Small Talk
- Thread starter JohnBM01
- 116 comments
- 3,732 views
- 26,911
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
You see? Small cars can be just as fun as any full-size sportscar. That's why I created this topic (other than to praise the Mini).
Now to comment on Page 3... the Opel Tigra, to me, looks more like an exotic, only shrunken down, and with Front-Drive.
The Ford Ka... I seen one this past Saturday (before it rained and stormed like hell here in Houston). It was a white car. I thought it was a kind of cute car, never thought it would be in America unless it was imported. The machine looks like a baby Focus with a 59hp motor (based on GT2). If you posted a Ford Puma, now there is a tiny car with some spunk.
The Citroen Saxo from GT2 looked fun, but the one on Page 3 is pretty cool. I'd like to see it in World Rally. But I don't know if its tiny size would stand up to the Peugeot 307s and Subaru Imprezas. I thought the big headlights made it look like a Cadillac Escalade. Only thing is, not as big and not as ugly. That is a cool Citroen, other than the one I tuned to 300+ hp in Gran Turismo 3. To race that sucker on rally courses... nice, agresssive roar.
Daihatsu Mini Sway... less than 1 HP? That's a mini car for sure! It's like a go-kart that can probably seat two. Only thing is, I'd hate to race them on a full-size course. Now if you got the guts to tune one up, you can take it to the go-kart tracks if there are no drifters.
Speaking of which, has there ever been any driftable Kei cars? Only question marks on drift cars in Japan would be...
A.) Honda Beat - a mid/rear Honda with 63 hp. If there is a VERY SHORT drifting course, it can be a nice car if you don't have the money for a car with nearly 4 times as much HP (the NSX).
B.) Suzuki Cappucino - this car is front/rear. If that doesn't qualify as a sweet drivetrain choice for a drifter, then I don't know what is. Hell, I drift my Toyota GT-One in GT3, but that's MR! Anyhow, more power would be cool. It would have to be tuned pretty good (at least maybe 148) to be a contender.
Small cars are fun! Care to contribute?
Now to comment on Page 3... the Opel Tigra, to me, looks more like an exotic, only shrunken down, and with Front-Drive.
The Ford Ka... I seen one this past Saturday (before it rained and stormed like hell here in Houston). It was a white car. I thought it was a kind of cute car, never thought it would be in America unless it was imported. The machine looks like a baby Focus with a 59hp motor (based on GT2). If you posted a Ford Puma, now there is a tiny car with some spunk.
The Citroen Saxo from GT2 looked fun, but the one on Page 3 is pretty cool. I'd like to see it in World Rally. But I don't know if its tiny size would stand up to the Peugeot 307s and Subaru Imprezas. I thought the big headlights made it look like a Cadillac Escalade. Only thing is, not as big and not as ugly. That is a cool Citroen, other than the one I tuned to 300+ hp in Gran Turismo 3. To race that sucker on rally courses... nice, agresssive roar.
Daihatsu Mini Sway... less than 1 HP? That's a mini car for sure! It's like a go-kart that can probably seat two. Only thing is, I'd hate to race them on a full-size course. Now if you got the guts to tune one up, you can take it to the go-kart tracks if there are no drifters.
Speaking of which, has there ever been any driftable Kei cars? Only question marks on drift cars in Japan would be...
A.) Honda Beat - a mid/rear Honda with 63 hp. If there is a VERY SHORT drifting course, it can be a nice car if you don't have the money for a car with nearly 4 times as much HP (the NSX).
B.) Suzuki Cappucino - this car is front/rear. If that doesn't qualify as a sweet drivetrain choice for a drifter, then I don't know what is. Hell, I drift my Toyota GT-One in GT3, but that's MR! Anyhow, more power would be cool. It would have to be tuned pretty good (at least maybe 148) to be a contender.
Small cars are fun! Care to contribute?
- 26,911
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
Two Japanese cars were recently introduced that we can officially introduce to the "Small Talk" thread:
Honda Fit
Mitsubishi i
The Fit looks more like a car that can't decide whether to be a hatchback, or a tiny minivan. While it can't decide, I think the car looks pretty cool. There is even a Spoon version of it. Now, when I had a chance to read more about it, I heard that the car is fun nonetheless, but lacks power. I don't know if horsepower and torque are inversely affected. So maybe the racing variant has some pull (torque) to it at the expense of power.
With the Mitsubishi "i" concept, it will most likely be the only rear-driven street car from Mitsubishi within the past five years. The i is MR with 63 or 79 horsepower. The car looks weird to me, but it is a stylish weird.
So Honda Fit and Mitsubishi i, welcome to the club of all things mini!
Honda Fit
Mitsubishi i
The Fit looks more like a car that can't decide whether to be a hatchback, or a tiny minivan. While it can't decide, I think the car looks pretty cool. There is even a Spoon version of it. Now, when I had a chance to read more about it, I heard that the car is fun nonetheless, but lacks power. I don't know if horsepower and torque are inversely affected. So maybe the racing variant has some pull (torque) to it at the expense of power.
With the Mitsubishi "i" concept, it will most likely be the only rear-driven street car from Mitsubishi within the past five years. The i is MR with 63 or 79 horsepower. The car looks weird to me, but it is a stylish weird.
So Honda Fit and Mitsubishi i, welcome to the club of all things mini!
- 26,911
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
Wow, Chaser... didn't know that a Mini can actually LOOK like a hotrod.. and perform like one, perchance.
I'm sure when a person thinks about a small car that may not outrun Corvette, outperform a Porsche 911, or pack as much power as the McLaren F1, the Mini is the most advanced car of its time. I think what makes the Mini so unique is that it is a tiny car that's fun to even just sit in, and at the wheel, it can perform with the best of them, even if it is... well, tiny.
Oh, here is a bit of a mini "Houston Auto Show 2004" thread. I seen the Minis in the Realiant Center, but there was a Mini from the 1960s in the parking lot. It had right-hand drive and everything! Perhaps, the ultimate Mini was the one as a special model in Gran Turismo 2. When I first seen it, I thought it was a weird-looking taxi. But when I raced it and especially around Tahiti Road for the Super License, it had spunk. Lots of it. My only question about today's Mini is "Can the world build a large enough crowd to relive what Europe did back in the 60s?" To tell you the truth, I like both the old and new Minis. The new Mini is more modern, but with its smooth lines, exquisite prescence, and oh yes, more powerful engine, this car is the Mini of our time. And how about the 160hp Mini Cooper S you can buy nowadays? I mean, you can compete with most other cars with that much horsepower. I'm hoping someone can probably add 100+ hp to the Mini, upgrade the suspensions, add a racing muffler, maybe some carbon fiber parts, and you might have yourself a Mini that can compete with Speed Touring Car. I mean, if you got a Mini, you know you can outrun the VW Beetle and New Beetle.
Any other small machines? I still haven't seen that 1993 Toyota called the "Pickup." And if you haven't seen the Honda Fit or the Mitsubishi "i" concept, they should be in the GT4 Prologue Gallery.
I'm sure when a person thinks about a small car that may not outrun Corvette, outperform a Porsche 911, or pack as much power as the McLaren F1, the Mini is the most advanced car of its time. I think what makes the Mini so unique is that it is a tiny car that's fun to even just sit in, and at the wheel, it can perform with the best of them, even if it is... well, tiny.
Oh, here is a bit of a mini "Houston Auto Show 2004" thread. I seen the Minis in the Realiant Center, but there was a Mini from the 1960s in the parking lot. It had right-hand drive and everything! Perhaps, the ultimate Mini was the one as a special model in Gran Turismo 2. When I first seen it, I thought it was a weird-looking taxi. But when I raced it and especially around Tahiti Road for the Super License, it had spunk. Lots of it. My only question about today's Mini is "Can the world build a large enough crowd to relive what Europe did back in the 60s?" To tell you the truth, I like both the old and new Minis. The new Mini is more modern, but with its smooth lines, exquisite prescence, and oh yes, more powerful engine, this car is the Mini of our time. And how about the 160hp Mini Cooper S you can buy nowadays? I mean, you can compete with most other cars with that much horsepower. I'm hoping someone can probably add 100+ hp to the Mini, upgrade the suspensions, add a racing muffler, maybe some carbon fiber parts, and you might have yourself a Mini that can compete with Speed Touring Car. I mean, if you got a Mini, you know you can outrun the VW Beetle and New Beetle.
Any other small machines? I still haven't seen that 1993 Toyota called the "Pickup." And if you haven't seen the Honda Fit or the Mitsubishi "i" concept, they should be in the GT4 Prologue Gallery.
- 26,911
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
Spoon Honda Fit (or Honda Jazz to some countries):
http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/features/0308ht_spoonfit/
Mitsubishi "i" Concept (the best one I could find, I'm sorry):
http://www.carenthusiast.com/frankfurt2003.html?article=111
Enjoy! Maybe I'll find some better websites on the i.
http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/features/0308ht_spoonfit/
Mitsubishi "i" Concept (the best one I could find, I'm sorry):
http://www.carenthusiast.com/frankfurt2003.html?article=111
Enjoy! Maybe I'll find some better websites on the i.
- 26,911
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
As an update to this topic, here is something I found recently.
http://www.daihatsu.co.jp/showroom/index.htm
I admit that I am not a big fan of Daihatsu. But when I glanced at their website, they had what looked like a SMALL family minivan called the Daihatsu Tanto. Daihatsu, for the uninitiated, is a Japanese car company that focuses on small cars. Think of it as Mini of Japan, with the innovation and intrigue of Honda. The site above is in Japanese, but the Tanto makes a very sweet example of how small cars can still be very practical. So give it a look-see.
http://www.daihatsu.co.jp/showroom/index.htm
I admit that I am not a big fan of Daihatsu. But when I glanced at their website, they had what looked like a SMALL family minivan called the Daihatsu Tanto. Daihatsu, for the uninitiated, is a Japanese car company that focuses on small cars. Think of it as Mini of Japan, with the innovation and intrigue of Honda. The site above is in Japanese, but the Tanto makes a very sweet example of how small cars can still be very practical. So give it a look-see.
- 642
Saw a car programme in the UK earlier this week which had a Suzuki Hayabusa turbo engine packing 400bhp. 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds.
To save you looking, thats as fast as a MacLaren F1!
To save you looking, thats as fast as a MacLaren F1!
