This feature is a retro, back to the future type.
Reminds me of when I first started racing online with PGR2.
There were no upgrades or tuning.
You picked a car from a class group, which usually had 5 or so to choose from.
Each car had its own characteristics.
This actually created the best online racing experience I have participated in.
Once upgrades and tuning came along, much of online became the domain of the players who were good drivers and tuners, and could invest the time to practice and refine the best car to each track.
At that point, online racing became more of a chore, and degraded the whole experience IMO.