Nice one! I always overlook the Bowler, but really, it isn't that surprising it'd make a decent track car. Might have to give that a try soon.
Another batch of D Stock, plus a bonus D Mod:
01:01.979 - 1956 Lotus Eleven - 83 HP - 1079 LBS - FR - 327 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
Oh man, I love this car. The flatulent exhaust, the odd looks, the light weight, it's all so enjoyable. It skims across the surface like a skipped stone, and is about as quick. Sure, I haven't got up to the top of the class yet, only trying the M635CSi, but the fact this is a hair away from that, at a massive 72 PI disadvantage, is encouraging. I love the conservation-of-speed approach cars like this require. You can't be even a little sloppy, as there's no power to make up for it. Wonderful.
01:03.711 - 1990 Subaru Legacy RS - 217 HP - 2990 LBS - 4WD - 327 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
This felt like what it is; the WRX predecessor, complete with a time a little bit slower than its Mitsubishi competition. Sure, the Eclipse/Talon duo were sportier than this sedan, but in my head, they were the most direct competition. It feels nice, if not entirely exciting. Still, respectable time.
01:04.018 - 1973 Ford XB Falcon GT - 300 HP - 3047 LBS - FR - 328 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
Just listen to it! I didn't even care that this was slower than the Legacy, it was a lot of fun, and not nearly as intimidating to drive as some of the later muscle in this group. Lots of potential here.
01:02.850 - 1969 Ferrari Dino 246 GT - 195 HP - 2380 LBS - MR - 328 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
This isn't surprising: the Dino is fast. What's interesting to me is it's the first car in this category that I've run both modified and stock. The modified car is from my early days with the game, before I really got into tuning, so I'm inclined to revisit it now that I've driven the stock car, and know what its standout qualities are. That'd be the grip and balance: it would probably need a little bit more stiffness in the front to balance out any added power, but otherwise, it handles just as I'd want it to.
01:03.777 - 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD-455 - 372 HP - 3695 LBS - FR - 331 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
Far better than I was expecting, the Firebird felt almost like a sports car! It certainly feels as light as the Camaro that came after, at any rate. Hugely fast in a straight line, this actually didn't have to slow down to a slow jaunt in corners.
01:04.014 - 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Coupe - 375 HP - 3527 LBS - FR - 331 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
Wayward. Soft. Not as enjoyable as the Firebird.
01:03.092 - Lexus SC300 - 225 HP - 3560 LBS - FR - 332 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
Who would've expected the Japanese luxury liner to keep the Dino honest? Sweet-sounding I6 pairs with a very balanced chassis. Has the makings of a great D-Mod all-rounder, or an absolute weapon in C-Mod.
01:04.463 - 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 - 450 HP - 3799 LBS - FR - 333 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
Whoa! What a tank. Scary fast on the straight, especially with such short gearing: it'll hit its limiter if you want to drive it straight through the run-off heading into Turn 1. More so than any car here, it responds well to the slow-in/fast-out approach: I'd enter the second-last turn at nearly 10mph slower than most other cars, but come out at the same speed. It's a lot of work though, you'd have to be a masochist to want to take this around the tighter tracks in the game, even when brought up to the top of the class.
00:59.623 - 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata - 155 HP - 2198 LBS - FR - 400 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
I wanted to make sure that "Miata" is also an answer for D-Mod. Tweaked my original settings to get it more neutral, though didn't change the parts. I'm curious if a tune that focuses less on handling, and more on power (around the 190HP that most of my D-Mod cars are at) would be any quicker. Sadly, my best time was almost .4 quicker, but I forgot that I had hit Rewind once at the start of the lap, dirtying it. Still, this time is 51st in the Americas, which isn't too shabby.
(EDIT) - Beat you,
@Im_Lukas 
01:03.619 - 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 - 290 HP - 3250 LBS - FR - 333 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
A lot more controllable than the other muscle, thanks to the lower power rating. But still needs a bigger track to really show itself off. At Lime Rock, it's still slower than a Miata, which is a shame.
01:04.164 - 1968 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds 442 - 384 HP - 3855 LBS - FR - 334 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
Oof. Like the Chevelle, a weighty beast. It can take the uphill at a surprising pace, somehow. So fast down the straight!
01:02.646 - 1987 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA - 210 HP - 3483 LBS - FR - 334 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
What an unexpected joy. Felt great, far lighter than the quoted number, and yet still speedy. I resisted the urge to put more time into this one: my childhood best friend's dad had one growing up, so there's a sentimental part of me that wanted it to do well. Even with the usual five laps though, it placed very highly.
01:03.144 - 1980 Renault 5 Turbo - 157 HP - 2138 LBS - MR - 337 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
A lesson in weight transfer if there ever was one. So many GT players tend to think of MR cars as wild, power-oversteer monsters, when really, it should be letting off the go-pedal that causes the pendulum effect. That's what the 5 does, pretty markedly. On the power, once it's planted, it's actually more inclined to push than spin. You need to be very deliberate with your braking, finishing in a straight line, unless you want to risk facing the wrong way.
01:03.828 - 1966 Chevrolet Nova SS - 350 HP - 3146 LBS - FR - 338 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
Biggest surprise? It's faster than the slightly newer one that's next!
01:04.269 - 1969 Chevrolet Nova SS 396 - 375 HP - 3470 LBS - FR - 338 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
Felt surprisingly similar to the bigguns, the 442 and Chevelle. Not a pleasant steer.
01:02.808 - 2014 Honda Civic Si - 205 HP - 2877 LBS - FF - 339 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
I really didn't want to like it. Call it bias, but ever since Honda killed off the Integra (nee RSX, below), I was never much of a fan of the hotter Civics that eventually took its place in North America. I also thought simply throwing more displacement at them seemed almost anti-Honda. But, this is a smooth, quick car. Sixth in class, first in the front-drivers, it's a neutral-handling dream. Might need to make this a D Mod weapon, considering the PI is the same as the RSX...
01:03.871 - 2002 Acura RSX Type-S - 200 HP - 2820 LBS - FF - 339 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
I could've swore these came with LSD's. The RSX can't put power down as cleanly as little brother. It understeers more. The engine feels a little bit weezy, even if it can rev higher. Yep, it's lost its luster.
01:03.313 - 1960 Chevrolet Corvette - 290 HP - 3080 LBS - FR - 340 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
I didn't expect this to be nearly this competitive. Sounds fantastic, looks fantastic, handles... pretty decently.
01:03.593 - 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge - 365 HP - 3623 LBS - FR - 340 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
Faster than the Boss? Yep. Only slightly, but this, despite its weight, feels far more like the pony cars than the heavy muscle cars. Really enjoyed the handling balance on it actually, so it might become another D Mod weapon of speed, instead of always relying on my Raceboy-tuned Boss 302 for the faster tracks.
00:54.785 - 2001 Acura Integra Type-R - 361 HP - 2166 LBS - FF - 700 - SlipZtrEm - Controller
This started as the first of my GT1-inspired tunes. The same HP rating as that game, but obviously much more weight (GT1's weight reductions, and especially the Race Mods, were unrealistically light). With all the parts, this was just slightly over A Mod, so I downgraded the shaft (heh) a bit to keep it at A700. Didn't think an FF would work in this class, so surprised myself when the first flying test lap was a 54.9!
), there are a few cases where I've forgot to take some kind of picture due to it being set during a race or me being in a rush but I'm confident I could beat them times quite quickly now. This is probably the only gaming community where if I read something I will always consider it as the truth, not in a completely naive way but compared to other online communities I feel like I can trust everyone here a lot more.
