLaren MP4-12C
0:59.970 - Dodge Viper GTS
1:00.052 - Ferrari 458 Italia

It beats the Ferrari 458, Dodge Viper GTS and Nissan GT-R Nismo.
It's slower than Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini Huracan, and Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991).

Check out the Aventador. The 650S trails by less than a car's length. Good racing to be had between these two.
 
I had used 650S a few weeks ago in a campaign race and was so surprised by how enjoyable it is to drive I had a good 2 hour session with this thing. Oh and it's knarly performance.. yep. I think [hope] everyone will enjoy this one.
 
Did a 07.15.563 with it on the Nordschleife. It's basically the MP4, but slightly improved. It is slightly more stable and faster, but also has slightly more understeer and it's not so easy to drift. All in all a phenomenal engineering feat I would say. Great to drive and crazy fast.

 
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Livery by turmfalke35
The McLaren 650S feels a lot like something that was designed from day one as a race car, and then had to be hastily modified to work as a road car. I like this car quite a bit, even preferring it to the McLaren F1 that was selected some time back. However, a car this light and powerful with only minimal downforce and street legal tires is going to be a handful no matter what. It's plenty fast in the right hands as several of our drivers proved on Tuesday night, but intermediate skilled drivers will wish there was a "TCS 1.5" option in GT Sport. Dial it up to 2 and the car pushes too much, dial it back to 1 and the back end slides about.

As for Assetto Corsa, it doesn't have the street 650S. Now, I could've driven its kissing cousin the MP4-12C; but instead I decided this week to take out the 650S GT3 car for some fun.



And its in its race car form that the 650S really came alive. Driving it at 90% you could almost forget you were driving a hardcore race car. You still get the comfort of traction control and anti-lock brakes under you, and the added downforce and racing tires keep the car glued to the asphalt like its riding on rails. When you're giving it 100% though, you absolutely need throttle control on this mid-engine force. Mash the gas too early and the back end will start coming around. Once that happens you have to let off; try to power through it and the car will simply keep skidding until you're in the grass or sand. Either way, it's lap time in trash. But when you do get the corner right, it feels so rewarding to hear the engine roar to life as it sends you powering down the straight.

So my conclusion? Neither beater nor sleeper. However, I like this race car much better as a race car than as a street car.

Bonus Content: Trying a Ford GT40 with bias ply tires on the vintage Monza circuit.



(These guys had balls of titanium.)
 



*Clarkson voice*
In my content this week...
-I manage to master the 650S GT3 on sport tyres, but do so too late in the race to actually win!
-I pull a substantial gap on everyone, only to be slowly reeled in by you know who...

And coming very very soon...
-Everyone suffers on sport hard tyres!
-And Tokyo, need I say more?
 
I completely forgot this week... So, 650S. Here's where it stands.

1 – Week 4 – Fittipaldi EF7 VGT : 1'15,991

2 – Week 24 – BMW M3 GT Gr.3 : 1'17,951

3 – Week 9 – Chevrolet Corvette Gr.3 : 1'18,275

4 – Week 21 – Subaru WRX STI Isle of Man Time Attack Car : 1'18,306

5 – Week 29 – Ford Mustang Gr.3 : 1'19,156

6 - Week 33 - Mclaren 650S : 1'19.856

7 - Week 31 - Nissan GT-R Nismo : 1'21.158

8 – Week 17 – Shelby Cobra : 1'21,171

9 – Week 12 – Lamborghini Diablo GT'00 : 1'21,462

10 – Week 9 – Chevrolet Corvette Gr.4 : 1'22,336

11 – Week 3 – Toyota S-FR Racing Concept : 1'22,483

12 – Week 20 – Jaguar F-Type R Coupe'14 : 1'22,719

13 – Week 10 – Renault Megane Gr.4 : 1'22,893

14 – Week 9 – Chevrolet Corvette Stingray'14 : 1'23,778

15 – Week 16 – Dodge Viper GTS'02 : 1'24,113

16 – Week 28 – Honda Project 2&4 : 1'24,543

17 – Week 27 – Toyota GR Supra'19 : 1'25,250

18 – Week 5 – Porsche 911 GT3 996 :1'26,845

19 – (2018 Car of the Year) Week 2 – Alpine A110 Premiere Edition'17 : 1'27,799

20 – Week 24 – BMW M3 Coupe : 1'28,179

21 – Week 7 – Honda NSX Type R'92 : 1'28,450

22 – Week 23 – De Tomaso Pantera'71 : 1'28,488

23 – Week 14 – Sung Kang's Greddy Fugu Z : 1'28,818

24 – Week 22 – Toyota Supra RZ'97 : 1'28,856

25 – Week 1 – Honda Civic Type R'15 : 1'29,156

26 – Week 13 – Subaru Impreza 22B : 1'29,349

27 – (2018 Beater of the Year) Week 11 – Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track'13 : 1'29,503

28 – Week 6 – Nissan 300 ZX : 1'30,978

29 – Week 10 – Renault Megane R.S. Trophy'11 : 1'31,768

30 – Week 15 – BMW M3 Sport Evolution'89 : 1'33,234

31 – Week 30 – Abarth 500'09 : 1'40,633

32 – Week 19 – Suzuki Swift'07 : 1'41,266

33 – Week 26 – Mazda MX 5 Eunos Roadster'89 : 1'43,429

34 - Week 32 - Mini Cooper S'65 : 1'52.555

Fastest Road car ? Check. Oversteer ? Check. Brakes being a bit tough ? You name it.
 
Did a 07.27.534 on the Nordschleife with it. The GT40 is realistically about 4-6 seconds slower, than an F50, while being 29 years older, and having about 160hp less (yes it's also much lighter, but still). What an amazing machine!

Verdict: sleeper!

 
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Livery by Panoz-38
If you're reading this, then you probably already know all about the Ford GT40. It's simply an iconic race car driven by iconic drivers during what was arguably racing's most iconic period. In spite of its age the GT40 is one of the most competitive cars in its class in Gran Turismo Sport, helped in no small part by the car's light weight and mid-engine layout. It's also not overly difficult to drive, especially compared to its predecessor, the Shelby Cobra. The Ford is a car with no real faults...except you don't really get the 1960s driving experience in Gran Turismo Sport.

You can however, get it in Assetto Corsa. (Can you tell I really like this game?)



Driving this car on Bias-Ply tires, with no traction control or anti-lock brakes on the Le Grand Circuit 1967 from RaceDepartment.com, did more to make me appreciate the men who drove this car than even books or documentaries could. There is literally nowhere to go if you make a mistake, you will end up recreating a crash scene from the Steve McQueen movie. And it's very easy to make a mistake, whether you're pulling too much lateral g's through a corner or locking up the brakes at the end of the Mulsanne straight. The fact that men were driving this car much faster than I could for hours on end is hard for a mere mortal to even comprehend.

This isn't really a review, just a bit of appreciation. The Ford GT40 transcends Beater or Sleeper, and is just simply a legend.

And for some bonus content, I decided to find out if current day technology could help make me as fast as one of the aforementioned iconic drivers...

 
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Two great cars.

One car is $2,8 mil. - you will save up a bit to get it so is it worth it? The other is $1.35 mil.

The GT40 took a while to get used to, the handling isnt the easiest but once you learn how to drive it, its a winner in the N300-500 class.

I consider myself a GT40 fan. The Mk1 is all about subtlely especailly in its styling. The 4.7 v8 is just enough. I prefer the Mk2 however with the 7.0 v8 - I also think it looks like a much more menacing car.

The Huayra? This car was spot on from the get go. The handling is very very mild even though the thing packs a twin turbo V12. Very very much a pack leader in the N600 plus class.
 
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