https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd0cRym5jCg
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? While the Forza franchise DLC cadence has been All-Bran levels of regular for a few years now, Forza Horizon 3 players may have felt the wait for this month’s car pack was longer than usual. Usually, the first Tuesday of the month — the typical new car pack day — is slightly earlier sure, but there was another factor at play in January.
When the accidental PC release of an unencrypted developer copy of FH3 happened alongside January’s Rockstar Car Pack, it revealed potentially dozens of cars yet to be made available to players. We’ve had a month to look at the forbidden fruits of the dev version of the game, and that’s left us with one burning question: will there be any surprises moving forward?
The answer, at least this month, is “not yet”. While only some of the cars included were indeed found in the unencrypted version last month, others still were part of a different leak way back around the time of the game’s release. Nonetheless, the full list includes some exciting vehicles for players to toss around Australia:
- 2017 Aston Martin DB11
- 2016 Cadillac ATS-V
- 1985 Holden HDT VK Commodore Group A
- 2016 Honda Civic Type-R
- 1970 Honda S800
- 1990 Renault Alpine GTA Le Mans
- 2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR
The Playseat Car Pack will be available tomorrow, February 7, for the usual $6.99 USD price. Forza Horizon 3 players that own the Car Pass will have access once they are available, as this is the fifth of the six packs the Pass covers.
As usual, we’ll be taking a closer look at the cars included, starting with the Aston Martin DB11.
2017 Aston Martin DB11
The DB9 is dead. It lived a long life — 12 years is an eternity in the car world — but the grand tourer landscape is vastly different now. Aston Martin has responded to this in kind, with a car that bucks many of the styling features the brand has stood for since the turn of the century. The DB11 is thoroughly modern underhood too, with a 5.2L turbo V12 sending 600 hp to the rear wheels.
2016 Cadillac ATS-V
Cadillac’s mission to take it to the German establishment takes another step with the ATS-V. Showing up in FH3 in coupe form, the ATS-V is a smaller, more traditionally-shaped two-door sports coupe after the previous Corvette-engined CTS-V Coupe. The engine is smaller, too: a turbo 3.6L V6 produces a stout 464 hp, putting it squarely in the middle of the BMW M4 and Mercedes-AMG C63 S.
1985 Holden HDT VK Commodore Group A
The “Blue Meanie” lands in Forza Horizon 3! All 502 of these Holden Dealer Team specials came painted in the Formula Blue colour of primary sponsor Mobil. This Peter Brock–fettled homologation special continues Playground Games’ tradition of including an Aussie legend in (nearly) every car pack.
2016 Honda Civic Type R
One of two hot hatches included in the Playseat Car Pack, the new Type R is a different type of Civic from Honda. Gone are the peaky VTEC engines and subdued styling: a turbo-four punches over 300 hp to the ground through the front wheels, and the exterior is adorned with all matter of vents and aero accoutrements.
1970 Honda S800
Players get to enjoy twice the Honda goodness this month with this tiny convertible. A familiar car for Gran Turismo fans, the tiny 791cc engine mounted up front revs to over 9000rpm, delivers 70 hp, and helped the S800 become Honda’s first 100 mph car. After this final model year, The S roadster lineage laid dormant for almost 30 years before the S2000 arrived.
1990 Renault Alpine GTA Le Mans
A brand with an impressive rally pedigree. A turbo six-cylinder engine mounted in the rear. Nope, it’s not Porsche. The GTA takes a decidedly French approach to the idea of a grand tourer, but that’s all part of the appeal. It should prove a strong performer across the various Australian terrain present in FH3.
2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The previous-generation hot Corsa was honed into a strong performer with the special Nürburgring Edition, and that car donates a lot of its under-skin bones to the latest pint-size Vauxhall. A 1.6L turbo pumps out over 200 hp through a Remus exhaust, while a Drexler mechanical limited-slip keeps the front end locked to any apex you point that funny little nose at.
See more articles on Forza Horizon 3 DLC and Forza Horizon 3 Game Updates.
