Top Gear Comparo Thread.

[GrumpEone]

Oops, that's a big time penalty! Next time I'll make a bit more of an effort to get on time.
Congrats GumpEone!

Congrats to GrumpEone and also VW, well done.

Thanks guys, I'd like to think it was the driver, but unfortunately it's all the car. Germany was well represented in this one, the top three cars, sure beat the heck out of the French cars.

I still haven't worked out all the kinks in my two challenge ideas, one of the ideas requires tons of cash, and I think it should wait a bit. The other Idea I can't run well next week, because of the uncertainty of my schedule. With an impending interview, being on-call for a night factory job, combined with a few concrete gigs next week, I can't be a good host. So if anyone else wants to take the reins again, feel free.

 

[Jet Badger]

The little Clio was capable of more, but short gears did their job

 

[BH-21]

Well I had two Ideas. One was with convertibles and the other turned into the Sunday Cup, we all know what a lead balloon that one was. As for the convertible one I hadn't really fleshed it out to much. If someone else wants to run with that idea, go for it. The Sunday Cup Idea, I think I will keep though.

 

[Car-less]

So if anyone else wants to take the reins again, feel free.

Well I had two Ideas. One was with convertibles and the other turned into the Sunday Cup, we all know what a lead balloon that one was. As for the convertible one I hadn't really fleshed it out to much. If someone else wants to run with that idea, go for it. The Sunday Cup Idea, I think I will keep though.

Well as I already have two ready to go, lets run with this one;

Top Gear Comparason #6: Classic Muscle Car

Obtain yourself an undriven classic muscle car worth up to 100,000 cr.
For the purposes of this comparason, classic muscle cars will be defined as any road car powered by a V8 and built between 1960 and 1979. These can be obtained either as Legendary cars from the manufacturer, or as prizecars.

* Do not modify your cars, or change the oil yet.

** Prize cars will be valued at 4.7x their resale price, so a resale price of up to 21,276 cr is permitted.

*** There are 12 eligible cars, about half of them legendary and half prizecars. Due to this small number, I will only be restricting similar cars by asking you not to choose the exact same car as somebody else. Thus both the '69 Camaro SS and the Z28 can be chosen, but not two Z28s.

**** To prevent anyone from gaining an unfair advantage by campaigning the Buick Special '62, this car is disallowed, athough Bob will be driving it at some point.

***** Deadlines will be set for each challenge, and I'll be deducting 1 point per hour for anyone that misses a deadline. Consider this the virtual equivalent to points being deducted for breakdowns.

You have 54 hours.

 

[Jet Badger]

Top Gear Comparason #6: Classic Muscle Car

I present you a '71 Plymouth 'Cuda 440-6 that has 384 horsepowers and costs 58,360 credits

At first I wanted to use my vomit-green Plymouth Superbird that I won somewhere, but it barely fitted into the game screen, so I thought that it wont have the best handling (but the main reason was still the vomit color). Then I was thinking about a Corvette Stingray '69, but I found the 'cuda being closer to my heart (and more powerful)

This car wont win, but it's the one that I like

 

[BH-21]

Top Gear Comparason #6: Classic Muscle Car

​

Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO '64
HP: 332
Drive Train: FR
Price: 52,600 CR​

 

[GrumpEone]

Well scratch one challenge idea, this is exactly what I had in mind.

Top Gear Comparison #6: Classic Muscle Car

Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 '70

.

Engine: V8 : OHV
Disp.: 7,440 cc
Power: 456 HP / 5,600 RPM
Torque: 499.65 ft.lbs / 3,600 RPM
Dimensions: 5,029 x 1,930 x 1,336
Weight: 1,762 kg
Drivetrain: FR

Sell Value: 14,874 CR
Comparison Value (x4.7): 69,907 CR
​

EDIT:

Alternates:
Dodge Charger Super Bee 426 Hemi '71
Power: 431 HP
Sell Value: 16,999 CR
Comparison Value: 79,895 CR

Plymouth Super Bird '70
Power: 431 HP
Sell Value: 9,018 CR
Comparison Value: 42,385 CR

 

[shotamagee]

I'll take the Mercury Cougar XR-7 (it was one of my favourite cars in GT2)

Year: 1967
Engine V8: OHV
Power: 325
Weight: 1418
Price: 47216 (10046 * 4.7) actually the used version should be cheaper I might grab it. (I'll just see how much it is)

Edit: The second hand version is only $16547 so I'll use it if it's eligible*.
*Despite the XR-7 being classed as legendary car, this version wasn't acquired as a prize car or from the manufacturer legendary area) What do you think Car-less?

Second hand stats where different from above:
Power: 293
Price: 16547

*I just hope that any top speed challenges are done after a tranny upgrade, my car doesn't even do 200kp/h, and I'm pretty sure there's a few other cars in the same boat.

 

[runfromcheney]

Damn, I was going to use the 1967 Mercury Cougar (my favorite classic car in GT4) by just one minute shotamagee beat me to it. One I would like to use is the 1987 Buick GNX, since it fits all the criteria, doesn't have a significant performance advantage over the older ones and is a young classic itself, but I don't know if you would be willing to allow it or not since it is only 24 years old.

 

[shotamagee]

I'm psychic like that, but I don't mind using something else, so if you really want it its yours, also the GNX is ineligible due to it not being made between 1960 and 1979 - as per post 274.

As far as i can tell the eligible cars are:

Corvette Coupe (C2)
Camaro SS
Camaro Z28 302
Chevelle SS 454
Corvette Stingray L46 350 (C3)
Charger 440 R/T
Charger Super Bee 426 Hemi
Interceptor MkIII
Cougar XR-7
Cuda 440 Six Pack
Super Bird
Tempest Le Mans GTO

(is spoon feeding the eligible cars against the spirit of this competition?)

Anyone who hasn't already downloaded the GT4 car database made by Famine should, because its real useful for picking cars for this sort of competition.

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=53317

 

[Car-less]

Price: 47216 (10046 * 4.7) actually the used version should be cheaper I might grab it. tbc

The used version is ineligible - mostly due to costing about 1/3rd of the new version.

One I would like to use is the 1987 Buick GNX, since it fits all the criteria, doesn't have a significant performance advantage over the older ones and is a young classic itself, but I don't know if you would be willing to allow it or not since it is only 24 years old.

As pointed out, 1987 is a bit newer than I'm looking for.
Also, a 3.8 litre V6 doesn't seem quite the same as a big block V8.

As far as i can tell the eligible cars are:

<List>

(is spoon feeding the eligible cars against the spirit of this competition?)

Anyone who hasn't already downloaded the GT4 car database made by Famine, should because its real useful for picking cars for this sort of competition.

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=53317

Your eligible car list is exactly what I have, and I have no problem with the competitors revealing it. It would be a little against the spirit for the producers to say you can only buy cars from a set list though.

The list of slightly ineligible cars I have include;
Shelby Mustang GT 350R - too costly at about 106,000
Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (C1) - too old (1954) and too few cylinders V6.
Jaguar E-Type Coupe - too few cylinders (straight 6).
Buick GNX - Too new (1987), too few cylinders (V6).
Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z - Too new (1988), unpriced as it is a concept.

It might be interesting to see how these would compare as 'alternative' choices, but they are ineligible for competition.

Famines database was used as a basis for the start of my own - which also inclues laptimes for all cars at a variety of tracks.

 

[Car-less]

Anyone else up for this? I'll leave entry open for another 24 hours just in case.

Top Gear Comparason #6: Classic Muscle Car

You were asked to obtain yourself an undriven classic muscle car worth up to 100,000 cr.

Jet Badger was first to pull up in a '71 Plymouth 'Cuda that he bought for 58,360 cr.
BH-21 was the next to arrive in a '64 Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO for which he paid 52,600 cr.
GrumpEone then arrived with a '70 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 which he had won. A trade-in value of 14,874 cr means that his car is actually worth nearer to 69,907 cr.

runfromcheney and shotamagee turned up some time later with a '67 Mercury Cougar XR-7 that they had won. They had been offered 10,046 cr for it, so believe it is worth 47,216 cr. Unfortunately they couldn't decide who would actualy run this car, and what the other one will drive.



Round 1 Results

With such a large budget, your scores for purchase price had to be scaled back a bit. 1 point for every 5,000 cr you have left.

Jet Badger had spent 58,360 cr, so he scores 8 points.
BH-21 paid slightly less at 52,600 cr and scores 9 points.
GrumpEone with a car worth 69,907 cr only gains 6 points.



Round 2

Round 2 has been delayed so as not to give latecomers any clues.



Round 3: Drag Race

The Buick Special can do the standing quarter mile in under 12.5 seconds.
You shall race against each other at Las Vegas. PM me your times. The slowest shall score 0 points, next slowest 10 points, increasing by another 10 points for each place faster.

You have 24 hours.



For anyone who wishes to campaign a second car, the list of slightly ineligible cars I have include;
Shelby Mustang GT 350R - too costly at about 106,000
Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (C1) - too old (1954) and too few cylinders V6.
Jaguar E-Type Coupe - too few cylinders (straight 6).
Buick GNX - Too new (1987), too few cylinders (V6).
Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z - Too new (1988), unpriced as it is a concept. Will be valued at 65,000 if you decide to use it.

 

[shotamagee]

Well just to avoid any confusion with runfromcheney, I'll change to the Dodge Charger 440 R/T

Driver: Shotamagee
Car: Dodge Charger 440 R/T
Year: 1970
Power: 380
Weight: 1650
Price: 75500

This way the 4 main muscle car manufacturers are covered.

Edit: Runfromcheney (below) ensures that all 6 eligible US muscle car manufacturers in GT4 are represented.
(well all 6 if you include B-spec's Buick Special and/or runfromcheney's alternate choice Buick GNX)

 

[runfromcheney]

Thanks shotamagee. Alright, I have been busy, but here's my choice:

Top Gear Muscle Car Challenge

Main Choice: 1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7

HP:320
Torque: 428.8 lb.ft
Transmission: Automatic
Dimensions: 4834x1808x1316
Weight: 1418 Kg
Cost: Resale value is 10,046 cr., so 47,216 cr.

Alternate Choice: 1987 Buick GNX


HP: 276
Torque: 359.91 lb.ft
Transmission: Manual
Dimensions: 5095x1819x1387
Weight: 1600 Kg
Cost: 31,080 cr.

​

 

[shotamagee]

No drama, we must have similar taste in cars, as I like the GNX as well. (but i think that's kinda universal because It's one of the few cool American cars to come out of the 80's (IMO).

 

[runfromcheney]

Agreed on that one. The GNX was a welcome change from the slow, square, generic Roger Smith crap GM built in the eighties.

The 1967 and 1987-88 Cougars are one of my favorite cars, they such a stylish, glamorous and sophisticated aura that was missing from most muscle cars.

 

[Car-less]

Top Gear Comparason #6: Classic Muscle Car

You were asked to obtain yourself an undriven classic muscle car worth up to 100,000 cr.

Jet Badger was first to pull up in a '71 Plymouth 'Cuda that he bought for 58,360 cr.
BH-21 was the next to arrive in a '64 Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO for which he paid 52,600 cr.
GrumpEone then arrived with a '70 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 which he had won.
...A trade-in value of 14,874 cr means that his car is actually worth nearer to 69,907 cr.
runfromcheney and shotamagee turned up with a '67 Mercury Cougar XR-7 that they had won.
...They had been offered 10,046 cr for it, so believe it is actually worth 47,216 cr.
...They finally decided that runfromcheney would drive this one when...
Shotamagee, just to avoid confusion went out and bought a '70 Dodge Charger 440 R/T for 75,500 cr.

GrumpEtoo sneaked in the back door with a '71 Dodge Charger Super Bee 426 Hemi which he had won.
...A trade-in value of 16,999 cr makes this one truly worth 79,895 cr.
GrumpEthree also arrived with a prizecar, an immaculate '70 Plymouth Super Bird.
...These might normally go for 9,018 cr used, but undriven this one is worth 42,385 cr.
runfromcheney also brought along a '87 Buick GNX which he bought for a bargain 31,080 cr.



Round 1 Results

With such a large budget, your scores for purchase price had to be scaled back a bit. 1 point for every 5,000 cr you have left.

Jet Badger had spent 58,360 cr, so he scores 8 points.
BH-21 paid slightly less at 52,600 cr and scores 9 points.
GrumpEone with a car worth 69,907 cr only gains 6 points.
runfromcheney with a car worth 47,216 cr gets 10 points.
Shotamagee spent a massive 75,500 cr scoring just 4 points.

GrumpEtoo with another prize at 79,895 cr gains 4 points.
GrumpEthree won a third car worth 42,385 cr for 11 points.
runfromcheney with the cheapest car at 31,080 cr gets 13 points.



Round 2: Muscle In

Lets see just how much muscle each of your muscle cars has.
Score 1 point for every 10 cubic inches. (As the game gives engine sizes in cubic centimetres, these were converted at a rate of 1ci = 16.387cc)

GrumpEone was packing 7440cc in the Chevelle SS 454 for an impressive 45 points.
Jet Badger wasn't far behind with 7210cc in his 'Cuda 440 taking home 44 points.
Shotamagee was also running a 7210cc in the Dodge Charger 440 R/T for 44 points.
runfromcheney packed an athletic 6391cc in the Cougar XR-7 to take 39 points.
BH-21 didn't do so well with 6375cc in his LeMans GTO but still takes 38 points.

GrumpEtoo despite a large 6981cc in the Charger Super Bee would only have gained 42 points.
GrumpEthree with an identical 6981cc in the Super Bird would also have taken just 42 points.
runfromcheney with the V6 at 3791cc in the Buick GNX would have taken a very weak 23 points.



Round 3 Results

The Buick Special does the standing quarter mile in under 12.5 seconds.
You raced against each other at Las Vegas.

GrumpEone was fastest in the Chevelle SS 454 at 13.271 scoring 40 points.
Shotamagee was next in his Charger 440 R/T with a 13.551 gaining 30 points.
runfromcheney driving the Cougar XR-7 managed a 13.657 winning 20 points.
BH-21 wasn't so fast in his Pontiac LeMans GTO at 14.103 for just 10 points.
Jet Badger was slowest in the 'Cuda 440 with a 14.753 scoring 0 points.

GrumpEtoo took the Dodge Charger Super Bee to a 13.544 and would have still won 40 points.
GrumpEthree was slightly behind in the Super Bird, a 13.608 would have scored 30 points.
runfromcheney driving the 6 cylinder GNX managed a 14.586 and would only have gained 10 points.



The Scores So Far

Driver				Car		Cost	Muscle	Drag	Total
=============================================================================
GrumpEone    '70 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454	+6	+45	+40	91
shotamagee	 '70 Dodge Charger 440 R/T	+4	+44	+30	78
runfromcheney	   '67 Mercury Cougar XR-7	+10	+39	+20	69
BH-21	    '64 Pontiac Tempest LeMans GTO	+9	+38	+10	57
Jet Badger	    '71 Plymouth 'Cuda 440	+8	+44	+0	52
									
GrumpEtoo	'71 Charger Super Bee Hemi	+4	+42	+40	86
GrumpEthree	   '70 Plymouth Super Bird	+11	+42	+30	83
runfromcheney		     '87 Buick GNX	+13	+23	+10	46

GrumpE is proving to be a force to be reckoned with. Not only is he topping the main scoreboard, he is also dominating the alternate scores. But that is not all. He is doing this without being out of pocket - he won all three of his rides to start with. He'd be a good buddy to visit Vegas with and a bad choice to bet against!



Round 4: Power-Up

You are in Las Vegas, and it just so happens that the Sema Show is also in town. Now go to the show and with your remaining funds find the best parts that you can to give your cars some more muscle. Then return to the dragstrip to beat your previous times. Score 1 point for every 1/10th of a second improvement.

Nitrous, Racing Tyres and Wings are not permitted.
Wheels are free.
Anything else is permitted at cost.

You have 24 hours.

 

[shotamagee]

can we only buy parts that increase power?

I ask because even stock I was real close to the red line in 4th at the end of the 400m, so I'd like to buy a custom tranny if its allowable. Also Nos is allowed I'm guessing. I should ask about weight reductions as well i guess.

(Yay 100th post)

 

[Car-less]

Oops, with such a long post earlier I forgot to clarify.

Nitrous, Racing Tyres and Wings are not permitted.
Wheels are free.
Anything else is permitted at cost.

 

[shotamagee]

Ok heres my stuff for round 4.

Las Vegas 400m
Driver: Shotamagee
Car: Dodge Charger 440 R/T
Money to Spend _______ 24500
Parts:
Weight Reduction Stage1 _ 1100
Oil Change _______________ 50
Supercharger __________ 13000
Full Custom Gearbox ____ 10200
Total _________________ 24350
Remainder _______________ 150

New Weight: 1452
New Power: 584

Time with new parts: 12.343

Notes:
For the first run (stock) I was able to launch using 1st gear (this car has great traction even with Aids @ 000), which I think helped me get a decent result.
For the second run with new parts, I used 5th gear (starting in gears 1-4 gave me instant wheel-spin) to launch (with the Aids still @ 000). I set Aids to 000 to keep both runs comparable, and because that's how muscle cars should be driven IMO.

 

[GrumpEone]

Round 4: Power-Up

Las Vegas 0-400 (Part II)

Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 '70
1st Time: 0'13.271
2nd Time: 0'12.335 (-0'00.936)

Alternates:

Dodge Charger Super Bee 426 Hemi '71
1st Time: 0'13.544
2nd Time: 0'12.373 (-0'01.171)

Plymouth Super Bird '70
1st Time: 0'13.608
2nd Time: 0'12.159 (-0'01.449)

 

[BH-21]

Round 4: Power-Up

Parts                         Cost
Racing Exhaust               4,800
NA Tuning Stage: 2          12,500
Port Polish                  5,500
Engine Balance              12,000
Racing Flywheel              1,050
Limited Slip: Fully Custom   6,600
Carbon Driveshaft            3,000
Weight Reduction: Stage 1    1,200
                            ------
                               750

Las Vegas Drag Strip
Pontiac Tempest Le Mans GTO '64
HP:521
Time: 0'12.522

 

[runfromcheney]

Mercury Cougar:
52,784 Cr to spend.
Racing exhaust, 4,600 Cr.
Weight reduction: stage 1, 1,100 Cr.
Racing chip, 1,250 Cr.
Port polish, 5,250 Cr.
NA Tuning, stage 2, 12,000 Cr.
Triple plate clutch, 4,600 Cr.
Racing flywheel, 1,000 Cr.
Carbon driveshaft, 2,750 Cr.
Soft sports tires, 6,200
Sports suspension, 3,100 Cr.
Oil change, 50 Cr.

Credits left over: 10,884 Cr.
New horsepower: 580 HP
New weight: 1290 Kg
New Time: 0&#8217;12.740

Buick GNX
86,920 Cr to spend.
Stage 3 turbo, 41,500 Cr.
Racing intercooler, 2,700 Cr.
Racing exhaust, 4,600 Cr.
Racing chip, 1,250 Cr.
Port polish, 5,250 Cr.
Weight reduction, stade 1, 1,100 Cr.
Soft sports tires, 6,200 Cr.
Sports suspension, 3,100 Cr.
Oil change, 50 Cr.

Credits left over: 3,170 Cr.
New horsepower: 507 HP
New weight: 1408 Kg
New Time: 0&#8217;13.497

 

[Jet Badger]

100,000-58,360=41,640Cr

1. Supercharger - 13,500Cr
=28,140Cr
2. Weight reduction Stage1 - 1,200Cr
=26,940Cr
3. Racing Chip - 1,500Cr
=25,440Cr
4. Triple plate clutch - 4,700Cr
=20,740Cr
5. Sports soft tires - 6,800Cr
=13,940Cr
6. Racing exhaust - 4,800Cr
=9,140Cr
7. Port Polish - 5,500Cr
=3,640Cr
8. Racing Flywheel - 1,050Cr
=2,590Cr

And the new time is 0'12,704. 2,049s improvement.

 

[Car-less]

Top Gear Comparason #6: Classic Muscle Car

Round 4 Results

You were sent to the Sema Show to buy parts to improve your cars dragrace times, scoring 1 point for every 1/10th of a second improvement.

Jet Badger posted a 12.704 in the Plymouth 'Cuda, a massive 2.049 improvement scores 20 points.
BH-21 also got into the 12s, 12.522 in the Pontiac GTO saw a 1.581 improvement for 15 points.
Shotamagee managed a 12.343 in his Charger 440, an improvement of 1.208s scores 12 points.
GrumpEone came in at 12.335 in the Chevelle SS 454 beating his old time by 0.936 for just 9 points.
runfromcheney was slowest, 12.740 in the Mercury Cougar was a 0.917 improvement for 9 points.

GrumpEthree was fastest, 12.159 in the Super Bird was 1.449 faster than before for 14 points.
GrumpEtoo managed a quick 12.373 in the Charger Super Bee, improving by 1.171 for 11 points.
runfromcheney was slowest at 13.497 in the Buick GNX, just 1.089 faster than before for 10 points.



The Scores So Far

Driver			Car	Cost	Muscle	Drag	Power	Total
=====================================================================
GrumpEone      Chevelle SS 454	 +6	+45	+40	+9	 100
shotamagee	   Charger 440	 +4	+44	+30	+12	 90
runfromcheney	Mercury Cougar 	 +10	+39	+20	+9	 78
BH-21	    	   Pontiac GTO	 +9	+38	+10	+15	 72
Jet Badger	Plymouth 'Cuda   +8	+44	+0	+20	 72
								
GrumpEtoo    Charger Super Bee   +4	+42	+40	+11	 97
GrumpEthree	    Super Bird	 +11	+42	+30	+14	 97
runfromcheney	     Buick GNX	 +13	+23	+10	+10	 56

GrumpE is still dominating the scores while the Buick GNX is showing its weakness in its V6, falling well behind joint last place BH-21 and Jet Badger.



Round 5: Cornering

So you've proven that your cars are quick in a straight line, but can they go round corners?
Bob will set a laptime at Infineon Raceway: Sports Car Course in the Buick Special '62.
You will aim to beat this time, scoring 1 point for every half second that you beat him, losing 1 point for every half second you are slower.

You have 36 hours. Good Luck.

 

[GrumpEone]

Round 5: Cornering

Infineon Raceway: Sports Car Course

Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 '70
Time: 1'51.609
Time 02: 1'49.779
Time 03: 1'48.859
Time 04: 1'47.687


Alternates:

Dodge Charger Super Bee 426 Hemi '71
Time: 1'49.318

Plymouth Super Bird '70
Time: 1'47.120




Wish I had more time to do my best, but I am working 12 hour days now, and there is not much time for racing. I think every single time could be improved upon by 1-3 secs (if not more), with a handful more runs, but 5 Laps on each will have to do, due to time restraints.

EDIT:
Not sure if I can improve my times, but I have some time today before the deadline, so I do a few more runs. New times in green text.

 

[runfromcheney]

Alright, my Cougar clocked in at 1'43.514.



The GNX was slower, at 1'47.545

 

[shotamagee]

Round 5

Infineon Sports car course (free run)
Driver: Shotamagee
Car: Dodge Charger 440 R/T (upgraded)
Time: 1:42.936 (Aids 000)

Notes: The long wheel base and marshmallow suspension means you can throw the car into corners pretty safely, but getting the power down coming out is a bit of an issue. The soft suspension means that the inside rear tyre spins up real easy, so I was using 4th gear to help with braking, but it was all 5th gear with throttle modulation to exit all of the corners.

 

[Jet Badger]

Round 5: Cornering

The Starsky&Hutch-mobile came after 1'47,999 - Funny numbers

 

[BH-21]

Round 5: Cornering

Infineon Raceway: Sports Car Course

Pontiac Tempest Le Mans GTO '64
Time: 1'44.561