Okay, may as well, Mid-Series Prediction time. This one's still hellaciously difficult to figure out--we know we probably won't get Secret Santa cars so either they're going to go big for the final Holiday Update with new cars or use this time to drop in a slew of new-to-Horizon and returning upgrade fodder cars. I'm going to lean optimistically and assume that the update will land somewhere in the middle--a list of cars that are long-awaited and will probably just barely miss the boat to Mexico.
The Holiday Grab Bag ('Better Late Than Never' Edition)
Series Rewards: 1962 Peel P50 (80 points), 2023 Aston-Martin Valkyrie (160 points) (The Peel P50 was the Secret Santa reward car for the event's first iteration back in 2021--and it hasn't reappeared since Series 13, Horizon Anniversary. This would make a great reward for what's sure to be a partial remix of Horizon Holidays, since that Holiday Update's Secret Santa car is already available in the Autoshow. I'm also assuming we'll get another crack at the Valkyrie, assuming that car isn't still being handed out to new players.)
Summer: 1993 Porsche 928 GTS (The FOMO 928 appeared late in FH4, it should only stand to reason it would appear late in FH5 at this point.)
Autumn: 2009 Lexus IS F (Last time I had the '95 Cobra R in this slot, but then I remembered--lotta folks wanted the IS F to return from FH4, and the Terminator Mustang would easily have supplanted that thing's return from FH1. I feel like this would be a safe bet from the Japanese side of things, even if Lexus is more an American brand. Alternatively this could be the GS350, returning from FH3.)
Winter: 2022 Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato (This being Christmas week, we're almost certain to get a Secret Santa reward car equivalent around this time. There were four contenders in my head for this--one was the Sterrato, of course, the other was the Koenigsegg Gemera, with dark horse contenders swooping in in the form of the Maserati MC20 and Lamborghini Revuelto. What ultimately pushed the Sterrato over the line for me was the addition of the 911 Dakar; if we're getting one off-road modification of a VAG legend, then why not the one everyone's been asking for, its stablemate? Also, expect the Gordon Murray T.50 to reappear here somewhere. Either way, assume this to be the headline car.)
Spring: 1998 Aston-Martin V8 Vantage V600 (Returning from FH3 at the potential end of the road. This feels like exactly the kind of 'highly requested New-to-Horizon car' that would appear at the end of potentially the second-to-last Series with new cars, and it'd be a neat one. I certainly wouldn't be opposed to it!)
I'd also include a more pessimistic prediction here, but there's just so many cars they could go with with a theme so vague that I'm just going to go more optimistic instead, based on how Horizon Track Day just slammed us with four very welcome cars.
Santa Claus Comes to Horizon! (New-to-Forza mega-drop)
Series Reward: 1962 Peel P50 (80 points), 2023 Aston-Martin Valkyrie (160 points) (Keeping this from the other prediction 'cause why not.)
Summer: 2022 Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato (Headline car. This is the 911 Dakar's stablemate at VAG, after all, if we don't get it here before the end of the road I'll be very surprised.)
Autumn: 2024 Koenigsegg Gemera (Because why not slap a big hypercar into Mexico for the last big push? The Gemera would likely have been scanned by now--it's only in Autumn and not Christmas because I figure it wouldn't establish as much excitement.)
Winter: 2023 Lamborghini Revuelto (By now I suspect the Revuelto will be ready for its close-up in Horizon. As a Christmas reward, this would be perfect, though any one of these could swoop in and become our Christmas present, who knows? Either way this would be a nice bow on a holiday season filled with great cars.)
Spring: 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3 (This is a longshot, even by my standards--we haven't had any new Ferraris in Forza for a long, long time--but what better way to end things off than a new Prancing Horse? Jingle Bells, and all that.)
