The winner of last week's ~Special Challenge~, Team Ford Vs. Team Toyota, was... @RX8 Racer , who was the only one who submitted a time with his Tundra. A very impressive 1:28.478, at that! I guess that means the Toyota Tundra beat the Raptor in something after all!
With it being the start of April, we at GT7 COTW are celebrating our first anniversary! Of course, life happens, and regulars come and go. If you've been participating in our Saturday lobbies, or simply been checking out the race replays, you might have noticed a new face who has shown up consistently the last few weeks, and even won a race at High Speed Ring with the Atenza!
They may not have a GTP account yet, but participation is participation, and for being part of COTW, they get to pick this week's car! Chosen by "Molmaz", we're featuring the Honda Civic Type R Special Edition (FK8) '20 this week!
It's FF, and it only comes in yellow. I can already hear @Baron Blitz Red disapprove of this one...
The fifth–generation Civic Type R shares very little with the tenth–generation Honda Civic, as, for the first time in Type R history, the Civic Type R was actually "built from the ground up" () to be its own thing, as opposed to simply enhancing a regular Civic. This allows the FK8-R many bespoke components and to laser focus solely on performance, culminating in the Civic reclaiming the Nordschleife lap record for FWD cars, at 7:43.8, as well as the record for the sheer number of asterisks attached to a lap record...
Here in GT7, I think many of us are already familiar with a very specific component of the FK8 being used for nefarious purposes, but what's the car like as a complete package to drive? To help us find out, we will be running the FK8-R in our weekly lobbies, held on Tuesday, 2nd April, 10 P.M. CST (Host: Victory_Reign93) and Saturday, 6th April, 4 P.M. Singapore time (Host: XSquareStickIt). Click on the hyperlinks to convert to your own time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!
@Alex p. please take note: Your clocks have moved one hour back to European Summer Time, and so please show up an hour LATER for the Saturday Lobby at 10 A.M. Germany Time!
BoP/Settings Disable: On
Car: No Limit
Tyres: No Limit
PP Limit: 537PP
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants
Races: ~10 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint
This week's ~Special Challenge!~ is set by Molmaz themself! Tune a FK8 to 600PP on SS tyres, and set the fastest lap possible in Time Trial around Road Atlanta using the Night preset! Set both penalties to Strong, no fuel consumption, and Grip Loss to Real. Fastest time wins, and remember to save a replay!
As usual, we welcome anyone to share their opinions, stories, photos, videos, liveries, or anything else pertaining to the car here on this thread!
YT review: "I needed some time to get used to the FF layout, but after getting the hang out of it, it became a really pleasent and nice drive. Pretty impressive speed/lap time from this car as well. I also particularly like its looks. "
The winner of last week's ~Special Challenge~, Team Ford Vs. Team Toyota, was... @RX8 Racer , who was the only one who submitted a time with his Tundra. A very impressive 1:28.478, at that! I guess that means the Toyota Tundra beat the Raptor in something after all!
"Comparison?" I have to compare these two trucks to each other!? I've been in more fair head-to-heads in yakuza-rigged boxing matches. I mean, I've won them easily, how am I even typing this, but Japan is just asking for it if they think their little truck has even a quarter of the Raptor's fortitude.
I mean, look at this! You expect me to believe that anyone will choose the weaker and more expensive Tacoma over good old Uncle Sam? Sure, the Ford's got an extra couple hundred pounds, but that because they had to cram in the extra badass that comes with it. You know how much power this monster can have?
Higher than you can count!
And what kind of name is "Tacoma" anyway? Sounds like that guy from Bionicle. Yeah, it's definitely a Tacoma, 'cause that's what it puts me in every time I look at it. And if you're at the bar on a Friday night, and you've got the finest lady this side of Sonia Darrin staring you down and asking what you drive, the last thing you want coming out of your mouth is "Tacoma," because you have to explain to her what that means. But "Raptor" - rowr, give me your number and email address, please.
And don't think it can get away with driving either. The moment you press Start, the evil spirits of ninety-nine disgraced samurai hijack your soul and force you to slam this thing into every invisible wall in Colorado. That's why the lap time is so bad!
That, and the fact that once I did wrestle enough control over it, it veers straight back into attempted slaughter.
...oh, it's the Tundra?
Well...
uhh...
Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what's the difference. The answer is there isn't. Big truck, small truck, the Raptor doesn't care - it destroys them all anyway.
Must-Buy for the Ford. As for the Toyota? Turn your Playstation off and throw it in the fire - it has been corrupted by the fact that at least one game on it has the Tundra.
Sliiiiightly tangentially maybe related, but it's super cool, and I thought was worth sharing with everyone here: Renowned Honda specialists, Spoon, has recreated their FL5 Super Taikyu Civic in GT7.
Welcome to yet another episode of SPD taking yet another fruitless weekly challenge too seriously.
Week 50 Edition
Ahh yes. It's another one of these. Now, while my efforts on thinking what'll come of this week in terms of story writing (something something The Mountain Blazers something something), I figure.. I tune cars to 600 PP often. Maybe I should take a crack at it.
First problem? Yes, it's a problem, but for what I often do, I mean 600 PP on Sports Hards. This week's rules wants you to run Sports Softs, which I think is the kind of compound you put on akin to having training wheels. It is, if you put them exclusively on the rear. I usually reserve this for 700 PP, but there's no way the Civic FK can reach that.
Anything else? The rules specify Road Atlanta at night. I know you mean it so that you can have less visibility to make it that little extra challenging, but honestly, I know your bul[BLEEP], darlings. It's for style points, because at this performance range and tires, you can have a Civic that can go..
That's what I'm talking about! How about the same picture in close up?
That's hot. Taking pictures of exhaust flames in this game.. exhaust me!
There's also some little tidbits like real grip loss and penalties being on.. for I guess those who don't know what clean racing is, I guess.
Enough chatter: I suppose I should share my time..
1:27.676
..along with my warmups of certain future nominations I've been planning, mainly used for warmup of this track at this level of pace. The Alphard.. is a sign I shouldn't take this challenge with anything AWD. My best cars in this range (as tested in Clubman Cup Plus in the Glen) are all AWD.
Anyhow, I was thinking of doing a Showcase with this, but I'm at that point where I know that nobody even gives a darn hoot about my well tuned cars, the ideas behind them, the tier list that contributes to how much this week's nominee is a Sleeper, and of course: the beautiful table.
I'll just assume this silence means you guys don't like the table? But all it does is want to impress you with facts and numbers! Don't tell me you're allergic to words?
Analysis, Kowalski? Well.. I definitely had penalties on, so if you watch the shared replay, you might notice some real liberal use of curbs placed on turns 3 and 5. You need to cut them like I do if you want the best you can around, I'm afraid. And you gotta trust me penalties were on, since the method I wanted to use to prove that it is just hasn't arrived (said method involves taking a snapshot with a penalty while the best lap is visibly there, so I want some[Playa] credit, damnit!).
Not to mention I tuned my Civic to have low downforce, and still it really suffers on the back straight. You need to make it work on the first sector, and the medley of turns before the finish line.
Fortunately, since this is Sports Softs, the car handles exquisitely.. provided with the right tune, of course!
I've spent a couple hours fine tuning and getting the line right already, but I might take another gander at this, considering that.. should I take that original Ford GT around again, I wager I can break the 1:27 mark. It's ridiculous in this game, considering how terrible it was in Sport.
Speaking of ridiculous, anyone remember my first words in Gran Turismo COTW that's not The Purpinator?
The MINI's current best is around 1:28.2 area. Made a whole new tune just for the occasion, yo. If I get some enthusiasm in, maybe it might get a middling 1:27 like the Civic, but alas: no dice so far. You can tell what a current, Ring tuned hot hatch is compared to this.. much lesser, older, not as sporty, domestic piece of British-German abomination that makes me angry the more I write about it, I need to stop, help help I can't control this all it's doing is making me mad, but I said that already and I'm sure I need to stop but can't but yes no yes no yes no yes no yes no..
The 2020 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition. What the hell are we even doing anymore?
Indulge me for a bit as I show my age a little by waving my DualShock 1 at the clouds yelling about how good things used to be: I remember the first Honda Type R—the 1992 NSX-R. The original NSX blended together supercar performance with plush ergonomics, and the NSX-R was simply a track focused version of that with stiffer springs, less creature comforts, and lighter mass. From the outside, the 1992 NSX-R would've been completely indistinguishable from a base NSX if not for its Enkei wheels, sporty interior, and red Honda badges. The engine didn't even get a power increase! It felt to me like taking away all the chores, responsibilities, bills, and the day job of a person, and telling them to just concentrate on doing their best at their hobby. It didn't seek to completely change the person; it just took away everything holding them back and let them focus on the one thing they loved to do to fully realise their potential in that field. Just these small and unapparent changes however, resulted in changes so prominent that, from the cockpit, it was almost difficult to feel the resemblance between a base NSX and an NSX-R, proving to the world just how much potential was slumbering in a base NSX. In short, a Type R doesn't transform the base car; a Type R simply awakens it. Aside from the slightly bonkers but completely brilliant 2nd NSX-R in 2002, Type R models followed that ethos pretty closely until the gloves got yanked clean off (weight savings, bro) with the FK2 Civic Type R in 2015.
Suddenly, the sacred purity of a high–revving, naturally aspirated engine would be blown away by turbochargers. Suddenly, being a Type R meant needing to proclaim to everyone in the neighbourhood that they have a more expensive car via gaudy boy racer parts. Following up on the FK2, the FK8 CTR that debuted in 2017 was so radically different from a base Civic, boasting widened fenders, completely different suspension hardware, and a turbocharger that almost doubled the power output from a base Civic, all of which allowed it to reclaim the Nürburgring lap record, albeit with non–standard tyres, a floating cage, and deleted audio systems and rear seats. It just feels to me like modern Type Rs have completely lost the plot and spirit of the original Type Rs.
Idealistic ramblings and subjective interpretations of intent aside, 20 years of technological advancements and accrued know–how are impossible to ignore when the FK8 is brought out onto a racetrack; despite the FK8 being much heavier, much larger, and much more powerful than the original EK9 Civic Type R, the older car is some two to three times more difficult to hustle; the suspension setup of the EK9 is soft and tends to tangle the car up if driven without a great deal of care and precision, and the engine is almost uselessly peaky. The FK8 in comparison, is so composed it boarders on being completely deadpan. The turbocharged engine has such a tabletop torque "curve" that most tight corner exits in Tsukuba are best taken in third gear, and understeer is so minimal on power that it genuinely creeps into AWD territory. I know I'm an old–fashioned prude when it comes to cars, but I'm also old enough to remember an old adage of, "you can't put more than 250HP into an FWD car". The FK8 wipes its fake grilles and triple exhaust tips with that adage, packing a whopping 315HP (235kW) straight from the factory, which goes through a 6–speed stick shift gearbox and a limited slip differential to the specially lightened 20–inch forged aluminium BBS wheels of the Limited Edition, coated with the black magic that is Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tyres, 245mm wide all four corners. All told, the serious hardware of the FK8 mean that the car routes its tidal wave of power so efficiently that tyre squeals only serve as affirmation that all the grip available is being used, instead of being a surrendering cry that is typical with powerful FFs. At this point, I'm almost convinced that the only reason the FK8 hasn't adopted All–Wheel–Drive in its radical Type R transformation is only so that its engineers can flex how well they can tame an FF car.
That said, sometimes the car feels a bit too smart for me. With enough brake pedal input over laden and turned front tyres, the rear end will come around a bit to rotate the car into an apex to counter the understeer inherent to an FF car. That's great for tighter turns, but it just makes the car needlessly squirmy under trail braking for mid to high speed turns with deep apexes, such as the U–turn on the end of Trail Mountain's back straight. That is to say, the seemingly intentional tail happiness doesn't always marry up to the corner at hand, and it feels a bit artificial and very unintuitive to me, as I never feel like I know just how much the car wants to turn. Maybe I'm just not good at it.
Overall, I can recognise what a feat of engineering the FK8 CTR is, and it is menacingly fast; it outgunned stuff like a FR Hyundai Genesis and an AWD WRX STi handily during race days, and will even harass a stripped out GR Corolla. It's an easy prize car for attaining all bronze in the "Beyond the Horizon" mission set, and additional copies of the car are readily available to buy at around a fifth of what an NA1 NSX-R would cost in GT7's terrible economy while offering comparable performance. If money is no object, though, I find the FK8 hard to recommend not only because I don't enjoy driving it, but also because the FL5 CTR that succeeds it is somehow, an even better car on–track. Plus, I don't care how old you are; you can't tell me that you'd prefer a Civic to an NSX on a track.
Well, guess i’m gonna have to break out the MG42 for this Quick Fire Review.
Hit the deck lads.
Alfa Romeo Gulia GTAm: Pricey, But incredibly capable 4 Door Super Saloon, nice sounding V6, bit softly sprung, but packs downforce to compensate.
Verdict: Sleeper 👍
Mazda RX-8 Spirit R: Cheapest way to Rotary power & owning a Mazda Spirit R, playful handling, does prefer manual gearing to get the most out of it, has a 4 Rotor option if money is no object for more power.
Verdict: Sleeper 👍
Chaparral 2X VGT: Incredibly fast, but also requires an unconventional driving style to master it, not for beginners.
Verdict: Neutral
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4 GSR: The AYC does tend to make it understeer on corner exit with the stock CS tyres, but a steady balance of trail-braking and throttle can offset that issue, Is IMO the weakest of the Evo’s (Evo 3 is 9hp down, but 90kgs lighter), but recently got its engine swap along with the rest of the Evo’s so it’s potential has greatly increased.
Verdict: Neutral
Mercedes AMG-GTS: The tamest of the AMG GT’s, while not as grip focused like the AMG GT-R or the powered crazed GT Black Series, it’s still a well behaved and capable machine with good low end torque, even has a Safety Car version to boot.
Verdict: Sleeper 👍
Ferrari F8 Tributo: Potent power, but drops at high rpms, decently light, but it’s the quoted dry weight which as you can imagine, makes it lighter than it should be.
Rapid, but you may need to brake earlier than you think.
Happily smokes its tyres when encouraged.
Verdict: Neutral
Suzuki Jimny XC: First 4wd Kei Car in GT7, not quick, the heaviest & least aerodynamic Kei Car, but it’s a riot to throw around, joint cheapest Kei Car and has a relatively cheap engine swap(The cheapest I believe at 109k.) so it’s a bargain hunters Sleeper.
Verdict: Sleeper 👍
Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992): High revving F6, Stable handling, DRS wing, well planted and just encourages you to keep pushing the limits of its performance.
Fully tuned engine is capable of nearly 11,500rpm and is an absolute screamer, granted you pay nearly 90k more compared to the previous model GT3 RS so bear that in mind.
Verdict: Sleeper 👍
Peugeot 208 GTi Sport: Just another fun and enjoyable Hot Hatch.
Verdict: Sleeper 👍
Suzuki Swift Gr4 KATANA Edition: Take what I said about the 208 GTi, Add slicks, subtract weight, Add an Itasha livery and serve.
Verdict: Sleeper 👍
BVLGARI VGT: Nice engine, low weight, stock tyres weren’t up to task, softly sprung for a downforce car and the differential was a little snappy between under & oversteer.
Verdict: Neutral(But I understand why others would say Beater.)
Mazda Atenza Sedan XD L: Not quick at first glance, but is deceptively capable at low PP levels, does understeer at the absolute limit, but is about as stressless and easy to drive as low power cars can get.
Auto users will lose out due to the need for short shifting mind you.
Verdict: Sleeper 👍
Toyota Tundra TRD: Lighter than the Raptor, but less powerful too, Has the more expensive and less powerful swap(But much better fuel efficiency.) of the two big pickups, more expensive to buy too.
Verdict: Neutral(Barely) (Beater when compared to the Raptor.)
Ford Raptor Verdict: Sleeper 👍
Honda Civic Type R (FK8): Capable Super Hot Hatch, good low end torque, solid handling, just an all round pleasant car to drive.
On its own merits, A Sleeper, but Neutral when compared to the newer FL5 Civic Type R. 👍
The winner of last week's ~Special Challenge!~ is @SomePlayaDude , setting a blazing () fast time of 1:27.676! They were the only one who set a time all week. Since RX8 likes smug faces so much, here, SPD, I'll throw one his way for you:
If you thought we couldn't get any more wasteful and showboaty by testing two pickup trucks, we now have the series' first super performance SUV to feature. Chosen by @Vic Reign93 , this week's car is the Lamborghini Urus '18!
Vic Reign93
So my pick for this week is the Lamborghini Urus, because its GT7's first Super SUV.
Based on VAG's MLB platform, the Urus shares many parts with the Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne, and... a Volkswagen Touareg. Packing a twin–turbo 4 litre V8 under its bonnet however, the savage 641HP pumped out by the Audiwagen V8 propels the 2,197kg (4,844lbs) cattle straight into the distinction of being the fastest production SUV at the time of its debut, as well as being the fastest selling Lamborghini in... well, ever. This week, we find out if all that hype and numbers make the Urus a compelling drive on tarmac, dirt, and snow!
Weekly Lobbies
Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing bone stock Uruses (Urii?)!
Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!
BoP/Settings Disabled: On (temporarily reverts cars to bone stock)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~10 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 564PP
Car: No Limit
Tyres: No Limit
~Special Challenge!~
If you can't join us for wheel–to–wheel racing, no worries! We also have a weekly ~Special Challenge!~ for involving the Urus, and it's a woozy set by Vic himself!
Vic Reign93
The Special Challenge will test the Urus on all terrains, road, dirt & snow.
The Catch? Your fastest times for all 3 tracks will matter as the driver with the lowest combined overall time will be the winner.
The tracks are, Monza Full for Road, Sardegna Windmills Reverse for Dirt and Lake Louise Long Track for Snow.
Just because the previous few Special Challenges have shown me that COTW is full of wise asses that live to find loopholes, I'm going to add: strong penalties for wall collisions and shortcuts! Save the replays!
Of course, we always welcome opinions, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the thread!
Now, let's see if the modern day performance SUV has a place or not in Gran Turismo...
Managed a 07.24.908 on the Nords with it. YT review: "An excepionally stable SUV tbh. Drives surprisingly well! I really enjoyed my time with it. It does help, that it looks cool and is part of my favourite manufacturer's portfolio. Also, it must be said, that the time it managed, is frankly quite bonkers for a(n?) SUV"
Is there something I can find of value rather than your average Japanese domestic sedan. This is the Mazda6, or known as the Atenza. It's a.. sedan.. but you know what's fascinating about it? Nothing!
Okay, I'm kidding. The Atenza started off with Ford. Since 1996, they had owned a good portion of Mazda, and got them some ideas to share some of their body platforms and engines around. Starting off as a sporty sedan that shared the platform with Ford's famed Mondeo, the Atenza was given the role to provide Mazda a chance to see if they have the hots for making sports saloons.
Coming with a whole bevy of engines from either Mazda or Ford, body types like wagon, sedan and hatchback and even diesel options for those who want it over petrol, it had the selection for anyone to choose what they like and cater to their tastes. A very bold marketing strategy.
After two generations, Mazda split from Ford, and thus had to decide what to do with this model that has never gone without their American buddies. Using the award winning second generation's base model, they refined it further and developed the third generation variant with their KODO soul design philosophy, along with their usual Jinbai Ittai they've used since the days of the NA MX-5, and something new in the form of Skyactiv: Mazda's signature eco friendly power boosting engineering. As a result, it had gained a more sporty fascia, from a much more notable profile, making it look big, but it's still your good old Mazda6 in its soul.
To the one we got in GT Sport and onwards: it's a facelifted third generation XD model. Anyone who's remembered Week 16 would know this means we got a diesel, and it's the 6 speed Auto with about 175 horses. The L in the end stands for Luxury, meaning it's got the best upholstery money can buy in your 6. And.. we're done!
It's definitely turned heads, and it's said that some people took advantage of that and made a racecar out of the thing. No, it's not the one we have in the car' fictional Grouped variants. A diesel powered Mazda 6 Grand-Am would make its way around in 2013, and while I don't want to elaborate more on this, it definitely was the main inspiration for the car being Mazda's early representation in Sport mode. And if not that, this car also has a Group 3 widebody road car variant that carries its petrol powerplant instead. That car's a Signature Car for a certain Malaysian Crazy Taxi driver, so.. wink wink.
Let's head to Austria and see how things look in this wild search for a certaom young woman. Again.
(PS: I've already finished writing this episode)
STORY: Tougher Spirits
Killing 2 birds with one stone this week is to tackle trucks. Now, while the selection of trucks here in GT world pales compared to Forza Horizon (yup, there are NO trucks in the new Motorsport, which is a REAL tootin shame), they're not exactly bad choices..
Now I don't want to write too much of these bad boys, because while one has a notable long running history, the other.. is just a slot in to the American pickup market. But what they do have in common is that these aren't slow characters, no siree. While you're not going to match the likes of.. umm.. the upcoming Son of Rambo Lambo as of writing, it's quick enough to contend with a good roster of the JDM batch and perhaps surprise us.
How about some visible sporting credentials? You got eyes, right? The Raptor comes with a fetching stylized sports paintjob and this wide profile that makes you think serious sideways jumps. The Tundra's more subtle, but having specially forged rims and tuned suspension isn't any ways not sporty. Both cars carry a V8, with the Tundra having a 5.7L V8 used mainly in American Toyota off-roaders. The Ford carries their well known Boss V8 found in other pickups of the same brand.
Anything else? I know story's mostly just an extra, but there's something to speak of. First, the Tundra is the tertiary ride of a certain tungsten clad assassin that has a hatred for brick walls. And more remarkably: the F-150 Raptor is a Signature Car. The original SPD writeup fat guy gets a nice gifted return, as Frederick McStevenson will show anyone the power of his iconic, yet battle ready Pete: beating the heart of its well tuned Boss V8. Cue the quick bio..
A literal definition of how fast can also come in large packages. One of The List's greatest threats because of his dirty, no holds barred racing style is way more than rubbing tactics. However, when racing clean became mandatory to be the best off his usual truck racing roots, this beloved gentle giant fortunately got no objections.
Theme Song: The Eagles of Death Metal - I'm Your Torpedo Racing Duel Music: The Eagles of Death Metal - Complexity Gender: Male Nationality: American Age: 38 Current occupation: Race car driver Distinct features: Bald crown head surrounded by a thin orange fringe. Brown almond eyes, thin bridged thick button nose, and thick narrow mouth. Thin orange beard. Has a few marks under his eyes, along with a few missing teeth. Tall body brings a largely obese build. Choice of clothing: It's always a buttoned up cotton shirt covered in a full body denim overalls and large sports shoes. Can sometimes be seen wearing a sports cap or jacket, depending on the environment. Never without his prized gold engraved 'Mcstevenson' chain necklace. Cars: Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
Born the youngest of 3 brothers and a single mother, Fred starts off life as facing off hardship after hardship, taking care of his home turf Virginian farm growing corn. While the yield was good and the profits manageable for them to expand and grow over time, the work was taxing. Among the competitive brotherhood working all day each day to be apart of this endeavor, Fred definitely took it easy, having a leaning towards riding the lone family tractor. This combined with his meat heavy eating habits earned him the nickname 'Gator', a name he holds dear to this day.
The family went their seperate ways as the three brothers reached adulthood, with Fred going to perform civil service in Virginia Beach. Years then pass with him looking back at the farm life he left behind for the city. He would eventually meet a fellow country bumpkin who aspired to being an attorney, who would then become his best friend, and the first one he's gotten to develop his hearty self.
Returning with money and opportunities for his siblings, he would find his family farm being taken over by a larger corporation, which as a result has his family move over to the city due to their newfound wealth. Finding out the much darker, behind the scenes activities involved in this transaction, Fred utilized his connections with his attorney friend and fought over the claim, winning this suit, but at a cost: he wouldn't be safe in his home state no more, being pursued in the dark by these suits at most times. He would pack up a newly customized semi-truck and leave. Where that led him was to a band of thrillseekers that raced over all kinds of terrains.
What good that came was a connection to a race league, but not before he would meet a shadowy outlaw and his rich Arab friend, also leading to a connection into his role as one of the founders of infamous street racing crew The List, using the racing and money to fuel both his contact heavy race craft and boisterous personality. Though, recent List charter following international street racing rules has him be the butt of the joke of a new in List meme, calling him now the Clean Gator, which he laughs alongside naturally.
It explains why I dropped these names last week. Also: internally, this marks the end of Phase 3, and I figure I need a break from writing. What's the end of Phase 2?
Would you believe.. Week 34?
STORY: The Divide
To many, Civics and the Type R badging go together like beans and bacon: in the most part they're always together, but are fine even when apart. So, Honda has been taking their domestic Civic hatchbacks and souping them up to be their usual modus operandi with their super sports Type R badging. The 5th of the Type R lot: badged as the FK8, has been an exception to that, being a special limited edition that is built as a sports hatchback from the get go, rather than put extensive work on their base trim.
As a result, it broke the FWD lap record on the ring, which I feel is its biggest draw for the car world. But looking at the little details, you can find a lot of sports personality etched in, moreso than the 208 we got a few weeks back. From its overly Japanese styled aggresive tuner vibe, to the amounts of holes the car needs whatever that's hot to be cooled off, and the three exhaust holes.. of which the middle one isn't actually an exhaust, but an intake that gave the Type R a change in exhaust tone.
Carrying the K20C1 that sees use in mostly the FK and FL Type R Civics, the FK brings 315 twin turbocharged horses under a 1.4 ton body. This special limited edition is however stuck at Sunlight Yellow II. And all I can think of with the words Sunlight Yellow is a straight up JoJo reference, so I guess we stop there.
Story? Starting off Phase 4, I suppose FWD expert and resident JoJo reference has to come back with his trusty sumo wrestling sidekick. Along with this taser crazy DJ..
STORY: Incineration
SUV's have never found a place on the track, being made to be big and ugly is one thing. Having laughable performance in despite of impressive engineering and numbers is another. But the first proper SUV we get in this current GT era is the one and only Super SUV. But you know I don't call it that.
First off: being the successor of the well known failure that I occassionally refer to as Rambo Lambo, the Son of Rambo Lambo piqued my interest from back when I was doing COTW in Forza Horizon 5. It appeared twice in certain Showcases, and I don't think we took a chance to tackle it personally. Oddly enough, we didn't take a chance at the game's favorite car shaped fetish that is the Mustang, so there's that when it comes to unusual choices of cars we didn't nominate.
Taking inspiration from big daddy Rambo Lambo.. of which I don't quite see, the Urus has not so grand shoes to fill, but it's made a grand impression thanks to its supercar numbers. If there's one thing it doesn't get from Rambo Lambo, it's the fact that it uses an Audi based turbocharged V8 rather than its own self developed V10s or V12s. Whatever powerplant it can get, it means, unfortunately for diesel lovers, it runs on petrol. What it does get from current era Lamborghinis however is the hexagon styling, aggressive fascia, and of course the carbon fibre. Of course, right?
Being the potential first of the great status quo of big balling high performance SUVs, I say it's suitable it becomes the first HD modelled SUV in Gran Turismo proper.. if not for the presence of the Range Rover Evoque in 6, and the R60 MINI Countryman in 5. I'm getting the feeling that we might see some more of these giants terrorizing the tracks sometime in the future.
Has anyone seen the new U25 MINI Countryman? I don't know how to feel about it personally. But on to more important matters..
The Urus is strangely the next Signature Car, and as of writing, Week 50 hasn't been completed which hints this strongly.
I hope you're not attached to any brick walls in recent days. You can see that the essence of Rambo Lambo being a bombastic, aggressive giant. And there's no other person in my story writing that matches this description better than COTW exclusive addition in the Aussie tennis player slash assassin Quinlan Bradley.. a semi-serious semi-comical but all around powerhouse that stands by her own morals. Yes, like the use of HOW DARE YOU is in every episode, I made a Rambo Lambo but it's a whole character.
Hailed as the Sports Diva from Down Under, Quinlan's a bona fide master in the physical contest of contests. A recent graduate of the world racing league's B License, her great muscles isn't the only secret of hers she's keeping tabs on.
Theme Song: Judas Priest - Hard As Iron Gender: Female Nationality: Australian Age: 33 Current occupation: Sports personality, prominently as a tennis player Distinct features: Long bright orange hair, often tied in a pair of split braids. Wide almond shaped pale blue eyes, thin but thick skinned slab nose and small mouth. Her caucasian skin's always shiny. Semi-tall and has a defined muscular, built body. Choice of clothing: 'A show of her greatly honed skin when she can' is her motto on this, usually wearing a sporty tank top with tight sports shorts, with a jacket either worn or wrapped around her waist. There are sporty shoes and sports sunglasses to complement. Cars: Lamborghini Urus, Toyota Tundra TRD Pro
Gold Coast born Quinlan was the second of a whole horde of children. She never had an issue getting past the ropes of life with her siblings, who frequent the beaches there. Thanks to her father's role as a pro surfer, and her mother being a lifeguard of one of the many beaches there, Quinlan had no issue with meeting people and also getting to know the active lifestyle she gets frequent exposure from. Reaching puberty, she however gained one other interest due to her body somehow developing muscular. Compounded by how ridiculed she was in school of her size, she knew this was the calling she needed to stand out and shield her ego: through strength.
Without a remarkable education, Quinlan went straight into sports, getting scholarships for various sports academies and fields. However the result, her jolly character seems to be a perseverant one where she never has a notion to give up in any slight. Though, behind all this muscle was still this psychologically inept woman, who would be taken advantage of by certain criminal elements in Australia. It didn't take long for her to think enough is enough, leading to a mental snap and a new aggression began from there. To the public, it gave them a positive role model to follow, and for the underworld a new killer threat thanks to her behind the scenes actions towards.
In one clash, she was put in a bind, but was saved and proceeded to clean up a large sports corruption scandal thanks to the Assassin's Guild, specifically from a feminist cool cyborg, with another sadistic blood knight. Joining in as an athletic powerful giant, these women would end up being known as the Trinitia: a triple threat of women that would be deemed unstoppable should they come together, though in their heads and ideals that's not quite the case, enough to cause a hostile rift.
Jumping from sport to sport, she recently gotten her hands into racing cars. Though, her growth seemed to be drastically larger than your run of the mill racer. Rumors report that she seems to have contact with the infamous Outlaw, though no direct reasoning has been confirmed.
Yes, I had to retcon the fact she owned a Megane. I really had a reason to be excited that the Urus came to GT.
What do I feel like writing today? How about we explore the Urus' full potential in a location I've yet to write of: Trial Mountain?
It's been an incredible year! Or rather.. the wake up call I so needed all these years. I hate to admit it, but you're right. I was living in a clam, but a chance meeting with some Fuji based gearheads was the first step in something new.
To keep it simple.. I've been driving all kinds of cars, under all kinds of scenarios, and most importantly: met all kinds of characters.
From various street racers, TV show hosts, shady assassins, individuals of money outside of Japan, and my on track rivals. Don't take it that way: if I'm going to beat them, knowing is half the battle.
Not to mention I reunited with some old ones! I managed to reconnect with my old friends! Lulu and Cierra, I mean. From my time in that Toyota apprenticeship.
They've found themselves having their own thing just as I've found them, and I refuse to be left out again! With my new friends.. I'll find them, and I'll support them like the friend I should've been!
Speaking of support.. should you need a visit, for old times sakes, my doors are always open in Ginza. No, I haven't moved yet, dad; I know you're going to force me like always. I don't need a big house or apartment or anything! I hope you like coffee..
Oh, and.. I've been taking lessons in being more open and presentable! There's small hints of grump sometimes.. and that new catchphrase when I get a little rowdy.
Before I forget.. mom, you're right: that easy blue MINI project is bad news. I know I should've listened, but the car's mine now with some help..
Regardless, I hope to hear from you two soon. No matter how it went that time, I'll love you two, always!
From your daughter.. Candy Lam
Why does SHE get a nicer font? DON'T try to cheer me up, how DARE you think of that?!
So, exactly one year ago, I uploaded a picture on this thread of this tuned purple RX-7 FC, that eventually was followed by Pinky in a couple weeks. These cars served as THE cars that got me into this little shindig to begin with. And then came something else from myself..
Time for a self reflection:
Have I grown?
Have I been humbled?
Have I always been that awkward fellow who's always using the wrong words at certain moments?
Has that inner Sundowner in me been amplified in some form?
In a year, I can definitely say yes to all of these. But not a definite yes.
Now, my future is unclear with this place, but I guarantee you, all the times I try to be around: I've never had a bad time.
I can be bombastic, wacky, Goodwood hungry, and definitely go out of line often.. but I always want to look good. Never leaving a negative impression, leaving that all to me alone. The gist is that I don't think I fit in. That's always the root of all negativity when I'm here.
But let me assure you that when I think I don't fit in, I always say.. I don't fit in.. yet. Not even today. I'll keep getting better, and then future SPD will then further nurture this idea and say: you've already been a part of this circus, playing a major part within your own showcases, continuing your fictional GT based universe you never had the courage to move with, or just being the grand target of something less serious for everyone else.. that always include MINI or Sundowner specific reasons.
If there was something future SPD would appreciate from this quick writeup, it's that I hope that this place would flourish, be a safe place, and most importantly be the best kind of place where anyone who wants a good old smashing time around the track with similarly inclined individuals, no matter if I'm around or not. At least I'm going to be remembered as the guy that obsesses about a crossover that's quite likely not coming to the game.
Speaking of signature appearances, Pinky and the Purpinator/Purpertrator/Purrple/'whatever I'm going to get a proper name for that FC one day with the word Purple in it' might get involved again in the future, but in what form we'll eventually see.
And I'm done, good night and insert say the line Bart meme here.
The winner of last week's ~Special Challenge!~ is... the guy who set the challenge, @Vic Reign93 , conquering asphalt, dirt, and snow in the Urus all in under five minutes! Congratulations!
Molmaz
Tricky Vic
Monza
2:01.726
2:00.558
Windmills
1:23.371
1:16.185
Louise
1:46.654
1:41.382
TOTAL TIME:
5:11.751
4:58.125
But wait! There's more!
This week, we're sticking to our horns with the raging bull brand, as @SomePlayaDude has chosen the Lamborghini Diablo GT '00 to feature this week on Car of the Week!
SomePlayaDude
Ahh, nice. It's time for the one car I've been clamoring for a long while now. Midship 2000's era supercar with a 500 horsepower V-shaped engine born on the track, that ends with a GT.
It's the most important car for me since the PS3 era of Gran Turismo and it's th-
No..
The f[BLEEP]ing four-eyed, nicotine breathing, thumb chewing, charmless half-wit, self scheming. no good she-devil!!
I'm locked out! She's taken over!! You freaking.. freak!!
The Lamborghini Diablo is the car that took the 200mph cherry for the raging bull brand, and is often considered the last of a lineage of "pure" Lamborghinis, as the brand would come under VAG ownership in 1998, resulting in cars that were more stable, comfortable, and reliable. Gran Turismo also has a very interesting history with the Diablo, with a JGTC Diablo being included only in the Japanese versions of Gran Turismo 3, skirting around licensing issues by listing the Diablo under "JLOC" (Japanese Lamborghini Owner's Club) rather than Lamborghini. Earlier versions of JGTC Diablos can even be found as leftover, unused data in Gran Turismo 2! Here in GT7, the Diablo has the distinction of being the most expensive car in the Used Car Dealer... and only comes in yellow, just to piss off @Baron Blitz Red
If you fancy piloting the last crazy Lambo in a bullfight, well...
Weekly Lobbies
Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing bone stock Diablos under BoP conditions!
Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!
BoP/Settings Disabled: On (temporarily reverts cars to bone stock; WIDE BODIED AND ENGINE SWAPPED CARS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE!)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~10 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 614PP
Car: No Limit
Tyres: No Limit
~Special Challenge!~
If you can't join us for wheel–to–wheel racing, no worries! We also have a weekly ~Special Challenge!~ for the Diablo, and it's a familiar one set by SPD themself!
SomePlayaDude
PS: that time with the Viper is 1:46.1XX, which means purist tuned Diablos need to get a time that looks like a 1:45.8
Is this the week to put a dent in my overly grown ego? It definitely sounds like it, and I'm doing it with the freak of all freaks behind it as a theme.
So, to recap: Build a "purist" Diablo to a maximum of 600PP. Sports Hard tyres front and rear. No nitrous, wide bodies, or engine swaps. Then run your built Diablo on Kyoto: Yamagiwa Forward. Target time is 1:45.8, fastest time wins!
For anyone who's built a Viper to these specs back in Week 36, they are limited to using the same parts that they used on their Vipers, and their Diablo build has to beat the time set by their Viper by at least 0.2 seconds!
What is a "purist" build? Good question. It's up to your interpretation, I guess! (Or you could just ask SPD.)
Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the thread!
Now, let's see just what's missing from modern Lamborghinis...
Holy! The Diablo it is, eh? My all time favourite car! Alright, in GT7 I managed a 07.16.339. Gotta say I'm pretty proud of the lap, although with the current physics it should be relatively easy to beat. YT review: "In GT Sport, both the Diablo GT and F50 (its direct rival) were pretty even, here in GT7, the F50 is quite a bit better actually. The Diablo improved its lap time compared to GT Sport quite significantly as well though. Still one of my favourite cars in the whole game, as basically all Diablo models are my favourite cars of all time. I especially love its looks, but the sound and speed are pretty good as well actually. The Diablo GT is probably the fastest road legal Diablo of them all. In GT7, it's a bit wilder compared to Sport, but still rather driveable at the limit I think. Very good car!"
While you can see I took my own PERSONAL liberties with the fictional presence associated with the car, how about a few extra notes:
1) Let's assume I got hijacked and had another car intended to be nominated. That's actually true: I had a last second change, with my eyes initially set on the Ford GT '06, but had different thoughts when I realized.. it's the flagship car of fan favorite Gran Turismo 4 and I'm sure it did have an inner reserved seat on when it's going to be nominated anyways like the AMG GT S did. I've got a mark set on the week of the 23rd December (20 year anniversary of Gran Turismo 4).
2) Due to Week 34, my nominees have been leaning more into a short list of personal loves I want everyone to give a go, which you can see in the Forza Horizon 5 COTW choices I made. The Diablo and VX Viper are both from that list. Other notable entrants that's on my short list include the Volvo 242 (RIP), Buick GNX (fingers crossed), Porsche Carrera GT (due for Halloween), both road going models of the Ford GT, and the Miura. Consider this a shortlist of cars at risk from the wrath of Week 34.
3) I was going to have a milk carton missing variant of my avatar and assume the role of the freak of freaks but that's both too much effort for something so minor.
4) Who wants to see me melt internally? Here's a small snippet of my writeup
We're two-in-a-row with Lamborghinis and also two-in-a-row with Signature Cars..
I'm supposed to be excited these double rainbow events are happening, but I'm certain something happened to past SPD as he chose this because..
Ugh..
It's personal (so understandably nobody would understand) that the car had to be associated with HER..
The self designated rival that I've been hyping with myself however long the overexaggerated self insert Sonny Meng character has existed in my head has finally gotten a place on the grand stage.
And unlike Week 36, she gets a full, original story entry.
Well, congratulations, darling.
Con-freaking-gratulations.
I am so UNHAPPY for these turn of events..
I know I voted for this car, but I too am enjoying this imaginary act of hatred by myself, for myself.
5) Challenge related: my Viper's time is 1:46.128. It's one with no GT Auto changes, but you're free to use anything from the tuning shop. I'm actually struggling to get the Diablo to reach this time at the same restrictions with my current abilities, so I can definitely say it's a tough one. And this week's challenge is aimed to deflate my overly bloated ego, so any participants better put on a good show.
Thanks for pointing that out! Though, as you'll probably realise, I make a LOT of typos, and my brain isn't good at picking up on the mistakes it makes even when I try to proofread what I wrote...
If you go through the 24 pages and counting of this thread, I'm sure you'll go crazy pointing out typos
Also, here's an excellent video by Roflwaffle for anyone interested in the exploits of the JGTC Diablo:
Guess which livery I'm going to show up on Wednesday with...
Can you imagine my excitement, when I at 12 years old, being an absolute Lamborghini fanboy (especially the Diablo models), having played all the NFSs for the supercars (especially the Diablos) and having played GT1 and GT2 religiously, found out through the first GT3 screens, that GT is FINALLY getting my all time favourite car manufacturer and a Diablo model at that (which was new to me as well) on the NEXT GEN GT in GLORIOUS LIFE LIKE graphics!
And THEN imagine my disappointment AFTER the game ALREADY got released in Japan WITH the Diablo, only to find out super close to the release of the European version, that there is only ONE car removed, and that it is THIS VERY model I'm drooling over like a little kid (well I was one somewhat duh!).
If someone here really wants to test it, sure! I don't know how good it'd be for racing and the campaign, though... EVs, especially high performance ones, haven't been very useful in this game thus far.
Anyway, here's a bit of a foreshadowing for next week's car: it's on Limited Stock right now in the UCD.
As this is my favourite car, I would like to apologize for throwing in so many pics, but these are some of my favourites of this car:
(imagine NFSIII and/or IV playing in the background)
SPD Writes Gran Turismo 7's Car Of The Week: Week 53 - Lamborghini Diablo GT
We're leaving the farmlands in this final, coup de grace edition of a certain Hot Pursuit special. And should this SPD nominee be different, I'm afraid that.. emm.. hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Ahh, the Diablo. Again.
Again, you ask? There's only one Diablo in this game. Well, this is the second time I've nominated the Diablo in COTW, but the former's in Horizon 5, and there, it's the SV: most well known as one of the flagship cars in Need For Speed as it debuted in the original Hot Pursuit in 1998.
What we get in GT world is the.. umm.. GT. What the Diablo went through in its life cycle would be a change in ownership, from being independent, to Chrysler, to an Indonesian Malaysian pairing of corporations, and it was going to go nowhere.. until it took the eyes of Volkswagen big wig Ferdinand Piech.
Keeping things simple, Volskwagen bought the struggling Lamborghini and placed it under the supervision of one of their subsidiaries: Audi. While they decided to spruce up the Diablo to mark a moment of this Pagani engineered, Gandini designed beauty now under new management, they noticed the car had a GT2 race ready variant made for the 1997 season. While it did not manage to race in said league, it ended up being the base car that would be detuned and made street legal for them to show they bought the name with apt reason.
Then came the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. Lamborghini came out strong with the new, limited run Diablo GT: a road going homologation of a failed race spec that would come as the biggest, baddest of this 90's devil themed Lamborghinis. From the outside, one can notice the pop ups gone for the infamous Nissan Z32 lamps, but you can also notice the use of carbon fibre all over, a combo of vents and scoops for cooling whatever beats under, and the large O.Z. lightweight racing wheels.
The V12 was enlarged to 6 liters, giving out 571 horsepower travelling through a customizable 5 speed manual that would be the last of its kind. Bringing a horde of downforce and a 1.5 ton body, it's the fastest Lamborghini of its time until its successor: another Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit flagship named the Murcielago, would one up it.
Being that we're within context of Gran Turismo, I also must mention the cult classic that is GT's first Lamborghini being a Diablo, what we all know as a JGTC spec tuned variant known as the NOMAD Diablo GT-1. It didn't warrant any sort of recognition outside the game other than 'oh so they tried', so we end here. There were times where Lamborghini's luck on the racing spectrum was rather glum, and this is one of them.
We're two-in-a-row with Lamborghinis and also two-in-a-row with Signature Cars..
I'm supposed to be excited these double rainbow events are happening, but I'm certain something happened to past SPD as he chose this because..
Ugh..
It's personal (so understandably nobody would understand) that the car had to be associated with HER..
The self designated rival that I've been hyping with myself however long the overexaggerated self insert Sonny Meng character has existed in my head has finally gotten a place on the grand stage.
And unlike Week 36, she gets a full, original story entry.
Well, congratulations, darling.
Con-freaking-gratulations.
I am so UNHAPPY for these turn of events..
I know I voted for this car, but I too am enjoying this imaginary act of hatred by myself, for myself.
Since I gotta follow protocol.. here..
A definition of the mysterious benefactor to the American dark side, nobody truly knows who, where, what or how this Nirvana person came to be. Aside being one of California's biggest earners within its black market, the only thing people know about her is that you never want to be on her bad side..
Theme Song: Nirvana - All Apologies Racing Duel Music: Peaches - Boys Wanna Be Her (Tommie Sunshine's Brooklyn Fire Retouch) Gender: Female Nationality: Unknown, presumably American Age: Unknown, presumably in her late 30s Current occupation: Black market information broker Distinct features: Medium long straight brunette hair, with the left side slightly longer on the front. Broad and tall diamond shaped face, with heavy eyeshadow and deep red lipstick. Wide and narrow green eyes, thick button nose and lip sticked mouth. Eyes always covered with a bespoke pair of sunglasses. Wears a pair of ruby gemmed earrings. Tall, slender figure. Choice of clothing: Isn't one for a certain clothing style, but her daily go to includes a designer cropped jacket and blouse. Underneath usually is seen with dark, long skinny jeans, with tall leather boots underneath. Never without her prized golden necklace, carrying the iconic Nirvana grunge band smile. Cars: Lamborghini Diablo GT, Honda Civic Type R (EK), Lamborghini Countach LP400
If there's a dark American secret or two worth knowing, there's a very good chance it either came from, or is already been privy by the mysterious, unusually beautiful chain smoker known as Nirvana. While she's not hiding any association with it, it's unclear why she took up the name of a once popular 90's grunge icon.
Despite being in the game for approximately a decade, Nirvana's role as an information broker has been volatile for involved parties. Regardless of the risk, it's a very fruitful business that allowed her to make up a luxurious, albeit mysterious way of living. Every day passes with her face on at least one association wanting her death, be it from minor greivances or major groups, with rumors saying even involving the darkest organizations within national governments. But by being directly connected to the Assassin's Guild means that threat is non-existant for her. It's strongly rumored she is the one completely external individual with the unstoppable, absolute Trinita L'Assassina on speed dial, as various wealthy crime bosses that had her targeted once had their groups dissolved in a week.
Anyone knows Nirvana is one mysterious figure that probably intentionally overdelivers her speech with speaking in third person, combined with odd lingual skills and backed with an odd accent. While it's obvious she's hiding everything about her, there's no hiding her services mainly being stationed in Los Angeles. There's also no hiding that she likes to drive an old Lamborghini Diablo, and it's seen frequently street racing at night. Her presence often causes the racing at night to be mostly calm, a sign of her connection with the local police.
A worker of secrets, Nirvana also knows how to keep them, and over the years, she begun to even use them for her own benefits. While not exactly the most expensive of secrets, using The Outlaw's identity allows her to blackmail her way into The List, now part of them as code name "Enigma". But running with the self proclaimed fastest crew isn't the goal. She uses it as soon as she found out racing celebrity Sonny Meng serving as the group's backbone, and also being directly related to its leader. To her, Sonny is the one person she deems her nemesis. Nobody but the just as similarly egotistical Nirvana only knows why this grudge came to be.
Is there something else?
Like the many songs that define her inspired grunge band vibe, Nirvana is full of shadows and shows emotion in a mellow tone. But even under that unnormal tone and occasional third person talking, she's also a vital character.
You hear that, future SPD?
VITAL.
Man, I'm pissed. I'm literally having an argument with myself, and I understand if you don't understand at all what's going on.
As the hours start to collect, the empty roads begin to soak due to a passing storm.
With various highway signings showing bare graphics, warning drivers of speed limits, one such car ignores these limitations, and presses on through the traffic without care.
The woman inside: the sinister enigma known as Nirvana, calmly drags her devilish Diablo through the expressways, unchallenged.
Today, I begin by taking a quick look at the amount of mid-engined Italian supercars that's been nominated, and if not the F8 Tributo, I'd say this is a clean slate that needs to be written upon. It's the classic combo of what life is on the high end for anyone who's lived before the millenium began.
Now, the first thing you might notice is how it gives a sense of power like very little other can offer. You will bounce the revs so often, you might want to short shift that in game shift indicator just in case. The thing with this in the Diablo is that this is a car with a 5 speed manual, meaning the tall gears the car already possesses isn't enough. However, I will get to its acceleration, but the Diablo is, for something 20 years old, very respectable when it comes to its stability when doing engine braking or short shifting. On that note for the latter, yes you are good to short shift; it is just so nice, you'd swear you made a pact with some demon on how good it feels.
With nearly 600 horsepower going only to the rear, you can expect power oversteer to enter the equation. That's going to be the main source of trouble in getting the devil to drive towards the straight and narrow. It's nasty, but only when you get it. The car's turning circle is rather wide, but mainly because of its general girth. Lamborghinis at this period really seemed to be in this strange understeery feeling with power oversteer at the ready, notably with the Countach. Perhaps it's a Pagani thing, and if this behaviour is seen with the C12 Zonda, it probably backs this line of thought.
This combination of big and slow turning with this big rear tires means said power oversteer is there, but minimal. So the beauty of driving this car is that you can choose with no issue to let 'er rip, or remain on the straight and narrow. This.. is also in my notes with the Diablo SV in Mini Mexico, so whatever physics change they have for the sake of arcade racing's sake.. it's quite accurate to this game's aim for an accessible form of realism. Which is impressive.
Obligatory screw you Nirvana, okay let's continue.
Making use of Brembo drilled discs, the Diablo GT should not be harbor an issue if braking hard. It doesn't, but I have a feeling it still wants you to brake earlier, because while they work, it's a wee bit on the weak side. Just be glad it's fine and stable. Having comparisons with the VX Viper of all cars (because in story and PP regional reasons), which in there its brakes being its biggest flaw, you're now sure to see that this bedevilled fighting bull gets lucky. In fact, general stability in the Diablo has been top marks in the RWD supercar field. It's a flagship Lamborghini that's huge and has big wings and holes! The Diablo started this trend, after all! It's not like it has a turbo..
Speaking of turbo, the Diablo has no aspiration. As with pretty much any Lamborghini that's not the Urus, that is. Which means you're playing with a down to earth supercar with a manual. It don't take a genius to tell this is automotive nirvana, but the car itself's themed in a way that makes it belong to hell. Without that aspiration, the acceleration is all ways fresh, exciting, and best of all, with 575 horses to go, incredible to push with. It does get twitchy in high speeds, so do behave.
Acceleration wise, with those tall gears, you're going to FLY. Just.. power overwhelming. Like a bull in its namesake. It will charge those straights without equal. And with solid brakes and not twitchy handling, you will live if you've sold your soul to the machine from hell. Even out of the corners, I advise you to not even short shift, and boy it's nirvana. I said nirvana more than enough times now, you'd swear it's intentional.
It is. What else?
Ohh, I actually almost forgot. While my anger resides in the fact that I failed to see, as the first Lamborghini model I've ever laid my hands on, and not get the magic of this car company until the Miura, the Diablo is.. just a mad bull that doesn't want to give you wins, but it wants to have you earn those wins. And I must mention: why duke out the Diablo and the VX Viper to begin with. It's all a coincidence at first, but then.. Gran Turismo decided their PP difference be THAT tiny.. it's a sign from God, and don't you dare convince me otherwise.
I guess if there's something the cars involved in Nirvana VS Sonny have in common, it's that they're both incredibly taxing to drive in similarly different ways. But at the same time are predators: you will become their prey, or tame them enough to give you a sense of that other world where a managed level of friction through burning rubber is your reward.
She charges towards a destination, but even if she was spied on, nobody truly knows why California's greatest broker of information would be in Tokyo this day.
Alone in the dark, Nirvana remains vigilant as the road begins to dry..
A private parking garage gets intruded by the hellish V12 shouting across the halls..
While the presence of the Diablo is noted by security..
The man responsible for overseeing this instead lays back and keeps the footage unrecorded, watching the Diablo enter a hidden door, satisfied as he rubs a recent addition of his income for this act.
A door opens to an empty apartment..
The woman walks in, closes the door behind her and sees the nearly empty room containing only a computer and a phone on a large table.
Still exhasuted from time differences, she heads for the phone and picks it up, seeing requests she must acknowledge.
Scrolling through various queries, from small time crime, to straight up assassination requests, she skims through, taking in accord of the detail provided from her clients to determine what answer she gives.
This kind of work would kill any sane person, but Nirvana Kellen proves with a long early morning of these settled, that she is no ordinary being.
While the work would continue, she then paused for a moment and glanced by the laptop set up.
Scrolling through the computer, she then accesses a software, allowing her to access a specialized drone system.
Made specifically for spying through military bases and other hidden locales, Nirvana instaed gazes cleanly on this drone's target: Sonny Meng's penthouse located in Burbank, California.
While she sees clearly of the penthouse's many details, from the large 15 foot statue of Sonny in the middle, to the clear faces of the inhabitants, she zooms the view in towards two men conversing on the couches, particularly to the man across her self claimed rival: Kirk Ackepoke.
At this moment, she knew someone was behind her, but kept quiet, allowing her to speak..
Ginoa: "Chouette! Supposing this kind of technology isn't even estranged to yourself.. tell me, Nirvana.. that's how you found me?"
She knew it was a hello, but she had no thought to reply.
Ginoa, knowing the kind of person her handler is, walks about, speaking calmly.
Ginoa: "The silence says yes, I presume? I applaud your efforts, but I'm serious: you believed someone like me would be dead or anything?"
Not even looking back, Nirvana responds stoically..
Nirvana: "Nirvana doubts that you can be made gone so easily. Not to mention.."
She then opens a file on the computer, revealing the Prophecy Chosen member Ginoa is currently intimate with..
Nirvana: "Look familiar?"
Ginoa: "This is a file on Gary? All these little details. So naughty of you.. or rather: cheeky.."
Finally turning around her chair, Nirvana stands tall, declaring with authority..
Nirvana: "He is instrumental to Nirvana's plans within the Big 3, and dealing with some unscrupulous crime families in Los Angeles. This much I, Nirvana, will only speak of."
Rather uncaring, Ginoa replies while shrugging..
Ginoa: "F[BLEEP]k me.. I mean.. well, do whatever you like with me! My loyalty remains unfaltered to you.. even though the Guild wants my head."
Nirvana: "They know enough to theorize nobody is capable but the Grim Reaper. And should he even be able to do so.. it will be Sorensen's biggest mistake. The Crimson one reported of this."
Having thoughts, Ginoa watched Nirvana light another cigarette and replace her burned out one as she tosses it aside..
Ginoa: "The rules still remain, eh? What's on your agenda?"
Already stern, Nirvana growls in slight anger, hinting..
Nirvana: "The eyes that see all.."
Already inhaling more than her usual tobacco, she mumbles..
Nirvana: "Nirvana thought getting Jacob Ross involved was the key, but.. Nirvana was being much too hopeful."
Wondering, Ginoa cheekily asks as she then sits on the lone table casually..
Ginoa: "Ohh.. Are you admitting he's in because of you?"
Nirvana: "You can assume that. Nirvana refuses to comment for ample reasons."
Ginoa: "Not that I care. They are starting to take traction, and strange enough those bastards have the funding to gain protection from the organization. Prompts some of us to go rogue.."
Refusing to reply, Ginoa continues, waving her hand away as she closes her eyes in disapproval..
Ginoa: "Don't even say it: I know it's an ill omen, those people."
Nirvana: "And what Nirvana knows of.. goes in line with how you feel, Assassin."
She turns back, but Ginoa, concerned of Nirvana's well being as she works overtime, shares..
Ginoa: "You look ready? I mean.. don't you need sleep at this time?"
Nirvana: "Nirvana has not adapted her body clock. Yourself?"
Ginoa: "You still remember how me and flights goes.."
Not willing to continue this line of speak, Nirvana then remembers..
Nirvana: "At any case.. I assume he is ready?"
Ginoa: "Landing in a few hours. He's gotten his orders."
Nirvana: "Good. Nirvana wishes to ensure this will carry onwards for our little.. test."
Hearing that last word, Ginoa snickers for a moment as she rubs her palms and smiles..
Ginoa: "Ohh.. that poor little bebe.."
Candy's house
Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
Morning
For today, the action begins outside as Candy struggles to lift a whole collection of cleaning tools towards a set of cars..
Dropping them to cause a mess rather than an orderly pile, she sighs as she observes in distress, wiping her forehead..
Candy: "The surfaces of my dear babies must be clear to these cretinous stains of dust and mud.."
Then realizes..
Candy: "But it's becoming increasingly obvious.. I can deny it no longer!"
Even though they're all hot hatches, she feels as if they tower her like the many buildings in Tokyo, remarking with deadpan sorrow.
Candy: "I am small."
Knowing she doesn't have the luxury due to recent events, she then muttered to herself with aggression..
Candy: "I need someone BIG to clean my babies for me.. I need.."
And as she readied herself to get angry, an angrier V8 note then roars by her street, startling her..
Candy: "ARGHH, what in the.."
Not realizing she's having guests, she then sees an American muscle car cruise in her driveway.
Actually joyed, she took that anger in her and, smacking her left palm with her right fist..
Candy: "EMILE!"
Getting the Camaro parked and idle, the man behind it: Boston based hitman for hire Emile, comes out, adjusting his tie and fedora, as he tips the latter..
Emile: "Morning to you, miss. Umm.."
He then sees a scene akin to a poorly maintained car wash, with Candy having the poor notion to wear something revealing in the form of a sports attire.
His eyes might be small, but he observes the situation and gives out his report..
Emile: "Buckets of water to drown a small baby, a hose with the capabilities to choke the daylights out ot anyone, a menagerie of.. toxic cleaning chemicals, and that's.. a ladder?"
He turns to Candy, looking at her with an unimpressed view.
Emile: "Let me guess, you need a hand?"
Candy: "Astute. Well?"
Taking off his fedora, and his suit jacket, he places his clothes on his car's seat, then cracks his fists.
Emile: "I'll do it. But not for free. You're making me that killer coffee after. Deal?"
Candy: "Alright, deal!"
(yes this is the third LATER I've used, I have like 6 of these)
Now inside and with a duty done, Emile lounges by the television room chairs, exhausted but awaiting a well deserved reward.
Candy, bringing in her expensive coffee set once again, serves, to the joy of a somber character.
Emile: "Sweet or sour.. what lurks beneath this abyss.. past exhaustion, coffee is the elixir for life after."
He sips slowly, with Candy joining him on the chairs.
Candy: "Wow, you've a taste for poetry, huh?"
Emile: "I moonlight. Saxophone, lyrics on the mike, doing poetry, be it by the streets or in cafes, or clubs at times. Simple money for honest work.."
Candy: "Speaking of which.. I suppose you're here for.. work, as always?"
He puts down his cup by the table, explaining further..
Emile: "Emile out of the States is a strange sight, correct. You're right. I am here for work. What work.. well.. it needs elaboration from someone else."
Candy: "Curious. Is the coffee to your liking?"
Emile: "Of course. Once again.. it's to kill for."
Glad he's glad, Candy looks at her expensive coffee set, quoting..
Candy: "It's hard to mess up such a simple concept."
Emile: "That so? I'd like to see you run this field of business.. goes well with me on the jazz. You have a plan to moonlight with me in Boston, Vegas, or Los Angeles?"
She shows signs of interest, but it begs her to ask..
Candy: "Is this a partnership I'm seeing?"
Emile: "It's not a bad idea, admit it."
Candy: "No, I see it's not, but it's not what I'm foreseeing.. in terms of what I want to do these days.."
As Emile continues to sample the hot beverage, Candy looks around and wonders..
Candy: "I suppose we're waiting your.. superiors? A member of the Guild?"
Emile: "You can say that. Before you begin guessing if it's someone nasty.. it's my protege."
Interested then asks in a hurry about it.
Candy: "Protege? Like in.. student?"
Emile: "It kills you to know your English better. Yes. You know her as the one with the flamethrower in her knees."
Only one person can fit that description, and Candy responded with that name in mind.
Candy: "Ginnie? Your apprentice?"
As she puts her in todays' equation, Candy then thinks..
Candy: "You being ahead of her.. it's a hard picture to paint. I've seen her in action, and you.. it's definitely not known unless mentioned.."
Emile: "She doesn't enjoy mention of it neither."
Candy: "A fair assessment.. it explains why you both are close."
Emile: "Especially when you've got one side of the Guild that wants her etched out of existence.. spearheaded by our good friend the Emerald Lust.."
Candy sighed she's not seeing her anytime soon.. that is a sigh of relief.
THen she recalled of a fact learned in Autopolis..
Candy: "Ama, huh? She told me it was personal."
Emile: "Oh.. I see. I recalled it was. You've a good memory. Alas.."
He remained silent, which got her asking in a slight fluster..
Candy: "What?"
Emile: "Forget I said."
Candy: "Hmm.."
Before long, sounds of legendary 90's supercars intrude the quiet mood.
Emile: "Well, I suppose it's about to get more.. crowded."
Both getting up, they head for the window and noticed the spot with the Camaro now filled..
Candy: "Nirvana too? Oh.. she's the handler."
Emile: "For the Trinitia, yes. I.. wonder how you knew?"
Candy: "She personally informed me of that."
On the outside, the two women, after exiting their now idle cars, plan to walk to the front door.
Ginoa had other plans, noting as she has her eyes on a refurbished wall.
Ginoa: "Ohh, they fixed it up alright.."
Nirvana: "Hmm?"
Ginoa: "You know.. I met Quinn again. Here of all places. The coincidence of the century.. for me and her.."
Watching the mended stone wall, Ginoa recalls the time she had a reunion with Quinlan at this very place back in Week 26..
Quinlan: "Anyone home? Jesus, what's the John Dory round these parts? Fine, I'm gonna count to 3 before I get in. 1.."
Still hostile, Ginoa readied to strike with her signature overhead kick, only for Quinlan to turn at an instant..
Ginoa: "ALLE!"
Quinlan: "OH NO YOU AIN'T!"
Predicting that, she let out a howl and lunged her great fist towards the cyborg's abdomen..
She might've flown far towards the home's stone fencing, smashing it to pieces, but Ginoa gets back up, as if nothing happened, showing that artificial strength of hers.
These two women started to slowly walk towards, knowing that in each other's minds, they can't beat the crap out of each other without coming close.
Ginoa: "Ohh, merde, I can feel THAT punch. Fancy seeing you here, Quin.."
Quinlan: "Walloping wallabies, Ginnie?! I reckon you'd not be rotting down in a grave yet. Nope. Seems you're all and well. F[BLEEP]ing perfect!"
Ginoa: "I got more than enough tools to break that unbreakable body. You should've never come!"
Quinlan: "Save your breath! I've busted up about 20 different bogans this day. You're just the cream on top of the mousse in this workout!"
From the inside of the open front door, Gary peeks out to see..
Gary D: "Yo, what's up? WHOA! Who's this amazon?"
Allured by Quinlan's huge attractive body, Ginoa reaffirms to him, to the best she could while striking with swift kicks.
Ginoa: "Stay back! It's one of the Trinitia! She's here for me!"
Warnings fall on deaf ears, as Gary, umm.. 'admired' the famed tennis player's colossal blows and even more colossal body.
Gary D: "Trinitia? Aww snap, girl, she's a B-E-A-S-teeeeee! What's up?"
Getting in her way, Quinlan has no choice but to comply..
Quinlan: "Oi? I'm Quinlan! Call me Quin! Now.."
Willing to take any chances, Ginoa shot her arm gun to a distracted Quinlan, who barely dodges it with style.
Frustrated with this outcome, she shouted..
Ginoa: "Putain de merde!! You're on MY side, Gary!!"
Quinlan: "That's a real near miss, that is. Like she said.. I'm one of them."
Gary D: "One of them? So, there's Gin, and there's you.."
Shedidn't take much heed of Gary, but as she flexed back up another gigantic fist.
Underestimating her opponent's agility, she missed her mark, landing the great forces on a thick concrete wall.
The wall's fate would end up much worse, as when Quinlan rears her fist out, somehow unharmed, Gary notes and shudders..
Gary D: "AHH S[BLEEP]!! She's like REAL roided! Did she just bust up that brick wall like it was nothing?"
Quinlan: "What're you yapping about? It WAS nothing, umm.."
Rather than continue the fight, Ginoa had a mood to intervene..
Ginoa: "Gary. He's Gary. Say hi, Gary."
Gary D: "Uhh.. hi?"
Quinlan: "Pleasure meeting you, sweet thing. Now uhh, can I end that bugger without further interruption?!"
She tossed Gary back in the house, and as they circled around, the cyborg begins to show cracks in her armor, struggling to catch a breath.
Ginoa: "G-Gary?!"
Quinlan: "Don't you worry, you drongo. Fella seemed like he ain't hurt in the slightest."
However, as they continued to clash, Gary then comes out with his phone recording.
Gary D: "Damn, this is fine ass cinema."
Quinlan realizes, as she blocks Ginoa's arm blades with the power of her iron-like arms.
Quinlan: "Waloping wallabies! He's recording us fighting, ain't he?"
Gary D: "For sure. Keep going, this is going to get hits on the dark market."
Using this pause to agree with each other through a nod, Ginoa then rushes forwards and sliced downwards her extruded blade, cutting through her boyfriend's phone..
Gary D: "[in slow motion] NOOOO, THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PHOONE!!"
With the violence going another way, Quinlan, covered in cuts, asks her adversary, dented and bruised..
Quinlan: "Ahhh, f[BLEEP] it! Truce?"
Ginoa: "You said it. You see how much of an idiot this man is."
Now looking at the well kept stone floor, Ginoa imagined her boyfriend's cut up phone in place as if that whole affair happened yesterday.
Ginoa: "That was a limited edition, 24 karat gold plated phone too. Sucks to be him. Perhaps someone like our favorite little bebe here must be fuming that kind of fight's happened too."
While it was sort of a good memory, Nirvana thought otherwise, sharing as she palms her shaking face..
Nirvana: "Nirvana can't even comprehend the amount of idiocy these top of the line assassins have.."
Ginoa: "Would you like to know the last time I've clashed with Madame Crimson in a Waffle House?"
Nirvana: "Nirvana doesn't care if you battled in the centre of the sun! Just you three clashing is by all means a waste of resources and energy."
Ginoa: "Whatever. It's fun. Don't you ever consider that? Like your hundreds of duels with my boss?"
She's obviously trying to get under her own skin, Nirvana thought. But she rebuts appropriately.
Nirvana: "Nirvana's definition of fun does not consider the possibility of high value life loss. Now, shall we?"
Back on track, they arrive by Candy's front door.
Knowing of the unnaturally high mailing slot, Ginoa gets a sense of the current festivities as the slot opens.
Ginoa: "Selamat Hari Raya!"
Candy: "What?? Ginnie.."
Nirvana: "Hilarious. You are in the wrong country for that, Assassin."
Ginoa: "I know, but if Sonny was here, he'd have my head for not being festive about it."
Candy didn't take long to open the door this time.
Candy: "I'm not expecting guests today, if that's what you're asking."
Nirvana: "Bu[BLEEP]it. Emile is already inside. Not to mention he has something to tell."
Distraught by her poor manners and overall toxic vibe this morning, Candy went cheeky.
Candy: "You're always right, you know, mama."
Having a negative idea on what she's going to do to her, Nirvana instantly cools off within her, and demands..
Nirvana: "Don't even go there. Should you want to let us in, or.."
Candy: "I was getting to that. No shoes."
With this small group now comfortable in the small lounging area, an energized Emile finishes his third java of the day, giving the women no chance for a quiet taste test.
Emile: "I told you this liquid abyss is all good, correct?"
Nirvana: "This not in the agenda of Nirvana, Emile."
Noticing Emile not even showing signs of hyper activity, the other two have their own talk.
Ginoa: "Don't mind her.. she's in a bad mood for whatever reason."
Candy: "I can see that. What might it be?"
Nirvana, hearing enough, gets to the point, harshly.
Nirvana: "You. What Ross calls the spunky brat. You've set off a chain reaction from what you did with your girlfriends in Austria. What Nirvana calculates might be the precursor of something larger."
As if she's getting punished, Candy objects..
Candy: "Ulp.. I already don't want to hear it."
Nirvana: "Too bad. Nirvana was to lecture you of various things this day. The most immediate effect? Perhaps the betrayal of the Big 3 and the Assassin's Guild. What else are you expecting from I, Nirvana? A congratulatory speech?!"
Not comforted, Ginoa turns to her friend and remarks..
Ginoa: "Oh mon dieu.. She's creepy when she's angry, Emile."
Emile: "I know. It's a killer look for her."
Ginoa: "How you still are calm and composed.. I don't even.."
Wanting to get some sense from her, Candy asks..
Candy: "Are you saying.. I'm to blame or something.."
Nirvana: "Nirvana isn't blaming you. You were just going for what was right in your heart. However, right in you, does not mean right in everyone around. To the world around us.. groups have been formed and now enforced with perhaps a growing sense of hostility."
After that small rant, Nirvana takes a sip of the dark stuff and speaks of what's going on.
Nirvana: "Sonny and Nirvana.. we've taken reins of The List that includes mostly of the new. You heard that: it's been divided. I, Nirvana.. cannot believe it's happened."
Then continued..
Ginoa: "Me too. And you might not want to be facing Clarkie after what you've given Augur one of his Chosen."
And again..
Emile: "And I suppose Jacob's current state means you might want to keep your social communication.. on hold."
And moved again..
Candy: "Ugh.. I just can't believe it but.. Quinlan's right. Tell it to me, Nirvana."
Nirvana: "In every conceivable angle, you're, as they say in ugly teeth land: proper f[BLEEP]ed."
To back that last statement up, Ginoa proposed what might be the coup de grace.
Ginoa: "She probably chose not to say, that Quin, but yup: the Guild has a nice big bounty for your head."
Emile: "How upfront, Ginnie."
Ginoa: "Sorry, bebe.. it's mighty high up, and we're here to collect. Before you get the likes of the Grim Reaper knocking. You've seen him up close, oui? Nasty stuff. Makes a woman like me reconsider who's the best killer of them all sometimes.."
It's like all of her worst fears came up to her in full force this day.
Repeatedly assuring herself it's fine, she took a big breath and..
Candy: "Whew.. that I do.. but.. I'm about to be MURDERED?! IN COLD BLOOD?! AT MY SANCTUARY?!"
Nirvana: "That's what's fated, but Nirvana thinks of something else."
She didn't like it, obviously, as she stands and readies to run.
Candy: "This is some kind of joke! I mean.. it's not like I've crossed the moral rope or anything!"
Nirvana: "Don't lecture us about morality! You know it! You saw her and the interpol agent husband of hers! Lucia's already a lost cause."
Remembering their encounted in Austria, she did see Lucia, being a different character, but strangely believed her friend is still there.
Candy: "NO! No she is not! Don't even assume for my end, you!"
Nirvana: "Silly woman. Don't you see where you've found yourself at? No place to bargain."
Candy: "Urmm..."
As if they teleported, Ginoa and Emile are in position by any possible escape routes.
Noticing too late, she begins to panic internally, but Nirvana spoke up, uncaring of her target's mental state.
Nirvana: "Do not sour further than what you see from I, Nirvana, at this moment in time.."
She then finishes her coffee, hiding on how she's enjoying every drip.
Nirvana: "My. What I've heard is no fluke. Nirvana likes your coffee."
The only way out is with words, she thought, and thus she began to speak, flustered.
Candy: "Timeout! Two seconds, you two.. do you really believe I'm just going to let you come in my house just to end up dead just minutes later?!"
Ginoa: "Oui. A fair assessment."
Emile: "Mmhmm.."
She turned quickly to Emile, who closes the distance from the front door.
Showing all signs of panicked body language, she explains..
Candy: "Emile, you helped clean my cars, just so you already know it might be the last time they might end up clean?!"
Ginoa raises her eyebrows, playfully teasing..
Ginoa: "Such a gentleman thou art, Emile.."
Emile: "Trust me: they are dying to be cleaned."
Keeping up with this thought, she turned to Candy..
Ginoa: "But.. ooohh! I've been hearing that you're not going to die right here, and right now."
Candy: "Does that mean I'm getting out of here at the first minute you're ready to strike?"
Ginoa: "You misread the intention of this meeting, mademoiselle.. Don't take it personally, but this after all is just the distraction, right, Emile?"
Emile: "Mmhmm.."
Nods Emile as the two killers then notice Nirvana ready with a needle injected onto Candy's right arm without hassle.
Candy: "NYAAAHH! Wuh-what is this?! N-Nirvana.. why?"
Nirvana: "You are such a fool."
Not even seconds later, she loses her senses and lulls to a deep slumber.
The three that remain watch over, commenting..
Nirvana: "Hmmhmm.. do you wish to know the first time I met this short racing queen.. Nirvana was hopeful to earn her trust. But today.. she is just a waste. I think you two are ready for what's to come?"
Ginoa: "This is going to be fun!"
Emile: "Fun? I suppose it might be.."
Ginoa though had a thought, asking with her hand held by her chin.
Ginoa: "I'm still out of the loop why she needs to be alive right now?"
Nirvana: "Fufufu.. well.. she is still of some value, despite the f[BLEEP]k up she's caused. But in this age, what she is about to be put into might need her to be.. hardened."
Ginoa: "I've heard about that time in Tsukuba.. this sounds to be a much worse ordeal."
Walking around, Nirvana laments..
Nirvana: "Ohh.. sweet little piece of Candy.. Nirvana has yet another test for you.."
However, she then began to feel drowsy, leading to a quick head shake.
Nirvana: "My jet lag is coming to ruin me.. Nirvana needs rest."
As Nirvana exits the scene, the two that remain converse..
Emile: "So, when do you think she will awake?"
Ginoa: "Let's see.."
She picked up the near empty syringe and measures based on where the liquid once resided, answering with intrigue?
Ginoa: "Maybe by nightfall? Hibernate for a few days is possible? I mean, this is a LOT of anesthesia."
She came to, but all she heard is noises of cars zooming by until she gets her vision back..
Candy: "Ughh.. this is.. the expressway?"
Figuring that out, she gets up from the side of the expressway, still with her clothes on and her sandals at the ready.
Getting up, she takes a moment to have a quick look, giving her an idea on what's going on.
Candy: "Exactly where on the expressway, I wonder.. no cars means something isn't right. This is Nirvana's car.. meaning.."
Nirvana: "That she is right here."
Startled by those words, she turned to see Nirvana, having a cordial smoking moment, walking closer on the road's side.
Nirvana: "Tell me.. do you smoke?"
Candy: "Ugh.. now is not the time for a cigar."
Not expecting anything, Nirvana responds with intrigue..
Nirvana: "Peculiar, aren't you? Nirvana expects a straight no. Then again, you are of a light weight body type, so any damage might not be preferred."
Candy: "It was a phase.. on high school. I had to get the kids away from me somehow. When I got into prison, they had a strict policy that meant I had to stop."
With a raised eyebrow, Nirvana further spoke.
Nirvana: "Even as I, Nirvana, have scanned you back and forwards.. there are a good horde of secrets from that brain of yours, huh?"
Candy: "You'd be surprised.. now.. is there a reason why we're at the middle of the expressway. I think.. this portion's closed off for maintenance."
Finding that incorrect, Nirvana reiterates..
Nirvana: "It's closed off because Nirvana has connections. That is much of what you're getting."
..which response got Candy startled.
Candy: "Erk.. (W-WU-WHA!!)"
Nirvana then turned away, continuing..
Nirvana: "Would you like to see how far Nirvana's dirty hands can get into the silly governance? Fufufu.. Nirvana doubts it."
Candy: "Where are those two-"
As if by clockwork, a small gunshot hole was created by the wall behind them, with the two woman able to hear it collide clearly.
Candy: "HUUWAAAHH!"
Nirvana: "Watching our conversation at about.. a distance great enough Nirvana cannot exactly tell. Do you not know of Emile's forte as a sniper?"
Candy: "That I do.."
Done with a cigar, she tosses it to the side, and then took off her sunglasses, strictly shouting with authority..
Nirvana: "But let's answer the real question: dark times are coming, and Nirvana needs you to be alive. And for that, you are to start being more.. independent."
Candy: "Annoying. There's more to this.."
As to not waste any more time, Nirvana got closer, and leaned forwards towards Candy..
Nirvana: "Preserve yourself. In a minute, I will let out the dogs. And you have to be quick on your mind, feet, whatever organ you need to use, to survive tonight's festivities."
Candy: "I guess you aren't helping."
Nirvana: "As Nirvana said.. the Guild has a bounty. And at this time, Nirvana has the right to keep this going, or not. But what you need to do is impress me."
Candy: "Impress? What does that even mean?!"
Nirvana: "That you need to find out."
She stepped away, looking at her wristwatch.
Nirvana: "Thirty seconds remain.."
She had to think quick, but Candy however received a pinch on her nerve, realizing her only option out was in front of her..
Candy: "(She's obviously making this situation worse on purpose. How dare she?!)"
Nirvana was expecting her to run towards the Diablo and make a break for it, but what she didn't plan however was..
Nirvana: "Whaa?!"
A swift blow to the back of her head got her to turn, followed with Candy elbowing her nose, causing blood to come off it.
Nirvana recoiled and stumbled, and before she could retaliate, she then received a jumping knee to her chin, knocking her to the Diablo's hood, denting it slightly before falling down.
Whatever elements Nirvana has on today would end up ripped or broken, and as Candy watches..
Candy: "I'm not ending you.. no.. kill or be killed.. but.. I kill her, and it's going to be much worse, I know it!"
Hearing her moan, Candy ran to the Diablo, which she realized was left idle and still with the keys on the ignition.
Closing the door, she adjusted the seat, mirrors and readied to roll.
Candy: "This is not like Quinn's Lamborghini.."
And at a glance, the Diablo roared to life and joined back to the main expressway.
Candy however had a quick look and noticed something in place of the car's passenger seat console: a familiar device..
Candy: "A CarsenTech device? Just what deal did she make to have this around, I wonder.."
Nirvana, reeling in from the attack, gets up, notes her sunglasses smashed and her blouse bloodied.
She remained calm however, seeing no damage to her phone and her Nirvana necklace, as Ginoa parks the F40 a few paces nearby.
She exited the car and checked on her handler..
Ginoa: "Humm.. I wonder if there's a Chinese proverb Vulture can say on this matter of this short statured racer beating the hell out of you. Need a lift?"
Nirvana: "Unnecessary, but.. using my own car as a weapon? She has.. once again.. f[BLEEP]ed up.."
Ginoa: "I can see that. She did quite a number on you! I'd be happy but.. well.. let's get going."
They both enter the Ferrari, and didn't spend a second hanging around, zooming on.
She's trying to hide it, but Ginoa sees the enigma's composure slowly turning, closing the conversation..
Ginoa: "Taking your car was supposed to be part of the game, right?"
Nirvana: "It is. But for now.. the hunt is on."
Getting familiar with a street racing duel machine, Candy takes a good look around the road, being unable to navigate proper without her phone.
Candy: "The highway's not piled up here.."
However, the next exit she took has her find a small collective..
Candy: "Street racing? Talk about going back to where I began.."
Initially not wanting to drive with potential traffic, she reconsiders upon seeing their speeds.
Candy: "Maybe I can lose them through these poor saps.."
Joining in, she notices them accepting the Diablo into their ranks: a sign of Nirvana's presence in this scene.
I'm thinking we can just skip this segment entirely as I don't have a clue on what more to say other than the usual harden, oversteer added, reduce LSD acceleration kind of crap. This car is actually hard to fine tune, but on paper still follow the same rules for a quick general consensus.
Let's see.. well, the car does have issues with exit traction, right? So, I believe the only way to get this fixed is to do what I do with the Challenger Demon: all parts, then detune it for a lower torque figure. Believe it or not, that is currently what the Nirvana Diablo is doing now, and it still skids out the same way a stock one would. You can't fix it there because it's a devil alright. Though, putting in a better clutch does wonders to the car's current predicament of losing grip while shifting in turns. That's a particularly specific niche you do want ticked off, but the whole purpose of me giving suggestions is to rid of lost grip. You can also raise tires, but that's always the way to fix anything, and not every lobby or event can cater to this.
What I'm sure you realize is the car's not so stiff turning, and also how it doesn't turn too well in higher rated speeds, suffering in high speed turns especially. General boost of the spring rate by.. I guess 0.3, can do, and put a little bit more to the rear. The latter I'm sure you can apply a good chunk of damping to the rear values. Mine looks like it's harder by 4 increments at the back, and the car is daring you to move that higher, no joke. You can always raise the rear too, but that risks power oversteer. That is, until..
If you didn't join any of the lobbies, you'd notice that you can put GT Auto aero parts on the Diablo, and you can tell this car's born to be a racecar. It also loves it when you do transform it into a racecar, especially if you're pulling out all the stops on taking this car a good step ahead of its stock configuration. I did warn about raising tires, but the car really benefits greatly from this with the aero on. Don't ask me if any changes comes from putting a widebody.
Now, I must address the rivalry of this car and my last nominee being the Dodge Viper GTS. A proper driver inside these two cars facing off each other are, as I quote from me, like poetry in motion. While the Viper is a slippery beast, it has a more oversteery profile that's also just as manageable as the Diablo. They're far and apart flagship cars from two different entries in two different racing franchises that started something (open world arcade caRPG based off a sim, and high octane police chases in racing), but to me.. this is just one of those perfect choices for two cars to duke it out from the factory floor that comes as a complete coincidence in more ways you can think.
A Nirvana VS Sonny league is definitely an idea I created. And you better not start this without my consent, or so help me. Bit of a shame you can't rally the Diablo, though.
To end.. well, you know what: I like the Diablo more when stock, and I like the VX Viper more tuned.. even though the former car's much faster in general with softer compounds. Though, that 1:46 Yamagiwa time's a fail from me, I'm starting to pump out times just under that with other cars. Let's see if I can revisit this revisit in the future.
As the chase continues through the night, her pursuees communicate across their devices..
Emile: "Sure this is the correct way?"
Nirvana: "Follow those racers. The Diablo's not far. 500 meters, and closing.."
Ginoa: "Cheap! You're tracking her with that gizmo."
Nirvana: "Nirvana plans to get her prey no matter the outcome. Who's car is that Nirvana put on the table, hmm?"
Ginoa: "But you didn't plan the bebe go aggressive and smash your face?"
Nirvana: "Not another word from you."
Ditching the highway road, the Diablo traverses through a good chunk of the Tokyo traffic.
Candy's luck was good, up until an accident ahead forced traffic to a standstill.
Candy: "Gah, that's just believable! Peak times! Guess on foot it is!"
Escaping the Diablo, Candy makes her quick dash away on foot, not wanting to look behind.
Sprinting into a crowd, she shouts..
Candy: "Out of my way!!"
While there's a chance a good portion of the people know her, they haven't a clue why this is happening, nor do they want to get in the way.
Just as she crosses through a few blocks of old city, like lightning: a gunshot causes the area to disperse quickly.
Unsure where she's at thanks to the panic, Candy finds a clearing, eventually arriving at an urban area under development.
With signs of safety and the only way in being behind, she knows she's in a dead end.
Candy: "O-oh no.. it's like they wanted me to traverse here.."
Still afraid, she turns, seeing a shadow blocking light just meters away.
Said shadow: Emile, skillfully swings a pair of carbon forged tomahawks as he slowly comes close.
The man might be a killer, but he shows no such face of one that relishes on the kill, with his always present numbed face on full show.
Emile: "You know, Candy.. I'm a professional. But also an honest man. Much as it hurts to say good night for what might be the last.. I'll tell you for the sake of others that.. you're not a wicked witch or anything of that kind."
Candy: "A pair of axes isn't quite what you use to b-burn the witch!"
Emile: "Humm.. well, it's this or a sledgehammer. The axes.. call to me, like the wolves of the night. You're a wolf, right?"
Research of The Black Flash got to Candy's head, as she pleads..
Candy: "Deep in your heart.. well.. is it really necessary you fullfill this contract?"
Emile: "Thing is.. Candy.. Where I stand, you are now part of the wicked that brings myself no remorse to do my job. Now, good night.."
He's too close, she thought, but that thought followed with how he's too slow.
Triggered by the presence of Nirvana behind and reaching out, her attempt to dodge these chops was halted.
Nirvana: "NOT so fast. Nirvana has some words to part."
Seeing the Trinitia handler interrupt, Emile obeyed, and concealed away his weapon of choice.
Emile: "Lucky. I wish you.. less grim fortunes.."
Spoke Emile as he calmly moves back and tips his hat.
Now in front of the light is Nirvana, holding a fresly lit cigarette..
Nirvana: "Perhaps not just luck, Emile. And you: you seem calm.. for someone about to perish."
Candy: "I.. believed death was a preferred alternative one time. I never let that go.."
Described Candy as she looked back into her sorrowful lonely days.
Nirvana however didn't heed any of it and continued, standing aside with Ginoa who's just arrived..
Nirvana: "Grim. So.. how was it? Nirvana's gift to you."
Ginoa: "Gift? That's a nice way to put it."
Nirvana: "Any nicer and it will be gift wrapped, scented by luxury, and paid for by, what you call, the pompous ass."
She's asking about the drive, Candy thought, and was initially confused about it.
But knowing her threatening aura, she answered.
Candy: "It's a.. demanding presence to take its reins around the tight city roads.."
Nirvana: "Good good.. it seems you understand what it's like for I, Nirvana, to challenge the likes of that clown Sonny Meng in a frequent occurrence."
And speaking of Sonny, Candy recalls a feeling from earlier..
Candy: "In fact.. I think I now know what he means by the Mark of Zen."
Nirvana: "Oh?"
With raised brows, Nirvana allows her to continue, puffing out smoke.
Candy: "Even in the most dire of situations, I keep my calm. Find the sweet spot. Push it to the redline, and well.. I got this far."
Nirvana: "Do know your mistake was getting out of my car. Take the correct road out of Tokyo and.. I'll be troubled to find my car has served you well. You'd be surprised how critical Nirvana was of her.. associates' pace."
Ginoa: "We got around quick, didn't we?"
Emile: "Mmhmm.. if not for our V8 powerplants, they'll never see us coming.."
Nirvana, then put her still burning cigarette out of the mouth and on her fingered gloves, explaining..
Nirvana: "Well, Candy. Looks to me you've made your final mistake. But.. then I saw.. you didn't use it."
Candy: "Are we prolonging the inevitable, or.."
Cross, Nirvana struck with the fastest slap in the west.
Candy: "AAHHHH!!"
Nirvana: "Nirvana is speaking!"
Now off her feet, Candy grasps the floor with all her limbs, then watches Nirvana put her foot on the back of her neck..
Nirvana: "What Nirvana means is.. well.. the device in my car. An invention so illegal.. well.. you knowing it exists means there is ample reason to put you down."
She then let go, but not without grabbing Candy in the throat, and threatening her with a raised chokehold.
Nirvana: "Why. Didn't. You. Use. It?"
Candy: "I-I know.. for a fact that I-I don't want to u-use it is a lacking e-excuse.."
Nirvana: "Then it's indeed a great shame.."
Dropping her back down, Nirvana then turned her head, and ordered..
Nirvana: "You two. Leave us be."
Emile: "So. There won't be bloodshed?"
Nirvana: "She's proven to be impressive. Her death will be a waste. However.. blood remains on the menu."
While Emile remained indifferent, Ginoa smiled, having a clue what's going on.
Ginoa: "Let's leave the little women to their.. fun and games."
Confused, she asks as she just got up..
Candy: "Oh.. my.. What's happening?"
Nirvana: "YOU!"
Then put back down with a swift sideways hook to her face.
Spinning backwards, Candy fell, and as she put herself back up..
Candy: "N.. was that for earlier.. I.. I.."
..only to get constricted into a sleeper hold that's not holding back.
Candy: "S-STOP! P-PAIN!! AAAAHH!"
She gets forced up, into a standing position, while Nirvana, enraged and blinded of her surroundings, lunges on with repeated knees to her target's ribs.
After every kick, she shouted..
Nirvana: "Desperate. Rash. Impudent. Brain dead. Piece of s[BLEEP]!!"
Candy struggled to no avail, being tossed to the side and colliding with a metal fence.
Her vision blurred as she can only hear..
Nirvana: "I'll break your bones! I'll feed you to the dogs! DEATH IS TOO GOOD FOR YOU!! HRRGGG!!"
Down on the floor, she then gets a rain of fierce knuckles on her injured ribs..
Nirvana: "You! HOW DARE YOU EVEN! Hurt my beautiful darling CAR!"
And when she thought Nirvana has stopped, she turned, in pain, to see her pick up her dropped cigarette, and light it back up with her own lighter.
Nirvana, losing all senses, then uses the racer's neck as an ashtray, burning her alive.
Nirvana: "BURN! BURN!!"
Eyes covered in tears, she can only take these hits, deducing in her head that the attack was instigated by her own assault earlier that day.
It was that moment she wanted to willingly pass out, and luckily thanks to a combination of exertion, hunger, and emotional stress, she could.
The next thing she knew, she found herself tucked nicely in her bedroom.
Moaning still, she then came to, looking around after a quick shout.
Candy: "W-where am I now?"
Rubbing her eyes, she mumbled to herself..
Candy: "Morning? That must all be a dream, or.. AHHH!"
Moving her body gave Candy a great sense of pain, as she moves out of her fancy bed..
Candy: "M-my ribs.. hurt. Ahh.. the bruising.. and these burns.. it's real. Nirvana.."
She sat back on the bed for a moment, looking around the room..
Candy: "F[BLEEP]k, it hurts to move.. but.. what's that?"
Focused on her side table, she sees a small note placed on top of a small envelope.
Candy: "A-a letter."
Reaching out, she managed to grab it by the end, and read through it..
Candy: "C-casually mentioning cigar burns! Ugh.. I'm going to sue her one day. But.."
She dropped the letter, sighing as she looks down.
Candy: "Is the going really going to get tough with these people.. I don't like where this is going."
However, the wood floors of her home makes a noise from the outside, hinting..
Candy: "Drat! S-someone else is here?"
She reacted, not without pain from the body, however.
Thinking it's yet another intruder, she thought..
Candy: "Grr.. Someone else is in it for me. If not Ginoa.. then there's probably some other assassin! That's it: I'm dead!"
As her heart beats non-stop, her bedroom door opens to what looks like a woman dressed like a maid in a shounen anime.
Ginoa: "Ohaiyou, little miss mochi!"
Candy: "G-Ginnie? Are you.."
Ginoa, now looking more fanservicey than anyone can ever imagine, enters, holding a tray of breakfast that she places by the room desk.
With that question in mind, she replies, in high spirits.
Ginoa: "Here to end this miserable little bebe's existence? Hmm.. what does the maid outfit say? I don't think so, now that your name's off the list. If I remember.."
Ginoa then looked around and saw the envelope, grabbing it quick.
Ginoa: "Ahah! There it is! Here!"
She opened it to see a decorated contract like document, of which Candy looked on and recognized.
Candy: "I recognize this.. Sophia had one."
Ginoa: "One certified Assassin's Contract. Only the men with balls will come after you, and trust me.. these days, nobody has any balls but the likes of me in this field!"
Candy: "I am not in the mood for this kind of innuendo.."
Ginoa, on the up and up, commented past this debbie downer mood..
Ginoa: "Of course you aren't. Also.. usual rules: to be kept mostly confidential, and also exchangeable for someone else's life. There are fortunes for these things, so.. lucky you! It's your birthday! Honest though: when is your birthday?"
It's all completed for her sake, she thought, but she can't help but push out every tear in her eyes as she starts to sniffle.
Ginoa: "Aww.. you're not alright with that rollercoaster you went though, huh? Strong women must stand together! Aunt Ginnie's here, bebe.."
She sat on the bed's side, while Candy, not able to control her emotions, put her head on the maid's hardened, yet still human legs.
Candy: "T-that was the hardest thing I've ever had to put up with!"
Ginoa: "There, there.. would you believe the last time I had this happen was with your big sister Kate?"
Candy: "Huh?"
Wiping her soaked eyes, Candy asked, still sad..
Candy: "Big sis leaned to you? I-I wonder why.."
Ginoa: "You know how soft she is, non? She had nightmares of her husband taking on a dark new form.. an impervious blood colored monster with bulging muscles that.. that.."
Ginoa, looking down, saw Candy bring out a worried look.
Ginoa: "Let me guess: that's happened already?"
Candy: "Uh huh.."
Ginoa: "Well, as long as he's not got any beef with us.."
The worried look then progressed further to seriously worried..
Ginoa: "Merde, that's happened too?!"
Candy: "Uh huh.."
She looked forward for a moment, processing these facts, as she deduces..
Ginoa: "There's a problem alright. But for now.. You need some rest. Nirvana sure gave you a proper session in pain."
Candy: "If it's without this internal damages.. I don't mind the pain. Considering Ama's done worse."
Hearing her rival's name, she lights up..
Ginoa: "Right! I forget you're madame's new plaything. Well, I hope she's in no mood for a visit for the next month or so, because Sonny's heard what happened and decided I need to stay by your side for the week."
She knows she's trying, Candy thought, but her thoughts say this is all too hopeful, allowing her to reply..
Candy: "Huhhh.. that's nice of him. I don't think I have another bed.."
Ginoa: "I can take any couch, bebe. In return, you keep me incognito, I get custody of your television when I want. And coffee each morning."
It's all stacked against her, but Ginoa had an idea brewing..
Ginoa: "Ohh, you can daily drive my Ferrari."
Candy though got excited and got up..
Candy: "F40 F-Ferrari! Say no more. AAAHH!!"
..only to forget her ribs are probably damaged badly..
Ginoa: "Silly girl. Diagnose ribs first, F40 second. We'll gun for the nearest clinic, bebe, and my alias is now Minori-chan."
She's being cheeky, but Candy can't help but appreciate the gesture.
Candy: "All-I-okay.. I, umm.. Ginn.. Minori-chan. Though.. where's everyone else?"
Leaning back to lie down on the messed bed, Ginoa looks up as well, mentioning with some thought..
Ginoa: "Alors.. Emile had to head back to Boston. He never goes out of America for long. As for Nirvana.. she didn't say. You want to apologize, right?"
Candy: "That's one. The other is.. well.. I need her counsel. She's right: I need to be toughened for this bleak future she's predicting."
Ginoa: "My first lesson: never piss her off when she's in a bad mood. We all learned that yesterday, right?"
Candy: "Ugh. Noted with a d! And.. umm.. is there a reason for that?"
Still in place, she puts her finger by her lower lip and shifted to a thinker's face..
Ginoa: "I'm only guessing, alright: she's trying to find a way into Augur, and the one way she had through Jacob.. it failed, you can say. Not getting what she wants.. she snapped. It's not often that she does snap, and usually, she has to kill someone to get her back to her usual self."
Candy: "Odd. Kill or not, I hope whatever she's up to.. it'll calm her berserker rage."
A good distance out of Kyoto, Nirvana cruises along the roads of Kyoto Driving Park.
But she has more than just another urge to practice.
Hearing that Sonny Meng: her nemesis, has taken the lap record of this track, she attempts to best it, only that..
With her Diablo taken away for repairs and maintenance by who-knows-what thanks to you-know-who, she opts for one of her few alternative vehicles: a bright blue Aventador SV.
Focused, calm, and unrelenting, she powers through the bumps and crests of this speedy race track, further cementing the mystery of what other Lamborghinis does she have in store for the future..
I'm going to have to put aside the Beater button because it wouldn't be fair of my personal association with the Diablo. The car's easily a fan favorite aesthetic wise, and after driving it, I believe it is also the case for the hardcore supercar racer. No question, since it impressed me (and us), and had no racing pedigree behind, it is, despite looks, an incredible Sleeper.
Very similar to what I've said about it in Mini Mexico: this is a car that wants to get along with you despite its vicious violent nature. You might need to sell your soul to it in order to make it work, and if it clicks for you, it WILL click. You cannot deny that top end. Since GT Sport, I haven't.
Behind the She-Devil's Damned Shades has been.. the first time I revealed something about Nirvana since the 10 years her presence has existed. I know everything about her, but not anyone else on this planet, and this fact's going to change over time. Also: she's intended to be behind the curtain due to her role as main antagonist for whenever Sonny Meng's meant to get a story written around him.
Important I should mention that hatred for this Nirvana character isn't in any ways hatred for the Nirvana band. I mean.. you can see it in the chapter headers all being various Nirvana songs, including some of their hits. Also: you see this Nirvana focused episode WITHOUT the presence of her grand rival, or Nirvana VS Sonny: the most recurring cliche in my story writing in this thread? Don't you find that... mostly unusual? She exists only to be my fictional kryptonite after all.
There's a couple little teases at the end with a blue Aventador SV.. That's Mad Bull: one of my 2 named Lamborghini cars, the other being that Viola Miura known as Night Moves. Odd how the modern Lambo gets the story entry first.
And also begins phase 2 of the Nirvana VS Sonny episodes of them butting heads for no real reason. That Slash song is another indication of that.
As the main character, Candy Lam is bound to appear in every segment, be it either as the lead role, or as a small mention.
The infamous Sweet Toothed Lone Wolf of Asia, or known worldwide as Le Glace Pacer. While her social presence is significantly poor, her presence on the track hasn't been short of perfection, now under the pressures of being a monetary source of higher powers, as well as her role being the most prime form of woman racers.. But don't let her hear that.
Theme Song: Def Leppard - Bad Actress Racing Duel Music: Def Leppard - Nine Lives Gender: Female Nationality: Hong Kongese Age: 30 Current occupation: Professional racecar driver Distinct features: Long, clean, straight ashen hair tied to a ponytail via traditional red braids. A stiff, stoic Asian beauty that starts to show sign of wrinkling, covered by heavy layers of makeup. Thin, rounded diamond face, with various beauty signs of it being worked on unnaturally, especially her unblemished small snub nose, heavily lipsticked mouth and thin brown Asian eyes. Short body with small proportions. Choice of clothing: Typical modern glossy sleveless Hong Kong dress, but 90% she will have her favorite on, that's in blood red with a white bauhinia pattern on, with matching sandals. Most of her clothes and themes come in red or white. Cars: Toyota GR Yaris 1st Edition RZ "High Performance", MINI Cooper S, Honda NSX Type R '02, Mazda Demio XD Touring
Even though she's a proud Hong Kongese, Candy is actually born in high society Tokyo, and more exposed to living in a usual Japanese lifestyle. An only child, it was easy to find herself spoiled rotten from a young age, getting what she wants and not caring how it got there, thanks to wealth she inherits strongly. Her father notably was an executive in Toyota's racing division.
A target in her younger ages, Candy's early life was full of trouble from others that are against her being a Hong Kong native in Japan. She never made any friends as a result, and this loner habit of hers remained even after changing schools, going so far to even give her a new alias. While her parents have a strong standing in the society she lived in, she remained in their shadow, because she couldn't find comfort out of it.
Upon reaching her adult days, Candy's first 'milestone' would come when an incident in a high class event caused her to run, leading to a manic police car chase spanning several weeks before she was arrested. The victim of these events would have deep ties with various Yakuza families. While her parents retreated to Hong Kong, Candy stayed in Japanese prison, learning that if nothing needs to come her way, she needs to learn something she initially dreaded to do: manipulate the human mind, a state of thought she was once a victim of.
After her sentence, she regained her freedom, and it didn't take long that was noticed by the city's largest street racing community. Still with her inherited wealth, she started off strong in the streets. Years then pass, in which she eventually proves herself as a top competitor for racing in many top endurance races worldwide.
While her fans are out there in many parts around for being a woman dominating a man's sport, she's not exactly a great social interactor, and is a nobody outside the racing community. With many questions still left unanswered, maybe there are more ulterior motives with the unsanctioned blue MINI project..
A definition of the mysterious benefactor to the American dark side, nobody truly knows who, where, what or how this Nirvana person came to be. Aside being one of California's biggest earners within its black market, the only thing people know about her is that you never want to be on her bad side..
Theme Song: Nirvana - All Apologies Racing Duel Music: Peaches - Boys Wanna Be Her (Tommie Sunshine's Brooklyn Fire Retouch) Gender: Female Nationality: Unknown, presumably American Age: Unknown, presumably in her late 30s Current occupation: Black market information broker Distinct features: Medium long straight brunette hair, with the left side slightly longer on the front. Broad and tall diamond shaped face, with heavy eyeshadow and deep red lipstick. Wide and narrow green eyes, thick button nose and lip sticked mouth. Eyes always covered with a bespoke pair of sunglasses. Wears a pair of ruby gemmed earrings. Tall, slender figure. Choice of clothing: Isn't one for a certain clothing style, but her daily go to includes a designer cropped jacket and blouse. Underneath usually is seen with dark, long skinny jeans, with tall leather boots underneath. Never without her prized golden necklace, carrying the iconic Nirvana grunge band smile. Cars: Lamborghini Diablo GT, Honda Civic Type R (EK), Lamborghini Countach LP400
If there's a dark American secret or two worth knowing, there's a very good chance it either came from, or is already been privy by the mysterious, unusually beautiful chain smoker known as Nirvana. While she's not hiding any association with it, it's unclear why she took up the name of a once popular 90's grunge icon.
Despite being in the game for approximately a decade, Nirvana's role as an information broker has been volatile for involved parties. Regardless of the risk, it's a very fruitful business that allowed her to make up a luxurious, albeit mysterious way of living. Every day passes with her face on at least one association wanting her death, be it from minor greivances or major groups, with rumors saying even involving the darkest organizations within national governments. But by being directly connected to the Assassin's Guild means that threat is non-existant for her. It's strongly rumored she is the one completely external individual with the unstoppable, absolute Trinita L'Assassina on speed dial, as various wealthy crime bosses that had her targeted once had their groups dissolved in a week.
Anyone knows Nirvana is one mysterious figure that probably intentionally overdelivers her speech with speaking in third person, combined with odd lingual skills and backed with an odd accent. While it's obvious she's hiding everything about her, there's no hiding her services mainly being stationed in Los Angeles. There's also no hiding that she likes to drive an old Lamborghini Diablo, and it's seen frequently street racing at night. Her presence often causes the racing at night to be mostly calm, a sign of her connection with the local police.
A worker of secrets, Nirvana also knows how to keep them, and over the years, she begun to even use them for her own benefits. While not exactly the most expensive of secrets, using The Outlaw's identity allows her to blackmail her way into The List, now part of them as code name "Enigma". But running with the self proclaimed fastest crew isn't the goal. She uses it as soon as she found out racing celebrity Sonny Meng serving as the group's backbone, and also being directly related to its leader. To her, Sonny is the one person she deems her nemesis. Nobody but the just as similarly egotistical Nirvana only knows why this grudge came to be.
The one odd case of a wannabe gangster turned up to eleven. A hard headed, figuratively and literally, young man whose ties to the international crime syndicate brings him all over the world, with the UK now his latest stop.
Theme Song: Rob Zombie - Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy) Racing Duel Music: Rob Zombie - Never Gonna Stop (The Black Cat Crossing mix) Gender: Male Nationality: American Age: 27 Current occupation: Gang leader Distinct features: Messy medium side fringed brown hair shaped like a bob. Attractive heart shaped face akin to a young popstar. Wrinkled green protruded eyes and small upturned nose. Black birthmark surrounds the left eye in a round circular shape. Caucasian skin. Short and semi-thin. Choice of clothing: Street themed clothing, leaned more towards comfort, and often hued in his gang's signature purple. Never without his purple cap with his name on it. Various golden jewelleries are observed, but usually isn't there when the moment isn't right. Cars: Shelby Cobra, Dodge Viper SRT10 (ZBII), Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
While Gary might seem like a pampered child, his 'boys in the hood' Californian ghetto life has been full of challenge. His ambitious actions in the past got him to be betrayed by the closest of family and friends. He was also denied moments of glory and fame, and narrowly escaped death row for a crime he didn't do. But it never meant his exploits remain unnoticed. Deemed useful by a Japan based Chinese investor, Gary got out of prison and started working for him as his top branded muscle... even though that's not the best way to describe the short and skinny gangster. His swift speed would instead be his physical stand out trait.
With his debts done for said investor, Gary-D finds himself in the UK, forcefully exiled after stints involving a large crime family in his home turf of Los Angeles. Just before that, Gary has taken his time to get himself involved in high level street racing, thanks to a certain dark one. His quick reflexes and street smarts means that the sight of his Viper, Cobra or Challenger would be respected. While in the UK, he would make his actions straight with the Kirkham Foundation as their errand boy of sorts, while also helping out new friends and planning his big return to the States. Eventually, he found himself racing in the top street racing leagues as one of the Prophecy's Chosen.
Although he lacks in general smarts, manners and perhaps luck, Gary-D has the reputation as a battle hardened fighter, an even more hardened pervert, and an abnormally great host for leadership. Despite his exile, he's incredibly popular to those exposed to his talents. He's eagerly awaited by many friends and his old gang to make his return to the States.
A former marine, with the deadly combination of being a silent, two-faced sneak and an all American underworld justicar, laying down verdicts he so chooses with either the soothing tunes of jazz, or a high powered sniper rifle.
Theme Song: Soundgarden - Hands All Over Gender: Male Nationality: American Age: 37 Current occupation: Hitman for hire Distinct features: Unkempt, scruffy medium black hair. Face is mostly shrunk like, with notably small brown eyes, tiny nose, and unpronounced mouth. Thin mustache and chin strap beard. Often mistaken as Asian, but actually Caucasian. Slightly tall, thin muscular build with semi-long proportions on his limbs. Choice of clothing: Hides his eyes behind well spent large teardrop sunglasses. A black fedora to match his overall dark suits and their grey hints. Strong penchant for classy, black tie clothing, and it's always seen dark. Cars: Chevrolet Camaro SS
A man with arms bonded for handling the heft of 50 calibre rifles, and moreso for nicer suits. Before going as Emile in the underworld, he would be known as The Black Flash, named as a play of his Boston Massachusetts origin, and also of his origins as a major player in the killing fields. But it never truly started there. Emile wasn't smart, or notably talented. But he was fit. So he went to the military the first chance he got in his late teens, helped by his semi wealthy, but all around patriotic family and upbringing.
Becoming a peerless man with a sniper rifle, Emile's focus was true and his shots probably truer. He would earn his military honors along with his squadron that included a traumatic youth, a defender of the American way, and a soon to be senator. But one year, after a tour in the Middle East, he came home with his family brutally slaughtered and his home savaged. With all the resources at his grasp, his well honed focus was turned to an even finer slice of vengeance. His unrelenting force would bring those responsible to their graves, and he would leave no stone unturned, bringing a small hint of his intents to anyone else involved: through death.
It was by the end of that rampage that Emile grew to be permanently somber. His pride for the all red white and blue was turned to a shadow, and he would believe that if nobody was to help others to becoming him, he would be the one to do it. With a reputation in the criminal world, the now renowned Black Flash has a creed: a self regarded 'good guy', only accepting contracts against notably terrible figures. Some would say he would rival the Trinitia, of which one he learned of her ways personally as fellow mates: a cybernetically enhanced femme fatale known as the Killer of Killers.
Always based in California, should he have to leave the States, it must mean serious business.
A technological marvel with a sharp finesse in her life ending work that got her the moniker of the Killer of Killers. Formerly the most sought out assassin for hire, she now lives in refuge under a guise, hoping nobody would find her unless you have a problem and no one else can help..
Theme Song: KMFDM - Professional Killer Racing Duel Music: KMFDM - Virus (Pestilence Mix) Gender: Female Nationality: French Age: 30 Current occupation: Maid? (obviously in disguise, she's actually the self proclaimed greatest assassin in the world) Distinct features: Black, medium well combed right side bob. Smooth triangular face. Thin green almond eyes, thin tall nose with wide tip, and narrow mouth. Slight perky, blemished cheeks. Shiny white teeth that seem unnatural (actually bombs). Bright caucasian skin, with average height, weight and proportions. Small creases over arms and legs (actually hidden blades). Choice of clothing: Your usual frilly maid outfit (definitely not intended). Outside, she's usually wearing a dark colored halterneck blouse/tank top, with black jeans and comfort slippers. Wears a red butterfly clip (actually a hidden knife), a golden set of bangles on her left hand (actually a hidden taser), and a large banded watch on her right (hiding the barrel of a hidden gun in her arm) Cars: Ferrari F40
Perhaps the most well known member of the Assassin's Guild that serves as the example to not follow for any prospective killer due to her actions of infamy. Taking on a rural upbringing just out in the hillsides of the Pyrenees, this killer to be had a name, and being the only child of a family. Taken by an unknown sickness, her father left the family, forcing her to migrate with her mother to find better pastures. While they found refuge within a millionaire's estate, the man was a predator by the definition, taking his mother to satisfy his pleasures while the lone child would run away finding that truth out with intents to exploit it. Being on the lam by child police and this richman's associates, she learned to not only hate men, but also to hide and survive.
She would then meet one of the very few men she can respect: a Catholic priest who took her in. Informing him of her farmland origins, the christened Gino would come through living on and off the sanctified church grounds, using this time to hone her athletic and martial skills. However, as she came to adulthood, the men in pursuit of her finally caught up, and further her hatred of these people by not only destroying anything she comes to contact with, but also using their influence and wealth to frame her for that act. To get back at these people, Gino would conduct the perfect crime: one she's been planning ever since her arrival. To get this near impossible task done is to help kindle her inner perfectionist, but put her on the most wanted list in the country.
Her escape all the way to the southernmost side of the country got the attention of the Richelieu family, who would massively profit of these crimes indirectly, and thus led to their favor for her. Befriending the profit minded alpha and her wine loving little brother, the once again renamed Ginoa had revenge in her heart, now striking anyone who would exploit the poor, declaring herself a self serving assassin based by the Richelieu's turf. Her most pivotal moment in this career came when she was to bring to the end of an experimental surgeon: the man who would grant her artificial augmentations of her body who apparently was a high ranking member of the Assassin's Guild. This eventual clashing would lead to her joining, as well as the birth of the Trinitia L'Assassina that stemmed from their efficient, effective service.
Within this organization and thanks to the jealousy of the Richelieu matriarch, Ginoa finds herself travelling all over the world, even mastering a roster of languages, but these days finds herself hiding away in the center of Los Angeles, unwilling to step out of this shadow for the amounts of deathly gazes awaiting to end her. She did however learn two more important life lessons thanks to a few close friends, inclusive of The Black Flash, her short gang leader lover and an angry fellow known as The Messiah: vengeance is a strong motivator, and similarly so is love.
Hailed as the Sports Diva from Down Under, Quinlan's a bona fide master in the physical contest of contests. A recent graduate of the world racing league's B License, her great muscles isn't the only secret of hers she's keeping tabs on.
Theme Song: Judas Priest - Hard As Iron Racing Duel Music: Toyah - Thunder In The Mountains Gender: Female Nationality: Australian Age: 33 Current occupation: Sports personality, prominently as a tennis player Distinct features: Long bright orange hair, often tied in a pair of split braids. Wide almond shaped pale blue eyes, thin but thick skinned slab nose and small mouth. Her caucasian skin's always shiny. Semi-tall and has a defined muscular, built body. Choice of clothing: 'A show of her greatly honed skin when she can' is her motto on this, usually wearing a sporty tank top with tight sports shorts, with a jacket either worn or wrapped around her waist. There are sporty shoes and sports sunglasses to complement. Cars: Lamborghini Urus, Toyota Tundra TRD Pro
Gold Coast born Quinlan was the second of a whole horde of children. She never had an issue getting past the ropes of life with her siblings, who frequent the beaches there. Thanks to her father's role as a pro surfer, and her mother being a lifeguard of one of the many beaches there, Quinlan had no issue with meeting people and also getting to know the active lifestyle she gets frequent exposure from. Reaching puberty, she however gained one other interest due to her body somehow developing muscular. Compounded by how ridiculed she was in school of her size, she knew this was the calling she needed to stand out and shield her ego: through strength.
Without a remarkable education, Quinlan went straight into sports, getting scholarships for various sports academies and fields. However the result, her jolly character seems to be a perseverant one where she never has a notion to give up in any slight. Though, behind all this muscle was still this psychologically inept woman, who would be taken advantage of by certain criminal elements in Australia. It didn't take long for her to think enough is enough, leading to a mental snap and a new aggression began from there. To the public, it gave them a positive role model to follow, and for the underworld a new killer threat thanks to her behind the scenes actions towards.
In one clash, she was put in a bind, but was saved and proceeded to clean up a large sports corruption scandal thanks to the Assassin's Guild, specifically from a feminist cool cyborg, with another sadistic blood knight. Joining in as an athletic powerful giant, these women would end up being known as the Trinitia: a triple threat of women that would be deemed unstoppable should they come together, though in their heads and ideals that's not quite the case, enough to cause a hostile rift.
Jumping from sport to sport, she recently gotten her hands into racing cars. Though, her growth seemed to be drastically larger than your run of the mill racer. Rumors report that she seems to have contact with the infamous Outlaw, though no direct reasoning has been confirmed.
The winner of last week's ~Special Challenge!~ is... crickets! No one did it! (I'll give it a crack somewhere down the line, I'm on a bit of a hiatus right now.)
After two straight weeks of raging bulls, much to Alex's delight, it's their turn to choose the next car to feature on Car of the Week! Are we about to have our third Lamborghini in a row? Will the flashy Italian brand finally be a worthy challenger to Mazda's booming popularity here on this thread?
No, of course not! Not unless they made something slow enough for Alex to pick!
C—C—C—Combo breaking the lineage of Lambos, the Renault 4 GTL '85 features for Week 54 of Car of the Week!
The Renault 4, or colloquially known as the R4 for short, is the first front wheel drive car built by Renault, and is considered the first ever hatchback car ever mass produced. The Aqua, Demio, or Fit you started your GT7 journey with, and even the cult classic Mk 1 Golf, owes a lot to the Renault 4! Built at a time where decades of economic stagnation finally waned to give way to a period of economic growth that resulted in car ownership in France was rapidly ballooning, the R4's success might just be a textbook example of right place, right time. Now that it's been immortalised in GT7 however, can it find a place for itself in a racing game?
If you want to join in this week's activities, there's an R4 in the Used Car Dealer right now that's going out of stock 23 hours after the publishing of this post, so hurry and grab it if you haven't already!
Weekly Lobbies
Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing bone stock R4s under BoP conditions! Thrilling thought, I know!
Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!
BoP/Settings Disabled: On (temporarily reverts cars to bone stock; WIDE BODIED AND ENGINE SWAPPED CARS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE!)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~10 mins practice, ~10 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 178PP
Car: No Limit
Tyres: No Limit
~Special Challenge!~
Did you ever take a look at a 33HP R4 and wonder to yourself, "gee, I wonder how fast this thing can go down the Döttinger Höhe?" No? Well, that's why we have @Alex p. here to make up for your shortcomings and oversights. He challenges anyone here to take a bone stock R4 around the Nordschleife and beat his blistering time of 12:07.350! Here's a hint: you might need to reset for tailwind on this one...
Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the thread!
) to be its own thing, as opposed to simply enhancing a regular Civic. This allows the FK8-R many bespoke components and to laser focus solely on performance, culminating in the Civic reclaiming the Nordschleife lap record for FWD cars, at 7:43.8, as well as the record for the sheer number of asterisks attached to a lap record...
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