Well so much for not slipping behind on reviews again eh Vic?
Quick side note first for
@XSquareStickIt I definitely liked the reviews as it was a good throwback to COTW reviews of the past. 👍
Of course we’re not expecting you to bust out every review in that style, but every now and then it certainly adds a little extra shine to normal proceedings.
Okay, let’s get started.
The RE Amemiya tuned FD RX-7.
REA is well known for tuning Rotarys, but also running 3 Rotor RX-7s in the GT300 Class for JGTC/Super GT.
This RX-7 was tuned with mountain roads and usable performance in mind.
Usable performance you say? like torque?
Yes actually.
While the engine is more powerful at around 365hp, the 1.3 2 Rotor is not far removed from its factory counterpart with only turbo boost being the biggest change.
But that boost has also been set up for more mid range torque so rather counterintuitively, buzzing the limiter wasn’t the fastest way to go with this car.
Turns you normally do in 2nd gear I was doing in 3rd and it didn’t bog down or feel gutless in doing so.
The rear was lively, but I can work with it and it was good fun to throw around and remind myself what I used to do on GT6 with these guys.
Biggest difference between this car and the stock RX-7 when tuning? Downforce.
For 100k it’s got a more capable base than the standard RX-7, but it’s 60k more than said RX-7.
Worth it?
Yeah it’s worth it.
Verdict: Sleeper 👍
Next up is the 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO, a heavily amped up and homologated version of the 308.
Built for the Group B Circuit Series, 272 GTO’s were built with the last one being gifted to Niki Lauda, with Keke Rosberg also getting one.
Packing a 2.9 litre twin turbo V8 which kicked out just under 400hp and 366ft-lbs of torque, it hauled the 1,160kg GTO to a claimed top speed of over 300kph.
Handling is a classic turbo Italian case, initial understeer and then a dab of oversteer when the engine gets into the boost threshold and really starts making boost.
Brakes could’ve done with a bit more bite to them and the price is on the steep side at 1.85 million.
But compared to another slightly less expensive Fezza we tested, this one felt right at home.
(Oh don’t worry,
that car’s turn will be soon.
)
Sadly, Group B (Both Rally and Circuit) was cancelled before the 288 GT0 had a chance to race, but all wasn’t lost, many lessons they learnt from the race ready 288 GTO Evoluzione were carried over to the follow up act.
That follow up act being the Ferrari F40.
As for the GTO name for Ferrari? It was last seen on the 599 GTO and it was a slap in the face for the GTO moniker.
250 GTO: Raced and was very sucsessful.
288 GTO: Was gonna race before the series got cancelled.
599 GTO: Was never gonna be raced and was just essentially a pumped up 599.
The O in GTO stands for Omologato (Homologated in Italian) and homolgated the 599 GTO was not.
That being said it wasn’t terrible, it just had no right to be called a GTO.
Small rant aside, the 288 GTO is certainly worth picking up, IF you have deep enough pockets for it.
Verdict: Sleeper
👍
The next duo(!) is a familiar pairing, a tale as old as time, Red Vs Blue.
For Football, It’s Liverpool V Chelsea
For V8 Supercars, It’s Holden V Ford Aus
For GT/Le Mans, It’s Ferrari V Ford
And for Rallying, It’s the Diamonds V Stars, Mitsubishi V Subaru.
But interestingly, it’s not rally cars where these two are dunking it out, it’s Gr4 race cars.
Representing the Boxer squad is the WRX Gr4 and representing the DSM crew is the Evo X Gr4.
Both pack 2 litre turbocharged 4 cylinder engines, both have 4wd, both weigh under 3000lbs and like all Gr4 cars, cost 350K each.
The Evo has the edge in power and the WRX has a slight weight advantage, but the biggest difference is in the gearboxes.
The WRX gets 6 cogs to play with and the Evo only has 5 cogs to play with, which can play against it in certain situations.
On the subject of sound, the Boxer has that distinct Boxer burble to it so it gets a point there too.
The Evo felt more eager through the turns in comparison to the WRX, but the driving experience was not far from the same, both had grip for days and both understeer when you push too hard.
It’s always an issue trying to split these two up, one offers up more power, slightly better turn in, but has one less cog to use.
The other brings a nice sound, less weight and 6 cogs to use.
Honestly, you could pick one by simply blindfolding yourself and throwing a dart at a picture of these two cars to decide the winner.
Just don’t turn your wall into a second hand dartboard.
Verdicts: Neutral(Sleeper to the one you prefer.
)
On to the 3rd Gr4 car we drove and yet another case of a race car not having a road car equivalent in game.
Enter the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.
With a 380hp 3.8 Flat 6 in the middle, a few handling parts taken from the 911 GT3 and some slick tyres, the Cayman GT4 CS is ready to carve out its own legacy for Porsche.
You’ll notice that compared to other Gr4’s that the gearing is quite long and only on the longer straights will hit 6th gear in it, but it’s offset by a Porsche trademark, handling.
You definitely get a confidence boost once you discover it’s limits and as was demonstrated on race night, it leads to some rather bold overtakes as noted by
@XSquareStickIt in his write up.
It sets out the limits in all aspects and encourages you to stay near them, it’s both regulating you so you don’t go over the edge, but motivates you to stand near it to get the best out of it.
And like the two previous Gr4’s, same 350k price tag too.
Another fine machine from Stuttgart’s finest. 👍
Verdict: Sleeper
👍
For the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R, i’m actually gonna leave a link to my GT6 review of it as much of what I said there applies here too.
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/beater-or-sleeper-gt6-car-of-the-week-thread.295599/page-217
Obvious thing to add was the better sounds on GTS of course.
Plus in that same review group, I touch upon the closest race finish in COTW’s history, the EG Civics at Bathurst and is worthy of your time to see from the perspective of
@Nismonath5
R32 Verdict: Sleeper 👍
Remember that line about a certain Ferrari’s turn coming soon?
It’s the turn of the Ferrari LaFerrari.
So LaFerrari, the Italian third of the Hypercar Holy Trinity and the most powerful of the three to boot at just over 950hp from a 6.3 litre V12 with hybrid KERS.
With such power and much F1 derived tech on board you would think it would be like the second coming of your preferred deity to drive.
The (virtual) reality is however completely different.
Let’s start with the brakes, they do not have anywhere near the bite they should have, with it being most noticeable at Monza where I had to use the tower on the left side of the track as my braking point.
Stopping is one thing, getting going again also has it’s issues, chief among which was the rather soft suspension.
While it can help with putting power down, it also lifts the front up, which takes weight off the front tyres and in turn causes understeer.
The combination of the brakes, suspension and PD’s insistence on Road cars having no tyres more grippy than Sports Hards stock made LaFerrari feel heavy and soft, despite rather damning evidence to the contrary.
That evidence being what SquareStick mentioned regarding LaFerrari’s weight.
IRL weight? 1,585kgs
GTS weight? 1,255kgs
So it’s pretty much 1/3rd of a ton LIGHTER than it should be and it’s handling like already mentioned?!
Only good points in stock form are it’s nice sound and looks nice when dressed up like a Maserati MC12.
Keeping it stock? Don’t buy it.
Not keeping it stock? For the love of your preferred deity, find a good tune for it.
Verdict: Beater 👎
Before the Fezza, we had a car with a normal ICE setup, LaFerrari added a hybrid system to it and now we have a car that yeets out the engine and gets moar batteries and motors.
It’s from Audi and it is it’s E-Tron VGT, not the hybrid Gr1 version.
With over 800hp from 3 electric motors, it’s got the top end potential to match its gut wrenching acceleration which is the norm for high performance electric cars.
With a design taking heavy inspiration from the IMSA GTO class Audi 90 and a kerbweight of 1,450kgs, it’s got the violence to match the silence.
Handling is tricky at first, it tends to respond better through slow turns by staying partially on throttle.
Another plus is because of the single gear setup, you can go pretty fast backwards too.
Compared to its Gr1 clone in stock form, I’d argue it’s more composed and more setup, as the gearing on the Gr1 version is not set up decently.
It’s 6th gear is too long in relation to 5th gear, plus it makes 7th gear as about as useful as a chocolate tea kettle.
While the Gr1’s hybrid setup gives it a higher total output (over 1200hp iirc
) and is lighter than the E-Tron by a few hundred kgs, the hybrid deployment
always lights up the front tyres and makes low speed turning tricky, I found that out to my cost at Spa.
So in this case I’d take the stock E-Tron over the stock Gr1, the sound of silence beats the sound of spinning out.
Verdict: Sleeper 👍
On the subject of VGT’s some were converted into Gr3 or Gr1 cars and the next car is from the former class.
The Gr3 Peugeot Vision GT Race Car.
To get it homologated for Gr3 racing, the VGT has had to have some of its bite taken out of it.
To start, they removed the front driveshaft to make it rear drive only, it’s 3.2 Turbo V6 has lost over well 300hp through restrictions and it’s put on nearly 1000lbs of weight.
While that sounds major, it’s now kicking out 540hp and weighs 1250kgs.
Just shows you how much of an animal the normal VGT is.
On longer tracks like Tokyo, it’s got the pace over other Gr3’s, but it’s lacking everywhere else to them.
It felt stiff and understeery through longer turns and could do with more response at the front, but on the whole it just didn’t feel like a solid stock setup.
It is a long straight monster for Gr3, but not much else.
Verdict: Beater 👎
Back to hybrids for the next one and it’s from Honda.
Why not start out by purchasing the Honda Fi-
“Shoots out P.A system”
Nope, we are NOT going through that again.
It’s the other Honda hybrid, the NSX.
As follow up acts go they are many cars that had to follow up to their iconic successors.
The Ferrari F50 to the F40
The Nissan GT-R to the R34 Skyline
And the Toyota A90 Supra to the Mk4 Supra to name a few.
But so does the new NSX against the old NSX and like the others, it’s got some big shoes to fill.
The old NSX was arguably the original daily driver super car, a car that offers remarkable performance for its power, but doesn’t compromise everyday usability.
With input from one of F1’s greats in the form of 3 time champion (and creator of the most taken out of context quote in motorsports) Ayrton Senna, A mid mounted V6 and rear drive, The old NSX is still sought after even today.
The New NSX brings hybrid tech to help with performance and usability, but I fear the balance has been skewered towards daily usability than performance.
For starters, with crash standards being stricter and the hybrid motors and batteries being used, the new NSX weighs nearly 1.8 tons.
For comparison, the heaviest the Old NSX ever got was 1,435kgs and the lightest was 1,230kgs.
The New NSX does offset this with much more power, a 3.5 Twin turbo V6 with hybrid assist helps chuck out 580hp and hybrid assisted 4wd helps launch it to low to mid 3 second 0-60 sprints.
Where it falls down is the handling because as previously mentioned, it’s near 1.8 tons and the suspension is on the softer side, which can unsettle the car when getting a move on.
The 9 speed automatic deserves a mention, it’s essentially a 7 speed with 2 overdrive gears for highway fuel saving(Or actual usage if given enough power.
) and it’s means the gears come thick and fast.
I understand where Honda/Acura were coming from when building the NSX, but it’s a little too biased towards daily driving than performance.
If they were to bring out a Type R version of the new NSX here’s what I’d do.
• Cut some weight out and add power (obviously)
• Scale back the hybrid system in size and focus it on performance over fuel saving.(further weight loss and fill torque gap.)
•Fine tune the gearing and add one of the overdrives to the normal 7 and leave 9th for highway driving only.
• And lastly, give it a subtle(ish) aero package to improve its handling and tighten up the suspension a little. 👍
So on the whole, it’s a decent car, it just hasn’t been able to fill the shoes of its older brother.
Verdict: Beater 👎
(Small editing note, This all WASN'T done in one sitting, I’m not that crazy.)
Anyways it’s time to split.. the rear window.
Yep, it’s the one year special version of the C2 Chevy Corvette. 👍
The first thing you notice is the aforementioned Split window at the back, exclusive to the 1963 model year and how it gels with the rather timeless lines of the body.
1963 was also the first year you could option in the RPO Z06 package, which included stiffer springs, larger front anti rollbar, uprated braking system and a (later optional) huge fuel tank which almost doubled its capacity from 76 litres to 138 litres.
The only engine for the Z06 package was a 5.4 small block V8 which funnily enough, makes 360hp, just like the one in game.
A split window C2 with a Z06 package + big fuel tank? surely that’s gotta be rare combo.
It was.. And still is.
In 1963 over 21 thousand Vettes were built, but less than 200 had the Z06 package, but of those 199 cars, only 78 had the big fuel tank option, but combine all that with the split window coupe and you have 1 of 50 examples of the rarest production Corvettes ever built.
How much you ask? one was up for auction earlier this year with estimated values of $500K to $600K
So how it’s to drive in game?
Well one thing that wasn’t added to Z06 package was a limited slip diff as one tyre fires were a common sight.
As Square noted in his write up, “traction distribution” was a unique issue, by lighting up the inside tyre and then putting weight on it, it causes it to bite and twist the car in the direction you’re turning.
The gearing usually tends to be short on classic muscle cars, but not with the C2, doing up to and over 130mph no worries.
The open diff is the thing that stands out the most as a quirk to the C2, but once you figured out how to adapt to it, it was a good fun car to drive.
Just get a limited slip diff installed if you plan to race it a bit more seriously.
Verdict: Sleeper
👍
Next on the list is one I selected for us to run and one that Square wanted to, but couldn’t.
The 1990 Mazda RX-7 GT-X.
I started this wall of words with a tuned version of this cars successor, but now we see how the Buzz Box stacks up without aftermarket accessories.
And in a nutshell, if you like going through turns whilst looking through the side windows then the RX-7 is for you.
Despite a modest 203hp from a turbocharged 1.3 2 rotor, the 1,250kgs of weight means it’s still capable of getting it and yourself into trouble very easily.
The tail steps out through most corners due to relatively soft springs, skinny tyres and a limited slip diff, it’s not twitchy to the point of being undrivable, but you gotta be aware of its eager tail.
It’s rather inexpensive at just under 25k so providing it stays that price for GT7(don’t see them ditching it) and we start with 30k like GT6(but not with the forced first car
), I can see it making the shortlist for my first GT7 car.
Plus you’re not exactly short of custom designs for it either, IMSA, Anime, other racing games and GT Race Mod remakes are just some of the designs for it i’ve seen.
In summary, get one, but just be ready for its at the limit handling.
Verdict: Sleeper
👍
From cheap and nostalgic, to exotic and expensive.
The bare carbon beauty from Italy, with a German heart and Italian rubber at all corners.
The track only Pagani Zonda R.
The thing more jaw dropping than it’s bare carbon fibre body is it’s 1.8 million price tag.
Packing a 6.0 AMG V12 in the middle, it kicks out nearly 750hp while the race spec frame and large carbon fibre usage brings the weight down to 1,070kgs.
With a 6 speed paddle sequential gearbox, slick tyres and a barely restricted exhaust, it becomes a 200 mph orchestra.
But while it’s not as volatile sounding as it is in reality, it certainly is as rapid as it is in reality.
Handling is a mixed bag, at higher speeds it’s fine, low speeds aren’t too bad either with care taken on throttle input, but in mid speed turns it’s in the aerodynamic grey area.
Aerodynamic grey area you ask?
Yep, fast enough to not get through the turn on mechanical grip alone, but not fast enough for aerodynamic grip to really assist you.
Another mark against it is of course the GrX classification limiting its use in career mode, just like another track only exotic, the Mclaren P1 GTR.
Basically it’s a 200+ mph carbon trophy for yourself to enjoy and show off.
Don’t buy one if you’re looking for a career mode money maker, buy one if you love collecting and driving them.
Verdict: Neutral
Finally I wrap up this whole thing with a double Honda Bowtie.
Both are mid engined, rear wheel drive, ones a Kei car, the other ones a GT500 race version of Honda’s first super car.
They are the Honda Beat and the Honda NSX GT500.
The Beat is the B in the ABC of Kei cars, the A being the Mazda Act Z and the C being the Suzuki Cappuccino, but each one has unique difference.
The Mazda being the only one with Gullwing doors, The Suzuki being the only front engined one of the three and the Beat being the only non turbo Kei car of the 3.
Packing a 656cc I3 which is making the Kei car class limit of 63hp, which is sent to the back via a 5 speed manual gearbox.
The NSX has a 3.5 non turbo V6 which in race trim makes 510hp which compared to its rivals of the time, was 2 cylinders short and 1 litre of displacement less.
Power is sent to the rear via a 6 speed sequential gearbox.
While it might seem under powered compared to some modern GT3 cars and GT1 cars of a few years ago, GT500 class cars are more than capable of running rings round the lot of them.
Here’s a post from 2006 from UltimateCarPage which talked about the difference between a FIA GT MC12, the Super GT MC12 and the then current Super GT racers which i’ve shorted down for relevance sake.
Team Goh Maserati Progress
There is a similarly interesting comparison to be made between the Super GT spec car being shaken down for Team Goh on the long circuit and the FIA GT spec car when it tested on the same track configuration.
The FIA car with Pirelli rubber and the narrower wing set a best of 1:30.9, while the Team Goh-run Super GT spec. car, on Bridgestone rubber, set a best time an astonishing 2.8 seconds faster.
That's a telling difference, but it is unlikely to be enough for the big Maserati to trouble the factory backed Nissan, Honda and Lexus cars in GT500.
Kazumichi Goh had set the team a target of being a full 5 seconds faster than the FIA spec car if they were to take the fight to their Japanese competition, and there is still work to be done in order to close the gap.
The first Suzuka test with the Goh car saw that point of view very firmly endorsed, Seiji Ara posting a best effort of 1:55 in the Maserati, which compares unfavourably to the best posted by a team running one of the Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 racers - with a 1:52.4.
Perhaps more ominously still, sources suggest that a new spec.
Honda NSX has posted a lap in an astonishing 1:51.6. Putting that in perspective it matches the pole time set by the Team Goh Audi R8 at the Suzuka 1000kms in 2001!
The pace of improvement in the GT500 cars is remarkable: the leading cars are now 2-3 seconds per lap faster than 4-5 years ago.
Suzuka Test - Unofficial; Best Lap Times (22/23 February)
23 NISMO Z 1:52.34
22 AUTECH Z 1:52.72
8 ARTA NSX 1:52.79
12 IMPUL Z 1:53.05
66 Supra 1:53.35
1 CERUMO SC 1:53.51
350 NISMO Test Car(Z) 1:53.62
100 RAYBRIG NSX 1:53.78
430 TRD Test Car(SC) 1:54.35
6 Mobil 1 SC 1:54.57
51 MC12 1:55.03
32 EPSON NSX 1:55.66
25 Supra 1:55.69
So yeah, while the NSX
looks like an NSX, it’s essentially a silhouette racer with a focus on high speed cornering.
The NSX only tried to bite at low speed turns, but other than that it was blast to drive. 👍
The Beat is also a blast to drive, but it also bites a lot harder too.
As you brake into a turn, the second you come off the brakes the front tyres hook up and the tail steps out rather easily.
It caught most drivers out because short wheelbase midship cars tend to be pint sized trouble makers, but they usually pack at least 150-200hp, not 63hp.
The Beat also brought in a new COTW member in the form of
@Natalie_GT who as far as first impressions go, she certainly made an entrance.
Quick out the gate, clean, but close battling as the showdown in Tokyo clearly showed and to top it off, she was the one who made the call for the rain and darkness to fall on that Tokyo race.
A racer after my own slightly sadist ways.
👍
The Beat may lack power and top speed.. and some stability, but it makes up for it by being cheap, energetic and a laugh to drive fast.
Verdicts: Sleeper 👍
So.. yeah, how to condense 3 1/2 months of cars into one very long write up.
I really need to stop procrastinating when it comes to this.
![Gran Turismo®SPORT_20200708115419.mp4_snapshot_00.51_[2020.07.13_14.21.10]](/forum/media/gran-turismo%C2%AEsport_20200708115419-mp4_snapshot_00-51_-2020-07-13_14-21-10.65218/full?d=1594667081)
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