Horizon Car Of The Week

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 112 - Ariel Atom 500 V8

If you'd define a car to have 4 wheels and a body, then can you tell me what the hell this is?


Back in 1996, university lecturer Simon Saunders had an idea to make what he calls the modern era Lotus 7. Known then as Solocrest Ltd, he put quite a considerable amount of work that eventually led to it being perhaps the biggest hit of the British Motor Show of the same year. This effort would end up with him collaborating with the likes of Ford via Aston Martin, Stewart GP, Tom Wilkinshaw Racing and British Steel to help him create what's then called the LSC, or Lightweight Sports Car.

Name originality out of the picture, what came would eventually lead to further developments, and in 1999, the road going car would be ready. Named the Ariel Atom, what really took the eyes of the people was the fact it had a notable lack of various parts that you usually see on a car. Shaped solely by a bespoke, home-made chassis, the car has no doors, no windscreen, no body panels, no luxuries.. and perhaps more that's missing I failed to detail. Interestingly, the car, if you would call it that, still retains road legality, as you can see on it a pair of lamps, indicators and a license plate holder.

The car became the ultimate budget track monster.. and somehow it's more well known as the very car that Jeremy Clarkson claims is so quick that it can destroy entire faces.. case in point as he demonstrates just after declaring that in the very episode it makes a star appearance in Ye Olde Top Gear.

As with time and species of nature, the car evolved. With demand of power from its customers, the car would take its original Rover powerplant out for a Mugen tuned Civic's K20A, and eventually supercharged it. But that wasn't enough, it seems. So after releasing a third iteration of the Atom, the next step was to put in a V8. Before you think it's a conventional big block that would sound awesome: no it isn't. It's 3 liter Hartley H1-V8's simply summarized as a pair of Suzuki Hayabusa engines grafted together. It's not like the rumbles of a big block would be fitting on such a car, anyways.

What's more is the presence of a rear spoiler and front wing combo that's keeping this 475 horsepower (odd case of Forza missing the mark that it's called the Atom 500, not 475) featherweight at bay. And speaking of feathers: it only weighs about 650 kilograms, meaning its power to weight ratio was in the realm of hypercars. This combination was enough for the car to take on goliaths in the form of many supercars from the likes of Ferrari and Porsche. In fact, said combination was enough for it to destroy a Bugatti Veyron Supersport's lap time by a whole second-and-a-half at the Dunsfold Aerodrome. This iconic laptime set by The Stig help prompted the future of lightweight track machines to be set in stone.

With a PI of 925, it's evident this little racer is making strides in early S2. There are other Extreme Track Toys it can challenge at stock, such as the all electric Porsche Mission R, fellow British lightweight Radical RXC Turbo and the original Horizon boss car: the Ferrari 599XX. It's also the cheapest Extreme Track Toy available to everyone at the Autoshow, at a solid 200,000 credits price tag. Buyout bandits for this car are however blessed, with a 141,000 most common payout, though more keen eyed for a deal sort of people can end up finding buyouts at a lesser 114,000 credits cost.

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

The Ariel Atom V8 might be a track bred monster, but like I said: kids ar-it's also perfectly street legal, so this week: anywhere's fair game for a test.

When I wrote about the Countryman, it's also the sole in-class cruiserweight. Now with post release content coming in hot, the accuracy of that has shattered thanks to a certain Hyundai and Cupra now joining in it's ranks.


This segment's reserved for track analysis.. honestly, I cannot analyze the whole of this downscaled Mexico. So.. it's up to me to find ways to bring the most out of the car. That also means no Mark of Zen, or Mean Machine designations since they rely on a route to have me announce.

But a car with numbers not on its side is bound to be quite an experience.

I've heard it can slay Bugattis, but maybe a Bolide's just a hurdle too far ahead to even take on with this nasty tiny fair and square.


In real life, Ariel offers the Atom 500 at a price point that's akin to your run of the mill supercar. While I'm quite sure buyer's remorse is going to be a thing for the more general populace, a person who's in it for the thrills and setting lap times that makes mothers go ahhh like it's childbirth are the sort that know they're getting their money's worth in what you can hardly call a car. So, when you think about that 200,000 credits expenditure, I say the Atom ticks a lot of boxes for a no holds barred racer with a small engine that makes those itty bitty credits seem like a million bucks. But not all is perfect. It can't be.

It's what they say: the Atom is minimalist to a T. There's a track car style hud with little buttons, as well as some knobs about with a clear signage of what you want.. hopefully. Sounds to me with the lack of a windscreen, you better have some form of helmet or face covering on while riding this thing at its potential pushed. I know they're trying to keep it low on the calories, but I never like being THAT close to moving parts, be it the car's springs, those tires, or even the bare minimalist pedals under.

Perhaps with thanks to the rear tires, the car's grip and acceleration are unquestionably the strongest aspect of the Atom. So much so that I feel if you want to make the car work in the upper realms of S2, you need to swap. And while I wish we get a nice V8 from.. say.. the Boss from a few weeks back? It's grippy enough that, aside its launch you should correct with a bit of steer, you're in a state that you have do anything violent to let it go loose. At S2, this is pretty commonplace you get something that sticks to the road. It's sort of a must have trait, so I'm glad to announce it's going to fit in nicely.

To me, I find myself heading out of Horizon Baja often and to the road that heads towards the Stadium as my sort of test run for every car weekly. This Atom is a car that weaves through the traffic, and holds on nice and tight through every turn. Not to mention it's all in the region of 150 MPH. As I find myself going up and down the hilly speedy portion, the first roadblock of the car comes forwards: the top end. Push it all the way up to the end of its 6 gear setup, and you'll reach a limited 177 MPH, with the car bouncing away its revs, eager to go further. Sounds like more notes for tuning your Atom, especially after you swap it with the Racing V12. For those who haven't a clue, 170 MPH is the sort of top end for road tuned A class cars.

Perhaps I should limit it to its speciality: low speed, technical drives. The Atom really shines when I bring it about the roads that surround Horizon Festival Mexico. It takes corners without much issue, and with all the grip to spare. It's a handling car, and honestly: this is the mindset you want with the Atom. Although.. I always feel with this car you want more out of it. Like hell of a lot more. More handling can be made. More speed can be churned out. Just generally it's a bit of a let down.

In the context of my old self bringing out SpongeBob related metaphors, consider driving the Atom.. like that episode "Jellyfish Hunter". You driving the Atom in stock form is Mr. Krabs exercise routine that's slaughtering the poor jellyfish for their jelly. And a well tuned one.. it's easily that moment when he tries to get away but can't due to the blasted exercise craze. To explain this: note the position of the Atom in S2.. you can't quite make magic out of it in S1, in rally or road. And if we push it up there.. it's just too brittle to keep up with those bigger boys in their more expensive cars that cost about ten times as much.

Kind of a shame I feel this way. Because on paper: it's excellent. The brakes work amazingly. The car can turn without problem. The traction is manageable. The acceleration is sublime for something that's RWD. Everything about it is just right.

In fact, I gotta tell you: it was perfect. Perfect. Everything. Down to the last minute details. It's a shame, really.. it wasn't ready, or even suited for the world of Forza Horizon.

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

Sorry fellas.

It's Eid, and along these festive times causing my sleep pattern to falter, I must admit that I am behind. Both writing here, and there with the 22B being someone's Signature Car. There's a prime Metal Gear Rising reference there I'm forcing in, and I'm still personally laughing about it.

That all means I do have an excuse to keep this real short.

So, what is the Ariel Atom 500 V8? It is..

I'd like to take his.. his face.. OFF!

At first glance, it's an easy Sleeper.. but when I sort of realize how much Horizon screws it like Cathedral Circuit screws everyone, the Atom's a Neutral. It's a saved by the tune moment.. Next!

Gee, guys. What am I going to do with all these Countrymen.. Countrymans? These amazing things I've been unintentionally hoarding..

No: you can't make them S1, I tried, alright?

 

[Obelisk]

I've been meaning to catch back up on reviews and SPCs - I sincerely apologize for my absence. As some members in here are aware: I've spent the past week and a half planning, buying and transporting a Suzuki Alto Works home... only for the timing belt to skip and annihilate the #1 spark plug and intake valve. And in two days, I have to roll the cripped Alto back on a trailer to go for a rebuild. Joy.

On top of that, our friend and showrunner at GT7 is experiencing a lot of personal difficulties.

I am indefinitely delaying the results of the Datsun 510 SPC to give him the space he needs.

---

We're skipping the SPC again this week as well.

But this week's car should be, on paper, a delight to toss about.

It's the...

1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale!

We'll be taking it on the Cañón Run Street Scene and Baja California Trail Dirt Racing routes!

Let's see what this retro rally wedge does in Horizon!

 

[ScottPuss20]

I actually drove the Stratos quite recently which is funny. For a car from the 70s, it really handles well both on and off-road with a surprisingly good chassis despite the small size. I can control the car very accurately and place it anywhere with confidence. I thought the car would be a total disaster to drive like it is in EA Rally, but no. It was a bunch of fun in both the normal and tuned rally guises.

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 113 - Lancia Stratos HF Stradale

You heard of the phrase 'down and dirty' quite often, has anyone tried the opposite that is 'up and dirty'?


So, in my 22B writeup meant on the other thread, the question I touted to you all to begin with was: "Close your eyes and imagine: what would you say is the most iconic rally car to ever exist?" Now, to say there are right and wrong answers is obvious. But what might not be too obvious is the horde of answers what the right answer is in my eyes. The Stratos definitely fills in on that aspect, quite deservingly so too.

Before Lancia started off with Bertone, apparently they had their car designs from Pininfarina.. of which if you don't know of, you are living under quite that rock, huh? Anyhow, before Bertone, Lancia's prime rally racing model then was the Fulvia.. a Hard-to-find in the game. Now Bertone, instead of being approached by Lancia, found said Fulvia to be quite an intriguing specimen. After acquiring a crashed model, they thought: we can make something out of this already solid rallying base under it.

This project led by Nuccio Bertone and the car designed by Marcello Gandini, the prototype then came up to Lancia's factory in Chivasso, just a few miles out of Turin, and received a grand reception. Called the Stratos Zero, the car began a new trend of Italian wedge cars that took off with the Countach years later. And also: at that moment on, Lancia decided Bertone is the group that'll design their next big winner. And said Stratos Zero will be the car that'll help them.

A year later, in 1971 at the Turin Motor Show, the Lancia Stratos HF would be unveiled under the collaborative names of Lancia and Bertone. I'm sure it's ooh and aahs that follow, since you can say even today the car looks stunning and rather sporty.

However: what instead sparked some emotion would be the car's engine: the Ferrari V6 from their recently released Dino 246 that was just a temporary showroom piece to power the car. But being a perfect fit, they chose not to change that. Thing is.. Enzo Ferrari himself wasn't too keen on calling the Stratos a rival to the Dino 246, causing him to not permit the use of said engine on the car.. up until next year when he finally allows it after some convincing from FIAT, who then owned Lancia, alongside the fact that the Dino's production was done.

And then in 1973, we have what might be a swath of devastation in the rallying world, as Lancia would win WRC for a whole volley of years up until the emergence of AWD came to invade the sport and change the course of its nature.. perhaps even more than this car has. But let's not stray too far off course.

From the street legal Stradale variant itself, you can see a lot of underpinnings from the great mind of Gandini. It's not got a V12, but the car screams Miura. From the design cues, such examples would be the front lid hiding the spare, the rear lid opening all the way, the frameless doors, and the rear louvres. With its naturally aspirated Dino V6 detuned to 190 horsepower, the car's main strength really is its lack of weight due to its fiberglass panels, only weighing in at barely under a ton.

The Stratos blows a cool upper C-class wind at 591 PI.. yet another car I refuse to say is slower than an ND Miata in this game. Speaking of cool: in its Classic Rallys class, the car carries no notable rivals at stock. The closest car nearby would be a car with similar numbers in the original Mk1 Ford Escort. What's more confusing is that the Dino 246 GT that it relates quite strongly towards is a middling C-class car.. one we might not get the chance to ride since it is a Hard-to-find. After some licensing issues themselves, the Stratos, after a strong showing with the pre-release sound preview, can be yours for a 550,000 credits sum out the Autoshow. If you however want it from other going on offer, there are some sparse offers, with 605,000 credits tagged as the most common buyout, but there are some low ballers who wants a 497,000 credits barter as the cheapest.

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

With a car like the Stratos, we'd be wasting its talents if we take on one kind of road. That's what I was thinking when I saw we're taking a double excursion into Mexico's many routes.

First of all, we pounce towards Canon Run.

If anyone wants to know: the Blue Countryman's first exposure in COTW would be in Playa Azul. It's coming home.


"Emerging from Copper Canyon, this route thunders along the forested region of Riviera Maya, opening up to stunning views of the coast and finally arriving at Playa Azul."


Ahh, yes: the speedy jungle laden road leading from Copper Canyon to Playa Azul. Before you nudge me: Playa means beach in Latin or whatever language you got going here.

We've taken a stab here before. It's a mostly speed oriented course with a couple 90 degrees corners hampered by the occasional jungle and wavy roadworks, so... I'm not sure what to expect with a lightweight Italian wedge slash WRC icon.

The Stratos is famous for two things: being a rallying champ, of course, but also a past era rallying champ. Meaning it's quite a chafing pain to drive normally.. and putting it at full send is going to be nasty.


The Stratos is quite a car that doesn't try to be memorable, but unintentionally turns out to be one big fat lie. Like my first thought of the car I remember was about the fact it's smaller than an NA MX-5 (it's this Miata because hurr former owner, remember?), and the fact the V6 it has doesn't really rumble like an ordinary V6.. giving this sensation of sound that you can say is a very high pitched, old school, mechanically aroused V6.

What's to hate on a classic sports car? If not the lack of various things the future holds for cars, how about priorities on dial sizes and what to present on them? While it's the kind of layout you'd see on a modern day MINI, this is NOT a MINI. So if you're worried about how fast you're going, you might have some trouble with your right arm getting in the way. Another notable thing is the lack of just about anything inside that's akin to an air conditioning system... you're not riding in a Lancia like this to feel comfortable. Let them bucket seats merged to the car's body convince you.. I'm sure it's a trend we do also exhibit in the 037, and thankfully not the Delta.

First of all with the Stratos is to take note of its rear happy personality. And thank goodness it's not snap rear happy: it's a gradual, but not so slowly gradual wag out the backside of this 38:62 ratio'd wedge guy. So if you're not a fan of a car that wants you to twitch back into place, you're in luck. It doesn't mean this is a smooth ride, though.

That handling profile really is a major benefit of not being hauled by a ton, followed by how the weight shifting isn't so sudden or nasty. But it's there, and you have to take heed, which means no full turning inputs unless you're really thinking of facing another direction that's not where you're headed. Note that this is on asphalt, so on the dirt might come a different tale.

Speaking of handling, throttle control is going to be a main testing point for drivers of this car. It has a rather open LSD in deceleration, meaning if you let go while turning, you're probably going to also let go of the pace you're headed towards. You always want a bit of throttle on at the minimum to keep it going the right way, be it a hairpin or a big weave. And when you brake.. they're okay, just do it when going straight AND don't put the gears down at a rapid pace, please.

So what else can you gather from a car this aerodynamically beneficial, and with less than a ton to move with? If you figure straight line benefits, here's where I'll confirm you. For however small the numbers are for this car's power and torque, the final portion of the track hints to me that the car's top end, while not amazing, is still remarkable enough to find it might work in places like Canon Run. And I will mention how Canon Run's presence as a Street Race means the lack of barriers and a proper racing line that's on the grass.. although as you should know small numbers don't mix with any number of destructible foliage.

Though, as I investigate more on the car's gearing (that's quite nicely spread and generally tall on the late end), I too then find out the car's filled with adjustable suspension parts on the get go. It explains the hilarious boosted PI then. While there are things I'd like to touch after multiple runs, I must remain honest.

Speaking of gearing: the car has trouble deciding what gear is optimal for turning, especially on corners needing just some small braking. Do you change gear to get better turning, but lose some pace and stability, or stay to keep safe? With this open LSD, you want to trust me and go for the latter. It's what got me the rather alright time I managed to scrounge up.

Notably, the Stratos, however low slung it looks, seems to have no issue in going off-road and taking bumps.. which considering it's accolades is not big surprise. Also what might not be a surprise big not moment here is that the track seems to cater quite well for what the Stratos can give.. alright, you get a medal.

Speaking of track choice, Canon Run, being a Street Race event, means chaos ensues. On my runs here, what comes to mind are the prime ramming spots that lead to people getting launched into the shadow realms.. or worse: the destroyable bridges. There may be some laps you get the Stratos going on these places, of course without intent. So it begs the question how careful you gotta be with a tuned A class Stratos.. Hmmm.. I'm not feeling a Test today however.

On the whole, the Stratos is a car that wants you to find its flow before you can make it work. Can you do that? I know you can. If you find yourself feeling a hint of doubt with your driving, I believe in you. Sort of. It's really cheesy, but I always want to believe people can always be better than they mean to be.

I know it means Canyon in Mexican, but the Stratos cannons out a 2:51.075 best run.

Before you ask: yes I was gunning to beat 2:51, but oh well. There's quite a leeway to improve, but a second ahead's pushing it from my end.

On another note.. Mean Machine #5? Yes, definitely. Very satisfying but also perilous little thing, it is! Perhaps I can say I live for driving virtually dangerous cars.

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

The second and final chapter of this two chapter book of Stratos in Mexico is titled: a showdown between man and nature in Baja California Trail.

As one of the many Unlimited Offroads I have a great sense of admiration towards, the Local Motors Rally Fighter is one car I really want to review.

I know there is someone out there taking notes.


"Head south from Lago Blanco through the deserts of Baja California, picking up speed through the dunes as you make a break for the coast."


Strange.. we haven't been here before?

Baja California Trail is just one of those places you can say it is a dirt path of all time. It's mainly because it can't decide being speedy or technical. Instead, it's kind of both. Alongside a collection of elevation changes and a wide path most of the time, it's usually a blast racing here with higher classes because of all the space and strategic barrier placement. Or not since you usually use up all the road in that situation.

With all that time in Canon Run, me in the Stratos easily and confidently can view ahead that is an Easy Right.. to another Easy Right.


So, before I head off to the dirt in full force, I had an impulse to hug my Stufful doll that I always keep beside me for good luck.. wait till I be brutally honest to defy Past SPD and reveal actually the Stufful's mainly to keep a certain 5 month old, as of writing, calm and happy, earning me to his eyes as a favorite uncle. Go me!

Now, back to the Stratos. What I do expect to do in the Stratos is draw cinnamon rolls all over Baja California.. or perhaps a penis. But what I didn't expect is the car keeping itself steady and able, powering through the sand like a.. a.. sandstorm.

Of course, it's 'sandstorm'. Mother f[BLEEP]ing Sandstorm, as Rudeboy would put it.. 'Darude - Sandstorm' has to be playing just about now.

Taking the Stratos off the road is going to be the reason you'll find why the car is a WRC champion for many years: this is where it lives. The driving style is more suited with the dirt than with asphalt. Though it's not so simple to say you can bring your Stratos to dirt and watch the credits rain around you.

Using what we've learned on the prior analysis, the only way to make the Stratos work off road is to follow the advice I've shared about the car on Canon Run. Notably: brakes and shifting when the car's stable, only shift down when required since stability is king, and never keep the pedal off the gas.

And with those taken out, now comes traversing through the track. The car can weave through the sand fine, but it wants you to be predictive to make the best out of it. My quick advice here would come to three things: never forget the traits of the car, learn to shift down gradually, and of course: avoid going off course. The car doesn't react well to shrubbery.

On a trail like this, my greatest effort with the Stratos comes down to a 2:43.777.

It's admittedly more fun than the road excursion. But it's not quite so consistent. All in all, still a very nice combo.

After all that, who wants a bonus picture?

By chance I was to be matched up against a Playground Games developer (Moetsukiru, position at approximately #3038th) on this track.. so guess what car came up from this person?

I hate you all.

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

So, what is the Lancia Stratos HF Stradale? It is..

Cutting edge.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Stratos. The car attunes to my driving style.. and perhaps anyone who wants to take their time learning and understanding how Lancia won a horde of trophies back in the day. And it's also fun, not frustrating, to bring the best out of it. Top Sleeper.

I think what's kinda sad about nominating amazing legends like the Stratos would mean the Playstation 5 newcomers.. whoever they shall be.. won't be driving them under the flag proper when we welcome them in this hue of pink.

Well, they missed the Countryman, and I'd say they've lost a chance to be a part of that important piece of Forza Horizon history. One I shall put way too much credit towards my reaction to it anyways.

Suckers! I mean.. such a sad reality we live in..

 

[Vic Reign93]

(Baja up top and Canon Run below.)

The Lancia Stratos HF Stradale..

When you think of classic 70’s rally cars, the Stratos tends to be the one most first think of and for good reason.

Winning the WRC Championship 3 times in a row from 1974 to 1976 is often the fact that’s mentioned, alongside its 1974 win of the Famous Targa Floria race with a modified Stratos Prototype, among its many accolades.

With its iconic wedge styling from Bertone, a 2.4 Ferrari Dino V6 mounted in the middle and powering the rear tyres via a 5 speed manual gearbox, the short-wheel based Stratos was the gold standard for rallying.

Except if the WRC rule book was anything to go by, it shouldn’t have even been out there racing.

The rules at the time were that 500 road cars had to built to homologate it for Group 4 racing, but throughout the entire run of Stratos’s from 1973 to 1978, only 492 cars were ever built.

So evidently, some smoke and mirrors shenanigans had occurred and Lancia was lucky to not get called on it, but alas it was on the FIA for not catching it to begin with.

But back to the land of Horzion for now.

The Stratos was more infamous in FH5 for being part of the pre-release teasers regarding the new and improved engine sounds, but then not being in the game at the start alongside the rest of Lancia, Fiat, Abarth and Alfa Romeo.

All of which are under the Stellantis umbrella, but the issues were resolved and the Italian Automotive update brought them all back to the Horizon Festival.

The Stratos sits at 590PI in C Class and as shown by the times, it can be quick as long as you keep it on the knife edge between understeer and oversteer the Stratos is known for.

As for upgrades, the Stratos does share something with its stablemate in the Delta S4, both have rally body kits based on the 2 rally versions that debuted in FH3’s Blizzard Mountain DLC, The Stratos Gr4 Version and the Delta S4 GrB.

The car models themselves didn’t transfer to FH4, but the body kits they had were transfered over so you can build your own take on said rally cars.

So for the Stratos, in addition to the rally lights, widened fenders, the asymmetrical exhaust layout, you also get a weight drop of over 250lbs and the option to add to some wide 325 width tyres on the rear and 265’s on the front (265’s were the widest you can fit on the stock Stratos’s rear and 225’s upfront.).

As for engines, you can bolt a turbo to the Dino V6 or swap in, The 1.6 Turbo Rally Engine, the 3.5 V8 from the Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, the 3.0 Racing V8 from the Atom 500 or the 4.5 V8 from the 458 Italia.

Lastly, the price, it’s at 550K so not a cheap buy, but at the time of writing, it’s cheaper than the auction house as the cheapest buyout is 605k and most having buyouts of 750k.

So yeah, buy local in this case.

Overall, there’s a reason the Stratos is a rallying Icon, it can still show its performance even by todays standards.

Verdict: Sleeper 😉👍

 

[Obelisk]

Ah, the Stratos. My mortal nemesis and my teammate's favorite joyride in the various racing games we've played. It's no secret that this car is a borderline psychopath, given the very loose default setup and MR layout both lending themselves to a significant tendency to oversteer at speed. So how does this line up with the car's depiction in FH5?

Coming in at 590 PI from the Autoshow, the Stratos finds itself right at the top of C class and right in the butter zone of FH5's top COTW picks. It can run itself all the way to 135 mph (145 mph, draft/slope assisted) by means of a 190 HP V6 mated to a 5 speed transmission. My quick wiki dive tells me this is a tranverse V6, meaning the engine is essentially perpendicular to the direction of the car. I can see this design decision existing to both shorten the wheelbase or to load the rear axle. It's functionally closer to an RR car than an MR car, similar to how Daihatsu claims the Midget II is FR, but it's actually MR by way of the engine being under and behind the driver.

As I was running down the Cañón Run, I noticed that the way the car demands to be driven is a little at odds with how this particular driver prefers to drive. It's a car that plays on the dark side of the grip vs slide progression. For many of the flat out turns early on, the trick is to let the back come out and rotate the car for you, then correct the slide near the exit. In some places, this is risky enough that the Stratos will probably eat you alive.

The thing for me is that there's too little room to experiment with the car. Either you execute the turn fine, or you're sideways and off the road. There isn't much in between. The car is so sensitive that minor mistakes are blown out of proportion, and I just can't buy into the car as is.

I didn't bother finishing either TT because the car is too much of a pain to deal with stock.

Neutral.

 

[Obelisk]

This week's Car of the Week is the...

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio!

This week's Time Trial will be at the Carterra Chase Street Scene.

 

[Vic Reign93]

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, another one of the cars that was brought back via the Italian Automotive update.

Powered by a Ferrari derived 2.9 Twin Turbo V6 kicking out 506hp to the rear tyres, it transmits that power to them via one of two ZF built gearbox’s.

The ZF 8 speed automatic is the one you’re most likely to see on the Giulia Q, but the one we have is a European Spec Alfa and this one is rocking a ZF 6 speed manual gearbox which wasn’t available for the US market.

As for the weight, 3,749lbs(1700kgs) is up there on weight, but Alfa really worked on the handling to mitigate the drawbacks that such weight could bring.

It’s actually decently planted in the faster sections of the route that was picked and if I wasn’t pushing it for a fast time, It can also be a somewhat forgiving partner in the art of opposite lock.

Now as for upgrades, visually you don’t get much, just Forza aero front and rear, but engine swaps is where things get mostly Italian.

The 1 non Italian swap is the 3.0 Racing Inline 6 Turbo, if pure power is your goal, 1250+hp will hopefully do the job.

The two Italian swaps are both Ferrari power plants, the Italia’s 4.5 V8 that we saw last week with the Stratos, but the other swap is the 660hp 3.9 TT V8 from the 488GTB.

So if you had to pick an engine with Ferrari heritage for the Giulia, then here’s a tip that may surprise you.


Don’t buy either of them.

If the V8 sound is your aim, then by all means do so, but if you want the most powerful Ferrari engine for the Alfa, stick with the factory V6.

The V8’s are good for mid to high 900’s in power terms, but the V6 can DOUBLE its power from 506hp to over 1040hp with a full tune up.

Lastly as usual, we come to the price, it’s 120k at the Autoshow and at a glance on the Auction House, you’d think you’re better off with the Autoshow pick with some of the prices, BUT if you catch one at the right time, you can find a buyout price of 100k, which I did.

While my expectations weren’t too high, the Alfa Giulia didn’t disappoint me either, I knew what to expect from it.

Verdict: Neutral

 

[Vic Reign93]

So @Obelisk has given me the green light to announce this weeks pick.

Racing around the San Juan Sprint route for this week is in fact…

The 2018 Saleen S1!!!

Powered by a Saleen developed(but based on a GM Ecotec) 2.5 Turbocharged 4 Cylinder engine, it makes 450hp and 442ft-lbs and would’ve made the 2,685lbs S1 do 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and crack 180mph.

‘Would've‘ being the critical word in that previous sentence, aside from the 20 S1 Cup Racers built for a One Make Championship, only one functioning road car prototype exists as Saleen Automotive suffered money problems and was put up for Auction in 2022.

That’s the abridged version of why the S1 isn’t out there aside from the S1 Cup Racers.

Time to see if Saleen was on to a winner with the S1 or if the money troubles spared us from disappointment. 🧐

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 115 - Saleen S1

No, not to be confused with the high performance car class of the same name.


So, if you're a fan of Japanese racing games that feature real cars, there are cases of those games having oddballs that cater to little to none, having at best a representation in "Unicorns in Racing Games". Forza has a good chunk of these cars like it's main rival franchise. From tuning various Americans into making cars from that experience, Saleen is able to carry a pair of these about. One being the ethanol fuelled supercharged S5S Raptor, and the other is this.

It's the Saleen S1, the name actually an acronym meaning Saleen 1. No, I promise that's not the most interesting part of the car.

Being a car that's meant to be the majestic S7's successor of sorts, this mid engined supercar, as anyone can tell is much more subtle in terms of everything it offers in compare. The only thing that's not quite so subtle is the S1's goal to be a more mass produced kind of supercar akin to a 911 than the S7 being something meant to challenge top tier supercars of its age.

However, what we got in real life is a road going prototype. In fact, it's just one single prototype. And that car's existence hangs in the balance of its own one make racing series of S1 cup cars. Far as I can tell, considering I've even never heard of said race series, I don't think it's gone any ways mainstream for me to car. But back to the car.. perhaps the most impressive part of the car is the numbers. It has an in-house modified 2.5 liter GM Ecotec placed midships, with its inline 4 churning out 450 horsepower thanks to their own addition of a Saleen developed twin turbo system. It's also rather agile, with its aluminium and carbon fibre shell contributing to its curb weight of 1.35 tons, all that to a dual clutched 6-speed manual.

Thanks to all that, the Saleen S1 sits in the lower echelons of S1.. there's supposed to be a joke on this, but I don't feel it should be said.

More specifically, it has a PI of 821. There are a selection of Modern Supercars in this range that the car can face off on its factory fresh configuration, such as the Ferrari Italia, McLaren 570S, and the ultimate forms of Lamborghini's 2000s flagship Murcielago, namely the stealth fighter inspired Reventon and the now legendary Murcielago SV.. a pair of cars I'm baffled the S1 is even able to challenge realistically. Unlike its Hard-to-find state in its debut Horizon 4, you can go and get your own S1 for a nominal sum of 200,000 credits from the Autoshow. However, a better deal from the Auction House does exist, with 113,000 credits as both the most common and lowest buyout offerings I've seen about.

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

A Saleen for the new age means we gotta go somewhere new. How about.. San Juan Sprint?

Nowadays, I've been wondering that every time I go do these pre-event venue checks with the blue Countryman, I'm always expecting something different. All is the same this week.


"Starting just East of Suan Juan, catch a glimpse of the incredible mural by Raul Urias as you race through the Colinas Aridas region, down towards the stadium, and West towards the base of La Gran Caldera."


Yes, that is a typo from the game. Personally, Suan Juan sounds like a Dynasty Warriors character.

I have some questions for the developers that made this track.. it's literally a discount Highland Climb. What that place offers is also found here, although that event is a Street Scene event, so I hope the difference in event will help me keep my eyes open.

Anyways, what I'm seeing, the track is.. while generally tight with 2 lane driveway as it's modus operandi, it's rather straightforwards. After rushing through a technical sector one split by a lone 90 degree turn, you're getting what might be sector 2 of Dragon's Trail Seaside for a minute: wavy high speed corners up until you reach the entrance to Volcan Sprint. Maybe you can say that final chicane is something akin to the Chicane of Death, but nah.

What I find beautiful about the S1 is that it doesn't have a good amount of power, nor is it light, or even carrying any downforce.. or even some form of complex technology. It means what character we do end up finding with this car is going to be a genuine discovery.

To say this is going to succeed the S7 is both a lie and fact. For the latter: it definitely succeeds it: a common fact I keep finding when I end up doing my quick research with the car's history. And for the former: you and anyone with eyes can tell it's not a twin turbo V8 in an all aluminium and steel body that's easily debated as one of the best looking cars in the mid 2000s. It should be fair we treat this entry differently. Say if this was a 911, the S7 would be something like.. maybe a Carrera GT: one is better than the other, no question.

What we see inside the S1 is actually quite clean and clear, thanks to this presence of white.. whatever it is. You can see those are working wiper and light pedals. That is a functioning air conditioning. That's a functioning single screen display.. and really: what's interesting is the lack of luxuries. No radio or screen in the center is perhaps the most obvious one: a hint that the car's race car origins. However, the best way to tell the car's not a racecar is the lack of adjustable parts. And a wing.

So, if you're thinking this is an easy to drive GT4 car on grooved sports tires, perhaps you have to take this car a go and tell yourself how wrong you are. But I'm sure there's going to be many similarities I will mention. First perhaps is the handling. Like any modern Porsche, the car carries a deceptive sense of size, and with the Cayman a few weeks back: it has to be my first source of complaint. I'm finding a ton of my runs invalidated because I turned too deep in and end up missing the checkpoint. Meaning yes: its low speed cornering, for a simple car without visible downforce, is quite good.

Put that up a notch, and you'll notice the car holding on the corner nicely, keeping grippy and not losing it.. though you will notice however the understeer that's produced as a result. Still, it gives me an excuse to tell you about the car's traction. It's quite stable when you push it past super slow, but note the understeer that's coming out. Bounce your revs responsibly: a habit I've yet to quell.

Of course. It's not AWD, but the S1 has the vibes of an easy to drive car. Maybe that's what the low power and high weight is supposed to tell me? Something like Chef Auguste Gusteau's book: 'Anyone can cook!'? But it's more like 'Anyone can drive!'? Well, it's an odd moral, but if the S1 is on the cover of that book, I think after a few minutes of pushing hard I can vouch for this cover.

What other detail can I find with a car that has no love for great detail, you may ask? Hmm.. now I think it, if I'm not playing the game as I write this, I would struggle. But thankfully I've done my homework. The braking, while unstable if applied on an angle, is otherwise great. The acceleration feels like 500 horsepower instead of 450 with no small part thanks to those twin turbos. Corner exit traction, when done right, is just a chef's kiss moment for a RWD car, only messing you up if you shift down too rigorously. The car reacting to curbs or hills is minimal to none.. and maybe it can be a solid rallying car? Maybe.. not spelled with two e's this time, meaning it's an honest consideration.

Perhaps its lacking top end is the only fault you can find, but 79 PI is a lot of leeway to put the power in this little monster.

Now, to the track, and for a rehash of another venue, I have to admit I do find it interesting. There's no gimmicks but drive good and stay on the line.. kind of like Dragon's Trail Seaside. Because the high speed portions of the venue really is asking you to stay on the line. This is especially true at the 50% and 66% zones, where sharp left handers await to end your perfect run.

If you ask me, the final chicane is indeed deceptively nasty. I've lost a couple good runs thanks to that place alone. It's not fast, just that the road before that is fast, and it's a sudden change of pace, you feel me?

To close, I would say this car's a tuner's haven, but even at stock I find myself quite satisfied with what it offers. You don't need to know what anti roll bars are to enjoy this car. Push hard: its limits are greatly bounded, to my surprise.

After some time, the S1 and I, we've teamed up to collect a best of 1:41.654.

With my goal to just beat 100 seconds, I'll just say I feel there's a second lower in this whole experience, but I'm missing too many checkpoints for me to care immensely. Stil, the track really wants you to bring something with the ugly ass Forza aero.. or not. This car feels like it belongs there as is, but I know I'm wrong.

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

Would you be surprised I wanted to do a Test with this car?

No?

I find your lack of faith disturbing. But while that's true, I really need to oil my writing gears back into shape. I figure it's better I end this rather than continue feeling burnt out.

So, what is the Saleen S1? It is..

Truly, a Saleen without a big block! Who knew they exist?

To the drive and to the theoretical numbers, the Saleen S1 has always been seen as either mediocre, or very solid all-rounder. It leans more to the latter statement, honestly.

And furthermore: solid is perhaps the right word for its entire existence. I can't be disappointed even though it didn't stand out at all. Sleeper

We're a week away from the Playstation release of the game, and perhaps there may be newcomers coming aboard? I'm not expecting a whole crowd coming by, but would you be surprised there has been no such gathering of us doing race or free roam things at all here in Mini Mexico?

Oh, and is it just me, or does the MINI begin to feel a bit.. weighted?

 

[Vic Reign93]

I know a 1:39 is possible with it.

The Saleen S1 is a car of IRL promise that sadly petered out before it could fully thrive.

Unveiled at the La Auto Show in 2017(Remember those?), it was said it would be on sale for $100,000 with 1500 cars made yearly, powered by a single turbo’d, 2.5 litre 4 cylinder that was good for 450hp and weighing under 2,700lbs.

That you may think sounds like an appetising option, that engine would’ve made it one of, if not the most powerful 4 cylinder production car at the time.

For reference, that particular record currently goes to Mercedes AMG’s M139, a 2.0 turbo I4 that’s good for 469hp by itself and is available in the AMG C63 S E-Performance.

The S1’s 450 ponies go to the rear tyres via a 6 speed Manual gearbox, a paddle shift gearbox version was planned, but like the S1, it didn’t end up panning out that way.

As I mentioned in the intro post, only one functioning road prototype was built and it actually went up for auction last year, but despite the bid hitting $150,100, it didn’t reach even the hidden reserve price and didn’t sell.

There were 20 S1 Cup Racers built for a one make race series and possibly GT4 racing, but the Saleen Cup that started in 2019 to host the S1 Cup Racers folded in 2020 from what i’ve been able to find on the Saleen Cup.

Saleen Automotive itself was put up for Auction 2022 amid an alleged embezzlement scandal regarding its Chinese owners at the time.

Geez, seems the S1 was a car that just couldn’t catch a break.

Ok let’s bring it back to the virtual world shall we?

The S1’s handling is rather neutral, but it can still kick the tail out if you give it too much loud pedal on corner exit.

It gives you confidence, but not too much to the point you get cocky with its limits, in fact the only real mark against it considering it’s PI is it’s rather modest top speed of 180mph, but at the same time that means plenty of room for improvement in S1 Class.

Speaking of upgrades, only Forza Aero for front and back for visual/aero upgrades, not much, but enough to turn it into your own S1 Cup Car.👍

As for power, that 450hp 4 Banger can be turned up to nearly 830hp, but if more cylinders is what you ask for, you have 2 engine options, the 510hp 6.2 V8 from the Mercedes AMG C63 Black Series or the 602hp 5.2 V10 from the Lambo Huracan.

As for the S1’s price, 200k is the Autoshow price, but i’ve seen them for as low as 110k at Auction, so you could buy one for less than what the road going prototype failed to sell at, but still 10k more than the promised IRL price of $100,000.

And suppose that’s the S1 legacy, a good car in the virtual world, but a big ‘What If?’ in reality.

A shame really.

Verdict: Sleeper 😉👍

 

[Obelisk]

Hey folks,

With the PS5 early access release of FH5 mere hours away, we're going to go ahead and have a nice, easy week for the influx of new players and COTW participants.

To that end, I'm selecting a cheap C class car for the masses to pick up. We're running the...

1999 Ford Racing Puma!

And to shake it down, we'll be running it at Arch of Mulege Circuit.

---

Our ~Single Player Challenge~ is also going to be fairly straightforward.

Take your stock Ford Puma and try to complete any Dirt Racing event with the AI set to Professional or higher.

Knowing what I do about the FH Drivatars, this will either be a cakewalk or a nightmare.

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 116 - Ford Racing Puma

(Look at this ponce! Having a laugh, is he?)
Welcome to Frog-Ville, my son! You up for a little drive?


These days, when you hear the words Puma from Ford, you'll see it being Ford's latest foray into the compact SUV/crossover market. What you also probably heard from that is that there was a lot of negative press on it. What gives, you may ask? Well, if you're familiar with what Mitsubishi did with the Eclipse name, it's not different here.

The Puma started off in the mid 90s as this small sized and affordable 2+2 coupe, similar to the likes of the original TT, sedan Civics and the aforementioned Eclipse. Based mainly off the 4th generation Fiesta, there's a handful of shared parts from that car that came here too, such as the chassis, suspension work and even interior. Initially known as the Lynx when it was unveiled in 1996, the Puma name eventually came when it was to be sold to the masses the following year.

It's not a big hit as the Focus, but the Puma, thanks to its exploits in rally, eventually would be worthy enough by Ford to receive an amped up version. Developed by Ford Racing Europe, the car was what you'd expect from a levelled up variant. Sending copies of the original model to Tickford, it would then receive revised widened bodywork, its Zetec engine's displacement upped to 1.7 liters, limited slip differential, large 17 inch rims, dressed up with Ford's 'New Edge' racing theme to the interior, and coated exclusively in Ford Racing Blue.

Revealed in the Geneva Motor Show in 1999, the Puma ST106, or named publicly as the Ford Racing Puma came with a lofty 21 thousand pound pricetag. That's high for a 2+2 coupe with 153 horsepower car with 1.2 tons to go around with. With 500 of its original 1000 models only sold (initially it was 500 in the UK and 500 in Germany, but that latter plan didn't go through), it's sort of a unicorn, but when it comes to rallying unicorns, the Impreza 22B that released just beside it was the more desirable one, because just about everything on it is done better. Don't mean it's bad: I've got a soft spot for small FWD Fords.

Not to be confused with the Warthog, the Puma has a PI of 514.. which is just out of the middling C-class bunch I love to come back to. Within Retro Rally, the car sits snuggly at the bottom, with the original rallying Subaru: the Legacy RS matching its PI. Just a skip ahead and you'll see..





..yeah.. you'll see the Renault 5 Turbo: a personal Top Sleeper in Gran Turismo 7, also being slightly ahead. While said Renault is lighter and is RWD, the Legacy has power and AWD to help it out, meaning to me: the Racing Puma is at the bottom of this list without anything to help it stand out in the dust.

In a past age, the Puma was a hard-to-find, but now you can adopt this little kitty with a 20,000 credits sale at the Autoshow. Or you can find some people selling it for even less in Auction. The ones I keep seeing are 16,000 buyouts for most common, but I did notice a nice 11,000 credits sale every now and then. Still, it's in no way a huge problem to your in game wallet for a late 90s FWD rally homologated compact coupe.

Oh, there's the Forza Edition. Converted to a Rally Monster and sitting atop of S1, it's meant to be a beast. Too bad this class in general just suffers when it comes to performance.

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

We still have plenty of untouched venues to touch, but a bit of old school is something I have no issue with. For this week, we go back to a place we've frequented in the past: Arch of Mulegé Circuit.

So you might be thinking: that's not a blue Countryman. And you're right. For the first time: it won't be the car that'll help me test out the track for today's bit of analysis action.

Huh? Come again? What do you mean it's not the first time?


"Race through the iconic Arch of Mulegé and follow the twisting back-streets of this quintessential Mexican village, before blasting along the riverbank straight."


From a big long straight, to a technical portion as you enter town.. this is perhaps a track I find rather undecided on whether I hate or like. For instance.. that first right hander is a joy to blast through, so much so that it became where I always measure car handling and turning speeds. And the technical part has way too much rubbish and destroyable objects for anyone to take any line but the perfect one to stay in contention.

From the agile, lightweight VUHL, to the classic, blissful 250 GTO.. what does the Racing Puma provide in terms of adjectives? Maybe it's good? Maybe bad?


Actually, to answer my own question, a car like the Puma gives me little to no impressions and expectations. And unless you grew fondly of cars in the 90s, like myself, I see what should be something with more power or performance. You don't send a car to the likes of Ford Racing with just a small nudge in making them go faster. You gotta be like an ork that has an addiction in speed.. you need to find some of them red paint and a jump booster so you can get yourself a trukk that'll go fasta!

That's the thing see, about the Puma.. I'm a guy who's got big big love on cars born in the 90s. The Puma just isn't one of them. Put aside the usual supercar, and perhaps restrict that all to Ford.. all I can think of.. comes with a list. We have the GT90, F-150 Lightning, the Gen 4 Mustang, the Gen 1 Mondeo, the Taurus SHO, the Cossie or even the Gen 1 Ford Focus to stand out with.

The Puma is in.. let's say it's in uncanny valley. Not that it's not got its own fans.. its existence is just almost in entirety a contradiction when you have all these other, much more alluring babies on offer from this brand.

Perhaps the inside of such a compact car can give it some charm, eh? As an English Ford, you get right hand drive. And there's a lot of parts here that.. seemed to disappoint me. When I look up the Racing Puma, I'm expecting the bright blue upholstery that's all over the media. There seems to be either none of that, or it's only on the Sparco seating. With such a view, another thing I'm peeved on is how tall the roof is: it seems like it isn't. So, about that average Brit height I mentioned on the week of the Trident.. it's shorter than me, right?

Now to the drive. It's.. weird. On tarmac, perhaps. But it's weird. Put the car around a bend, and you'll see that it likes to kick the rear out. Not like in a good way too, mainly because the amount of power in this car isn't enough to have such an issue to feel acceptable. This you will especially notice when you turn all the way: you'll lose out some pace putting all the turning in.

On top of that, the car.. with all these racing upgrades on the usual Puma feels floaty, especially to the rear. This be something I don't want in a road car. Perhaps its rallying roots seem to remain despite the deep cleaning of an upgraded sporty variant is supposed to give. I suppose I learned that a car with innate oversteer built into a naturally understeering platform is going to tell you this isn't how you want to fix this issue. They have the right idea, just the wrong method.

Man, the brakes probably is the worst part. It's not that they're horrible or want to kill you. It works, but you don't have much control of how they would work. Hard application will have you lock the rear in a slight way. And this brings me to the car's reaction to hard braking: it's like the handling of a car that refuses to let the rear go, but does it anyways, conforming to an event of pain. So, you can say the brakes, while functional, work in a fashion that's perhaps slow and painful.

But how about a positive? The Puma is built small and nimble. That's true and I can vouch for it, lap after lap. And I cannot help but bring out this.. nagging sensation that explains this Puma is more like a hungry lion, being one that's deceptively feels wide sometimes. It's a feeling, after all; I can weave through the smallest crevices, but the rounded, extruded body isn't one that gives me gobs of confidence. There are moments that you find the car can give you banger after banger after banger. But it looks to me it's more like burger after burger after burger, you feel me?

And speaking of burgers: the car's acceleration feels weak. It's not because the car's fat or anything.. [impulse browses FoodPanda]. It's got 1.2 tons, and not much power at all. I have to remember that we're just barely out of D class, but I would feel that if I drive the NA MX-5 or the Lotus Cortina, they would feel faster and much more satisfying in general for that.. zip of power out their respective power classes. This one feels weak. A stock Countryman would go around circles against this. And I don't want to go to top end. No siree.

I would sigh after all this, so we go straight to the track. While I will clock the car's speedtrap up the first turn at 110 MPH, it does so with a lot of trouble, meaning I have to mix both hanging on 4th and having precise twitch inputs to make the best of the easy first corner. IT'S THE EASY FIRST CORNER!!

You want a positive.. I'll give you one: this may be the first car I have no issue with the tight unforgiving middle sector. Granted it's low C-class, but still having no trouble in no man's land is something to be glad about. But we come to the final, sweeping hairpin, and you have to get this corner right or you will head for the wall or, if this is GTA Chaos Mod with 'Need For Speed' effect on, just die.

The Puma isn't a bad car.. it's a car with quirks. One I understand why they were going for, but can't fully envelop in making them feel useful. It's essentially if the Corrado VR6 was subpar. Not terrible or irredeemable. Just.. lacking. Perhaps it will be saved when we head offroad, or tune it. A tune always saves anything, huh?

It's not hunting, but the Puma can prowl me a well poised best lap of 1:14.891.

Essentially, I gave up. The car might suit well for the venue, especially that middle sector I can seem to do no wrong about. But after putting the Corrado VR6 in mind and to compare their feelings, giving up is perhaps the sane choice. So, for an adjective, the Puma perhaps is.. umm.. inferior?

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

It's like Mr Krabs says: the kitchen is no place for a live horse!
I know. It's badged Ford, and also named by a cat, but 'bear' with me, okay?


Alrighty! This week's Single Player Challenge is something freeform: just beat any Dirt Racing event against Professional (or higher) drivatars.

Since I eat Unbeatables for breakfast with a horrendously underpowered MINI, let's see if this is going to be a bowl of nails with or without any milk.

Now the venue I chose is Deserto Trail: the place where we took out the new 6th Gen Bronco for a spin. That horsey wasn't the perfect ride, but it was good enough for me to find satisfaction. The Puma.. well, let's hope the traits of the car is more suitable on the sand rather than nice clean asphalt.

Not to mention I chose here because Corrado (and the racing line is like many times going off the track), but let me show you my win in Unbeatable (trust me bro, like really).

I guess the one perk of being this low a class is to look at all these meme vehicles. Before you ask: yes I did make an EventLab just so I can have a variety of AI cars and not race against a roster of Pumas, Legacys and..


RULES OF NATURE!
AND THEY RUN WHEN THE SUN COMES UP!!
WITH THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE.. ALIVE!!
FOR ALL THAT I.. NO CHOICE!!
GOT TO FOLLOW THE LAWS OF THE WILD!!



Excuse me: R5 Turbos.

But since this AI is not so sophisticated to have cars perform to follow a protocol, I'm sure this is fine.

And the drive? Let's say the Corrado is miles better to drive here, and the fact that the car finds itself slowing down when I want to do some oversteering.. yeahh, you get the picture with what I feel about the car.

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

So, what is the Ford Racing Puma? It is..

The engraving that gives you no tactical advantage whatsoever.

I wanted a more agile alternative to the Corrado, but I didn't get that at all. And even as I put aside that name, I can't feel a more appropriate designation other than Beater.

Whatever gimmick the car has in real life, it wasn't enough to save a car that to me is, in its stock form, inferior. I mean, in real life it has been made inferior, being put in the losing side often when compared to domestic variants of the Impreza GC8.

It's a big week here in Mini Mexico, and I suppose I can share the blue MINI has not been shirking its weekly duties, as it has some work to do.

Maybe I can imagine it speaking with uwu talk?

~Wewcom! Wewcom! Hewwo, sir! Howdy, mamm! Wewcom to Meksicko! Thanks for comeing! We wuv yoo guys!~

 

[Vic Reign93]

Gonna keep this one relatively short, the 1999 Ford Racing Puma is an ok car, in a crowded group of cheap cars which can offer more for the same price.

It costs 20K at the Autoshow, but could be got at Auction for as low as 13K and it comes with some rally parts fitting for its Retro Rally class.

Front bumper guard, Mudflaps, bonnet mounted rally lights and an OEM rear wing cover the visuals, now on to the performance upgrades.

The stock 1.7 I4 can be either turbo’d or supercharged, but can be swapped out for a smaller, but more powerful 1.6 Turbo Rally engine or the 2.0 Turbo from the Escort RS Cosworth.

Handling was fine, but the rear brakes tend to lock up first if you’re really hustling it around the track without ABS.

On its own merits, I’d consider it a Neutral, but do you remember what I said about it being in a crowded group of cheap cars?

You can get much better cars for the exact same price, in fact here’s a list of all the cars which are the same price, have higher PI and are also friendly to our new PS5 Horizon newcomers who decide not to have any of the DLC, so vanilla cars really.

For Reference, Racing Puma 514PI, 20K

VW Corrado VR6 533PI
Honda’s Prelude SI, CRX SIR, 2007 Civic Type R, 521PI, 534PI and 574PI respectively.
Mitsubishi GTO, 610PI
Toyota Supra 2.0 GT, 558PI
Nissan Fairlady Z Version S TT, 607PI
Nissan Pulsar GTI-R, 594PI
VW Golf R32, 618PI
And last, but not least…
Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R, 549PI

Yeah, when it’s put like that, the Puma does seem like the one who’s late to the party.

But IF you did buy the VIP Membership or the Premium Edition(which includes VIP) then you’ll get a Forza Edition Racing Puma which is pre built to the top of S1 Class, along with custom tyres and wheels under it.

It’s effectively a Ford RS200 Evolution’s running gear transplanted into the Puma, the wheel rims being taken from the RS200 is further proof of that.

So the normal Puma, ok, but outclassed for the price.

Verdict: Beater 😬👎

 

[Obelisk]

Oops.

This week's Car of the Week was chosen by @SomePlayaDude and it is the...

2018 DeBerti Wrangler Unlimited!
This car is unlocked through the Perk Tree of the standard 2012 Jeep Wrangler.

Per his request, we'll be running the DeBerti at the Estadio Cross Country Circuit!

---

Our ~Single-Player Challenge~ is also from SPD:

freeroam skill points challenge: since the car is unlocked through Car Mastery
reach 500k points with an unrestricted Deberti Wrangler, share thoughts and experience
no skill songs or easy exploits

So there you have it: In an unrestricted DeBerti Wrangler, reach a 500,000 point skill combo without using any exploits or Skill Songs, then share your experiences and thoughts.

 

[SomePlayaDude]

SPD Writes Forza Horizon 5's Car Of The Week: Week 117 - DeBerti Wrangler Unlimited

Eagle screaming intensifies.


So, as you all know: I'm a guy who likes to give out a small hint of my intents and personality every now and then. While I may be sometimes a jerk or overly too self absorbed, I am still man, and man is bound to err. But enough of me, and we go to.. interests.. of me. Yeahh..

Say hello to the DeBerti Wrangler Unlimited. Perhaps my favorite off-roading monster in here and in Horizon 4 as well. Yes, to me at least it's a better machine than the likes of Sleepers Brocky or even the Extreme E racers.

What looks to be an upsized Trailcat is in actuality one of its biggest rivals in game. Because when we head to the pages of facts.. well.. it's a modified third gen Jeep Wrangler Unlimited convertible, but with a chunk of changes. This includes a brand new modified look that sports a visible new suspension, a not quite so visible Dynatrac rock climbing axle, and the powerplant swapped to a HEMI V8 stripped from a Challenger Hellcat.

I'm incredibly interested in the car, but there's really nothing in the pages for me to write about. And my Google searches results in the car's appearances in Horizon 4 and 5. Lame? Well, it's the hand I'm given to play, okay?

It's not Unlimited power, so the car still has a rating. That rating is a PI of 749: in the middle of A-class. To it's class of Unlimited Offroads (my favorite car class in this game, by the ways), the car rivals past nominees and personal loves I mentioned earlier: Brocky and the Extreme E lot. Just a few PI behind comes a pair of Jeeps trailing it: its understudy the Trailcat and the Casey Currie Trophy Jeep.

While it's a formerly Hard-to-find in it's debut game of 4, this time around.. it's also not quite so simple. The Autoshow still refuses to sell one of these beauties It's a hidden car, unlocked through Car Mastery. More specifically if you spent at least 60 points on the base Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Just like with the Charger R/T and the Daytona variant. But if you prefer talking with cash over rewards points, you can also find the car in the Auction House. It's actually quite a steal here, where you can get your own for a 200,000 credits buyout for the best deal, as well as most common.

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

And now for something silly: the DeBerti Wrangler now has to show us its limits in Estadio Cross Country Circuit.

With the DeBerti Wrangler taken care of, there's absolutely no way anyone will screw with me in terms of nominating amazing offroading monsters I REALLY like, right?

Right?


"A route that passes straight through the centre of Estadio Horizon, complete with giant bowling pins to knock down and ramps to jump from, you'll be putting on quite a show!"


You read that right: giant bowling pins. I wonder what company is producing this stuff, and how did they even get them over here? Considering the stadium finds itself constantly changing, would you say the stadium has a giant factory underneath that produces all it's props for certain seasons? Kind of like tack factories in Bloons Tower Defense 6?

Put them aside, and we have what is essentially shaped like Alsace Test Course. There's a big sweeping hairpin, and a pair of much more tight corners that need hard braking.. the former definitely the worse of the pair having followed a quick blaze through 2 parking lots and being welcomed by a Barry R who's not giving any leeway on showing you those walls are made of some immovable material.

And the bowling pins? Those are in the stadium. Fast clean racing around this place is pretty amazing to get you a chunk of Car Mastery points. But a lap time hindrance is still a hindrance, despite these scoring benefits.

Car bowling was a thing in the good old days of Forza Motorsports on the XBOX 360. You know, as THE way to get free tuning parts for your favorite manufacturer? It's a shame we're not getting anything of that degree here.


As mentioned earlier, Unlimited Offroads is my favorite class in the entire game for both here and Horizon 4. It might not contain some of my favorite cars ever or anything like that, but the whole prospect of big wheeled modified monsters that's made to brave what nature tosses at it. It's full of the crazy things anyone with a budget can dream of making, with the sole purpose of having a good time off the paved road. However, viability-wise, you are stuck for off-roading, however, unlike Pickups & 4X4s.

So how do I exactly narrow down a cream of the crop from a whole list of favorites?

No, the inside has nothing to do with it. It's rather minimalist, taking away any kind of weighted luxuries the Wrangler would make use of. The small set of buttons on the side: the only interactable present is mainly for any electronic function of its off-roading toolkit, and you get a nice little screen in place of dials. Standing out is a pair of phone holders, perhaps for making use of GPS or Google Maps when you're nowhere in sight of civilisation. However, I find being in here significantly more comforting than most other Unlimited Offroad cars. Only the rollbars holding the roof through the center console stand in my way of a perfect score, if I even want to score the driver's view.

Favorite off-roader of mine means we have to go to the bad: the gearbox. It transmits that Hellcat V8 in an excellent fashion: giving the car no reason to feel slow at all. However, we have only 3 gears. It's tall, with that launch being rather sluggish as is. And even so, they're not exceptionally tall, so that top end is noticeably weak. But as mentioned earlier: the transmitted power is still really good, so you will reach that top end of 131 MPH without issue no matter the track, and yes that means you better get the transmission changed ASAP, or you're going to be like that fit Homer Simpson meme, where his blobby skin behind is essentially this top end conundrum.

And.. that's it for issues? I can't be biased: I must find more problems! Perhaps the presence of American flags? America in 2025 sucks.. but in reality: I don't want to put politics to my own interests. So I guess that's it for problems.

You know I was going to get to brakes. Yes, umm.. Thanks to its soft suspension on a tall platform, you'll find the truck, despite having perfect weight distribution, somewhat leaning forwards when hard brakes are applied. This means a lot when it's on tarmac, as the car will lock up the rear and skid that back out. Now comes the beautiful complexity of this: the gearbox is your ticket to playing with this. Stay on third, and you will retain your stability, and if you need to take a tight turn, shift down, and let the thing slide a bit. Like a lot of cars in the class, the Wrangler comes with a lot of its handling based parts at adjustable. Nobody will scold you for hardening the front to counter this.

Supposedly, the best thing about the DeBerti Wrangler is everything else. The grip, since it's AWD mainly, is always present in all terrains. It will slide, but letting it go is usually what you want to do on the many terrains to get around in Horizon Baja events. Not only that, but this car gets my sort of A-OK designation to even do Rally Adventure things, helping me beat Unbeatable rally stages there. From the shop, it's an off-roading racer with a knack for putting its power upon proper application grip, a yawn for the curbs, an RVD Frog Splash for the high jumps, and enough power to climb just about anything that isn't the volcano or a high angled canyon side incline.

Yeesh, like with the info I want to find, I'm done with analysis. It's such a straight forwards offroading monster.. sounds like another car I've written about before.

Now to initialize track analysis.. hoo boy. First: the Stadium. It carries 2 things: the only braking points upon exit and entry, as well as the split path. And bowling pins. Of course, right? At least these go away after the first hit, unlike those arrows in the ever so screwable Cathedral Circuit. Though, if you want free reign, you want to channel your inner bowler and knock these suckers down so you have a nice lap onwards. Not to forget the soccer balls too, since for some reason they slow you down akin to a bowling pin.

You read right: only braking points? So, with this Wrangler, you want to stay on 3rd the whole way. You fly around the first large sweeping hairpin, but make sure you have to get the line right or you're going to understeer into the Shadow Realm. I usually let go a teeny tiny bit so it can make the corner without much issue. Putting the power early in this car is just soo satisfying. It's like putting the BMW M3 GTR livery in about every car we nominate in that other place.

When it comes to the Wrangler, the best offense with it is obviously taking the best line, and make sure you don't go too wild with the car. Sound familiar? This whole car's experience is incredibly similar to a past Unlimited Offroads I really enjoy in an old friend named Brocky. Now I think about it.. that car's just a molecule or two behind in terms of how much I enjoy it in compare. And speaking of enjoy.. the whole experience of driving this on the fields, beaches, mountains.. it's what got me into loving this car since its debut in the last game, where I hear it was a meta off-roading choice in A..

And perhaps another super expected surprise for you! Just like Brocky, I'm giving this car the 25th Mark of Zen award for keeping me invested in the Rivals drive so much. It's a random combo on a track I don't enjoy too much, but hey: it works, and I found myself losing the sense of time putting laps in. It's suddenly 3 AM from a writeup that started just by midnight.

A highlight reel of 57.196 plays in the sports replay of the DeBerti Wrangler driven by myself.

I think this is a good time, but knowing me and my poor pace in off-road, it means it's very likely going to be the worst time this week. Sad yes, but I can't be sad: clean laps with this car fail to remove my already present smile.

Plus: it don't take a rocket scientist to tell you a designated Mark of Zen means. As wisely spoken by Naked Snake after ingesting a box of Calorie Mate: I want some more!

Hey, Earth to Past SPD: we gotta move on eventually.

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

It's a sign with 2 playas on show, but more notably: this is where the Blue Countryman memes begin.


This week's Single Player Challenge is not much of a challenge among racers, but one that tests your tuning and map knowhow.

All that's needed to be taken care of this week to win is to get the maximum 500,000 points combo in free roam with your own DeBerti Wrangler without any restriction on tune. Or you can say you can go unlimited on this Wrangler Unlimited.

But of course not all is unlimited. I specifically mentioned the restriction not to use Skill Songs, or any weird exploit to make this process seem like a chore. Something like that glitch to repeatedly get Airborne scores.

The combos are endless here. You can make a drifter and take on a journey across Mini Mexico's many Drift Zones. You can just pump up the engine and go on the highway for a speedy affair. Or just go off the road for a medley of jump, drift and destroy.

My plan was to just do all of the above, and go on a trail of destruction from Playa Azul, all the way to Bahia De Plano. A simple plan, but with all these points to gather: the challenge factor remains.


With an A-class Wrangler at the ready, I seem to be having quite a chunk of trouble getting the car to keep its combo, despite its rather stacked Car Mastery board. It doesn't have a multiplier booster though, which makes the challenge actually a challenge as we're stuck with 5 times.

So, my attempt for this has it fly through the zones of Baja California, towards the large farm fields of De Otro Mundo, and towards the Horizon Baja Outpost: my set home that I end up every time I boot up the game.

After all the stresses of losing multipliers, reaching said Outpost was how I won this challenge, thanks to the amounts of things to wreck and jumps to hop through with a drift.

It's sort of cheap, but well: it's fair game. I won't be surprised if this is how you would take it too.

Now to what I think about it.. to be honest: it's about the experience pushing this giant across the map. I can't say a lot about it since I am horrendously biased to this car.

Aside the odd sensation that gets the car flying with a tilt downwards, getting points isn't hard when you reach Dunas Blancas. I know a more upped Wrangler will be much easier, since even my A class runner here can do repeated speedy highway runs (with the occassional Trading Paint and Wreckage scores in the mix). And it's skiddy enough off-road that I feel a drift build is not far off.

But jumping around the white white sand dunes is satisfaction by itself. The whole truck is satisfaction, embodied. It's no wonder I love it

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

Time for a Te-yeah right.

So, what is the DeBerti Wrangler Unlimited? It is..

Brocky??

Aside the low top end, this is a very easy Sleeper.

In general, the car is just a pleasure to be behind the wheel of, regardless if it's a race or cruise. It's also one of the best animated.. well, the springwork when going off-road, that is.

This is essentially a throwback to when I nominated Brocky. It's the exact same experience. It even has the same PI. I'd say Brocky has better gearing, but the Wrangler just handles better.. to a slight degree, by the way.

Perhaps if I put that and this car aside each other like that same picture meme, it probably is the same picture, even though the exterior and all around vibe they give is different in every regard.

And a bonus: it made me miss Brocky so much. Sorry I forgot you, baby. Yes, yes, I miss you too.

 

[Vic Reign93]

(Rest assured, that combo was completed shortly after that. )
(I did slightly handicap myself by keeping it A Class at A800.)

So a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited that’s modified by Deberti Design, let’s give it the once over.

If the recipe of an off road Jeep and a Dodge Hellcat 6.2 Supercharged V8 sounds familiar, that’s because that’s the same set-up for the Jeep Trailcat.

Only this one’s got 4 doors and a 3 speed gearbox compared to the 6 speed in the Trailcat so in a top speed duel the Trailcat has the edge.

But in terms of weight, the Deberti Jeep is only 50lbs heavier despite the the extra 2 doors & seats and has a 5 PI advantage over the Trailcat at 749.

But where the Trailcat claws back is in its price, accessibility and max potential.

The Trailcat costs 75k, but thanks to a gifted Trailcat with a Halo livery on it being given to all, you can regularly swipe one at Auction for only 16k, with or without the livery.

The Deberti has a value of 200k and you can find examples at Auction for that price, but you couldn’t early on in the games life.

Why you may ask?

Because it was exclusive to the Car Mastery for the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and if you had 60 skill points to burn, you could grab one for yourself.

In the max potential section, the Trailcat has the option for larger and wider tyres and the Deberti doesn’t (But its tyres are wider stock than the max width Trailcat’s), however the Trailcat has an ace in its deck.

Both Jeeps get the 7.7 V12 and 7.2 Racing V8 as swap options, but the Trailcat’s ace is the extra swap in the 1750hp Funco 7.4 TT V8.

As off roaders go, both the Trailcat and Deberti are more than capable with their big off road tyres, high ground clearance and soft, long travel suspension.

Honestly, both Jeeps are Sleepers, but for two different reasons.

The Deberti is just a solid off roader with only the 3 speed gearbox holding it back.

The Trailcat does the same, but has a 6 speed, is much cheaper and easier to get, plus you can push it much further in peak potential.

Verdicts: Sleeper(s) 👍👍