- 917
- United States
- Turboteg90
All the cars sound amazing, my favorite is the falcon and the jag.
March DLC Clue Thread
- Thread starter willbsn13
- 150 comments
- 13,863 views
- 924
- Australia
Does anyone have pics of the Nissan GTR LM interior and engine bay? I've never seen pictures of them at all so wondering if there's some special like different seats or steering wheel.
This pack is awesome. I'm so tempted to rush out and buy another Xbox One just for this game but I need the cash to give my Golf GTi some new tires and a major service.
This pack is awesome. I'm so tempted to rush out and buy another Xbox One just for this game but I need the cash to give my Golf GTi some new tires and a major service.
- 7,125
- Massachusetts
- llClaude_Speedll
- BlazingSol05
- 924
- Australia
- 3,573
- Connecticut
- SPhilli
- SPhilli911
Very cool pack, I love the Volvo, Camaro and Land Rover. Slightly disappointed at the Skyline. You'd think it was a quick car, but it's very slow. Looks cool though, right? Except the cheap looking wheels that don't look like they fit the car. 
INEEDNAWZZZ
Premium
- 1,829
- Lincoln
- EGGSBAWCKS
- DigitalLuke64DD
The Skyline had no real reason to be fast; after all, it was destined to be locked away the moment it was finished, so why bother? 
- 3,198
- Connecticut.
- mwoodski
- mwoodski
"300hp" gentlemans agreement. Sumbitch revs to 9k, so you know something is special about it.Very cool pack, I love the Volvo, Camaro and Land Rover. Slightly disappointed at the Skyline. You'd think it was a quick car, but it's very slow. Looks cool though, right? Except the cheap looking wheels that don't look like they fit the car.
...and those wheels are STUPID expensive, they just don't fit in the arches, as you can see.
- 3,573
- Connecticut
- SPhilli
- SPhilli911
Oh don't get me wrong I like the car, but without knowing anything about it I expected it would be a lot quicker than it turned out to be. I think I even laughed a little out loud when I hit the gas.
Even after a little research on the car, knowing it's a special homologation car for the Skyline R33 LM race car, it's even funnier still.
Even after a little research on the car, knowing it's a special homologation car for the Skyline R33 LM race car, it's even funnier still.
- 9,862
- Denmark
Ok...
Camaro ZL1: I've now gotten rid of the SS because I'm tired of the badging nonsense. Anyway, I don't like the styling of the SS but the ZL1 looks pretty cool. That said, it's almost too powerful for its name.
Falcon GT: Typical 1990s with the Australian twist. It sort of appeals to me for a Falcon, but I tend to grab a Holden.
GT-R LM: I guess the looks match the crazy revs, but nothing overly exciting to drive despite the different drivetrain. Nice to have though.
Series III: I don't really care for it.
XE-S: Sharp design and a joy to drive and hear.
242 Turbo Evolution: Looking at this car reminds me of observing traffic when I was a kid. Boxy cars never had character like this one. Fast enough to be a fun ride.
507: I should probably like this one more, but I can appreciate it for what it is.
Camaro ZL1: I've now gotten rid of the SS because I'm tired of the badging nonsense. Anyway, I don't like the styling of the SS but the ZL1 looks pretty cool. That said, it's almost too powerful for its name.
Falcon GT: Typical 1990s with the Australian twist. It sort of appeals to me for a Falcon, but I tend to grab a Holden.
GT-R LM: I guess the looks match the crazy revs, but nothing overly exciting to drive despite the different drivetrain. Nice to have though.
Series III: I don't really care for it.
XE-S: Sharp design and a joy to drive and hear.
242 Turbo Evolution: Looking at this car reminds me of observing traffic when I was a kid. Boxy cars never had character like this one. Fast enough to be a fun ride.
507: I should probably like this one more, but I can appreciate it for what it is.
- 25,071
- Somewhere.
The GT-R feels out of breath past 7000rpm, like there's too much cam for the rest of the engine. I tried a bunch of things yesterday but it just feels gutless no matter how much power it has. Handles nicely though, especially with the upraded 305s all around.
Makes me wonder though, since there's only one GT-R LM in the world and it's locked away in the Nissan DNA museum in Zama, if PG/T10 did a bit of window shopping for the next games...
Makes me wonder though, since there's only one GT-R LM in the world and it's locked away in the Nissan DNA museum in Zama, if PG/T10 did a bit of window shopping for the next games...
- 7,125
- Massachusetts
- llClaude_Speedll
- BlazingSol05
I'd kill for a Toyota GT-One road car or a Ford GT90 in FH3 or FM7.The GT-R feels out of breath past 7000rpm, like there's too much cam for the rest of the engine. I tried a bunch of things yesterday but it just feels gutless no matter how much power it has. Handles nicely though, especially with the upraded 305s all around.
Makes me wonder though, since there's only one GT-R LM in the world and it's locked away in the Nissan DNA museum in Zama, if PG/T10 did a bit of window shopping for the next games...
Obelisk
Premium
- 9,719
- United States
- RMedia_Obelisk
The GTR did that in the GT series too. It seems like the power drops off significantly after peak.The GT-R feels out of breath past 7000rpm, like there's too much cam for the rest of the engine. I tried a bunch of things yesterday but it just feels gutless no matter how much power it has. Handles nicely though, especially with the upraded 305s all around.
Makes me wonder though, since there's only one GT-R LM in the world and it's locked away in the Nissan DNA museum in Zama, if PG/T10 did a bit of window shopping for the next games...
- 2,740
- Italy
- Yellohead
- Clydeyellow
This month's pack is an interesting one for sure! It's a bit of a shame the leaks spoiled the surprise, because else I'd still be picking my jaw from the floor - although apparently, T10 still finds way to amaze us. There is no car with true star power, but all of them are definitely lovely vehicles which are going to get some mileage in the following weeks.
In 1947, Britan was still reeling from the effects of the Second World War. With an industrial infrastructure which had either been bombed by the Germans or converted to wartime production, and a desperate need for foreign exchange leading the post-war governments to ration crucial materials such as steel and rubber, the British car industry was in dire straits indeed, and luxury car manufacturers were feeling the effects of this austerity more than the others. But with the typical stiff upper lip, the executives at Rover came up with the most brilliant of ideas: a simple, rugged car with a box-section ladder chassis and a simplistic aluminum alloy body - a choice dictated by the scarcity of steel more than by considerations about the advantages the material presented - capable of traversing rough terrain and carrying moderate loads, inspired by the car that had won WWII, the American Jeep. The so-called "Land Rover" was originally supposed to remain in production only for a short while, just enough help cash-strapped Rover recover - but it won hearts, and commercial success, all over the world, staying in the company's line-up for long, and eventually morphing in the Ninety and One-Ten Defender which only recently left production, and forging a legacy still followed by the brand's modern and much more luxurious products. As for Rover - well, I think we all know how its history ended: the product intended to be a throw-away cash-maker eventually outlived the company that invented it.
The ur-Land Rover is not a racecar, of that there is no doubt: top speed, without any geographical advantage, is barely above 120kph; and it's just as well it isn't any faster, as it is clear that the narrow, chunky tires and long-travel suspension wouldn't take too kindly to any attempt to take even the widest of corners at speeds any higher. But then, who cares? The original Land Rover was built to be a rugged overland traveller, and it succeeded like few others in automotive history.
Goliath laptime: 25:34.568
Verdict: a car that doesn't need, nor likes, roads.
The automotive world is so full of heartbreaking stories - and one such tale is, undoubtedly, that of the BMW 503 and 507: ambitious "sister" cars which are widely considered amongst the finest product of the Bavarian marque, but which almost brought its economic downfall at a critical point in its history. After the end of the War, Germany was a divided and devastated country: BMW had lost the Eisenach factory and, for a long time, was essentially reduced to making pots and pans. The first post-war models, the 501 and subsequent 502, were large luxury cars intended to turn the brand's small production capability into an advantage, but they couldn't compete with the cheaper and more proficient Mercedes 220 and 300. So, when Max Hoffman - the Austrian-born, US-based car importer who first conceived the successful Mercedes 300SL "Gullwing" - came along with the idea of a similar car built for the booming American market, BMW's management jumped on the opportunity. The 2-seater 507 and the 2+2 503 were designed by Fritz Fiedler, the man behind the pre-war 328, and the body was penned by self-proclaimed "Count" Albrecht von Goertz; motivation came from a V8 OHV engine, the first offered in a German car after the end of the Second World War. The cars were supposed to cost 5,000 dollars and to sell in the thousands per year. However, the small production volume and choice of adopting a hand-sculpted aluminum body caused an astronomical increase in the price figure: more than twice what Hoffman had intended, and still not enough to pay for manufacturing costs. And so, despite the endorsement of celebrities such as Elvis Presley and John Surtees, the car flopped. Eventually, the Quandt family's decision to recapitalize the company by buying a majority stake in it, and the launch of the "Neue Klasse" BMW 1500 - which introduced many of the distinctive traits of the brand - would save BMW from liquidation or acquisition by Daimler-Benz or American Motors. It would be four decades before the world would see another such car from the Bavarian carmaker, in the form of the nostalgic BMW Z8.
The 507's beautiful, sweeping lines betray its character and performance, which in the 1950s must've been more than impressive. The engine purrs along nicely - a good thing made even better by the open-top nature of the car - and has a smooth torque curve which is just perfect for the lazy cruises the contemporary jet-set must've enjoyed the most, while providing enough power to push the car at speeds well in excess of 200kph; the suspension is as firm, and the steering as precise, as one could legitimately expect from a car that is 60 years old. It's a brilliant car - a shame there's so few of them...
Goliath laptime: 17:05.459
Verdict: 300SL who?
I have already discussed the repressed darkness of the Swedish people - and if one is to judge them just by looking at Volvo's history, it's easy to assume that behind their friendly and practical facade, they must all be hiding one or another dysfunctional and disquieting character of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy.
The Group A homologation rules brought upon us unspeakable horrors. The Volvo 242 was born as a practical sedan with advanced safety equipment, bullet-proof mechanics and the aerodynamics of a nuclear silo: but Volvo's desire to take part in the European Touring Car Championship led to the development of the Homologated Group-A (or "Evo") Turbo, which was equipped with many of the go-fast goodies which made its racing brethen a dominating force in the early 80s. Chief amongst them, of course, were the titular turbo and intercooler system and a water-injection system. It's not clear waht else was different: the entire operation was more shrouded in secrecy than a Nazi war criminal post-war life and, of the 500 cars built and dumped on the USDM market - where it was nicknamed "flathood" due to the use of the European-model bonnet, 30 were fitted with the full Competition kit and shipped back to Europe to plunder the racetracks like a horde of square-faced Vikings.
The hominous Swedish Sleeper Car of Death accelerates readily, and reaches top speeds which its aerodynamic profile should, in theory, make impossible: its understeer is enough to require some anticipation in cornering, but like a brick, once it's flung in a direction, there's no stopping it. And if you prefer your cars wild and loose rather than focused and murderous, you can always take it to a dirt road: it's a Swede, of course it likes rallying.
Goliath laptime: 16:03.798
Verdict: hits you like a brick.
The 80s and 90s must've been a sad decade for the Australian speed freaks who swore their fealty to the brand of the Blue Oval. While Holden continued to evolve the home-grown "V8 freak sedan" concept to its logical extreme - the infamous HDT-built "Blue Meanie" Commodore featured last month - Ford discontinued the Falcon GT in 1976, and the eight-cylinder option altogether in 1982, putting an end to a history of loud engines, louder paintjobs, moral scares and post-apocalyptic shenanigans. This, however, wasn't going to last forever: after reintroducing the revered V8 to the lineup in 1991, in 1992 Ford Australia finally buckled to the pressure exerted by hordes of shrimp-grilling fanatics and, to celebrate the silver jubilee of the GT, partnered up with British coachbuilder-turned-tuner Tickford to turn a taxi and family car into a tarmac-eating monster again.
The result is... Ugly. I'm not going to sugar-coat it: the bulbous curves of the special bodykit and the silver grey parts really don't do any favors to the Scorpio-inspired lines of the EB Falcon, and are reason enough to doubt that a coachbuilder once associated with Aston Martin was involved in the project. Like many other Ford products of the 90s, it wasn't pretty when it left the showroom twenty years ago, and it hasn't aged well either. But performance-wise, the EB GT is a real gem: one-upping the contemporary Commodore both in handling characteristics and raw engine power, it tackles corners with gusto and only an occasional hint of understeer, which will give way to predictable oversteer if the right amount of throttle is applied. After all, the EB didn't win the first Australian Touring Car Championship of the "Supercar" era by sheer chance...
Goliath laptime: 14:34.842
Verdict: it's fast enough that one could almost forgive its looks...
In the early 2000s, Jaguar seemed to be living on borrowed time. Ford's mismanagement led to the introduction of a series of uninspired cars which didn't deliver on the expectations of the brand's customers and almost managed to kill its reputability - admittedly built more on the "wow" factor of their cars than their already poor reliability - for good. The X-Type, based on the Mondeo, was the tip of this spear sunk in the heart of Jaguar purists, who hated it, and with good reason: it was an over-priced jalopy with pretentious retro styling, a pitiful interior and more mechanical faults than moving parts. It tried to compete with excellent cars such as the 3-Series BMW and C-Class Benz, but it only managed to be a 1,7 billion dollars loss for Ford. Now Jaguar got a second lease of life, thanks to the significant investments of Tata Motors, which bought out the British brand in 2008. And they're trying to break into the compact executive sedan market again. The stakes are much higher: the flush pockets and thirst for status symbols of the newborn Chinese leisure class created an enormous market in which not only Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz to secure a comfortable future, but also motivated manufacturers like Infiniti and Cadillac to double their efforts, and other brands, such as Alfa Romeo, to return or debut in this market sector.
The XE, however, doesn't have any reason to fear the fierce competition. The clever aluminum chassis is draped in a beautiful body designed by Ian Callum, which manages to pay homage to the past of the brand without looking tacky - quite the opposite of what the X-Type achieved. A high-performance version powered by a V8 engine will meet the M3s and C63s of this world sometimes in the future, but in the meanwhile, the "S" version - powered by a V6 engine good for 340hp - is defending itself rather well, with world-class top speed and 0-100 acceleration figures. Handling's surprisingly nimble for a four-door sedan with no true sporting ambitions, and the steering is also unexpectedly responsive and crisp. The XES has all it takes to succeed in this dog-eat-dog world, and while it may not be a proposition that's too enciting for us true gearheads, coupled with the F-Pace it may guarantee Jaguar a steady source of cash, which may allow the Coventry brand to focus on moure outlandish projects.
Goliath laptime: 13:05.252
Verdict: leave the chaffeur home.
Good sir or madam, if I need to explain you what this is, delete your account and go play Gran Turismo 2. Or any Gran Turismo, for that matter.
In all seriousness, the GT-R LM NISMO is the incernation of the scoff that manufacturers must've reserved to the homologation rules of the now-defunct GT1 class: only one car had to be built to the specification of the racing version. And like with the latter R390, Nissan did exactly that: it took an R33, fitted an ultra-wide bodykit and a N-spec engine, and then stored it away in the Zama heritage garage, a true wonderland for fans of the scarlet "R" letter and of all things Nissan, where it is going to sit undisturbed for all eternity. Its two racing systers instead got to compete in the 1995 and 1996 Le Mans 24h, where they achieved respectable, but not exactly mind-shattering results, pacing the midfield in its first outing and collecting a disappointing retirement in the second: their forgettable performance eventually lead to the development of the aforementioned R390, Nissan's first - and so far, last - supercar. While the bulging sides and enormous front air intakes may build unreasonable expectations for the car's abilities, this Le Mans homologation special is, in reality, not too far off a run-of-the-mill R33 GT-R in terms of performance: the high-revving race-ready RB26 engine was detuned to 375hp, and the advantages of reduced mass, additional downforce and larger track width are essentially nullified by the loss of the sophisticated 4wd system which made the "Gojira" a world-renown car. But the piercing scream of the highly-strung inline-six, and the nostalgia for the good old days of the early Gran Turismo games, more than make up for it.
Goliath laptime: 13:50.130
Verdict: the reason is treason.
The "pony car" was a short-lived phenomenon: born in 1964 with the introduction of the Falcon-based Ford Mustang, it died of a sudden and unexpected death in the early 70s, when the oil shock first, and environmental emissions regulations afterwards sapped their V8 hearts of their manly power, and the management of the three American bigs, confused by the change in the tastes of the public and the Japanese invasion of the 80s, took to counting beans and pinching pennies with an often-misguided religious fervor, while schizophrenically trying to build cars that were popular again. The 90s saw power increase again thanks to the introduction of a new generation of engines; but the early 2000s retro-vintage muscles were still pale imitations of the past glories of the American pony car.
Then something happened: and that something was the 6th-gen Mustang, a car which winked at the past, while being thoroughly modern and, still, affordable to any young driver with disposable income. Then, with the Shelby GT350 Ford Performance took some of the ideas Chevrolet introduced with the ZL1 and gave the muscle car a new, global perspective: it was designed from the get-go to be a car that not only went fast in a straight line, but could also prevail against European and Japanese performance vehicles on a squiggly one, and especially on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the world's favorite benchmark for road-legal performance. Now Chevrolet has responded in kind by introducing a new iteration of the Camaro, based on the new Alpha platform: and the ZL1 is back, meaner than ever and with a recipe which is, in some ways, different than Ford's. Instead of a race-inspired flat-plane crank V8, it is powered by a huge lump of metal which has a supercharger on top: the extra power and torque goes to move a slightly heavier car which is a bit more loose off the line. However, the similarities are more than the differences: the ZL1 is the first Camaro to come with a pillar-mounted rear wing, and the massive front splitter complements an aggressive aerodynamic package; GM's new magnetorheological dampers, featuring here a much aggressive tune than on Cadillac's sporty offerings, provide unparalleled control over the car's attitude. All of this harkens back to the glorious days of Parnelli Jones and Mark Donohue competing in the Trans Am series on world-famous racing venues: and with Ford and Chevrolet both offering a GT4 version of their 6th-gen pony cars, the stage may be set for a rematch that is sure to keep us entertained for years to come...
Goliath laptime: 12:07.861
Verdict: Ford's going to need another kind of Voodoo to stop this one...
Dulcis in fundo is the Tata, aherm, TAMO Racemo. Behind this oddly alliterative name lies a mental little car which I fell in love with even before giving it a spin in the virtual wonderland of Forza. In a way, it reminds me of the original Honda S series: it is a small, cheap, technologically advanced sportscar built with pioneering technologies by an emerging manufacturer coming from a country which is not (yet) renown for its automotive prowess, and it's intended to act as its first global halo car while paving the way for more economically ambitious undertakings. But on the other, it also brings to mind the Fiat X1/9 that already got me raving fanatically a while ago: a mid-engined, fun-loving, sporty car with an extremely well-designed chassis and an engine which is taken from a much more rational car and provides just enough power to keep things fun. And just like the X1/9, the author of its design is Marcello Gandini - the father of revered icons such as the Lamborghini Miura and Countach and the Lancia Stratos, who clearly found some kindred spirits interested in his idea of a lightweight car built from composite plastics in Tata Motors management - the same guys who gave Jaguar another chance. His infuence is evident not only in the car's underlying philosophy, however: the design of the Racemo features many of his typical tricks, including a windshield which, thanks to a painted a-pillar, seems to wrap around the car like on the Stratos HF.
It is such a shame that the Racemo will be built in very limited numbers: despite the high ground clearance - a requirement dictated by the Indian roads conditions, or so I'm told - its handling is simply superb, straddling the line between car and go-kart; and the 1.2l turbocharged 3-cylinder Revotron engine may not be enough to offer thrilling performance, but makes up for it with its exhuberant enthusiasm. Hopefully, this interesting experiment will only serve to pave the way to many good things to come!
Goliath laptime: 15:43.310
Verdict: the best thing since naan bread.
In 1947, Britan was still reeling from the effects of the Second World War. With an industrial infrastructure which had either been bombed by the Germans or converted to wartime production, and a desperate need for foreign exchange leading the post-war governments to ration crucial materials such as steel and rubber, the British car industry was in dire straits indeed, and luxury car manufacturers were feeling the effects of this austerity more than the others. But with the typical stiff upper lip, the executives at Rover came up with the most brilliant of ideas: a simple, rugged car with a box-section ladder chassis and a simplistic aluminum alloy body - a choice dictated by the scarcity of steel more than by considerations about the advantages the material presented - capable of traversing rough terrain and carrying moderate loads, inspired by the car that had won WWII, the American Jeep. The so-called "Land Rover" was originally supposed to remain in production only for a short while, just enough help cash-strapped Rover recover - but it won hearts, and commercial success, all over the world, staying in the company's line-up for long, and eventually morphing in the Ninety and One-Ten Defender which only recently left production, and forging a legacy still followed by the brand's modern and much more luxurious products. As for Rover - well, I think we all know how its history ended: the product intended to be a throw-away cash-maker eventually outlived the company that invented it.
The ur-Land Rover is not a racecar, of that there is no doubt: top speed, without any geographical advantage, is barely above 120kph; and it's just as well it isn't any faster, as it is clear that the narrow, chunky tires and long-travel suspension wouldn't take too kindly to any attempt to take even the widest of corners at speeds any higher. But then, who cares? The original Land Rover was built to be a rugged overland traveller, and it succeeded like few others in automotive history.
Goliath laptime: 25:34.568
Verdict: a car that doesn't need, nor likes, roads.
The automotive world is so full of heartbreaking stories - and one such tale is, undoubtedly, that of the BMW 503 and 507: ambitious "sister" cars which are widely considered amongst the finest product of the Bavarian marque, but which almost brought its economic downfall at a critical point in its history. After the end of the War, Germany was a divided and devastated country: BMW had lost the Eisenach factory and, for a long time, was essentially reduced to making pots and pans. The first post-war models, the 501 and subsequent 502, were large luxury cars intended to turn the brand's small production capability into an advantage, but they couldn't compete with the cheaper and more proficient Mercedes 220 and 300. So, when Max Hoffman - the Austrian-born, US-based car importer who first conceived the successful Mercedes 300SL "Gullwing" - came along with the idea of a similar car built for the booming American market, BMW's management jumped on the opportunity. The 2-seater 507 and the 2+2 503 were designed by Fritz Fiedler, the man behind the pre-war 328, and the body was penned by self-proclaimed "Count" Albrecht von Goertz; motivation came from a V8 OHV engine, the first offered in a German car after the end of the Second World War. The cars were supposed to cost 5,000 dollars and to sell in the thousands per year. However, the small production volume and choice of adopting a hand-sculpted aluminum body caused an astronomical increase in the price figure: more than twice what Hoffman had intended, and still not enough to pay for manufacturing costs. And so, despite the endorsement of celebrities such as Elvis Presley and John Surtees, the car flopped. Eventually, the Quandt family's decision to recapitalize the company by buying a majority stake in it, and the launch of the "Neue Klasse" BMW 1500 - which introduced many of the distinctive traits of the brand - would save BMW from liquidation or acquisition by Daimler-Benz or American Motors. It would be four decades before the world would see another such car from the Bavarian carmaker, in the form of the nostalgic BMW Z8.
The 507's beautiful, sweeping lines betray its character and performance, which in the 1950s must've been more than impressive. The engine purrs along nicely - a good thing made even better by the open-top nature of the car - and has a smooth torque curve which is just perfect for the lazy cruises the contemporary jet-set must've enjoyed the most, while providing enough power to push the car at speeds well in excess of 200kph; the suspension is as firm, and the steering as precise, as one could legitimately expect from a car that is 60 years old. It's a brilliant car - a shame there's so few of them...
Goliath laptime: 17:05.459
Verdict: 300SL who?
I have already discussed the repressed darkness of the Swedish people - and if one is to judge them just by looking at Volvo's history, it's easy to assume that behind their friendly and practical facade, they must all be hiding one or another dysfunctional and disquieting character of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy.
The Group A homologation rules brought upon us unspeakable horrors. The Volvo 242 was born as a practical sedan with advanced safety equipment, bullet-proof mechanics and the aerodynamics of a nuclear silo: but Volvo's desire to take part in the European Touring Car Championship led to the development of the Homologated Group-A (or "Evo") Turbo, which was equipped with many of the go-fast goodies which made its racing brethen a dominating force in the early 80s. Chief amongst them, of course, were the titular turbo and intercooler system and a water-injection system. It's not clear waht else was different: the entire operation was more shrouded in secrecy than a Nazi war criminal post-war life and, of the 500 cars built and dumped on the USDM market - where it was nicknamed "flathood" due to the use of the European-model bonnet, 30 were fitted with the full Competition kit and shipped back to Europe to plunder the racetracks like a horde of square-faced Vikings.
The hominous Swedish Sleeper Car of Death accelerates readily, and reaches top speeds which its aerodynamic profile should, in theory, make impossible: its understeer is enough to require some anticipation in cornering, but like a brick, once it's flung in a direction, there's no stopping it. And if you prefer your cars wild and loose rather than focused and murderous, you can always take it to a dirt road: it's a Swede, of course it likes rallying.
Goliath laptime: 16:03.798
Verdict: hits you like a brick.
The 80s and 90s must've been a sad decade for the Australian speed freaks who swore their fealty to the brand of the Blue Oval. While Holden continued to evolve the home-grown "V8 freak sedan" concept to its logical extreme - the infamous HDT-built "Blue Meanie" Commodore featured last month - Ford discontinued the Falcon GT in 1976, and the eight-cylinder option altogether in 1982, putting an end to a history of loud engines, louder paintjobs, moral scares and post-apocalyptic shenanigans. This, however, wasn't going to last forever: after reintroducing the revered V8 to the lineup in 1991, in 1992 Ford Australia finally buckled to the pressure exerted by hordes of shrimp-grilling fanatics and, to celebrate the silver jubilee of the GT, partnered up with British coachbuilder-turned-tuner Tickford to turn a taxi and family car into a tarmac-eating monster again.
The result is... Ugly. I'm not going to sugar-coat it: the bulbous curves of the special bodykit and the silver grey parts really don't do any favors to the Scorpio-inspired lines of the EB Falcon, and are reason enough to doubt that a coachbuilder once associated with Aston Martin was involved in the project. Like many other Ford products of the 90s, it wasn't pretty when it left the showroom twenty years ago, and it hasn't aged well either. But performance-wise, the EB GT is a real gem: one-upping the contemporary Commodore both in handling characteristics and raw engine power, it tackles corners with gusto and only an occasional hint of understeer, which will give way to predictable oversteer if the right amount of throttle is applied. After all, the EB didn't win the first Australian Touring Car Championship of the "Supercar" era by sheer chance...
Goliath laptime: 14:34.842
Verdict: it's fast enough that one could almost forgive its looks...
In the early 2000s, Jaguar seemed to be living on borrowed time. Ford's mismanagement led to the introduction of a series of uninspired cars which didn't deliver on the expectations of the brand's customers and almost managed to kill its reputability - admittedly built more on the "wow" factor of their cars than their already poor reliability - for good. The X-Type, based on the Mondeo, was the tip of this spear sunk in the heart of Jaguar purists, who hated it, and with good reason: it was an over-priced jalopy with pretentious retro styling, a pitiful interior and more mechanical faults than moving parts. It tried to compete with excellent cars such as the 3-Series BMW and C-Class Benz, but it only managed to be a 1,7 billion dollars loss for Ford. Now Jaguar got a second lease of life, thanks to the significant investments of Tata Motors, which bought out the British brand in 2008. And they're trying to break into the compact executive sedan market again. The stakes are much higher: the flush pockets and thirst for status symbols of the newborn Chinese leisure class created an enormous market in which not only Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz to secure a comfortable future, but also motivated manufacturers like Infiniti and Cadillac to double their efforts, and other brands, such as Alfa Romeo, to return or debut in this market sector.
The XE, however, doesn't have any reason to fear the fierce competition. The clever aluminum chassis is draped in a beautiful body designed by Ian Callum, which manages to pay homage to the past of the brand without looking tacky - quite the opposite of what the X-Type achieved. A high-performance version powered by a V8 engine will meet the M3s and C63s of this world sometimes in the future, but in the meanwhile, the "S" version - powered by a V6 engine good for 340hp - is defending itself rather well, with world-class top speed and 0-100 acceleration figures. Handling's surprisingly nimble for a four-door sedan with no true sporting ambitions, and the steering is also unexpectedly responsive and crisp. The XES has all it takes to succeed in this dog-eat-dog world, and while it may not be a proposition that's too enciting for us true gearheads, coupled with the F-Pace it may guarantee Jaguar a steady source of cash, which may allow the Coventry brand to focus on moure outlandish projects.
Goliath laptime: 13:05.252
Verdict: leave the chaffeur home.
Good sir or madam, if I need to explain you what this is, delete your account and go play Gran Turismo 2. Or any Gran Turismo, for that matter.
In all seriousness, the GT-R LM NISMO is the incernation of the scoff that manufacturers must've reserved to the homologation rules of the now-defunct GT1 class: only one car had to be built to the specification of the racing version. And like with the latter R390, Nissan did exactly that: it took an R33, fitted an ultra-wide bodykit and a N-spec engine, and then stored it away in the Zama heritage garage, a true wonderland for fans of the scarlet "R" letter and of all things Nissan, where it is going to sit undisturbed for all eternity. Its two racing systers instead got to compete in the 1995 and 1996 Le Mans 24h, where they achieved respectable, but not exactly mind-shattering results, pacing the midfield in its first outing and collecting a disappointing retirement in the second: their forgettable performance eventually lead to the development of the aforementioned R390, Nissan's first - and so far, last - supercar. While the bulging sides and enormous front air intakes may build unreasonable expectations for the car's abilities, this Le Mans homologation special is, in reality, not too far off a run-of-the-mill R33 GT-R in terms of performance: the high-revving race-ready RB26 engine was detuned to 375hp, and the advantages of reduced mass, additional downforce and larger track width are essentially nullified by the loss of the sophisticated 4wd system which made the "Gojira" a world-renown car. But the piercing scream of the highly-strung inline-six, and the nostalgia for the good old days of the early Gran Turismo games, more than make up for it.
Goliath laptime: 13:50.130
Verdict: the reason is treason.
The "pony car" was a short-lived phenomenon: born in 1964 with the introduction of the Falcon-based Ford Mustang, it died of a sudden and unexpected death in the early 70s, when the oil shock first, and environmental emissions regulations afterwards sapped their V8 hearts of their manly power, and the management of the three American bigs, confused by the change in the tastes of the public and the Japanese invasion of the 80s, took to counting beans and pinching pennies with an often-misguided religious fervor, while schizophrenically trying to build cars that were popular again. The 90s saw power increase again thanks to the introduction of a new generation of engines; but the early 2000s retro-vintage muscles were still pale imitations of the past glories of the American pony car.
Then something happened: and that something was the 6th-gen Mustang, a car which winked at the past, while being thoroughly modern and, still, affordable to any young driver with disposable income. Then, with the Shelby GT350 Ford Performance took some of the ideas Chevrolet introduced with the ZL1 and gave the muscle car a new, global perspective: it was designed from the get-go to be a car that not only went fast in a straight line, but could also prevail against European and Japanese performance vehicles on a squiggly one, and especially on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the world's favorite benchmark for road-legal performance. Now Chevrolet has responded in kind by introducing a new iteration of the Camaro, based on the new Alpha platform: and the ZL1 is back, meaner than ever and with a recipe which is, in some ways, different than Ford's. Instead of a race-inspired flat-plane crank V8, it is powered by a huge lump of metal which has a supercharger on top: the extra power and torque goes to move a slightly heavier car which is a bit more loose off the line. However, the similarities are more than the differences: the ZL1 is the first Camaro to come with a pillar-mounted rear wing, and the massive front splitter complements an aggressive aerodynamic package; GM's new magnetorheological dampers, featuring here a much aggressive tune than on Cadillac's sporty offerings, provide unparalleled control over the car's attitude. All of this harkens back to the glorious days of Parnelli Jones and Mark Donohue competing in the Trans Am series on world-famous racing venues: and with Ford and Chevrolet both offering a GT4 version of their 6th-gen pony cars, the stage may be set for a rematch that is sure to keep us entertained for years to come...
Goliath laptime: 12:07.861
Verdict: Ford's going to need another kind of Voodoo to stop this one...
Dulcis in fundo is the Tata, aherm, TAMO Racemo. Behind this oddly alliterative name lies a mental little car which I fell in love with even before giving it a spin in the virtual wonderland of Forza. In a way, it reminds me of the original Honda S series: it is a small, cheap, technologically advanced sportscar built with pioneering technologies by an emerging manufacturer coming from a country which is not (yet) renown for its automotive prowess, and it's intended to act as its first global halo car while paving the way for more economically ambitious undertakings. But on the other, it also brings to mind the Fiat X1/9 that already got me raving fanatically a while ago: a mid-engined, fun-loving, sporty car with an extremely well-designed chassis and an engine which is taken from a much more rational car and provides just enough power to keep things fun. And just like the X1/9, the author of its design is Marcello Gandini - the father of revered icons such as the Lamborghini Miura and Countach and the Lancia Stratos, who clearly found some kindred spirits interested in his idea of a lightweight car built from composite plastics in Tata Motors management - the same guys who gave Jaguar another chance. His infuence is evident not only in the car's underlying philosophy, however: the design of the Racemo features many of his typical tricks, including a windshield which, thanks to a painted a-pillar, seems to wrap around the car like on the Stratos HF.
It is such a shame that the Racemo will be built in very limited numbers: despite the high ground clearance - a requirement dictated by the Indian roads conditions, or so I'm told - its handling is simply superb, straddling the line between car and go-kart; and the 1.2l turbocharged 3-cylinder Revotron engine may not be enough to offer thrilling performance, but makes up for it with its exhuberant enthusiasm. Hopefully, this interesting experiment will only serve to pave the way to many good things to come!
Goliath laptime: 15:43.310
Verdict: the best thing since naan bread.
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- 9,232
- Valongo
- Hcclipper
This thought still crosses my head everything I look at it, but this Ford Falcon GT does make me say one thing; those rims a little too much similar to Escort RS Cossie rims, aren't they? The rest of the car is certainly tough on the eyes, but that one detail is the strangest to me. I guess it's fitting that I pair the GT with the HSV GTS-R when I think of "Holden/Ford muscle pairs", as they're both mad inside and outside their ungainly-looking bodies...
And while the XE may not sound like an amazing choice for petrolheads right away, I believe a quick 6.2 V8 swap can allow it to reach those heights... Did wonders for my F-Pace, let me tell ya.
And while the XE may not sound like an amazing choice for petrolheads right away, I believe a quick 6.2 V8 swap can allow it to reach those heights... Did wonders for my F-Pace, let me tell ya.
- 17,850
- Florida
- GranTurismo0517
- RandomCarGuy17
Yup, they were making me think of the Escort Cosworth. Not just that, I personally thought the Falcon looked kinda similar to the Lotus-Vauxhall Carlton and the hood also makes me think of the Escort RS Cossie.
Though, I honestly find a lot of similar traits between Fords in the 80s and 90s; even when they're sold in separate regions of the world. The 1986 Mustang to me looks like the Sierra RS500 Cosworth for instance.
- 1,062
Really hope these cars crossover to F7.
Yes even the land rover.
Yes even the land rover.
- 917
- United States
- Turboteg90
The sound of the falcon is orgasmic.
Obelisk
Premium
- 9,719
- United States
- RMedia_Obelisk
Tweaked that juuuuust a little for you.
- 4,992
- Nowhere special
- SweetLilPoppet
- SweetLilPoppet
Why does the LM nearly rev to 10k RPM? It's the same in GT games too
Silver Arrows
(Banned)
- 4,715
- Brandon, MB
- Silver-Arrows21
Why does the LM nearly rev to 10k RPM? It's the same in GT games too
Lets ask Nissan, shall we...?
- 4,992
- Nowhere special
- SweetLilPoppet
- SweetLilPoppet
- 27,387
- Toronto
- NewAesthetic
- SlipZtrEm
Why does the LM nearly rev to 10k RPM? It's the same in GT games too
I believe the stock RB26 already revved to 8000 rpm. I wouldn't be surprised if the engine in the LM was blueprinted, ported, and had a unique camshaft. It's hard to dig up reliable info on it though.
- 9,862
- Denmark
Funny coincidence, just two or three weeks ago I found some old VHS takes containing recorded Le Mans transmissions over the years, which my late dad used to record in the heyday of the VCR. I happened to watch the first hour of the 1995 race and the GTR-LM got a fair bit of camera attention. So much that one of the Danish commentators questioned its exposure with a hint of irritation. I don't know if we can blame the reach of globalization at the time, but entries like the GT-R, Supra and NSX were treated with a great deal of ignorance from the local TV crew. Similar story during the 1991 transmission and some 20 minutes into the race, one of the commentators prematurely argues that the Mazda 787B doesn't stand a chance against the more established European marques.
In short, little did I know I'd that I be playing around with the road going GT-R LM in Forza less than a month after watching those old tapes. Even though the car was part of the leak, I didn't connect the dots until it finally got announced for the game.
In short, little did I know I'd that I be playing around with the road going GT-R LM in Forza less than a month after watching those old tapes. Even though the car was part of the leak, I didn't connect the dots until it finally got announced for the game.
INEEDNAWZZZ
Premium
- 1,829
- Lincoln
- EGGSBAWCKS
- DigitalLuke64DD
Why does the LM nearly rev to 10k RPM? It's the same in GT games too
The LM has a lot of Nismo's catalogue from the period stuck to it (wheels, gear knob, steering wheel, strut tower brace, gauges, etc.), and I'd suspect a revamped ECU was one of their other products they put on just because. I mentioned earlier in the thread it had no reason to be fast at all, but all these additions were probably tacked on so Nissan could say the engine had some work done as well.
- 2,740
- Italy
- Yellohead
- Clydeyellow
AFAIK, the GT-R LM had a N1-spec (which in Nissan parlance means "racing") engine. It did >600hp in race trim, but on the "road-going" car it was detuned to 300 to 375hp (depends on who you ask).
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- 3,198
- Connecticut.
- mwoodski
- mwoodski
You can put the Falcon into the weeds.
Two things :
1. I wish you could stick the base EB bumpers/skirts on it.
2. I'm hoping the inclusion of this car and the GTS-R from a few months back means we might get the classic Supercars variants of them in the next Motorsports title.
Two things :
1. I wish you could stick the base EB bumpers/skirts on it.
2. I'm hoping the inclusion of this car and the GTS-R from a few months back means we might get the classic Supercars variants of them in the next Motorsports title.
- 3,461
- Melbourne
A base E-series would be grouse.You can put the Falcon into the weeds.
Two things :
1. I wish you could stick the base EB bumpers/skirts on it.
2. I'm hoping the inclusion of this car and the GTS-R from a few months back means we might get the classic Supercars variants of them in the next Motorsports title.
- 3,198
- Connecticut.
- mwoodski
- mwoodski
I'm assuming you mean gross?
That would be the fun part about it though, same with the VK, VL, and VS Commodores. Base body crapbox lookin car with 600+hp.
