Horizon Car Of The Week | 1970 Datsun 510

[Vic Reign93]

So the E-Ray, The first production hybrid of the famous Corvette family.
Packing the same 6.2 V8 as the Stingray C8, it is paired up with a single electric motor on the front axle which not only gives it all wheel drive, but bumps the overall power to 645hp and torque up to 591ft-lbs.

Of course with a hybrid setup there’s the usual weight penalty that comes with the motor and battery’s being added, just under 3900lbs against the Stingrays 3577lbs.

It does understeer because of it, but compared to the Stingray it felt more stable even off throttle for me, something I noticed on the Speed Zone runs for both.

The E-Ray also gets some good visual upgrades too, in addition to the Sigala Design Widebody and rear wing, you also get the option of adding the Z06’s front splitters and rear wing options too.

As for for swaps, pretty much the same as the Stingray, minus the 7.0 V8 from the Camaro Z/28.

Adding the twin turbos pushes the V8/Hybrid past 1300hp to 1328hp.

Overall, if you got it for free as the loyalty bonus, it’s a Sleeper and a decent upgrade from the Stingray.

BUT..

If you bought it after they added it to the Autoshow, it’s 181k asking price makes the Stingrays 65k price an absolute steal by contrast, more so if you get one at Auction for as low as a 20k buyout. 🤑

So Sleeper if you got it free, Neutral if you didn’t, technically I did both because of this review, but I did get my first one free so..

Verdict: Sleeper 😉👍

Now for the SPC.

Now normally that would be it, but as it turned out, I just happened to have a spare and stock C8 Z06 laying about so I thought I’d include it too.

Now the C8 Z06 is currently a Playlist exclusive car, but with the Backstage Shop ever expanding, that may change in the future.

Same weight as the Stingray, smaller engine at 5.5 litres, less torque than the Stingray at 460ft-lbs, but more power than the E-Ray at 670hp while remaining naturally aspirated.

Thanks to its Flat Plane Crank layout, it also revs out past 8500rpm, but the 8 speed gearbox does need its gearing shortening to account for the higher Rpm as 5th is good for well past 300kph and you still have 3 gears left, 2 of which you could use and leave 8th as a highway cruise gear.

So to decide on which Vette to pick is like this.

Just starting out in Mexico? Stay with the Stingray(It’s a Starter pick after all.).

Starting out, but got gifted the E-Ray as the Loyalty bonus? Go with the E-Ray.

Been there, completed it all and collected them all? Go with the Z06. 👍

 

[Obelisk]

First up, the results of last week's SPC!

Player	Corvette e-Ray	Corvette Stingray	Vote
Vic_Reign93	186.88 MPH | 104.75 MPH	181.48 MPH | 101.05 MPH	Yes (Stingray w/o Loyalty, e-Ray w/Loyalty)
SomePlayaDude	186.56 MPH | 101.40 MPH	181.30 MPH | 100.57 MPH	Corvette Stingray

Unsurprisingly, Vic is Vic and has come out on top once again. As for the poll...Sounds like the answer depends on where you're at in the game!

The Corvette e-Ray has come home with a Sleeper majority - well done!

And with that, we're up to the next week of Horizon COTW.

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This week's nominee was chosen by @SomePlayaDude after I'd gotten done whacking him with a steel chair, and in a daze he blurted out the...

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport Coupe!
Born in the rise of the pony-car era, the Camaro released in 1967. Hot on the heels of the Barracuda and Mustang that started it all, the Camaro introduced the all-new GM F-Body platform and came standard with a 3.8L straight-six engine capable of 140 HP and paired to a three speed manual. The Super Sport trim, which is our featured car this week, instead featured a 5.7L V8, 6.2L V8, 6.5L V8, or an absolutely massive 7.0L V8, and platform upgrades in order to handle the added power output.

The car we've been provided has the 396 ci (6.5L) L78 V8 (or L78/L89, depending), producing 375 HP and 415 ft lbs.

This bowtie pony is a proven competitior in SCCA-sanctioned events, so to take it through the wringer, we'll be running at one new route, and one old favorite... This cranked up pony car is going to attack the Marigold Sprint Road Racing Route and the...

The... Oh, man. I'm going to get destroyed for this.

Cathedral Circuit.

Yep, we're returning to an old "favorite" to challenge the Camaro's handling upgrades to see if they really were all that.

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For this week's ~Single-Player Challenge~, we're doing a livery challenge!

Create a mash-up of (or remix) of authentic SCCA Camaro liveries. The liveries will be judged by a neutral third party, and the winner gets a free pick!

Submission requirements:
1. Your entries must have the text Final Entry before the images.
2. The photos of the Camaro livery must be taken at the Horizon Apex Outpost, by the Riviera Maya.
3. Liveries can be taken/referenced from any era of Camaro, but the final design must be on the 1969 Camaro SS.
4. Provide your reference images alongside your final entry.

Location for photos:

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 106 - Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport Coupe

It's round 2 of SPD trying to tell everyone.. I'm at a loss of what pony car I prefer. Here's perhaps my favorite one if it were down to one model.


Past SPD one time complained that we haven't done a Mustang in Mini Mexico. Well, screw that clown, here's the most adjacent car to a Mustang that's not a Mustang, let alone a Ford!

Back in 1965, Ford released the Mustang, launching a new era of sports performance in the States known to many as the Pony Car. Said niche however boomed, and not just some tiny cherry bomb boom, but it's in a grand.. HE tank shell way. Chevrolet under GM, being one of said firm's main competitors who had quite a pride in not letting Ford beat them again, began to panic. And that's to put it lightly.

They need one of these 'pony car' thingamajigs, and their first step to get this sorted is to look up current offerings of the company. But to define a pony car, it's a sports car that's both powerful, compact and affordable, with a look that screams sports. The main difference with a pony car and muscle car is usually not too obvious, but it comes down to size, weight, wheelbase and the kind performance you'd expect from these.

Now back to the board room. They looked up their current roster of applicable cars. We have the.. strangely rear mounted Corvair, which is more akin to a Ford Thunderbird or Galaxie being gigantic saloons with big engines. Okay, how about the C2 Corvette? That's an expensive little beauty, ain't it? The Nova's not pretty enough, and the Chevelle's meant to be the big boy to beat down the Mopar tuned monsters.

Choosing to build from the Nova, they realized its super sized X-Body platform wasn't going to cut it. So Chevrolet decided to team up with Pontiac, sharing a load of these development parts and components with the Pontiac Firebird, including the engine choices, as well as their chassis known as the F-Body.

Then, in June 1966, GM announced the new pony car, named in a very unnatural fashion. This name 'Camaro' is derived from the old French word 'Camarade', meaning friend, or more directly: comrade. In addition, there's some tongue-in-cheek from officials that however define Camaros as wild animals that eat Mustangs. Later that year, the car did start to sell, though with about half the amount of Mustangs sold at that same time frame.

..not to say Camaros are straight up failures. They've been turned to racers in Trans-Am and Pro Stock, and wins are pretty common occurences for this first generation Camaro.

And so we head on to what a race worthy pony car should have: sportier trims. The one here in Mini Mexico is the 1969 SS, being the top trim that preceded the race spec Z28. Powered by its top engine choice: a big block 396 cubic inch V8, the car had 375 horsepower bringing 1.6 tons through a 4 speed manual.

In terms of PI, the Camaro sits at the late end of C-class with a PI of 585. Not much too in terms of its common rivals being the 302 Mustang Boss and the DLC Shelby GT500 just behind it. It's a rather common car to be sold on the Auction House, but a fresh one can come from the Autoshow with a reasonable 110,000 credit expenditure. Those who want much less of that can mosey over to the Auction House, with buy outs of 40,000 as the most common, and 32,000 for the best deal.

This Camaro too has a Forza Edition, more accurately a Horizon imported variant of the Motorsports (2023) special named the Jordan Luka 3 Motorsport Edition, placed at the top of A class with a wide kit that screams The Crew 2/Motorfest Touring Cars class. Perhaps a sneak on what's to come in a few paragraphs underneath?

If this was the Gran Turismo 7 COTW, there should be a link to Out of The Cradle (Remixed) around here. And the fact that it's a certain Signature Car from a certain Asian-American Badass who needs no introduction as explosions blurt out with Bohemian Like You going ham in the speakers overriding the whole situation.

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Firstly, why not take a friend out to the farm fields of Mexico, or more accurately a run through Marigold Sprint.

And here we have Week 5's Z33 and one of the nominated cars of Week 33. The MINI represents the sad tragic heartbreaking tale of what came after.


"The distant view of the Gran Puente will draw you down to the water's edge, before you sweep back North to follow this snaking route through the vibrant fields of Cordillera."


It's a track that you can probably define as one with 90 degrees turn, squiggly slalom style roads, and we rinse and repeat. It's not remarkable, but I did ask for something that'll challenge handling: something pony cars are supposed to take into account when compared to the usual muscle car of the 60s.

For a place without much to stand out for, it's going to prove to me it's probably more than meets the eye.

Here in Horizon, I have about 3 Camaros, with this black one being the third. Now, head to Gran Turismo 7, and I have I think is 7. Why I'd collect that much of one car I really like? Well, I already answered my own question.


Heralded often as the car that bridges between pony and muscle, the Camaro has quite a show of these car categories ready to present, in a warm and presentable form that also doubles as a calm, cool dude who has an inner flame within. Kind of like Bobby Flay appearing on the Food Network.. you never know with a face like his what to expect.

While we're at it with the Food Network, let's get to some.. wood fired barbecue, eh? The classic Camaro sports a minimalist interior riddled with wood complimented with some chrome: a style from a past age. Though, I'm not a fan of the steering wheel that's in no ways sporty or luxurious. Aside that: there really is no issue. I can say a fine interior is not a messy one.

Situated in a low class but with high power, I had the idea to tackle the Camaro akin to other muscle cars in the past, like the GSX, GNX and the Charger Daytona. But that's not quite the case. After the green light, launching the Camaro is perfect if you just put the throttle down without launch control. It's a hint that if you're going to tune it, you want that first to be shorter, and perhaps put the parts that make use of its power more effectively.

You know what this is.. it's one thing about Chevy cars is that the brakes are at an odd situation. On the Corvettes they're subpar, but in a Camaro however: they are simply amazing. And it's no joke here. The first hard braking turn of this track is a downhill approach, and the Camaro didn't have much issue with it. Do note however that this only retains when you don't turn it: it'll lock up the rear if the car goes for a stop at a slightly.. umm homosexual take of travelling at 100 MPH and above.

And now it's time to use your eyes: what's a tall car with soft springs, ample weight and oodles of power going to do with the handling? Did you guess.. veering off to the side just like having explosive shields that has no shielding in how its held? Well that's what you're getting with muscle cars of this era: slipping and sliding. In the Camaro, it's a muted feeling: one that you'll get upon corner exit, and also when going about these winding turns at full power. And when I mean muted, I mean it's at that stage where it's not yet an issue. Experiencing this is a non-issue, but playing with this is indeed an issue, because like with the Bronco: it's the bouncy castle theorem: it's cumbersome, but yet: you don't want to get out of it. And we're on the road this time.

However: it's not all good thanks to the fact we're on the road: there are times you feel it's going to grip, but oops: all veering to the side into your hazard of choosing. Except you're not really choosing. This is mainly caused by accelerating mid turn: which is hazardous in an understeery kind. Letting the car do its thing on the wave is the way to do it: any sudden moves, and you're dead, no joke. However, instead of all in, how about bouncing the revs in place? That works out wonderfully on my end. Maybe it'll help you too.

I think what I like most about muscle cars in this era is the speed. Or rather.. the lack of. It'd make you think you're fast, but it's not quite the case when you have a second peek at the numbers. You're never going past 126 MPH unless you've messed with the gearbox. But I like it this way: it's the illusion provided by the car's powerplant and how amazing it sounds when done right. This Camaro's V8 is easily my favorite sound for all kinds of V8s. It's smooth, reeks of power, and is pure like vanilla ice cream.

Now to the track. And it's a track that tries to cater to those who want a balanced battle between power hogs and swift little mice. That's what I see, anyways. But power's still king once again after quite a few runs.

Let's look for some troubled turns.. one I have in mind is at the 45% range: a sharp right hander that's going to lead to a reset if taken with too much gusto. And alongside that, the final braking corner by the view of the stadium is also to be taken with care: one that would treat it just like turn 2 at St Croix C. The Camaro however puts on a show at these turns, when done right of course.

This first Camaro I can say is the muscle classic on easy mode. Easy mode, you say? This is it, gentlemen. It's what I say to be the most appropriate first classic American muscle/pony car, like the C8 being your first mid engined RWD sports car. You can see why I have this car on speed dial when you end up nominating something in its power range. You can tell, no matter the situation, this is a car I always ask: may I have this dance? And therefore it's my duty, and honor to dance with this, be it here or in the occassion it appears in the Gran Turismo 7 lobbies, because I am the dancing queen..

I'm a man, but yes: I am either f[BLEEP]ing invincible, or the dancing queen. Dancing king just doesn't have the same kick.

I didn't enjoy the few runs I did, so I'll just show my best of 2:49.467 and leave it at that.

Maybe the next track will cheer me up. Who knows?

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With an inevitable second round seemed to turn to be the norm, we head out to return to this.. personal nightmare in Cathedral Circuit.

Yes, the urge to share my pain is indeed non-visible, but you know as they say.. insert cool face paper mask in front of a visibly raging crying face meme here. But in my pictures folder, instead I have this meme..

..that I feel have used once or twice at that other thread. Whatever the case, moving on..

Did you know that the whole 'meme the hell out of the Blue Countryman' didn't even exist when Cathedral Circuit came in to gospel in my brain on how terrible of an example this place is for a city circuit?

It's okay: the pain that followed months later overshadowed this. Perhaps that poor fellow in the Peel P50 is suffering worse than I am.


"A highly technical circuit that threads around and underneath the narrow city streets of Guanajuato, passing numerous landmarks along the way. Time your overtakes carefully."


Technical? No, I don't think so. It should be 'painted by a bull[BLEEP] artist' instead. Same with landmarks: what landmarks are there that's not the bright Cathedral?

I hate racing in Guanajuato. I hate tight places with no leeway for letting out your sides. This place is a combination of these situations in full play. It's not fun to time trial because the background signs can screw you, and it's not fun to race here, because technically everyone else racing with you is out to screw you, and you don't need to assume their sexuality to even know it's coming.

It's got 'screw' written all over it, from the inconsistent lighting, to even presuming you have places to make overtakes. I've credited one of my many memes to this track alone, known as 'Screw Cathedral Circuit': a term I seem to relate to the original Porsche Carrera RS whose nomination came with this track, and (somehow) the Lamborghini Miura.. cars I've also put the word 'favorite' behind their designation.

Namely: favorite 911, and favorite classic midships supercar. Now it's the turn of favorite classic pony car. And let's say just like Week 63: I'm prefacing by saying it's going to screw everyone but me.

If this was the Gran Turismo COTW, the story would include the egotistical car's owner being a complete butt monkey like I've always written him to be. All I have to do is put him in a room with a certain young German prodigy on a mood that's equals or is less than 'not bad'.

And Candy, her too. Yeah.

I'm imagining all the lost teeth and possible damage on the insides going along with bruises on the outside.. but I can somewhat say: THAT'S how it feels like.


Taking on Cathedral Circuit again means there's quite a few things I can address.. if the Camaro is more suited to handling, and plus how it handles curbs: something plenty found around here.

There's very little I can add here that's not hatred in general for the road here. The only thing I can think of is back all the way in Week 6. A hundred nominations ago where this track faced the 911 Carrera RS. In that car, it's an ice skater. And now with the role taken with a dancing queen, the troubles feel.. different.

I'm starting to think a car that doesn't grip perfectly, but instead dances about these tight roads would make up for more trouble than that Porsche. But it's the other way around. The drive of a pacing Camaro is much more pleasing, and gentle than that of the Carrera RS. It would make for a more satisfying lapping sensation, despite its issues with weight and weight shift.

And that's it? I just had a good time? No issues in traction, curbs.. nope. It's here I realize a dirt running Camaro will do wonders.. of course swap out the drivetrain if you're going to A.

My brief time here results with the Camaro getting a best of 1:12.910.

I was aiming for 1:10, but maybe that's too much. This time just under 73 seconds however felt good. That's it. That's all I got here. Screw this place.

I mean.. screw it, but I did have a better time here than with Marigold earlier. No joke. Maybe those quick track runs with the MINI helped? Nah, this is a pretty nice combo, regardless of the overwhelming hatred of the locale, and the overwhelming love of the car.

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Yes, as you can tell, the blue Camaro is very excited for a great return..


That felt like the opening sequence for the Elder Scrolls 4 kind of tight and dark. Now we're free! And that means I have to wonder..

Let's see if I have a feeling to come back to another recurrence in these Horizon 5 writeups. And since I hinted it last week, it's going to be obvious it's Test time!

What makes up a Test is simple: find this week's car not being at the top of A class, put it there with a basic as nails track tune, and of course without any conversions. Excepting forced induction. Meta cars in this game are usually a combination of the ugly Forza aero, AWD drivetrain and an engine swap... either or both. I would prefer that stays away.. we want to see what the car offers on its most basic form amped up to the most common racing class.

Then it's laps around the Horizon Festival Circuit. In the past, I would use the Rivals, but I've made an EventLab here that's oddly being played by people that don't understand its existence. Oh well, more free Kudos and credits are welcomed.

Now what can we do to this pony car? The thing is about bringing it up to the top of A is to put everything you can shove in it and hope for the best. With semi-slick tyres and a full overhaul of what's old and rusted inside, the Camaro now carries a 665 horsepower pump out of its big block V8, with 1.4 tons of shiny new hotness to take about the track. This is one of the most extreme in terms of numbers, so.. with anticipation that's as deadly as [BLEEP]ing around with a senator that's dabbled in college ball, let's not waste too much time.

I don't think we've ever had 600 horsepower around here before. Maybe that time we nominated the Durango.. yes, I did Test that thing. Looking back at its middling 1:08 time, I need to remember the next time I Test, it's going for a rerun.

This new and upgraded Camaro pushed it to the limit with a best of 1:06.830.

I was having a grind with this session, because yes: the car is incredibly hard to drive that's not a powerbuild.

There's traction I had to deal with, car veering off I had to deal with, poor gearing I had to deal with.. there are a lot of obstacles I have to deal with. But it's nice seeing this car go up with the likes of some of the nicer, more race worthy cars.. it's quite a struggle, so drive it up here for sport, not rating.

A lot of adjustments and choices on bringing the tires to straight up full slicks was considered, but not finalized. Gladly, I can squeeze out a time that's mad respectable. Scroll back to my older Tests, and you can see 67 seconds is praise worthy, honest.

Let me get my goggles on, and..

Hey! Hey! Heyheyhey! Remeber this picture? Remember how I act completely surprised that it comes up?

No? Gee, the little quirky things I do, and nobody bats an eye. It's no wonder I haven't uploaded the Ford GT's writeup on the GT7 thread.

Anyways, what's the hubbub, bub?


CHEVROLET CAMARO JORDAN LUKA 3 MOTORSPORT EDITION

In no relation to the site owner, of course.. I should've painted it black with red hues of a most iconic Star Wars villain.


Firstly: a rather appropriate comparison.. one I perhaps foreshadowed earlier.

Turned into a Track Toy, this special generation 1 Camaro known as the Jordan Luka 3 (yes, the sports and shoes brand) serves as a crossover from the same car in Motorsport 2023. But if you knew what they did with the likes of the Huayra R there and here (their presentation, the former being the biggest insult, the latter being straight up orgasmic), you know they have to be treated like alternate universes.

Turning the car into a Track Toys would mean more handling and less power (around 525 here). But this is a track: it's natural habitat. It's bound to impress me at least, even if it is slow.

You don't need nice shoes to get this Motorsports special to lap well, with a 1:07.250 best.

The car followed a well known formula: the fact it can turn, and its out of nowhere excellent grip means it's a lot easier to nail this time. However, when you reach the top end that matters very slightly here, you can see that lack of it is observed when it has an utterly useless 6th, alongside with the fact it shifts like it belongs in 1969.. yeahh, it's a handling car that has no hope in this class to fix. Shame.

But like Liquid Snake, now dead thrice but still speeding past the limit on a Jeep would say: not yet, Snake! It's not over yet.


RETEST: VOLKSWAGEN CORRADO VR6

Red, green.. paint it Barbie Pink, and I'm still smiling.

Before I did dabble with the Camaro and its Motorsports special trim brother, I spent a couple hours with another car on the Festival Circuit..

I should bring back what made me extraordinarily happy the one time I got COVID, with what I think is my original Top Sleeper. Not to mention.. when I stepped back on this track, I needed a car to hop back into to get my gears unrusted. And what better than the Corrado: who nailed a 1:06.848 time the last time this green one came here.

All I did was optimize the tune a little more. Tighter gearing, more oversteer, and harder springs. The numbers now stand at a 438 horsepower over just above a ton. The result may not wow anyone, but being behind the wheel of the car always seem to wow me regardless.

I was expecting a moment of gradually growing wows, but the Corrado kept its best at a steady 1:06.771, which is still under a tenth ahead of its original time.

From this, I guess it means I'm not out of practice. Just that my cars aren't as quick as those who can land 1:03s. It's ridiculous I can't touch these, to be honest. But aside the dismal start, I'm fine with what I have here. The only regret is that.. should this car actually come to Gran Turismo 7, its designated theme song comes from THAT song played when it briefly appeared in the movie.

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Whoa, it's like Santa's list. I mean.. I'm not too keen with livery making around here since nothing can match Gran Turismo's one.

You got naughty and nice. And as any good list being lengthy, let's end it there.

So, what is the Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport Coupe? It is..

Son, always remember: be a good friend.

Very easy Sleeper. I rather not elaborate more on the levels of satisfaction, the fun to dabble with handling, and that sound. If you want to know, the car on the Test has stock exhaust so I can have that muffled beast on ready when I need it go past 150 MPH. Not to mention this package comes with a solid off-roader underneath as well. Can't go wrong with a classic pony that's been.. overshadowed by the Mustang. The second place pony that's earned its first place in my heart.

Is that why Past SPD's been naming the Camaros 'Shadow'? Being honest: I'm feeling it's all a coincidence.

When writing fiction, I have a whole gathering of rules should the name Sonny Meng be present. From being the butt monkey, to having more musical scores than I usually promise to have one, another frequent rule I follow is like: "Whenever Sonny is being a total badass like he always is, Nirvana isn't far behind".

It's not related to the driver in the Gran Turismo fiction, but I always perceive generation 1 and 2 Camaros as badass.

And I'm not sure I have to remind that I have 2 Lamborghinis with names. Here's the second alongside Night Moves.

I mean: "Oh goody, it's Mad Bull." Expect me to put this car on the front page the next time I have agency.

 

[Obelisk]

Some things stand the test of time better than others. In that regard, American muscle cars seem to be natural-born survivors.

The first generation Camaro in particular is one car that seems to still be everywhere despite being 50 years out of date by today’s technological and engineering standards. So what makes the Camaro special? Is it worth your time and credits in the Festival?

We’ll see.

The Camaro has the classic quirk of having a very short 4 speed transmission, so you’re forced to have no mechanical sympathy for the car and rev it straight to 7,000 RPM (redline 6,000) before shifting.

Despite the old-school American suspension, the Camaro is a car that shows its racing pedigree rather quickly. It wants to rotate on throttle when the tires are loaded in a turn, and it wants you to dance with it on the edge of grip loss to maximize the cornering speed out of it. It also doesn’t lean to a comical extreme like you would expect of an American car - it is fairly composed when you ask it to do more work than it’d like.

One exception, though: if you ask too much of the brakes, the front end of the car will lock up first and you’ll fly into the nearest tree. That said, it can trail brake nicely if you play it carefully.

So essentially, the playbook with the Camaro is as follows:
1) Understeering? Roll on the power quickly, catch the slide, and go full Goodwood with it
2) Oversteering? It wants to do that, just manage it and you’re fine.

The Camaro’s an excellent pony car and a sleeper. Do take the time to upgrade the brakes, though.

Marigold: 2:49.683
Cathedral: 1:15.781

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SPC
Final Entry

Spoiler: References

Spoiler: Final Entry

 

[Vic Reign93]

Count me out for the SPC, I can’t do livery’s to save my life.

Anyways, The 1969 Chevy Camaro SS Coupe.

Chevy’s answer to the fast growing popularity of the Pony Car and the rival to Ford’s offering in the Mustang, the Camaro went toe to toe against it and all other contenders not just on the street, but at the track too.

Base model Camaro’s were equipped with Inline 6 engines, but like most pony cars, you were likely to end up with a V8 under the hood instead.

You had the 4.6 “Small Block” V8, the 4.9 Z28 V8 for the Z-28 Camaro, making it legal for the SCCA Trans Am Series 5 Litre Class.

From there you had V8’s ranging from 5.0 to 5.7 litres and then you had the heavy hitters like the 6.5 litre V8 as the top spec motor for the SS model, which was “officially” the biggest engine you could spec for the Camaro.

But some notable chevy dealers had the smart idea to use Chevrolet’s Central Office Production Order program (COPO) to order engines for cars that weren’t offered with them, like for example, two different 7.0 V8’s in the L72 and the drag racing friendly ZL1 V8.

Now you may ask, why couldn’t they offer the Camaro those engines via a RPO(Regular Production Order)?

Because there was a GM Corporate order in place which capped displacement at 6.6 litres on small to mid sized models under GM’s Divisions, unless you were the Corvette which got a pass on that order.

So a Special Fleet Order via the COPO program later and you could have a Camaro with a 7.0 V8 that was rated at 425hp under Gross Hp and around 375hp under Net Hp.

Just as an FYI, Gross Hp is the old way of measuring an engines power, without any power sapping accessories like a water pump, alternator etc, Net Hp is with all the factory accessories added on.

So back to Mexico and the SS Camaro, we get 375hp, 415ft-lbs, in a car weighing 3,527lbs, sending all the power to the rear tyres via a 4 Speed Manual gearbox.

Despite it being somewhat of a running joke in COTW that muscle cars are geared for the 1/4 Mile, nearly 140mph is what the stock top speed is in FH5 and that’s decently brisk by contrast to some other pony’s.

One thing I did note was the lack of a one tyre fire when launching the Camaro, it has a limited slip differential, something that could be had as an option on the earlier model Z-28’s.

Aside from the slightly wobbly suspension and its tendency to lock the fronts if you grab the brakes too much, some of the DNA from the Z-28 is here to get the most out of it if you really hustling it and slamming through the gears.

Similar to how fast drag racers like Bill ‘Grumpy’ Jenkins did it back in the late 60’s, no lifting off, stab the clutch pedal while slamming home the next gear.



If the 6.5 V8 ain’t cutting it, you can drop in a 6.2 Chevy SS V8 which is lighter, more powerful and can be pushed further when tuned.

If absolute torque is your play, the 6.7 V8 Turbo Diesel from the Ford F-450 Super Duty won’t lead you astray, but the extra 400+lbs of weight might.

You can cut that weight penalty by half by running race exhaust, intake, valves and flywheel, but like most diesels in FH5, you throw a new turbo at it and it really does wake up.

475hp and 1,050ft-lbs of torque stock, 553hp and 1,223ft-lbs with everything except the turbo, with the race turbo that jumps to 1,049hp and 2,319ft-lbs of pure twist.

The only vehicles with more torque are the Raser Tachyon Speed with 3,650ft-lbs of EV twist and the Mercedes Racing Trucks when fully tuned with nearly 5,500ft-lbs of torque.

Anyways, enough talk about torque, the other 3 engine options.

The 8.4 Viper V10, The 7.7 V12 from the TVR Speed 12 and lastly, the 1500hp, 8.9 Supercharged V8 from the Hot Wheels Bone Shaker Monster Truck, which if you’re reading this in the future when FH5 comes to PSN, you will get to test drive in a Showcase event or very rarely, even in a Festival Playlist event.

Finally, the price, Autoshow price is 110k, but you can find them going for under 40k at Auction, might be worth a look at.

Overall, a slightly higher top speed than usual and being able to put the power down through both rear tyres means this classic Pony, can still get up and gallop without much trouble. 👍

Verdict: Sleeper 😉👍

 

[Obelisk]

We only had one entry for this past week's SPC, meaning I get the free choice. Ah, well.

As for this classic comrade, it's unanimous -- Sleeper. No wonder the Camaro has endured the test of time.

---

Our car choice this week comes from @XSquareStickIt and if you spend any time on GT7 COTW, you know where this is going.

Our Car of the Week is the...

2016 Porsche Cayman GT4!

Also known as the 981 Cayman GT4, this car is the ultimate performance version of the Cayman. And it's also being featured concurrently on the GT7 thread. Over there, one of the most notable traits of the Cayman GT4 besides its performance is the abiility to swap a Windsor engine into it capable of over 1,200 HP.

Predictably enough, Square refuses to acknowledge the existence of said swap. I would argue the ability to AWD swap the 981 in this game is even worse...

Either way, we're looking at a track-oriented car that's supposed to be an excellent overall package - so to measure that worth, we're taking this S1 819 machine down the Festival Gatecrash Street Racing event, as well as the Los Jardines Circuit Road Racing event.

---

Our ~Single-Player Challenge~, provided by @XSquareStickIt himself, is as follows:

Enter a stock 981 GT4 in this EventLab (which I am dubbing Flathurst) and win the event on Pro difficulty:

Event Code: 410 799 261

Share a screenshot of your results screen - Fastest race time wins!

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 107 - Porsche Cayman GT4

I'm upset.
Why? Well, just before this picture was taken, I ran into a random driving a Cayman GT4 RS, and it had one thing that I would consider a pay-to-win DLC privilege: a no wing option.


Pop quiz: has anyone remembered of the Porsche Boxster?

I thought so too. In a game where Porsche is represented incredibly strongly, I sort of expect it to appear in some form, being the kind of Porsche anyone would know if they were born in the 90s. Anyways, the Boxster started off as a soft top Porsche that's known to be cheaper than the usual 911. How successful this idea pitch is to me is not known, but since I don't see any news of it in mainstream today unless I'm specifically looking for it, I figure it's not so good.

Now to the Cayman: the car's known mainly as the evolved form of the 2nd generation Boxster, but with a hardtop, the engine placed closer to the center, and some chassis rigidity adjustments. This gave birth of the Cayman: Porsche's entry level sports car, named after the Caiman lizard.

Now in its third generation, that's what's not on offer. Instead, we hop on to a notable trim of the 981 codenamed lot. Known as the GT4, this Cayman is essentially what is mainly known as a baby Porsche 911 GT3. Taking the engine from a 991 911 Carrera S, the lot of suspension and brakes from the 911 GT3 RS, a roll cage, and a fetching aero kit that shows the car means business, this little puppy is a certified track pack that has 385 horsepower dragging along a 1.3 ton load, through a 6 speed manual, not a PDK.

If this was the Gran Turismo 7 COTW, I'd be glad to announce the Cayman GT4 being a Signature Car. As of now, I already wrote that. It's the main reason why the car's in this brown color. Porsche is just one of the many companies where I can see their cars looking rather spiffy in brown, no sarcasm. In there, I found it as a track car that seemed to be missing a few steps to greatness. Maybe in here it might be different, seeing what's offered there and here is pretty much the same machine, but in addition to different physics, we have the Breaking Bad theme song here too.

Sitting at a low spot in S1, the Cayman GT4 carries an 819 PI rating. In the packed bunch of Track Toys, this little GT3 has rivals such as a past nominee in the Ford Supervan 3, the HotWheels Mustang from Horizon 3, the Fast X Flip Buggy that doesn't work.. oh and the M4 GTS, and the Shelby GT350R. There's also Shadow.. the Camaro ZL1 1LE. That Corvette powered monster shouldn't be a rival! This game's PI system is barnacles sometimes. And speaking of bullcrap: the McLaren F1 has less PI, and about twice the power.

Getting one of your own will come with a cheap 85,000 credits pricetag on the Autoshow, but you can go for the Auction House too if you like, where you can nab one at 146,000 credits for most common and credits for 117,000 best buyout deal.. this is like dealing with currently in duty American politicians. This is a cheap track going Porsche, and they're overvaluing it. You failed me once again, Auction House.

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While we're not doing the Horizon Mexico Circuit for testing this track tuned little guy, instead we have to go towards the Horizon Mexico Circuit for testing. You get my drift? That's what Festival Gatecrash is supposed to be, right?

Is this the most intense the Countryman has ever been? What do you think? What I think: no, because Week 34 existed.


"Starting in the shadow of La Gran Caldera volcano, this route thunders across the “Colinas Áridas”, and ends with a dramatic photo finish at the Horizon Festival Mexico site."


It's not our first time going through Festival Gatecrash, and even after all these years, I have no idea what it's supposed to sell us with. It's essentially a speedy segment that follows a mainly unsavory technical portion. And not to mention it's a Street Scene event, meaning traffic and no Barry R. But we have EventLabs and Rivals that'll settle that. For me, it's the latter.

And to the track: it's another one of those places where the best racing line is not on the track: something especially prominent over the track's two major 90 degrees turns.

To compare: The Small Print sounds a lot nicer in this experience, let me foreshadow this car on the whole.


There's always a car I've reviewed here before there.. In this case, this might be the first that's reviewed there first, then here. So the words, while trimmed down, are hopefully just as SPD as it could be. Not that I'm expecting a change aside having a basis.

To the inside of the Cayman. Now, the real me is quite familiar to the insides of modern Porsches, more specifically a 997 911 and a Taycan. There's not much that's deviated from the former: tacho, speedo and a display. For a smaller Porsche than usual, the Cayman never feels cramped: that much is true to the 911 as well. You can tell because I made my character in Mini Mexico tall. Like unintentionally tall: he wears an overblown British crown. There's a small selection of cars that allow me to see said crown's top clipping through the roof.

Now to the meat of the car. While the car's handling can be better since there's a hint of a floaty sense about, the turning is actually loads better than what we got in GT, putting its name as a Track Toy quite on point here in Mini Mexico. It's not perfect though: because that floaty sense leads to a lack of precision when I need it. There are times I overshoot the racing line, and there are times I cut the corner too deep, and the in-between needs me to put time in the car to begin understanding it.

I know somebody's screaming for more bonuses. I'm happy to announce it has. The car also retains its grippy consistent handling, traction and braking exhibited in there.. wait, I mean in both games now. Meaning it's a car that wants you to do one thing, and one thing only: fly. Looking at 90% of the road racing venues in this game, fly indeed is the way to play Forza Horizon 5. More specifically.. the perfect kind of track for this car would be the ones with both speed and handling. Just not one or the other extreme.

Once you get momentum with the car, yes you will fly, my dear. Even though it's RWD, the lack of power actually has a perk: it launches superbly. With the acceleration being quite good in GT, would I be surprised it's the same case here? I actually am, but honestly: it feels considerably more punchy here.. what it desperately lacks in that other game. So you have that double shiba inu meme for this car. Well, someone's going to do it, and it ain't me. Because making memes like that sometimes for me is gonna take some time.. slow and painful.

Want some downsides to balance this well balanced car? Well, the brakes here feel much too light. You'll lock up the rear when doing the hard stopping on turns: something I can end up doing a lot here in Festival Gatecrash. And the top end still isn't too good for S1. Lucky you have 81 PI to fill that in.

And then we have something even worse than the understeer: it's a small boi. The reason why the Bone Shaker is quite good in this game in particular is how its big tires can reach out and touch faith.. meaning the registration of checkpoints. We're not going to have issues with what you get with things like an Austin Mini, the Peel cars or the Wuling Macaron, but it's a notable problem that needs address to your driving. Could be worse at the top of S1, actually.

Now we head for the track: ahh, well, it's you, Festival Gatecrash. You are indeed not quite a track I enjoy. Mainly because since the car turns too well here, my 'this car is naturally understeering' mind keeps telling me it's not going to make the turn that it's definitely going to make, thus the bulk of resets of me missing checkpoints.

I did mention the racing line being off the road, right? This particular Cayman is at its worst on the surface that isn't road. Fortunately, having the base Gen 2 Cayman or the 718 would serve that purpose should you need it.

To finish off this first track.. in here I learn that the Cayman GT4 has something it didn't quite have in that other place: a character. It's a nimble lizard that wants you to take care of it, and expose it only to the right things. It's a wonder why it has more PP than the McLaren F1, and this performance gave me an idea it's not that much overblown.

After a good chunk of sessions through this strange place, I begged the Festival to let me in after a best of 2:31.640.

I definitely could cut about 1 and a half second more, but the combo's just so inconsistent for me.

On the day of this writeup, I learned that this place is more insufferable the faster you get. You can say it's lucky I put up with this with the Golf Mk2, and that the Cayman's a nice car choice for the track if not for its lack of girth. Let's move on.

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Well, I already like it handling high speed corners, now it's nice to make sure this kind of pleasure is also visible when we slow down for a technical test. And for that we head for Los Jardines Circuit.

Looks to me there's a correlation between these two cars aside their color.. they seek death. On the MINI's case, it seeks death to those that disrespect it all those years ago.

That's all of us. Including me. That's okay, we have GT World to keep us safe from this imaginary threat.


"A compact circuit around the modern settlement of Los Jardines. Short straights followed by sharp corners will favour lighter, more agile vehicles."


Los Jardines is essentially sized and paced similarly to the Red Bull Ring Short Circuit: it's a small, it's made for nimbler cars, and it's small. Did I say it's small?

In any case, there's a bunch of Barry R to keep the car in check, so that does mean no nasty curbs. Not like I have the option to take on curbs in this strangely downscaled Mexico anyways.

Little does that silly ignorant Past SPD realize there is a curb on this track.. just before the infamous chicane that makes up the final corner of this track.

Establishing that the drive is much better here down in Mexico, I have a good feeling about this.

Now first, I'm going to say I'm sorry, because for all the flak I can give this car for the past week, in Los Jardines, it shined. For this iteration of the car, this venue is where it belongs, not that Festival Gatecrash nonsense.

Shined so bright, in fact, here's the 24th Mark of Zen award. It wasn't even 10 minutes, and the smile was there. I have no words, only that: if you have the game, and really need to try a combo, here's one of them. The best thing is that there isn't a limit of these comboes.. even terrible cars can have the perfect synergy someplace.. perhaps not Cathedral Circuit, that is.

I was going to detail quite a lot, but it's just 3 paragraphs of: the arcade handling of the car is perfect. No need brakes but for 3 turns, even flying through the chicane. No traction issues, yadda yadda. I rather not put it to words: it needs a hands on experience.

Well, chasing ghosts again and again had the car earn its stripes with a best of 53.150.

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And I'm done. Yes, I do know something about discount Bathurst.

The thing is after a quick check on that place, there's nothing remotely like Bathurst. No elevation. The start finish straight is twice as long. Everywhere's an overtaking corner, and it's truthfully half baked without any props about. I mean, I hate it when a track's full of props, but I hate it more when there's none of it. Just not as much a drive pleaser like the real deal, should you say it is.


So, what is the Porsche Cayman GT4? It is..

Checkpoint Missed.

Essentially, I can sum it up as: "This is more like it". In addition to the 81 PI we can fill in for our dirty deeds, it's definitely a Sleeper.

Oh, there's no dual turbocharged V8 here: instead we can get the Flat 6 from the 911 GT3 RS (991.1). That sounds about right for a swap, I'd say.

My original script has mention of Senator Armstrong's mother of all omelette quote for a reason why I won't do the Single Player Challenge. But I had a look and had a better reason, so that's a waste, right?

Speaking of omelettes, do you suh-mell what the SPD is cooking?

Well, there's a plan including the likes of Mad Bull, The Dark Horse and Nemesis to be nominated in the future. What are these? Sit on the table, and let me serve. Or the one you all seem to like more: let me be served.

While you're supposed to smell cooking, I often sing in the kitchen. In this case, do you hear.. Let's Go by Def Leppard?

 

[Obelisk]

I feel like the 981 GT4 very much speaks for itself, no matter what game it gets featured in.

It doesn’t need no stinking writer / wannabe automotive journalist to sing its praises. It knows what it is, and it doesn’t need anything else.

But someone has to say something, or otherwise this would go absolutely nowhere, right?

So I’ll say it: The Cayman GT4 brings with it all of the clinical driving experience that you would expect out of a GT3 or even a GT3RS, but it does so at a budget. Not just a financial budget, but a power budget too - the car doesn’t even break 400 HP. Don’t let that fool you - the Cayman GT4 is a monstrously fast car, especially for something coming in at the bottom of S1. You can imagine, then, that it becomes a legitimate threat when tuned to the top of S1.

But, thing is - it speaks for itself. I can’t say anything about the Cayman that hasn’t already been said elsewhere. And… Anyone who knows even the slightest about Porsche knows what a GT# entails.

Neutral, but definitely have one on hand. It’s frighteningly fast.

Festival Gatecrash:

Los Jardines:

---

SPC:

 

[Vic Reign93]

Ah the Porsche Cayman GT4, seems like only last week since COTW last tested it.

If GT7 is where the serious track testing gets done, FH5 is the road test to see how it is in everyday driving.

If said everyday driving involves breaking every posted speed limit and launching off ramps that’ll make a trophy truck second guess jumping off them.

Ironically, I caught more air at “Flathurst” than I ever have at Bathurst while hotlapping against Unbeatable difficulty AI.

With a 3.8 Flat 6 behind the driver, but ahead of the rear axle, the GT4 sends its 385hp to the rear tyres via a 6 speed manual gearbox, which helps push the 2,955lbs of Cayman past 190mph.

At 819PI, it’s actually possible to drop it down into A Class by ditching the stock semi slicks for some off road tyres and turning it into a RGT class rally car.

But that same 819PI also means plenty of room to improve if top of S1 class is your plan, the stock motor can either be Supercharged or twin turbo’d and if that’s not enough, you can drop in the 4.0 Flat 6 from a GT3 RS and go from there.

In fact, of all the Caymans in FH5(4 of them), only the older GTS gets a swap option with more than 6 cylinders in the form of the 5.2 Lambo V10.

In terms of visual upgrades, it’s all business with the Forza aero front and rear as options.

As for the GT4’s handling, it’s very planted and capable and unless you’re driving like an utter spanner, it’s pretty hard to unsettle it.

As Obe said in his write up, The Cayman GT4 speaks for itself, it may not be the all out screamer like the GT3 RS’s are, BUT it’s a capable drivers car that offers a lot of the GT3’s thrills, but with a manual box and for less money.

Speaking of which 85k is the asking price for the GT4, but among the auctions that had higher asking prices, I did see one go for Auction at a 70k buyout, so if you’re in the right place at the right time, you can swipe one for less than retail price.

All together, it’s a car that doesn’t need our praise to know it’s good, we set high expectations and it meets them.

Verdict: Neutral(Definitely pick one up.)👍

 

[Obelisk]

And the results of last week's SPC are in!

Driver	Flathurst time
Vic_Reign93	10:24.274
Obelisk	10:42.333

Drat. Foiled once again! I'll get you some day, Vic!!!

---

It was @Vic Reign93's birthday this past Monday, so he was given a special pick for this week.

And despite the Ioniq 5 being in the game, and being featured as his birthday pick this past week at our sister thread, he elected to go for something more unusual...

Seeing as we’re looking at a heavyweight in GT7, we should look at a lightweight here in Mexico.

I’m thinking 353lbs light, 48cc’s of displacement, 3 wheels and 1 wheel drive and a glass bubble top roof.

It can only be the one and only...

PEEL TRIDENT!

Included in FH4 as a post-launch car, the Trident comes back to Mini Mexico as one of the weirdest cars in Forza's library. Making even the miniscule Kei cars look large by comparison, the Trident (and P50) are the tiniest cars on record.

Per Vic's Request, we'll be testing the Trident at Estadio Circuit!

---

This week's ~Single Player Challenge~ is to take a Peel Trident - no restrictions on the build - and take on my Urban Peel Event Lab (579 309 908) and complete the puzzle in the fastest time possible.

There are a couple of paths you can take - and a couple of correct solutions. You can run and explore as much as you want before going for your record time. Be creative.

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 108 - Peel Trident

And what I'm sure you're expecting me to do now is introduce Candy Lam.

...

...

Just where is that little racer off to now? Meeting Frankie Beaumont?


A small engineering firm originated from the 1940s in the Isle of Man, the Manx Peel Engineering Company was initially not into cars in their early days, but more towards boats and other nautical vehicles. However, one episode of them managing a then novel material known as fiberglass, and they branched out to motorcycle fairings, and eventually: cars.

By 1962, the Peel P50 was born. Categorized as what's known as a microcar with a handle for a reverse gear, space for an adult man and his shopping, as well as appearing in one of the most watched Top Gear skits, it earned the Guiness World Records for being the smallest production car to be sold on the market. Such a success would then lead to.. scroll down a bit..

..the Peel Trident: a successor of sorts that's shaped like something out of the Jetsons. Known as the Terrestrial Flying Saucer, the Peel Trident still uses the same 49 cc moped engine used in the P50 going through the same 3 speed. The whole body is made of fiberglass, so the paint you see on it isn't paint, but rather coloring pigmented into the fiberglass. The main difference of the Trident over the P50, aside its dome bubble shaped entry, is the fact two people can have some.. fun together in the Trident.

Fun, yeah huh. The average height of people in the UK is 5'10, by the way.. I'm above that height in real life.

With 4 horsepower lifting 353 pound of mostly fiberglass, this saucer shaped thing on wheels still remains at the bottom of D, which is pretty much where quite a chunk of its fellow Cult Cars seem to get out of unless we put some work in. Though, you're welcome to fork out your 25,000 credits if you need a new on from the Autoshow. The Auction House reports suggests the car will come at 31,000 for most common, but eagle eyed entrepreneurs trained in the art of buy out can find a potential copy ready to buy at a discounted 14,000 credits.

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With the Trident, we now are tasked to take a stab at Estadio Circuit

An R34 and a classic Camaro? Is someone recording the Mexican reboot of 2Fast 2Furious? Are you in need of a more iconic car than that overrated Nissan?

Look no further, my muchachos!


"Turns out we can host epic events around the outside of the stadium as well as the inside! The ring road makes a perfect high-speed circuit for daring drivers to show what they're made of."


I had in my mind that this combo is absolutely horrendous, because there's a nice uphill climb that 4 horsepower is going to push REAL hard here. Who will come out on top? Or rather: will it come out on top?

To its credit, Estadio tries to cater to all kinds, because it offers a lot for any kind of car. Big weaving turns, a high speed segment, a tight few corners before the start finish straight. The whole track is however 2 roads wide, so maybe I can say it's like the Nordschliefe, even though overtaking here isn't that bad in comparison.

Much as I see Estadio being used frequently for testing high speed corners, this is my first rumble here under the flag. So for a first impression, this is dismal.

Hooray, it can make the hill! So, why am I still here? Just to suffer?

I remember explicitly when I first saw the Peels on ye olde Top Gear, it's mentioned that the Peel Trident is the 'SPORTS' variant of the P50, but rather when it has more seats, it leans more on convenience rather than performance. And these microcars really have that as their big big downfall. We love the fact they're here to meme, but are they truly here to suffer?

When everything is soo slow, your mind goes into overdrive, looking for anything to do that'll entertain you when holding on to this little moped powered UFO like thing. That's it: that's what I'm going to be thinking about with this and its Hard-To-Find predecessor.

Personally, being underneath a bubble headed shopping car with an engine is pretty weird. One: there usually isn't a wheel behind a shopping trolley, and two: the car shows no degree of instruments or bearings to the driver. I'm actually afraid on what happens when the car's engine has no more fuel. How do you fill up a Peel's engine anyways? Perhaps since you're sitting with the engine, you know if it's even overheating.

Now, the biggest challenge about the Trident at its core is writing it. When you have 3 horsepower to outdo everything thrown at you, you can just keep saying: no way, impossible, can't do it, takes too long.. every single excuse, and you can't help as soon as you believe there's a no to the many no's it suffers, it just changes course and you're back to square one. That's the thing, right? I mean, this is like the Anglia we had quite some time ago: a car that has no performance to work with, but sits there, existing for a reason.

That existence is really what Forza Horizon is known for: the wild and wacky tunability of these bottom of the barrel group. But first: we might as well see what's in this alien shaped fish tank made of fiberglass.

First: the acceleration. Okay, its there, but it's not good at all. You'll never get a 0-60, because the best you can reach is about the late 30-ish range. But hey: there's no wheelspin.. not like it's going to be an issue until you give this thing a motor changing.

The other notable thing is the car's ability to take on curbs. Or rather: inability. Yup, just don't. And while I'm at it: also don't with any foliage or destructible obstacles. The only way you want this to work is to keep going at its 3rd gear... however dull and life sucking this whole process is like.

Before I close this out, I have to note the body roll. At its current 3 horsepower state, it's no worry. It's the fact that you cannot get an adjustable suspension setup and rear rollbars to help absorb this if you need to level it up.

I'm not doing track advice until we get something that doesn't do full throttle all the way.

In what appears to be forever, the Trident's best I got was a 2:55.930.

This is a track that normally doesn't take a minute to lap, by the way. So the Trident actually took THIS much time to get around this place. At this pace, if I'm staying for the usual 3 lap medley, the End died naturally by the time I'm done, and I want out as soon as humanely possible.

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Roadblocks are a travesty in life, so why not make great use of the Peel's small size to best one? Not considering the potential police chase that will ensue..


Oh boy, we actually have something to do. I know kids are cruel, but what's crueler than a track with terrible difficulty or length? Yup, that's right: a track with more than one route. Something younger me realized when making custom tracks on Trackmania.

That's what the poor little Trident has to deal with. Lucky enough, it's free for all tuning this time, so I'm just going to slap on everything I can find. Now with a good motor, the car's a real wallop to drive.

I have my ways to keep it under control, but that kind of information is confidential. Now to the maze.

Thankfully not taking an eternity, I found my cheese at 27.680.

I didn't set any expectations, but if there's feedback to consider.. those curbs have got to go. And turn off rewinds.

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So, what is the Peel Trident? It is..

Wait, this is the sports version?

I'm not going to give it a rating: nominating this car is purely 'calling it a Beater' bait if I consider the stock form entirely.

But it carries one of the good 'spirit of Horizon' definitions: terribly undrivable little cars that can put up a good show, but the meaning of a good show.. well, that's up to you. All in all, you have to try these little jingles of madness.. it might lure you in.

It's a lesser known fact that I hate birthdays. I usually celebrate it quietly and nothing can go wrong with that. Then again, it generates this bad habit that should I have an opportunity to greet someone's birthday, I never do it, and there indeed exists a genuine hatred behind it. You can write an evil villain's backstory like with me and birthdays.

Or should you want a more direct example.. If, and if I do get the power, I can proclaim: you're not going to celebrate my birthday: now I will destroy the world and there will be no MORE BIRTHDAYS!

Does the Peel remind me of a birthday cake? Maybe the trident is a birthday balloon? Whatever answers these questions bring, I'm sticking to cars that aren't a travesty to health and safety needs on the road at 20 MPH. But in here? Well..

 

[XSquareStickIt]

Is that... your steering column dragging on the ground beneath your car?

 

[SomePlayaDude]

 

[Obelisk]

I didn't set any expectations, but if there's feedback to consider.. those curbs have got to go. And turn off rewinds.

It honestly did not occur to me until far too late into testing that I should have added ramps or something to allow the car back on the curbs. Duly noted for future reference.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Did someone call the Jetsons?

The 1965 Peel Trident is the newer version of the original Peels, a “sportier” version if you will.

It’s certainly more practical as it’s a 2 seater compared to the single seated P50, although both folks would have to be pretty thin to be comfortable in the Trident.

The Trident is heavier than the P50 at ‘only’ 353lbs vs 310lbs, but both use the same 48cc 1 cylinder engine making a jaw dropping…

Four Horsepower.

Both Peel’s send that mighty power to the rear tyre via a 3 speed manual gearbox with no reverse gear(IRL).

So stock for stock, the lighter P50 should be faster, but it’s when you tune the factory engine that things change up.

Despite both having the same drivetrain, the P50 only makes 32hp and 43ft-lbs of torque when fully tuned, but the Trident dwarfs that with a nutty 93hp and 124ft-lbs of torque.

93hp, in a naturally aspirated 1 cylinder engine, Bored up to 66cc’s from 48cc’s makes the fully tuned Trident engine one of, if not the most energy dense engine in FH5.

In terms of HP per litre, 93hp via 0.07 litres of displacement supposedly gives it a number of 1329hp per litre.

(Please double check that one as it’s possible the HP Per Litre calculator I used was off.)

As for its stock performance, well it’s slower than the Unimog we drove over in GT7 for this week quite convincingly, it also means any unneeded scrubbing of speed hurts a whole lot more on a ‘Hot’ lap.

Now if you really want to turn either Peel into a pint sized death trap, it does have an engine swap option, a 196hp 1.3 I4 Motorbike engine.

Now officially that’s what’s it’s called in FH5, but for those who know bikes(or been around Forza enough.) will likely know it better as the engine in the Suzuki Hayabusa, an engine that takes well to some good old turbo boost.

Yep, you can strap on a turbo (with optional Anti Lag) and boost it to 292hp in FH5, but in FM2023 you can push it past 450hp and quite a few cars can accept it on there that can’t in FH5, like a couple of the MX-5’s for example.

So add the boosted bike engine, give it AWD, throw on some tiny drag tyres and get ready to lift up a front wheel upon launching it.

(Found an easy & simple route, kerbs as already mentioned were a bit grabby for the Trident.)

Now normally I don’t pick “Hard To Find” cars because I go on the assumption that most folks don’t have it, same reason I didn’t pick the IONIQ 5 for this week as that’s still such a car(for now).

Both the Peels are/were the same story, but the Trident got the promotion to the Autoshow while the P50’s still exclusive.

The P50 can be bought at Auction, but the buyouts i’m seeing at the time of writing are over 6 million credits,() the Trident can be simply bought for 25k(or 14k at Auction if you looking for a bargain.).

I can’t call the Trident a Sleeper in stock form, unless you fall asleep cruising about in it, but it’s scary fast for D Class Mixed Surface events with the right tune on it.

It’s Neutral, but it’s definitely worthy of a spot in your garage for the comedy factor alone. 👍

 

[Obelisk]

Sometimes you just have to look at something and go "why?".

Like me, this morning, rushing to get the 40 points required for a Backstage Pass and realizing that, to my horror, my completed Playlist Eventlabs and my successful run of The Trial didn't pop and screwed me out of 16 points that I desperately needed. Even more irritating is that the Rivals events popped correctly, as did the PR Stunts.

So you'll understand my thinking when I look at the Peel Trident and go "Why?".

Don't get me wrong. I like the Trident's inclusion as a quirky car (something that the current GT seems to be trying to get back to with the current GT COTW), and I like the historical context that a car like this provides. Especially since a car like this would actually have to be classified as a moped, or something to that effect, under UK law at the time.

Being Peel's attempt at a bougie counterpart to the P50, the Trident trades 40 pounds for being able to haul two random Brits instead of just one. Nevermind the fact that the added 13.5 stone (189 lb / 85.7 kg) is going to be significantly more taxing on this moped than anything else...

Without any concessions made to let the car lug its occupants around better, the 4 HP Trident (surely powered by a Briggs & Stratton mower engine) will slowly work its way up to 40 MPH, if not a little higher. It's one-wheel drive, driven by a chain.

Here's the thing though: I don't believe that Forza actually models 1WD correctly. It's just a gut feeling, but the way the car drives suggests that they fudged it by (via the car's code) putting the rear wheels of a normal car in the same exact space at the same time. It's just me being me, but it's just a weird feeling I get when mucking with this and the P50.

Anyways, in stock form, there is really no point in doing anything with the Trident. Unlike the joke cars in GT (Unimog, the much-revered Midget II, etc.), the Trident doesn't have much merit on its own.

As others have noted, the Trident's true purpose is to be a lethal joke car - sporting a turbo Hayabusa swap capable of 292 HP in a package no lighter than 577 lb (AWD IS MANDATORY AND IT ADDS 200 LBS), meaning that with enough patience and a bit of creative tuning, you can create a rather overpowered tin can in the lower classes... Especially in Drag Racing.

That being said, I still have to deal with the normal car for a bit longer:

Can't fault it for what it is, so Neutral. I wouldn't recommend having one, though.

And for the SPC:

I should mention that the intended fast route was to squeeze through the excavator on the very leftmost lane, then straight shot past the helicopter road block down the left.

My route on this attempt was to go straight one block, turn left and go two blocks, then turn right at the T and just send it past the helicopter roadblock.

 

[Obelisk]

Driver	Time
SomePlayaDude	27.680
Vic Reign93	25.801
Obelisk	22.702

Maybe a little unfair given I created the maze, but to give you guys credit - you found your short routes quickly. I had to improvise a new one since my regular one was just not working out.

The Peel Trident also returns to the museum with a Neutral rating. Not bad.

---

Since SPD has expressed that he didn't want to acknowledge his birthday (thus making it kinda rude for me to throw a pick his way), i figure I'd call in my free pick from the Camaro challenge.

So we're going to take it nice and easy, and go with the...

2011 Ford SVT Raptor!

This week's Time Trial is going to be at Mulege Town Scramble.

---

This week's SPC is going to be simple. I've got three 5-lap Blueprints I'd like you folks to try. I'm working very, very hard on getting the hang of the Eventlab creator so I can put together a sort of all-encompassing test environment for the COTW crew.

This is a first prototype just to get the concept figured out- any feedback appreciated.

Get the fastest single-lap times in the stock F150 SVT Raptor on all three. Fastest combined time wins a free pick.

Eventlab 1: "Elevations"
151 831 353

Eventlab 2: "Technical"
632 394 183

Eventlab 3: "Rallycross Maze"
104 106 768

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 109 - Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

Ahh, Signature Car.

Alexa, play 'Eagles of Death Metal Complexity'.


Man, I love it more when named cars are nominated without my consent that's not the MINI Countryman JCW.

Say hello to Pete: a Signature Car in my Mythic Verses world of fiction, owned by a big hearted, bigger built truck driving savage slash street racer Frederick McStevenson. Y'know, I've kinda did him dirty by not writing on the week this is nominated there, and also not really utilizing his bone crunching character more, especially when he's an OG and also mainly inspired by Flatout/Wreckfest.. but let's go to the truck.

In its 12th generation, the Ford F-150 has always been a staple of the company since its debut all the way back in 1948. I'm not detailing this, so we skip straight to 2009.

Ford had a gold mine with the F-series trucks, being the best selling truck of American at the time, thanks to how performant they were, versatile to go off the beaten path.. and of course how much chest hair it has you grow that'll match out the kind of 'expansion' a guy would have playing those.. lewd gacha games. However, despite this, it's still a niche. Ford had to think: how do you expand your consumer base?

Well, they thought: make it bigger, brasher, braver, bolder, and of course, since I do have to cater my inner Sundowner: f[BLEEP]ing invincible. And that's what you get with the first Raptor branded F-150. From its name, you can tell it's developed by SVT: Ford's own M/AMG/N/GR/whatever, it's their big boy pants. Taking great inspiration from gigantic race trucks you can see in stadium races ala Baja 1000, the first Raptor, released in 2010, was the best idea they should've thought up with all the way before.

Now with a display of manliness on full show on the outside, the inside is where it gets better. While it usually comes with a 5.4 liter V8, a good chunk of games that represents this truck has the car come with the optional boosted non aspirated V8: a 6.2 liter engine known as the Boss that produces 411 horsepower and more notably 434 foot pounds of torque. This means it can climb, but with FOX springs, skid plates, and electric differentials meant for off-road purposes, the first Raptor set an industry standard for performance off the road that's now evolved to EV regulations.

The truck I personally identify as Pete would identify its potential with a PI of 518. While that much power in this performance is kind of shocking, what's further adding to this shocker moment is that for rivals, it's tied in PI with its own other universe rival in the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. While a formerly Wheelspin car in Horizon 4, you can now fetch your own original Raptor with a 42,000 credits price tag. Auctioneers can however find buyouts that's most common and lowest at 24,000. Since I only have one that's literally turned already into the legend that is Pete, I better snatch another for what's up later.

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You want the good stuff? You want the big hit? Then with this dino-mite of a car we find out how simple it truly is inMulege Town Scramble.

There are a few guarantees in life, and they are death, taxes, and a blue All4 Racing Countryman taking on Brocky for the SPD award of favorite off-roader.

What should I say when there's already another car in that jurisdiction? Will anyone figure that out and ruin me again?


"Tackle a winding hillside trail through the heights of Mulegé, then wrap around through the narrow back-streets of the town."


Mulege Town Scramble is an action packed rallycross, placed unfortunately across what's supposedly a bustling small town. That's what it is.

It's comprised mainly of technical corners of both road and gravel. And the uneven terrain in most parts means it favors the more heavier machinery, albeit ones that turn good rather than go fast in a straight. Loads of braking points, and places to cut, not to mention Barry R and general obstacles.

Despite the down and dirty nature of the venue, it's on the whole a nice place, with no complaints from my end whatsoever.

It's not a good time to celebrate your inner American right now, but I always want to take that chance for my own sense of America..

Of course, me being me, I mean the America whose leader has a dream that one day every person in that nation will control their own destiny.


Let's take a step back to the other thread for a moment. In terms of drive, on the week of Trucks, the F-150 stood out better than its more modern Japanese named rival. You can feel the power, it handled better than the Tacoma in both surfaces, and made great use of its body to evoke this satisfying feeling of bringing about its weight like that ages old hit song from Shakira about hips. It was a very easy Sleeper.

Firstly, the inside of this Raptor is definitely not the same like the one in GT. There's a distinct lack of screens, for starters, and that's all I could manage to notice. There could be more.. but the aesthetic remains: there's that strip on your wheel, and a lack of paddles that hints the car's auto gearbox. You're given a towering space to see as much as you can in front of what's about to be roadkill, but we're not in the Vapid Caracara 4x4 going 110 just around the roads of Sandy Shores, so there's no need to worry.

I was going to piece everything like I always do, but in the Raptor, they come with one word: cumbersome. But it's just like the Bronco's Bouncy Castle theory I just made up: it's a slow, heavy and weighted sensation that, instead of repelling, ends up being attractive.

When it comes to general grip and handling... the Raptor is in that odd position of having both satisfying and unsatisfying turning. It takes forever to get to one end of the wheel. But when you do get there.. it does its job magnificently. Score up for them baja racing inspired springs. You're not going to even get understeer, which sort of surprised me... if this car wasn't covered earlier, that is.

Who likes weird analogies? The acceleration feels like juicing an orange: tough, but the liquid gold ends up coming out eventually. It's not aspirated, and the weight is meant to bring you down, but I have a feeling that this kind of car is the sort that'll challenge the middling C-Class lot, and do well. It's no Corrado, but I want to convince myself it can do just as amazingly as that little car. Maybe some other time.

Driving the truck seems simple, and it probably is: the whole truck has a small oversteery profile that's on the whole just not noteworthy in any sense because of all that weight, the thick rubber, and the AWD. On the road or the dirt, it'll heed at your command, and without much question it will do so. This consistency added to this petty sense of danger is what makes this thing the beast that it is in Gran Turismo, and why I even bring it on N300 races back in Sport.. despite being overshadowed by pretty much anything in that class.

When it comes to the track, Mulege Scramble caters for handling, and there are a myriad of reasons why that's the case. It comes mainly down to how the optimal racing line is not on the track, and however around it. To the Ford's credit, the place also has obstacles in said optimal line. Treating obstacles in the Raptor is like the time Plankton tried to steal a Krabby Patty with a turbo powered robotic arachnid legs. But in this case, you're Mr. Krabs, and you just grab it and nothing pretty much stops you, despite the mess about.

Not to mention that a lot of the time, the Raptor is stuck to the first three gears. Call that wasted? Yup. We gotta come back here one day with something more nimble.

There's very little I want to say about the car. There's a distinct lack of complexity, but to me: what's on offer is more than enough to realize how nice a truck this is, not to mention why it was such a, not intended pun coming, big hit.

Like an alien from a black hole, the car came and took my soul with 1:28.991 as a best.

I was aiming for just beating 1:30, but sometimes.. magic happens. A lot of cutting and finding new ways to go about the track came from this experience. Despite all this good, I'm sure this is an easy time to beat. Mainly because well.. me and off-road don't go too well together.

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Back in the day, I did some beta testing for this old flash game developer. I wonder how he's doing now.. I also wonder if he remembers me.


And now for some beta testing. We have 3 different places to bring the stock Raptor at to secure a potentially better future. I dig it.

My only issue is that we're setting best laps. Considering the small crowd we have, I don't dig this.

Well, let's get to it. First is Elevations..



















Yeah yeah, stop scrubbing your eyelids: that is an empty space. Because the given Share Code is, oh my god overly amplified dubstep remix incoming, wrong. Like not morally wrong, but it's a typo, and when I searched it, I got nothing.

I'd call it a day, but what am I if not thorough and resourceful? Before I lose myself in self-indulgence, I've done the hard searching so that the correct EventLab code is 151 831 353.

At least the other codes are correct. Now with that hiccup un-hiccuped, let's see what's what.

In Horizons prior to this, FWD cars are the definite lesser class of the whole series. They're finally given a chance to kick some ass in this iteration of Horizon, and I've gladly proven it time after time with incredible superstars like the Renault R26.R and the Mk.3 Escort RS Turbo

Remember that stupid picture with me lamenting Cathedral Circuit in this week's Trial? Look at the car I'm driving then.
And you BETTER recognize that car, because I'm not trapped in Cathedral Circuit. Cathedral Circuit is trapped with me.


The second round takes us to what's called Technical. No, it's not a mechanic shop or anything like that.. just perhaps a strangely chosen name.

Looking real technical, gangsta!

It came with the share code 632 394 183.

Nemesis has always been a long time love for me. Just living life on the edge trying to get around a track with this thing.


The final event's named "Rallycross Maze". Maze, again? Here's the rat's tunnel for you: 104 106 768.

Yeah, I thought 'maze' as if in more paths than one like the last time, but it's instead 'maze' as if in incredibly tight places you should be flying over with a monster truck.


As you can see, I've abstained from doing a general review, because we're testing this out. I for one am not interested in making my own tracks for various reasons, and no: it don't mean I don't appreciate the effort laid out to me. The effort's been done, and.. I'm going to not be cruel here, but it's now for some (cruel) words..

This is more towards the little contest we got going, but rewinds are on. That means whoever really wants to win that oh so desirable pick to nominate the X-Raid All4 Racing Countryman is going to be scumming that feature as much as.. people are making money off repeating races against 'Perfect Revolution' or 'Wind of Napoli'. I don't know if you can disable this, but I think you can flag those who use rewinds with some easy pseudocode?

The storey tall wall, like Berlin in the 90s, has to go down. Or be something else. I would like my corners to not be blind 100% of the way through.

The tracks are also generally too tight, especially when we're competing with the humongous Raptor, but that might be part of the challenge. I do point this out, because yes I did use a JCW GP to test out the first track. With a small nimble flea like that, it's hard to admit. but I gotta say: the experience just not nice. I don't think in a racing situation we ever want any case of claustraphobia. Let Monaco be the only exception to this rule.

No nasty curbs is a win. Nemesis and the 'Post Week 34 MINI transformation' thanks you. Any other good? Well, I applaud the attempt on.. what could be construed as lazy is otherwise I'd say is creative use of making 3 roads in 1 map, but barricaded differently.

Times? Maaybe later? You can tell I'm not keen, especially when you see I spelled maybe with two 'a' rather than the usual one.

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I'm keen on ending this for the time being so I can write me a Gallardo.

So, what is the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor? It is..

Boom boom, acka lacka lacka boom, boom boom, acka lacka boom boom.

Easy to drive. Easy to master. Easy pleaser. Such an easy Sleeper.

It's a car without complexity, but it doesn't need it to impress, just like how I felt it in that other place. Another session with Pete's a worthy birthday gift, and I indeed have savored it.

By the way: another excellent thing that's new to Horizon 5: turning certain road going off-roaders street worthy. Pete here's an A-class road racing monster with huge numbers. How good that'll translate to a Test will come when I Reschedule it.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Gonna start off with the SPC first.

As far as feedback goes, there’s nothing I can say that can’t be fixed with more time and experience in Eventlab.

For example, little details like smoothing out elevated sections of road and making the walls more flush with the ground and such, all that’s stuff that comes with experience. 👍

I do like how you’ve built the 3 layouts into one track and only change the routes for each specific layout.

Do like the Rallycross maze, bit tight with the Raptor, but as you’ll note on the time for it, you can still make the big gal dance around there.

Now on the subject of the Raptor, The 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor weighs just over 6000lbs, packs a 6.2 V8 making 411hp, which sends power to all 4 corners via a 6 speed Automatic gearbox.

But of those 6, you’ll rarely need more than 4 of them in stock form.

Now if you throw some parts at the stock motor, 762hp is the most you’ll get with the turbos added, which is actually 80hp less than what you can get out of the Raptor on GT7 at 842hp.

And like the GT7 Raptor, you can engine swap it, but you do have more options here, like the 6.2 Chevy V8(less torque, tiny more power, but over 130lbs lighter compared to the stock 6.2.), the 6.7 Ford Turbo Diesel V8, the Viper 8.4 V10, the 5.8 Supercharged V8 from a Shelby GT500, The 6.5 Aventador V12, the 7.7 TVR V12, the 7.2 Racing V8 and the 1750hp Funco 7.4 TT V8.

As for visuals, front and roof light bars, the rear has the options for a Pro Truck look with 2 spares and a race fuel tank in the pickup bed, ditch the bed cover or even add an Overlander frame with equipment and supply’s on it.

As for tyres, you aren’t restricted to just off-road tyres in the Raptor, most off-roaders aren’t, but some are, so you can throw on Slicks, Semi slicks, drift tyres, Drag tyres etc.

Tyre profile can also be increased front and rear for larger tyres too.

As for handling and overall stock performance, you certainly feel its weight, bricky aerodynamics, long gearing when you’re pushing it, but with some well timed handbrake usage, you can get the Raptor to slide through the toughest and tightest turns in the SPC tracks with some grace.

Lastly, we come to the Raptor’s Price of 42k from the Autoshow, but if you’re good at wheelin and dealin or just have a sharp eye at Auction, you can swipe one for a 20k buyout.

Overall, it may be 14 years old at this point and there are more modern F-150’s in this game that could offer more, but it certainly holds its own even now.

Verdict: Sleeper 😉👍

 

[Obelisk]

I am terribly sorry about running so late on today's results.

@Vic Reign93 Free pick from the SPC's yours, call it in whenever.

---

Our car for this week is the...

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento!

Our Time Trial this week is simple - we're going to use the Horizon Festival Circuit.

---

Our ~Single Player Challenge~ is to push your skill and building knowhow to the absolute limit.

On any course, in any class that the Sesto Elemento is eligible for, set a top 1,500 Rivals time. Make sure you provide the track and the class your Sesto was built for so I can go verify your time.

No rewards for this one, just a nod of respect.

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 110 - Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

Track Toy? I'll show you who's the real Track Toy around here.


When there a car company, there's a good chance they want some sense of exclusivity about.

Lamborghini, as a company, too had a desire in making heavily desired exclusives. It seems to be their forte, because when they come, it's always the kind of car that the younger generation dream of, with an added bonus of being memorable. It's the charm of Lamborghini that allows this somehow: even their prototypes that won't go on have this trait strong. In this period: it's the Miura Concept, which is essentially a modernized Miura shell on a Murcielago underpinnings.

One such car produced in 2010 would be the first of these exclusives to make use of the Gallardo instead. Revealed on the 2010 Paris Motor Show, Lamborghini unveiled a track only special, called the Sesto Elemento. Translated, this would mean 'sixth element' in Italian. Looking at the Periodic Table of Elements, this points towards the element C for Carbon: a staple element of what makes up the Sesto Elemento. That's because, aside the Gallardo Superleggera sourced 5.2 liter V10, most of what makes the Sesto Elemento run is construed of carbon fibre. From the body and chassis, to the suspension and transmission.

As a result, while we're stuck with the Gallardo V10 (which I've seemed to praise rather strongly over there), the car's 571 horsepower has to instead work with a body that barely weighs in a ton. It would mean the car's performance numbers too would be off the charts. 0-60 in 2.5 seconds, and a top speed of 220 MPH.. with the agility provided by the car weighing about a ton, it's no wonder this thing was a beast in Hot Pursuit 2010.

To measure how much a beast the car is in here, the game rates the car at 936 PI: just barely in the middle of S2. Placed in one of the two car classes made for S2 known as Extreme Track Toys, the Sesto's closest rivals include the Porsche Motorsports 935 and the KTM X-BOW GT2. Speaking of beast, the car's one of the lucky few that's received a Forza Edition: an awe inspiring maniac whose handling physics rival that of a modern LMP car in an arcade racer, though at the cost of being placed at the top of the class without much else to add from.

While the car's not exactly easy to get, because all 20 planned models of the car's already sold out, here in Mini Mexico, your own Sesto Elemento can be claimed after a steep 2,500,000 credits deposit to your nearest Autoshow. The Auction House channels their inner Sundowner however, as the people having Sestos on auction ask how a honest warmonger supposed to make a living? The most common buyout comes at a 3,438,000 credits expenditure. I've spotted cheapest Sestos at 2,852,000 credits.. I'm sticking with the Autoshow, but perhaps you can try your luck in bidding and/or sniping.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

It's a fully carbon realized car that's supposedly not allowed to drive on these streets, so we should be good respectable members of the community and test it on a closed, officially sanctioned track. Around this miniature sized Mexico, where else can that be aside Horizon Mexico Circuit?

No matter if it's here or in GT World, it's a known certified COTW fact that blue MINIs eat FC RX-7s for whatever meal of their choosing.. I'd say tea time.


"A circuit that is well-balanced for rookies and veterans alike, the Horizon Mexico Circuit is the ideal place to hone your racing skills and thrill the crowds."


Thrill the crowds? I guess repeated runs of the Test are able to do that.

I'm real familiar with this circuit, because, uhh, y'know. But what the track offers is a rather balanced provision of performance. You have speed portions, elevation changes and hairpins, spread in a well balanced manner about the venue. I'd say it leans more towards handling cars, however.

This isn't Sant'Agata Bolognese, but I believe there's a lot I can do in a venue I probably ran more miles at than anyone.. before they announce it that is.


There's a lot of elements (pun intend) from the Sesto Elemento that you can find on the next Lamborghini V10 flagship that is the Huracan. But what the Huracan isn't is a complete lightweight track beast: something you don't find with the base car, but with every proceeding special that car gets. It means there's something done in this body style and engine combo that's done incredibly right. This game is not the place to find that out, but I want to see what (I'm about to say 'elements' again) traits the car has that I can find correlation should the car find itself me driving it again, though in a less arcade situation.

Hop on in an incredibly rare Lamborghini, and you will see this well exposed front of the car, with a semi-claustraphobic sense of being surrounded in lightweight carbon fibre. I hope you're not claustraphobic, and I also hope you know it doesn't mean you're afraid of Santa Claus. Anyhow, the car only has two colors: carbon with a tinge of red, and combine that with a HUD that's the inbetween of a Lamborghini limited edition supercar, and their racecar's digital display. I also dig the inverse wheel cover color, but all this mystique and charm is ruined by the fact this idea's not carried over to future super limited Lambos. Though, the identity of the car still remains strong regardless.

So tell me.. what does 550 horsepower, no aspiration and a lot of downforce contribute to? If you said lack of acceleration, then here: you earned yourself a pat on the back. It's perhaps the car's biggest flaw: for the Forza meta it finds itself leaning towards the niche of being too underpowered for a lot of the racing you do.. unless you go to hellholes like Cathedral Circuit. Even here in the Horizon Mexico Circuit, the car I feel starts to lag by the top end it can reach. In S2, that's about 180 MPH, and it really makes me wonder: how did they reach that touted 220 MPH top speed? Maybe a quick trip to the Nardo Ring or Ehra Lessien?

Being in Extreme Track Toys means that what we're getting is going to be a monster of traction, grip and overall turning. If that's what you looked for in the Sesto, then you surely won't be disappointed. It's quite an on rails racer that'll reward the patient, disciplined racer. And I'd say there's more good, but you know what I think?

I think: I am disappointed, and it's mainly because I took my sweet time actually looking at the Gallardo we had at that other venue last week. There's quite a few quirks that the Sesto seemed to have inherited from the base car. No, silly: it's not the FWD driving style you have to adopt to make great use of.

Hurr, but how, you and your IQ divided by half may ask?

It's not when you're obeying the speed limit where it's wrong.. but it's when you push the car like that montage song from Scarface. And with the knowledge of pushing the 'Candy Lam'borghini last week is when I, and hopefully you too will realize.. there. There it is. That understeer. And that unsettling of the car when you do some rigorous downshifts. Traits that really put me off the car when we raced the Gallardo. So much so, I hopped on the Carrera GT, and that car's WAY better to drive. But I am me who likes danger in cars it appears, so feel free to not take this seriously.

Although, let's go to what's good. It's AWD, so no issue in traction. Whatever understeer the Gallardo you can imagine is definitely muted (though understeer in general is perceived as way worse here than in GT world). And it's not hard to drive. The brakes are good. The low speed talents it has makes it able to skim through tight city circuits with little problem. I think it has an okay reaction to curbs, which earns a point considering what the car is.

To the track.. umm. Well I know my way around here. So much so that I can do things like take the final corner with a straight up send. But if I were to say this is the perfect car for this venue, I'd be lying. It's those negative Gallardo traits popping up that ruins it for me. But I'd also be lying to say this car is terrible here. Quite certain anyone, be it a newbie or a bona fide Horizon Superstar's bound to have a good time hot lapping the Sesto around here.

With no resto for the wicked-o(?), and a stench of pesto, my session with the Sesto provided a 56.734 besto.

It's weird that Rivals resetted my time.. I remember grinding my way to a 52 second time for that 'S2 Class Elite' Accolade, and it's just gone. Least if I didn't get it then, I got it now with the Sesto's top 2% performance.

I had a goal to go under 57, and I'm pretty satisfied with my rather ehh runs here. Can I cut another second? Perhaps not with my current skill level, but I feel this is a car you really have to tune to make work.. scary how similar this is to what I think about the Gallardo.

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Y'know how cool would it be to see a Mad Max styled Lamborghini? Unfeasible yes, but you can't help but imagine.


The week's Single Player Challenge is an interesting one. It's also the reason why you're getting this writeup not at the weekend.

All we gotta do is build the Sesto Elemento for any Rivals event and drive it so well that it sets a top 1,500 Rivals time. Seems easy enough.

But I'm going unpredictable. What do you see in that preview picture? Yup: in the guise of the upcoming Huracan Sterrato, I have built an S1 off-roading Sesto. That's the easy part. The difficult part is getting that super respectable 1,500 rivals time, and double down on what I've done to this track special.

THe picture shows you Caldera Sprint: probably the easiest place to get a time. But not a good time, as my latest and grandest attempt ended up with a 110,000th position. I need to cut like 7 seconds, and there ain't no way that's happening.

These bozos are fast. Well, time to find a new track..

Little did I know these last bunch of words would mean a venture across the whole of the map looking for a track I want to do, and even do so with an off-roader's that's not so viable.

But let's skip ahead to today, where I found the perfect place. That place was..

Airfield Cross Country Circuit. Is this Flight Week 110 ready for take-off?


And I had a big brain idea that would end up paying off. That idea was to instead bring the Sesto Elemento up to off-roading S2. That means CLK-GTRs, Bad to the Blades and Hoonigan RS200s to contend with. Am I shooting myself in the foot by creating a car for No Man's Land?

Mayybee?

After a grind of what seems to be a time past laps with the Unimog, I have suceeded.

This 50.523 lap is the quickest I've ever been around Airfield Cross Country Circuit. And it was hectic, to put it lightly. You can also see while it's not spectacular, the criteria of this week's 'basic as nails but SPD really cursed it up' challenge met.

On the mood to find this Sesto's besto? If the picture above's not loading up, look for position 1,455 for S2 at Airfield Cross Country Circuit.

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Another V10 beauty of engineering written up. Let's finish.

So, what is the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento? It is..

Gruppe Sechs.

Because for some reason the bad of the Gallardo retains to this ultimate form, the base car's an easy Neutral.

But after the time I took, I had a quick feel of the Forza Edition madhouse, and I cannot give it the same rating.

It fixed everything that I had problem with the base Sesto Elemento, thus earning its nice Sleeper wings. Not to mention there's no similar feeling like going around tight banked corners at 180 MPH in this realm.

After some of that Gruppe Sechs, the runs I had with this car around the Horizon Mexico Circuit had me consider who are the sad little piggies I have to round up on the next time I'm going to do Tests.

And thanks to the Trial this week, I have the Jordan Luka Camaro back in my sights.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Another 2011 machine for this week, from the heavyweight AWD Raptor, to the lightweight, AWD Lamborghini Sesto Elemento.

Translated to English, it stands for “Sixth Element” and if you need a quick refresher, here’s the first 6 on the Periodic Table of Elements.

The First Element: Hydrogen
The Second Element: Helium
The Third Element: Lithium
The Fourth Element: Beryllium
The Fifth Element: Is a 1997 Action/Sci-fi movie starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman and Milla Jovovich.
It’s also Boron.
The Sixth Element is Carbon, which should clue you into the main material used in this ultra lightweight version based on a 2011 Gallardo running gear.

Taking Colin Chapman’s mantra of ‘Simplify and add lightness.’ to a logical extreme, if it could be removed, it was, if it couldn’t, it was made as light as possible.

That red cover below the plate? That’s the gearbox housing for the 6 Speed Automated Manual gearbox that the Gallardo uses.

It sends all 562hp from the Gallardo’s 5.2 litre V10 to 4 corners, and because it’s a track only car IRL, it’s on slick tyres too.

So AWD, Weighs just under 1 ton, slick tyres and 562hp pushing it along, it may feel underpowered in S2 when compared to all the monstrous powerhouses that run amok there, but it makes full use of every last one of those 562 ponies.

2.5 seconds to 60mph, 5.2 seconds to 100mph, those are good numbers by today’s standards, but back in 2011, those were scary numbers that rivalled the Veyron.

As for handling, while it can understeer at the limit(Built in understeer by the manufactures to stop would-be hero’s from sending it too hard and sliding off the track backwards.), You really have to push it to get to that point.

The brakes, combined with the slicks and low weight slices off speed, to the point you find yourself going later and later on the brakes in the braking zones to see if you can still get away with it.

As for upgrades, 885hp is the most you can get with the turbos added, but you can drop in a 4.7 Racing V12 from the Ferrari F50 GT.

It cuts nearly 160lbs off an already light car, you lose 15ft-lbs, but gain nearly 180hp to 750hp.

Better still, you can bolt on turbos, punch it it to 6.0 litres displacement and nearly 1200hp.

It turns the 2.5 million credit Sesto into a serious S2 machine, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the utterly psychotic Forza Edition of the Sesto Elemento.

It starts at the top of S2, but most get sent into X class as that’s where it really gets nutty.

Take everything I said about the standard Sesto and add a 4 Wheel Steering system on the rear tyres, make it more grippy and even lighter, combine that with the fully upgraded Racing V12 and you have a car that very few cars can come close to in terms of all round performance in X class.

Even now, only the Hot Wheels Bad To The Blade is a real threat to it.

Overall, it’s a pricey, but capable hellraiser to battle in S2 with.

Verdict: Sleeper 😉👍

Just before I forget..

Rocosa Sprint in S2 Class.

 

[Obelisk]

I sure picked a heck of a car to rejoin the sim wheel experience on FH5... And after taking a single lap of the Horizon circuit with it, the only thing I could think to say was "Oh my [Famine] God, this thing is a monster!" So let's try to evaluate this thing.... Coming in at S2 936, the Sesto Elemento (Seventh Element - Carbon) is a track-focused Lamborgini with a single word in mind: "light".

Omitting even seats (and having non-adjustable cushions in their stead), the car basically has transformed from a supercar into a... well, just a shell of a car made of carbon fibre.

It... It really comes through in how it drives. The Sesto is an incredibly composed car, to the point that even some extreme cars above it in the class seem clumsy by comparison. The steering is very talkative, rapid and direct. The suspension and tyres are matched perfectly to the car's needs, and it's surprisingly hard to upset the thing on any tarmac surface. Gearing is nicely spaced, meaning very few corners will ever feel like they're in-between.

Brakes are very powerful, and I could not find a way to get them to lock up at the Horizon circuit. You can trail brake deep into corners, then point-and-shoot out the exits with ludicrous AWD traction.

Mind you, this is all the stock car. It can be pushed up to S2 998 (or cheesed down to S1, given the shenanigans SPD got up to), and it even has an FE car that is (to this day) so in-demand on the Auction House that it's still getting very good buyout prices.

I can't call this thing a sleeper. It's not hiding anything. It's a monster that's played all of its cards and still wins.

Neutral.

 

[Obelisk]

The base Sesto Elemento has gone back to the depths of hell it came from with a Neutral rating... just barely. It'll come back some day, I suppose - we only officially covered the base car, not the FE.

This week's car is on the opposite end of the spectrum. It's the...

1970 Datsun 510!

And to test the base car, we'll be running it at the Bola Ocho Circuit.

As a throwback to the FH3 and FH4 days, we'll be including the car's Preset - rated at A 787. We'll run this preset at Valle del Rio Sprint.

---

Are you happy with Forza's Presets? You probably aren't - don't give me that look, I know I'm telling the truth. The question is, can you do better?

Your ~Single-Player Challenge~ is another build/run challenge. You have a versatile base in the Datsun 510, so let's go make a tasteful sleeper build for B 700, then complete any Midnight Battle Rivals Event with a time in the top 2,000.

When submitting your entry:

• Include the share code
• Include the Rivals track and your final time
• A short, simple write-up (maybe a few sentences at minimum) of your build and a picture of your 510. Some topics to think about: what went into it, what your thinking was, and how you feel about your car.

I'll have a third party (cough @XSquareStickIt cough) read our writeups and select a winner. The winner gets to pick the nomination for the thread's April 3rd update.

 

[05XR8]

I cry. One of my favourite cars of all time. Dimes were as common as Beetles on the Bronx streets when I was in my teens.
Not sure I'm going to get Horizon for PS5. So, I have to press my face against my tablet screen as you all have fun.

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 111 - Datsun 510

Would you bet there'd be a classic sedan that'll dethrone the Ford Cortina in my book? Would you like to believe the car best suited to this madness would be this one right here?


Ahh, the 510. Also known mainly as the Nickel-Dime, but I always refer to it as its original designated name: Bluebird. Today it appears I have to reveal my love towards this boxy sedan that doubles as one of my most special cars in Forza.. birthed around 14 years ago when I had a brief stint playing Forza Motorsports 3. Even Past SPD knew what a small lightweight sedan means in the long run, with nominations towards the Hakosuka and the Ford Cortina.

Why haven't I shared you this at all? It's not that I've forgotten, but.. maybe it's lack of self esteem? This is a pre-GTPlanet era of me I have to delve back towards.

Before being Nissan's low cost sales front, back in the 60s, Datsun at the time was Nissan's Infiniti: being an off-brand used to make sales exports to outside Japan. In that era, the eyes of the world were keeping a keen eye on the booming US car market, being riddled full with cars of all kinds that's gotten a hint or two about success... except for Japan.

Come in Yutaka Katayama, A.K.A. Mr. K. While being better known for his work on the Z432 and the Z family in general, he had a look at Nissan's efforts in selling cars abroad. He shared an intent that this RWD sedan that's meant to compete with BMWs of similar intent that it should have a nice performance powerplant inside it. To say he insists is to be putting it rather lightly, as he accentuated the fact that good design and performance is key to keeping their foothold in the US market then. It truly was the atrocity that kept their war going.

Fortunately for Nissan, at this time, they recently acquired the Prince Motor Company. Now what this is going to do is allow Nissan to make good use of their racing tech that was the best in Japan at the time, more specifically their carburetored single overhead cam engines that made its way to the Hakosuka. But alongside that, since the Hakosuka was technically a Prince Motor Company offering, Nissan too wanted in, and what better to kill two birds with one stone than putting said SOHC engine into the Bluebird they've been exporting, allowing them to shut Mr. K up.

The result of this was the Datsun 510: a 970 kilogram 2 door fully monocoque sedan with a 96 horsepower SOHC inline 4 going through a sporty 4-speed manual. It also has disc brakes and a specially built chassis, though the most notable trait however wasn't these: but it's the suspension. The car's independent suspension would end up as standard for a lot of Nissan cars moving forwards due to the car's handling being excellent, not to mention user friendly as well.

This combined with having a 1/5 of the price of one similar BMW 2002 or Alfa Giulia means it's the easiest decision ever if you had to choose, giving it the moniker of the first ever Japanese export that made a boom in the US market, and also European market in a smaller scale, that is.

That much a boom, yeah? Now defined here by fans and enthusiasts to call it as Nickel-Dime, this puny sedan's become a classic, even before the classic race dominating Hakosuka came to be.

Speaking of race winning, the car's known to be quite threatening on the track too, with a competitive record in both SCCA Trans Am and safari rallies in the early 70s. Moreover, these successes of the Bluebird's development and innovation would give way to the birth of what many call Datsun's halo car: the 240Z/Z432. More on that when it gets nominated, here or there.

If you're expecting a lot more PI, you're going to need to reaffirm where your thinking of that comes from. The sole Datsun carries a PI of 264. Its position of Cult Cars, being a class that's stuck in D, is rather middling, and strangely uncontested outside a tuned version. That small number also relates to the pricing, with a low low cost of 25,000 credits to get you your own from the Autoshow. Minor savings can be had in the Auction House, where most common and lowest paying buyouts come at 13,000 credits.

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Shaking the magic 8-ball in terms of our track choice, we find out that very ball has to be rigged as the D20 icosahedron rolls forth Bola Ocho Circuit.

The people of this downscaled Mexico are onse with no fear.. or no sense of knowing the dangers of heavy monsoon rains.


"A small figure-eight circuit located around the Estadio José Aguilar in the southern part of Guanajuato. A steep hill provides the elevation change for the cross-over."


We've been around Bola Ocho a few times already. Nothing here but another annoying tight track circuit in Guanajuato. That does mean handling is king, overtaking is a nightmare, and your brakes better be good. Sounds more like a hot lapping place? I think that's what me in the Mercedes-AMG ONE hasn't quite realized yet then.

It's also got a figure 8 shape, but not exactly akin to a number 8. Looking back at my notes on said Mercedes-AMG ONE, some filler I put in was that Bola Ocho means 8-Ball. This double as a strange choice in naming.. as well as why did I look that up then?

Small car, with small numbers, doing its best on a small track, means it's going to be a lovely run? Well, I don't know, stop staring at these picture footers and scroll down there!


Past SPD reminds me that when it comes to D class cars, nothing comes close to the NA2 Miata and the Lotus Cortina to pure joy from cars at this class. But then again: there's a lot we have to discover at the jungle, but whatever animal we capture, it's going to be compared to the Cortina: a verified Top Sleeper in my books (and also one of my favorite cars of this class in its entirety). That means if there's that.. sense of cruelty that comes from my words, don't even be surprised.

A car with history would mean there's a story even as you drive it from the inside. The big tall window up front's a welcome sight (see what I did here). But stay a while inside and look at some of the obvious funny little things about. There's a whole button (or is it a pull switch?) that gives control over the car's wipers. Not to mention a big red light for a seatbelt warning. What a quirky little interior. Although a bit lacking in terms of what's about. I see only one vent for airconditioning, if I can even say that's what that is. Not to mention I don't quite know what that thing in the right side of the display's supposed to be.

So, first thing.. the car's a nice small classic sedan, but take it around a bend, and you can perhaps hear some tire squealing. It's also a heavy, weighted sensation, despite the fact we don't have a ton to work with. That's odd? You want to know what's odd? This is an experience I felt in the past.. it's the Hakosuka, of course! Particularly when I nominated the now fabled Boxzilla in GT Land. The tall clearance. The thin rubber. The slow gradual loss of rear grip. The oversteery profile. All this, all shared.

Considering that the Bluebird is also a Nissan in heart and soul does mean this relation is easier to explain than normal. That also means when I do play Caught In The Game like what I did with the Hakosuka, it seems to match the Datsun quite well too. The song choice boiled down to my days in the past watching Rocky, since Survivor is a frequent musical choice in those films. Yes, boxing. That too. The time I got started working with the Bluebird in a past Forza was that turbulent time. Me, getting into university, doing a degree in math.. listening to 80s music.

Enough distractions! Now, with this oversteer, you might be thinking to be extra careful, right? Yes.. and no, actually. It's not so killer that it'll slip you out to the next branch of Barry R in an instant. This is D class for crying out loud. We get this sensation in last week's Sesto Elemento, and it's straight to the Beater bin for it. Although, speaking of car classes, while you might think it's just oversteer due to handling, we do have this tinge of power oversteer to go with. It's a one two jab of the rear going wherever it pleases, but since it's gradual and sluggish, it's nothing you Horizon Superstars can't block since it's always aimed at one place. You just gotta block, is all.

The next address would cover the transmission. It's a 4 speed manual that usually finds use in the first three. It also carries the unfortunate perk of having the rear slip out when shifting down.. something I don't think I've observed in the Hakosuka. Dilligent use of the shifter's a key trait you need if you want to maximize this car's potential. You really don't want to be caught short shifting in this car, since the climb of power's not quite like future Nissan classics. Moreso that we're still in the middle of D class. Speaking of which.. I really can't find a measure of how well the car accelerates due to this staying in limbo.

Any other problems? Well.. much as I hate to keep flooding you guys with issue after issue, they're luckily not THAT impactful, to the least. Well, this last one, I promise, involves curbs. While the car's a known figure for safari rallies in the 70s, it better have a custom suspension there, because in the road going car, it seems to dislike curbs, having a moment akin to reacting towards a well executed plot twist on the telly. This is strange, mainly because if I'm to follow the Hakosuka's notes, tall car means it should take these alright. Again, like the oversteer, it's not terrible, but be wary when upping the car a level or two.

Haha, I'm covering brakes last. Funny how the twist turns this week. They're disc brakes, with enough stopping power for general use, but comes with a caveat that it'll lock your back up with angular applications. Guhh, another piece of advice involving losing the rear?? Godzilla and his cake, I suppose. This seems like the perfect kind of car to get you started in oversteer.. if you aren't exposed to the C8 Corvette and the GR Supra so soon.

There's not much I want to say about Bola Ocho that I've already said. The Datsun will have to make do with these wide, potentially cluttered curbs that make up a good portion of the track's racing line, unfortunately. This is the risk we run racing in Guanajuato, after all. Not to mention we're in a much slower car than the last time we're here.

Despite the car's position as a low class car in performance generally, I don't think it's as friendly as the Hakosuka ended up being for a classic car. It's a perfect starting point on learning what oversteer is, how they happen, and what you need to do to deal with it. They come in stages anyone can see coming a league away.

My grind with the Datsun came to a best result of 1:09.942.

I'm generally not so proud of this time. There's definitely a second or two to trim here for sure with better use of the transmission. Not to mention D class, despited holding on to some incredible potential, is BORING.

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Now for the sequel, we have to level up the car to A, but not in the usual way. Instead, we have to attune the car to a tuning Preset.

To explain Presets.. it's a method to bring the car up with an ingame suggestion of conversions, based on a common use-case of the car in real life. Such examples I can think of are complete off-roading conversions for large trucks, drag setups for classic muscle cars, the full rally monte for suitable rally cars and a whole body work and engine upgrade for tuners.

The only limit is what's being offered, so expect swaps in engines, drivetrains and aspirations. Generally it's to better achieve a purpose for anyone to get a step up without the difficult faff of putting things in the shopping cart.. but I have some complaints on this whole schtick.

It's an old car, but you know deep in your heart that it's not wrong to say it grew up.


In this case, the little bluebird receives a stanced out bodykit, roll cage, and an engine swap: the iconic RB26DETT from the Skyline R34. A look closer with your magnifying glass, and you'll also see.. removed bumpers, widened semi-slicks with custom rims, race transmission clutch and diff (strangely not the driveline), full on racing parts on the car's brakes, roll bars and weight reduction, as well as a sports intake.

The final result, as shown in the stats table, is 787 PI 337 horsepower, 2075 lbs and a handling stat of 1.7 Gs. At the higher side of A-class, this is.. alright for handling.

I say it's very odd to omit a lot of what makes a car viable. I'm tired of bashing great first trys at Eventlab.. let's bash this poor attempt at suckering noobs into thinking they can win with a Bluebird that can't fly so far. Honestly, not putting the car at the top of the class is heresy at best. Not to mention the raising of PI on using wider front tires on non-FWD drivetrains is generally frowned upon, though let this final piece of advice be something to remember for those coming here from PS5.

Despite all that, with these swanky new shoes, let's make haste for a quick dash at Valle del Rio Sprint.

Time to ask: how do you ruin the view of a beautiful jungle road with challenging turns and well placed walls?

..

..

Don't even think about it, pal.


"This route starts off fast as you descend into the valley and over the river, before heading back up and into the jungle to take on some challenging hairpins. The approaching view of the Gran Puente is truly one to marvel at!"


I think these venues that are added post release are to cater for the ever growing meta of cars that either have to be powerful, or be able to fly through the corners. This track has the latter all over it, with that hugely technical later portion that follows a sort of speedy part with some hard turns. Okay, I guess it is a technical course.

Nothing else to say about it, really. All what's left to do is run it.

Am I still having trouble deciding what car gets Blue Oyster Cult's Godzilla as a theme song?

Honestly, I am. Though, to narrow it down.. behind the scenes, the BNR32 is getting Oxyacetalene, and the BNR34 is getting Time's Running Out.

First I must preface I'm using the Preset from the get go, so there's no amazing traits or perfect drives I can produce from tuning the car further that'll get detailed here. Also: I'd not leave the car at 787 PI, so there's your proof by intent, if you can believe me. Now that's done..

Let's launch this second portion with the launch (I know, very lame, SPD). The RB26DETT isn't a big heavy engine but is one with oodles of power coming out. Thanks to this, the upped Bluebird gets a launch I say is quite respectable, and well balanced.

But now I'm going to complain.. despite the wider stance that I'm sure anyone knows means more surface area, and the fact we got better rubber, the car still wants the same gradual oversteer the stock car still has.

It doesn't want peace.. it wants problems, always, it seems. And since I'm in my tuned car glasses on, I am going to nag. How much? We'll see how much.

The most glaring issue that's not the gradual oversteer.. let's see.. it's the understeer. This is 1.7 Gs? I bring this car to the Test, and I will NOT enjoy it, I swear to you. I have cars that takes turns at 1.6 Gs and can do much better.

And how about a revisit to the issues laid out a few weeks ago by the Cayman GT4: it's a tiny car with inconsistent handling. It's a really rigid, on rails, but generally forced feeling. 'Checkpoint Missed' has become the norm for my first few attacks on this titan.

The wide kit should help with grip, I said. Oooh. Honestly, the further I go down this writeup, the more I risk my sanity and become a pretty tough boss in a Souls game. Anyhow.. the car now has a new enemy thanks to its new low slung kit: elevation. It seems like it's frequently bottoming out the back.

Next.. the car is prone to doing mini-drifts.. this is a bad because we're not in Need For Speed Unbound.

The brakes too, while upped to racing, seem to lock up. The importance of tuning, ladies and gentlemen..

It's now just pictures of this car in the trash bin now from this point on. Well, I did tell you tuned car glasses SPD is pretty nasty? Did I even say that? Anyways.. the point of upping a car is to make a car shine more in the purpose its given. I'd say going from D to A is a steep step up, despite coming with the right parts in most ways.

So, an SPD top tip.. when you're asking Forza to make you a tuned preset, you can, but I implore you shouldn't. This car's just one example of however many more are there for me to not enjoy, which means: HOW DARE YOU, you're not getting a time.

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This week's Single Player Challenge takes us to a similar, but perhaps more of an undertaking than last week's, though it's a much lesser car that we're handling.

Now, what's to be done is as follows: build a B class Datsun (doesn't say for rally or road, but I pick road because this is a very very special car for me after all) under the theme of 'tasteful sleeper'. Then set a top 2000 time at the B-class Rivals event of any Midnight Battle. Hmm, alright. That definitely means a road build then.

I must then also share the tune, the time, the track, and give a short and simple write-up. To be honest: the real challenge here is the write-up. How am I supposed to keep it short and simple? Like I said: kids are cru-the car is very special to me in the realm of Forza. Having a need to force my hand, words are indeed coming in full force.

Read it and weep.


Let's begin with my style. I'm going with throwback to the time I first discovered the magic of Forza: blue with black bonnets. I don't know what inspired this initially all those years ago.

Now, as I recall that era.. I had a 510 that's made for S2, which at the time was filled with the late 2000s GT500 race cars. So what else do I have to do but make my Datsun look as much a racecar as it could.. to me at the time, it's 3 random sponsors on the side of the car. What they were? I guess one of them was Quaker State. But let's not stray too long then; what they are now is a racing number, the Datsun badge and the obligatory Simoniz logo. Bumpers are gone because we don't need them.. they'd probably be there if we're doing A-class.

And due to said unimportance, that means no AWD, no race slicks, and a very careful choice of what to get to reach that PI limit. Its importance is marginally less on a B-class car.

Back to style: this is a color combo that I've sneakily put on another car in my GT7 COTW fiction that reminds me of an almost forgotten past. I'll just say it to save you the effort of finding it: it's a certain Z432 with a dodgy history as it's under the hands of a certain amnesiac heroine to be, as seen on the weeks with the Hakosuka, EG-II Civic and the R5 Turbo. That silly cockney lassie's meant to herald the future of what I plan to do.

To the tune: well, going past C, the L16 isn't going to fly this time around. So comes the time.. the time to swap the engine. Choices include the K20A inline 4 VTEC of an EP3 Civic, the S50 inline 6 of an E36 M3, the RB26DETT inline 6 of a Skyline R34, and the commonly found turbo rally engine. It's a no brainer choice I went to the RB26DETT, of course. It was the only good part of that horrid Preset earlier.

Other than that, there are no other conversions present. You are still getting an RWD lightweight sedan with great handling.. perhaps even made better since I've made it with fully adjustable race parts. But not all: you don't need race brakes or sports tires on such a low class. Power is lo mas importante in these lower classes, and 'semi-powerbuilds with drivability' are what people go for. And me too, but I'm going with difficulty out the window as an issue. As a result, it's 349 horsepower with under a ton to lug with. That's more power than the 787 PI Preset, meaning it's automatically better.

On to the drive: it's oversteery, but also manageable. The throttle is at this fine line between drift and race that reeks the kind of cars you get in its time period. But one major benefit of the engine swap is how hilarious the car can truly take off on the straights. Maybe not powerbuild, Ford Deuce Coupe or Shelby Daytona Coupe hilarious, but I feel a contender's in this car.

With all that explained, I should share what this looks like: a grassroots classic racecar. With a good powerplant standing strong through a stick shift, general appointment of parts that don't scream top of the line modern intervention, and a simple muted color scheme, I'd say it's a.. umm.. tasteful sleeper? Any more tasteful, and I probably would paint it Candy Red or something. I'm making proud of me all those years ago by not making a tasteless AWD weapon ran on slicks and made of stupid.

After some time refining, here's the Share Code..

Now the track:
My choice boils down to the process of elimination. I chose not the Celica's Midnight Battle due to the dirt paths, and not the Mustang Mach 1's because Guanajuato. The Murcielago's one I also don't want to do because it literally is just Valle del Rio Sprint but the other way round. The main giveaway is due to the horrid experience with the Preset, I'm not doing that.

That leaves us with the most sensible of all choices.. and the one I'm sure you all will take too in 1984 Honda Civic.

The nights of Mulege I hear are nice, chill and generally cozy, especially at Christmastime. Man, they are in for a big surprise, huh?


"Race through the Mexican Jungle and the picturesque town of Mulege."


More specifically: we start off the jungle just north of the airfield, and drive in Mulege, and then out of it eastbound. I'm peeved they're calling the CR-X Mugen a Civic, but I won't judge it.

No analysis here, but the time for those who want to get under 2,000th is around the 2:14.3XX range.

I wonder if anyone in this unfortunate town's willing to peek out the window expecting a Godzilla era Skyline, but was smackledorf'd into seeing this little Bluebird making that iconic shout instead?

So, I've managed to etch out a run with a 2:13.439 time on 1984 Honda Civic (if you don't like the format these Midnight Battles are going with, you gotta bear with me, alright??), which is enough for 1316th. That's challenge taken care of.

I'd be lying if I said I can't get any better. I really feel there's a second somewhere I can cut. Perhaps if I need to do a Test of sorts, this place can work for B road. I'll put a pin on that in my head.

Since this has been going on long enough, let's end.

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So, what is the Datsun 510? It is..

RUUUUNNN! IT'S GODZILLAAA!! It looks like Godzilla, but due to the international copyright laws, it's not.


The Nickel-Dime comes with such great potential hampered by its naturally tail happy self. It isn't as fun as the Cortina..

No question this cheap little car's either the hardest Sleeper or Neutral I've got to decide upon. Literal saved by the tune by a big way, but imagine this boxy sedan going up the likes of entry level sports icons of the 90s. I can go for that limbo spot for an easy way out..

While it's no ways as amazing as the Cortina, I'm rather positive it can follow its footsteps.. or rather.. trail it at close proximity. Sleeper.

And thank you for being a part of my history with this series, little Bluebird.

I sure have a lot of classic Japanese grand tourers in B road. Well, I'm sure there's no surprise Boxzilla's one of them. Somebody nominate this, and I will refer back here post haste.

 

[Vic Reign93]

The stock time.

The Preset time

The Datsun 510, on the face of it, a regular old 70’s sedan with 96hp from a 1.6 OHC Inline 4 with twin carburettors, a 4 speed manual gearbox and an open rear diff, but it’s simplicity hides a few tricks of the trade.

Front disc brakes, 4 wheel independent suspension and a total kerb-weight of under 1 ton on the majority of models meant the 510 had some pep to its performance and with strong factory backing, the 510 set its sights on the world of rallying and the under 2.5 litre class in the SCCA.

But the Datsun 510 real world successes have already been showcased here so i’m gonna flip the script and talk about the 510’s impact in the world of Forza, specifically FM3.

Debuting in Forza Motorsport 3, it would go on to be the 2nd most popular car in the whole game, only falling behind the also debuting Bugatti Veyron.

How you may ask?

Well the 510 quickly developed a certain reputation in the FM3 Drag Racing community, one of it being absolutely monstrous fast and absolutely hated because not much could touch it.

To such an extent, some folks were vote kicking anyone who turned up in one to drag race.

You drop in the R34 GT-R engine, swap to awd, throw on the best parts, fine tune it and boom, you had a lightweight all wheel drive car with over 900hp capable of sub-9 second 1/4mile runs and 1 mile runs in under 21 seconds and at over 230+mph.

So yeah, talk about hitting the Forza ground running for the little 510.

In FH5 in stock form it is a little loose on the rear on corner entry and you’ll also feel the open diff spinning the inside wheel while you’re trying to keep the momentum up.

The preset builds I’m convinced are designed to encourage folks to tune themselves as you’ll likely find something to gripe about, in my case, the gearbox ratios.

If it were a 5 speed gearbox, it’d actually be decent, but it’s a 6 speed and short of running on the Hot Wheels Map, it’s about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

In summary, It’s a dirt cheap entry (13k auction buyout or 25k Autoshow.) to a car with a once infamous reputation in world of Forza and a well known motorsports reputation in the real world.

Certainly earned its Cult Classic title.

Verdict: Sleeper 😉👍

And on the subject of Sleepers..

The SPC Time set on the 1984 Honda Civic Midnight Battle, Tune Code is 906 632 565.

The theme was Tasteful Sleeper, but I wasn’t giving up the BRE livery, so I decided to compensate for it in the performance visuals.

Reinforced the frame, but didn’t put a roll cage in, no weight reduction, no bumpers removed, no widebody and it was on Street tyres.

Now I did swap out the motor, but to keep it in the spirit of the stock motor, I dropped in the Honda K20A and left it naturally aspirated, but massaged up to 285hp.

So at a glance you might think it’s a tastefully done show-car and nothing more, but with pretty much triple the stock power and slightly less weight despite the chassis reinforcement, it’s more than just a pretty face.

So it’s a Tasteful tribute to the BRE 510’s, but also a deceptively quick Sleeper too.