FH3 Smoking Tire Car Pack Majors on Modern Metal; Arrives With Various Bug Fixes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryI-Dh01Emo

As expected following yesterday’s leak, the first DLC car pack for Forza Horizon 3 has been made official today. This opening salvo focuses heavily on modern cars, with four 2016 models from Britain, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The full lineup:

• 2016 Aston Martin Vulcan
• 2016 BMW M2 Coupé
• 2010 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
• 2016 GTA Spano
• 1976 Jeep CJ5 Renegade
• 2000 Lotus 340R
• 2016 Pagani Huayra BC

The car pack arrives alongside a title update for the game, bringing with it numerous bug fixes for both the Windows 10 and Xbox One platforms. Turn 10’s Brian Ekberg confirmed the team is working away on other known issues, but solved the following for this update:

Windows 10

• Fixed a performance issue on Windows 10 that caused stuttering with high or unlocked framerates on certain hardware configurations
• Improved stability on Windows 10
• Disable mouse move detection while driving
• The Windows 10 video options screen will no longer ask users to save when no changes have been made
• Additional options have been added to the Windows 10 Advanced Controller Menu. These include: Steering wheel sensitivity, Invert Force Feedback, Centre spring scale, Damping scale
• Fixed a problem where pre-order cars and the Halo Warthog were not appearing in the Windows 10 version of the game for some players

Wheel Improvements

• Logitech G27 is now registered correctly on Windows 10, so the correct default mapping will be applied
• All wheels with enough buttons have had the horn added to their default mappings on Windows 10
• Fix to dead zones for acceleration and braking axes on wheels
• Default mappings for all TX Racing Wheel variants
• Fixed a bug where custom input mappings would not save successfully

General Improvements

• The Social and Rivals tabs will now unlock for players with Xbox Live Silver accounts
• Fixed a bug where the racing line would sometimes disappear
• Controller hot swapping is now available. Players can switch between controllers/their keyboard whenever they choose (including the wheel)
• Various content fixes for cars

Let’s take a closer look at the cars, starting with the audacious Aston. It takes quite the machine to lead a pack featuring the latest creation from Horacio Pagani and a Viper-engined Spanish boutique hypercar, but the Vulcan is up to the task. Looking unlike any product of Gaydon that has come before — although heavily borrowing its taillight design from a certain Vision Gran Turismo project — the ultra-limited (24 produced) Vulcan packs an 800hp version of the venerable company V12. In the real world, the car is a track-only proposition, but no such limitation will get in your way in Forza Horizon 3.

The new M2 Coupé brings BMW’s performance credentials to its smallest offering. Following in the footsteps of the awkwardly-named 1 M Coupe, the M2 packs a turbocharged inline-six under its steroidal bodywork. Seemingly tailor-made for getting sideways, the M2 should prove a popular choice for drifters and racers alike.

It may seem too early to call a car from 2010 a classic, but the venerable Crown Vic deserves the title. Thousands of these machines have worked together to leave a permanent impression on the minds of North American motorists: it’s almost instinctive to move over when you spot these headlights in your rear-view. A notoriously hearty ride, the Police Interceptor comes with all of the expected body add-ons to simulate your law enforcement of choice. Expect this to populate a lot of King and Infected games.

You may not have heard of the Spano before — it’s hard to keep track of boutique hypercar announcements — but it should certainly leave an impression. Originally introduced to the world back in 2010, the Spano has received a slight facelift for 2016. Also coming in for updates is the Viper-sourced V10, dropping its supercharger in place of a full turbo-and-intercooler setup, raising power to a suitably crazy 925hp and 900lb-ft. Only 99 units are set to be built to ensure the car remains exclusive.

The Jeep CJ-5 is another staple of the American automotive landscape. In production for three decades, its go-anywhere nature should make short work of the Outback’s various hills. In 1976, Jeep was under the car of AMC, which slotted its 304 cubic-inch V8 (5.0L in modern speak) behind that famous seven-slot grille to create an off-roader with a power-weight ratio similar to some sports cars of the time.

“Simplify, then add lightness.” While the exact wording (and indeed original source) has been lost to history, the saying is most-often attributed to Lotus founder Colin Chapman. With the success of the flyweight Elise rejuvenating the company in the late 90’s, Lotus took the car one step forward with the extreme, almost insect-like 340R show car. With the response being overwhelming positive, the car was fast-tracked into production with the VHPD version of the Rover K-series slotted behind the driver. Another rarity — the production count is the same as the name — this little David should take out a lot of Goliaths around Australia’s roads.

Speaking of giants, the Pagani Huayra certainly qualifies. As much art as a serious performance car, the active-aero hypercar is one of the quickest of the breed. Performance can always improve though, and the BC evolution — named after the late Benny Caiola, owner of the first production Pagani — does just that. It’s the traditional formula, really: add horsepower and downforce, subtract weight, mix well. Oh, and hold on.

The Smoking Tire Car Pack arrives later today, priced at $7 on the Xbox Store. The pack is the first of six covered by the Car Pass, which is also available to buy, and was included in the Forza Horizon 3 Ultimate Edition.

See more articles on Forza Horizon 3 Car Pass, Forza Horizon 3 DLC, and Forza Horizon 3 Game Updates.