Series 9 starts today in Forza Horizon 5, bringing with it an entirely new set of Playlist events and rewards, Accolades and challenges, and — of course — some new cars.
The Summer season — or in terms of Mexico, the Wet season — marks the start of a Series, and the theme for the next four weeks is Hot Wheels.
That’s essentially a community-wide preview of the Hot Wheels Expansion Pack which is due to land on July 19, just before the start of Series 10.
Across the next month-ish then you’ll be racing for, and with, cars that wouldn’t look out of place in a toybox. That will include some of the existing Hot Wheels-branded cars, along with some new machinery added this Series.
Series 9
Across the Series you’ll be racing for two cars as usual, and while neither is a Playlist exclusive reward this time round they are both vehicles you cannot ordinarily buy.
You won’t pick up either this week, as there’s simply not enough points on offer yet, but when you do score 80 points — during the Autumn season — you’ll land the Hot Wheels Twin Mill.
The name comes from the fact that this Corvette-esque coupe sports two engines. Each is a supercharged 502ci Chevrolet V8, making for a combined 16.5 liters and 1400hp.
That makes it one of the most powerful standard cars in Forza history, but also one of the hardest to drive — particularly in cockpit view. Each engine sports a giant ram scoop, and they’re somewhat limiting in terms of your field of view.
For 160 points, which you’ll just about be able to achieve in the Winter season, you’ll win a Ferrari Dino 246 GT.
Technically not a Ferrari, the 246 GT was sold under the Dino brand which launched in 1957. The marque was named for Enzo Ferrari’s eldest son, Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari, who had died the year before of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and designed the V6 “Dino” engine which powered the cars.
Dino was intended to provide lower-cost alternatives to the V12-engined Ferraris, with all of the sporting character, and the 246 GT is probably the best-known from the short-lived brand.
The 246 GT used a 2.4-liter version of the Dino V6, replacing the two-liter in the original 206, to give a useful bump in power. However the car was also heavier than its predecessor, thanks to a steel body rather than aluminum.
Summer will run through to 1430UTC on Thursday June 30, while Series 9 has three more weeks after that and ends at the same time on Thursday July 21.
Summer
Summer sees one of the new Series 9 cars as the lower-tier reward, and it’s a Playlist Exclusive. That means that if you want to drive the 2JetZ you’ll need to score 20 points this season.
The 2JetZ is a custom car built by Luis Rodriguez. It won the 2018 Hot Wheels Legends Tour, and became immortalized as a toy as a result.
Partly inspired by Bonneville racers, and partly by a never-made Hot Wheels design called The Face Peeler, the 2JetZ features a custom tube chassis and a single-turbo converted Supra 2JZ engine.
As a result, it doesn’t weigh very much — 1740lb — and produces more than 600hp, so it’s really very quick indeed. It also has an odd party piece: the exhaust tip runs through a restaurant-grade vegetable steamer which allows for a variable aperture and exhaust note, like a jet engine nozzle.
The 40-point car — which you’ll be able to pick up without Xbox Live Gold (or needing to play on PC) — is the Lamborghini Aventador J.
This roofless version of the Aventador was previously available as a Playlist event reward car in Series 2, and indeed you cannot pick it up anywhere but the Playlist or Forzathon Shop.
A one-off made for the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show, the J uses the regular Aventador’s 690hp V12, but does without a roof or any windows — save for small wind deflectors in each of the two cockpit position. Lamborghini sold the sole example for $2.8m.
Forzathon Events
The Hot Wheels focus starts this week with the Weekly Challenge. You’ll need to pick up the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am — a car which featured in a special 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels collection –to get Stars & Stripes started.
Take the Trans-Am to the Boardwalk Danger Sign over in Riviera Maya to the east of the map and earn one star to complete the second stage. After that beat any ghost in Rivals on any circuit you like.
Finally you’ll need to earn three stars in total from any Drift Zones to earn five points and 80FP (doubled to 160FP if you own the La Casa Solariega player house).
The Daily Challenges are similarly US-themed, with a new challenge coming each day and seven days to complete. You’ll earn one point and 20FP (doubled to 40FP with the LCS player house) for each Challenge you complete.
That begins with Flying Start. Earn 10 Air Skills — for getting all four wheels off the ground and landing again — in any Camaro to complete.
Redliner on Friday will set you the task of hitting 142mph in the 1969 Dodge Charger R/T — another car in the 50th Anniversary Stars & Stripes collection.
For the weekend you’ll be trying to Party Like It’s 1968. Earn a total of 100,000 Skill Score using any vehicle from the 1960s, by combining as many different skills as you can to rack up score and the multiplier.
Open Track follows on Sunday. Win a Road Race in any Track Toy category car — double this up with the Asphalt Attack Seasonal Championship for maximum efficiency!
You’ll then be avoiding damage for Sweet Sixteen. Pick up 16 Near Miss Skills — drive as close to other cars as you can without hitting them — using any Classic Muscle category car.
For Power Trip you’ll need to smash ten solar panels using any Retro Muscle category car. Your best bet here is the solar farm near the highway in Cordillera.
Finally head Off Track and earn six stars at any Trailblazers. That should include this week’s Playlist PR Stunt, Quebrada, if you’re looking to chain your challenges.
Season Events
It’s a regular mix of events this week, consisting of three Seasonal Championships, three PR Stunts, The Trial and an EventLab challenge.
Once again, EventLab seems to look at Hot Wheels-type creations from the community, with The Calderacoaster. This is another wild set of loops in the skies above the volcano, made primarily out of quarter-pipe sections.
That means you’ll need to be careful during the two-lap race not to fall off, at least if you don’t have Rewind enabled. However there are two quite large shortcuts possible near the end of the course, good for saving 20s+ of lap time.
It’s open to A Class (701-800PI) Rally Monsters, and you’ll take three points and a Penhall The Cholla for victory.
All three PR Stunts — a Danger Sign, a Speed Trap, and a Trailblazer — offer up Super Wheelspins and two points for completion, continuing the recent trend.
Your Danger Sign for the week is Cannonball, located west of Guanajuato and on the lower slopes of the volcano. Any A Class (701-800PI) car from the Super GT category will do, although the 225m distance is challenging.
Mulege hosts the Speed Trap this week, at Pequeno Puente — the little bridge. It’s in the south-east corner of the town, and best approached on a straight run from the north-east corner, using the slopes for extra acceleration. You’ll need a Dodge Charger, which you can win from the Swamp Rally championship, tuned to A Class (701-800PI). The 145mph speed target is not too troubling with a little tuning.
Finally there’s the Trailblazer, Quebrada. It’s located in the Cordillera region, running north to south across the main highway — and your best bet is to stay left and ramp over the road rather than trying to run the riverbed beneath. However the 31s target is beyond three stars and you’ll need a B Class (601-700PI) car that’s cheaper than 25,000cr brand new; this will be tricky.
The three Seasonal Championships all run against Highly Skilled AI. Each offers five points for completion, which requires you to top the points table after all three races in each series.
As the name suggests, Asphalt Assault takes place on the road. It’s open to S1 Class (801-900PI) Track Toys, and you’ll earn a Plymouth Cuda for winning.
Swamp Rally runs on mixed surface roads, as part of the Dirt Racing Series. You’ll need any B Class (601-700PI) Mitsubishi, and there’s a 2015 Dodge Charger on offer for the series win.
That leaves Thrill Racers, in the Cross Country Series. You’ll be heading off the marked paths for this event, for Sports Utility Heroes cars in the A Class (701-800PI). Come out on top to win a Hot Wheels Bone Shaker.
EventLab: The Calderacoaster
- Car: A Class, Rally Monsters
- Location: La Gran Caldera, El Descenso Cross Country
- Challenge: Win the Race
- Reward: 3 points, Penhall The Cholla
Danger Sign: Cannonball
- Car: A Class, Super GT
- Location: Guanajuato, Cannonball Danger Sign
- Challenge: 225m
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Speed Trap: Pequeno Puente
- Car: Dodge Charger ’15
- Location: Mulege, Pequeno Puente Speed Trap
- Challenge: 145mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Trailblazer: Quebrada
- Car: B Class, Base Cost <25,000cr
- Location: Cordillera, Quebrada Trailblazer
- Challenge: 31s
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Seasonal Championship: Asphalt Assault
- Car: S1 Class, Track Toys
- Location: Mulege, Arch of Mulege Circuit
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Plymouth Cuda
Seasonal Championship: Swamp Rally
- Car: B Class, Mitsubishi
- Location: Atlantes de Tula, Cascada Trail
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Dodge Charger ’15
Seasonal Championship: Thrill Racers
- Car: A Class, Sports Utility Heroes
- Location: San Juan, Oasis Cross Country
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Hot Wheels Bone Shaker
There’s only one multiplayer event this week, requiring Xbox Live Gold, or for you to play on PC, in order to access.
The Trial is in its regular spot, and consists of a three-race championship between a team of up to six humans and six “Unbeatable” AI Drivatars.
You’ll earn 100pt for every ‘bot you beat, but they’ll also earn 100pt for every human they beat. With a 50pt bonus for the race win — as a tiebreaker — whichever team picks up the largest share of the 3,650pt potential pot will win.
That means a race win alone isn’t enough, and you will need to work as a team to hinder the AI to help your slower team-mates pass rather than sprinting off into the sunset. It also means not hitting your team-mates out of checkpoints and into solid objects…
This week’s event is for A Class (701-800 PI) Modern Muscle cars, and as it’s a Dirt Racing Series event you’ll likely want something converted to AWD for the extra control out of corners.
Come out on top across the three-race series and you’ll take ten points and a 1970 Chevrolet Corvette.
The Trial: Muscle Mania
- Car: A Class, Modern Muscle
- Location: San Juan, San Juan Scramble
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 10 points, Chevrolet Corvette ’70
Challenges
There’s just two Challenges this week, with a Treasure Hunt joining the regular Photo Challenge — however there are now two Monthly Events rather than just the one.
For #MudRunner you’ll need to photograph any Hot Hatch category car at the Horizon Wilds outpost, near the Cascadas de Agua Azul waterfalls. If you haven’t already unlocked this, you’ll need to complete the Jungle Expedition at the main Horizon Festival first.
Complete that and you’ll earn two points and a Tape Rewind Horn.
This week’s Treasure Hunt, Flying Customs, is a little tricky to solve. The hint reads “Stingrays can fly? Get your coins ready to get up high for a round complete!” — which incidentally replaces an earlier hint of “Round complete! Sea ray can fly!”…
It’s the “round complete” that’s the big clue here: that’s what the game yells at you when you complete any single round of Horizon Arcade. Add in the “up high” (or “fly”) and the solution is to complete a round of Horizon Arcade Air… which unfortunately means waiting for one.
While there’s always a Drift round, the others — Air, Chaos, Speed, Wreckage — are on a rotation. You’ll only learn the next round every ten minutes or so.
However, completing that in a Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray ’67 will give you a Treasure Clue, a red circle on your map which shows roughly where the chest is. This week that’s over on the west coast, in the small, marked layby just next to the main road. Smash that to take three points and 100FP.
The two Monthly Rivals events are identical in concept. They’ll be available across all four seasons of the Series, and you can complete them whenever you wish to gain one point added to each season — even backdated.
For each you’ll need to complete a clean lap at the specified time trial, with the vehicle provided to you. Speed isn’t necessary, but cleanliness it, so keep it off the walls.
The regular Monthly Rivals will take you to the Chihuahua Circuit east of Guanajuato. This has a couple of tight corners and annoyingly close walls, so a clean lap may take a couple of runs in the 2JetZ provided to you.
New for this Series — and it looks to continue in future months too — is Forza EV. It’s pretty much the same thing, only it uses exclusively electric cars.
For S9 that’s a lap of the Horizon Mexico Circuit at the main festival, using the Lotus Evija. With a couple of thousand horsepower on tap and some narrow, walled sections, a clean lap might again be tricky.
Photo Challenge: #Mudrunner
- Cars: Hot Hatch (any)
- Location: Horizon Wilds Outpost
- Challenge: Photograph any Hot Hatch at the Horizon Wilds Outpost
- Reward: 2 points, Tape Rewind Horn
Treasure Hunt: Flying Customs
- Cars: Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray ’67
- Location: Horizon Arcade
- Challenge: Complete Horizon Arcade Air in the Corvette Sting Ray ’67, Locate the Treasure Chest
- Reward: 3 points, 100FP
Forza EV: Horizon Mexico Circuit
- Cars: Lotus Evija (Provided)
- Location: Horizon Festival, Horizon Mexico Circuit
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Monthly Rivals: Chihuahua Circuit
- Cars: Hot Wheels 2JetZ (Provided)
- Location: Hotel Mirador Balderrama, Chihuahua Circuit
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Forzathon Shop
It’s all about hypercars in the Forzathon Shop this week, with exceptionally fast exotics from opposite sides of Europe.
The headline car is the Pagani Huayra BC. This track-oriented version of the Huayra sees power up by almost 30hp from the “standard” Huayra’s Mercedes-sourced engine. It’s also lighter, by close to 300lb, thanks to a new type of carbon fiber, along with even more exotic materials.
Alongside that is a selection of redesigned aerodynamic devices to generate more downforce and less drag. Pagani only made 30 of these, and that’s reflected in the availability in FH5: you cannot buy it.
That means that, short of waiting for it to pop up as a reward or in a Wheelspin, the 700FP cost in the Shop this week is the best way of getting hold of it.
Hailing from across the continent in Sweden, the Koenigsegg Agera RS has a solid claim to be the world’s fastest car. The Agera — actually a customer’s own car — hit 277mph on the public road in Nevada. Legally too, as it was an official record attempt.
You can pick up this Agera for 2m credits, so the 300FP is a reasonable price if you want to keep hold of your coin.
Store items this week are the Hot Wheels Orange Hoodie and the Hot Wheels Monster Truck Horn at 75FP each. The Wheelspin (60FP) and Super Wheelspin (150FP) are in their usual spots too.
See more articles on Forza Horizon 5 Season Change.
