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After my first full run through the game, I found a car in my garage that was difficult to categorize. It looked good in certain colors, comical in others. It had no top at all. Its front end looks like a cheese grater. It always seems to have its driver’s door stuck open, even when getting an oil change or a wash (maybe the cheese grater front end allows the soapy water to drain out since the door is stuck open 
). Yet, slap on a wing, some sporty rims, and take it out to any twisty track and this thing glows.
The Suzuki GSX-R/4 concept car.
This is one of the best mid-engined, rear-drive, extreme handling compact vehicles in the game.
Some say it is “broken”. It will outrun vehicles considered well above its caliber. ASpec points fall out of the sky in record numbers for it. You can leave it in stock trim, throw on N1 tires, put an entire home gym weightlifting set in the passenger seat and still run with the best street cars in basic races. Or, trim off what unnecessary weight there is, boost the horsepower by 100, get some race slicks and go win full-blown race series like the Japanese GT Championship.
I have run this car at different levels of tune in the MR Challenge, Spider & Roadster Challenge, the Clubman Cup, the Tuning Car races, the Race of NA Sports (200 ASpec points each), Race of Turbo Sports (200 Aspec points each), Polyphony Digital Cup, the Japanese Championship (200 Aspec points each) and the Suzuki Concepts races. When I felt like longer runs, I ran in the El Capitan 200 and the New York 200 (for 200 ASpec points each). I went rallying at Capri, Paris, and Umbria, and won them all in both Normal and Hard levels. The Easy and Normal levels of Tsukuba (Wet) actually felt too easy as I walked away with wins (and 200 ASpec points in each case).
I even went to the Family Cup equipped with race slicks and maxed out on power, entered against full-on race cars, put sport tires back on and de-tuned before the race started and had some good challenges (and once again…200 ASpec points). But one of the best workouts for this car is the Japanese GT Championship. It can win every race in the series, with the exception of the super-speedway race at Motegi. Just qualify well in each race and keep slashing through the corners and you will take home 200 ASpec points per race as well as the trophy. (Check out Crasher’s Race Report of this series that I really enjoyed reading HERE.)
Don’t get me wrong, I was initially stuck trying to justify running an open-topped concept car in all of these races. The cries of “broken” and comparisons to the Dodge Ram were starting to ring true in my ears. But then I realized that this vehicle is actually the closest thing in GT4 that I can get to driving one of the best trackday cars out there; the Radical SR series of vehicles.
Need to compare? Let’s see: Open top? Check. Light weight? Check. High revving Suzuki powerplant? Check (well, some of the Radicals use Suzuki engines…
. Even the basic dimensions are pretty close. The Radicals have basic dimensions of 4050mm length, 1800mm width, 1070mm height, and anywhere between 450 and 630kg dry weight. The GSX-R/4 checks in at 3550x1730x1010, with 640kg base weight. Add the biggest wing you can find to the base model and it does a decent imitation of the Radical’s racy profile. The GSX-R/4 starts at only 175hp. You can tune it up the NA way and get up to 253hp. A turbo will get you to 275. Now this is a bit less than some of the Radicals. (The record-breaking SR8 brings 363hp to the party.) But, it is close to some of the trim levels offered in the SR3 (three Suzuki engine options ranging from 205 to 252hp). Not exact matches in any of these specs, but you have to admit…it’s really close.
Is this car broken? I say no. I think it’s just doing a darn good job imitating a Radical…something that is far from broken. It’s a street car designed for the track. It’s a track car you can run on the street. It’s fun and easy to drive. It feels like you can run upside down in the tunnel at Monaco if they let you (I don’t think they would though). The only thing that is broken about it is the bright red helmet that every driver who gets in one of these cars is somehow required to wear. Why? I don’t know. Maybe if people stare at your helmet, they forget that your front end doubles as a kitchen utensil. Maybe it is the key to getting that driver’s door to close (all hands and legs must be inside the vehicle and bright red helmets must be securely fastened…. Maybe it is a magnet for 200 ASpec point races. Or maybe, just maybe it’s red because red ones go faster! 
As for imitating the Radical, I suppose I need to do the one big thing that Radical itself uses as a “claim to fame”…a record-fast run around Nurburgring. Right off, I need to confess: I’m not too good at this track. I have played through this game several times, but I keep having issues here. I know, I know…everyone who plays the game likes to be a “king of the ‘ring”. But I just haven’t gotten around to mastering it. I got silvers in every license test that required me to run on the ‘ring (except that last one for the Super license…. But I just can’t seem to “get it”. So…let’s let Bob get in a fully maxed GSX-R/4 and boogie.
7’32.483 on Bob’s first run. Not bad. A Radical SR3 Turbo set a record time of…get this…7’32 on July 15th, 2003. With some tweaks, and at a power level of 320hp, the SR3 later claimed a time of 7’19 with only one flying lap. In reality, Radical is breaking records with their trackday car. In Polyphony’s little world of Gran Turismo, I am matching some of those times with my GSX-R/4. I haven’t gotten to 7’19 yet (or 320hp), but maybe this will be the challenge I need to get better at this track. But that’s for another day.
Until then, let’s check some other venues. How about Suzuka?
The SUPERGT website says that 1’52.663 is the record time held by the ARTA NSX. Just for consistency’s sake, let’s let Bob put in some more seat time. Bad decision. It looks like 2’10.493 is the best Bob will do on a five lap test. My turn! My first flying lap was a 2’03.498. Not the best, but I can improve. One lap later and I am down to a 2’00.780. I bet I can break under two minutes…but it’s not near the GT500 record. At least I easily beat out the GT300 record of 2’03.951 set by the Endless Advan Z earlier last year.
Next…Twin Ring Motegi: The GT 500 Mobil 1 SC runs it in 1’44.095 and the GT300 C-West Advan Z runs it in 1’53.147. Bob gets in and on his first lap hits a 1’57.661. Faster Bob! Faster! Next lap…1’57.950. Ugh. Alright. Get out of the seat, Bob. You can’t even beat the GT300 car time. My feet are heavier on both the gas and the brakes. I think I can do better. 1’51.913 on my first lap. Bob…do you want to keep your job?
Next…Fuji Speedway (current GT configuration): A Zent Cerumo Supra runs it in 1’33.070. The EBBRO M-TEC NSX in GT300 runs it in 1’40.682. Bob blows it again by running a 1’45.039 best lap. Well, every team needs a test driver, right? My first lap…1’43.785. Yep. After berating Bob for poor performance, I run wide…twice! 1’40.084 is the best I can record in five laps. I’m better at the Fuji 90’s track without all those unnecessary turns before the main straight. But at least I beat the real-world GT300 record…again!
So while I am not setting records against real world times set by some full-blown Japanese GT race cars, I can run with them. Plus, my BSpec driver can match the times set by a road-going Radical on the ‘Ring. All this without modifying the suspension from stock settings and parts. Just a little bit of downforce, some sticky tires, and a decent turbo upgrade. Get the picture?
After a few different times running through the full game, I have found alternatives to the GSX-R/4 for many races. I don’t rely on it to finish the game. I don’t NEED to use it to finish any race series. But it really is fun to whip around technical tracks like Suzuka or for hot laps at El Capitan. It is confidence-inspiring and a great tool for those of us who are not really the best drivers or who are just on the hunt for as many ASpec points as possible (I fit both of these types).
Because of this, I usually have three of these cars in my garage by the end of the game. One in stock trim, usually with ballast added, and “Normal” tires on BBS rims.
A second one comes with all of the NA and turbo options available, but with nothing that I can’t take off in the garage. Then, my third is fully tuned with custom transmission, all of the weight reductions, a wing, and every race slick you can find. This last one is usually a dark gray color, with a dark 3D Type DB wing and big, dark race rims (I sometimes steal them off of my Bentley to use in races). I call him “Smoke”.
To sum up, I’ll say it again: This is one of the best mid-engined, rear-drive, extreme handling compact vehicles in the game. I know there are plenty of other vehicles to compare at this power level. The Motorsport Elise and the ZZ-S immediately come to mind. And they do a darn good job too. But this thing is different. It’s radical. I’ve looked at the numbers. And when I experienced the performance of the GSX-R/4, I realized that the numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
(Seriously. Go look. The redline on the tach actually starts at 11.
)
If you can get over the bright red helmet that is required for use in this car, then grab one, go out somewhere twisty and take this radical vehicle up to eleven! 👍
SE01
). Yet, slap on a wing, some sporty rims, and take it out to any twisty track and this thing glows. The Suzuki GSX-R/4 concept car.
This is one of the best mid-engined, rear-drive, extreme handling compact vehicles in the game.
Some say it is “broken”. It will outrun vehicles considered well above its caliber. ASpec points fall out of the sky in record numbers for it. You can leave it in stock trim, throw on N1 tires, put an entire home gym weightlifting set in the passenger seat and still run with the best street cars in basic races. Or, trim off what unnecessary weight there is, boost the horsepower by 100, get some race slicks and go win full-blown race series like the Japanese GT Championship.
I have run this car at different levels of tune in the MR Challenge, Spider & Roadster Challenge, the Clubman Cup, the Tuning Car races, the Race of NA Sports (200 ASpec points each), Race of Turbo Sports (200 Aspec points each), Polyphony Digital Cup, the Japanese Championship (200 Aspec points each) and the Suzuki Concepts races. When I felt like longer runs, I ran in the El Capitan 200 and the New York 200 (for 200 ASpec points each). I went rallying at Capri, Paris, and Umbria, and won them all in both Normal and Hard levels. The Easy and Normal levels of Tsukuba (Wet) actually felt too easy as I walked away with wins (and 200 ASpec points in each case).
I even went to the Family Cup equipped with race slicks and maxed out on power, entered against full-on race cars, put sport tires back on and de-tuned before the race started and had some good challenges (and once again…200 ASpec points). But one of the best workouts for this car is the Japanese GT Championship. It can win every race in the series, with the exception of the super-speedway race at Motegi. Just qualify well in each race and keep slashing through the corners and you will take home 200 ASpec points per race as well as the trophy. (Check out Crasher’s Race Report of this series that I really enjoyed reading HERE.)
Don’t get me wrong, I was initially stuck trying to justify running an open-topped concept car in all of these races. The cries of “broken” and comparisons to the Dodge Ram were starting to ring true in my ears. But then I realized that this vehicle is actually the closest thing in GT4 that I can get to driving one of the best trackday cars out there; the Radical SR series of vehicles.
Need to compare? Let’s see: Open top? Check. Light weight? Check. High revving Suzuki powerplant? Check (well, some of the Radicals use Suzuki engines…
. Even the basic dimensions are pretty close. The Radicals have basic dimensions of 4050mm length, 1800mm width, 1070mm height, and anywhere between 450 and 630kg dry weight. The GSX-R/4 checks in at 3550x1730x1010, with 640kg base weight. Add the biggest wing you can find to the base model and it does a decent imitation of the Radical’s racy profile. The GSX-R/4 starts at only 175hp. You can tune it up the NA way and get up to 253hp. A turbo will get you to 275. Now this is a bit less than some of the Radicals. (The record-breaking SR8 brings 363hp to the party.) But, it is close to some of the trim levels offered in the SR3 (three Suzuki engine options ranging from 205 to 252hp). Not exact matches in any of these specs, but you have to admit…it’s really close. Is this car broken? I say no. I think it’s just doing a darn good job imitating a Radical…something that is far from broken. It’s a street car designed for the track. It’s a track car you can run on the street. It’s fun and easy to drive. It feels like you can run upside down in the tunnel at Monaco if they let you (I don’t think they would though). The only thing that is broken about it is the bright red helmet that every driver who gets in one of these cars is somehow required to wear. Why? I don’t know. Maybe if people stare at your helmet, they forget that your front end doubles as a kitchen utensil. Maybe it is the key to getting that driver’s door to close (all hands and legs must be inside the vehicle and bright red helmets must be securely fastened…
. Maybe it is a magnet for 200 ASpec point races. Or maybe, just maybe it’s red because red ones go faster! As for imitating the Radical, I suppose I need to do the one big thing that Radical itself uses as a “claim to fame”…a record-fast run around Nurburgring. Right off, I need to confess: I’m not too good at this track. I have played through this game several times, but I keep having issues here. I know, I know…everyone who plays the game likes to be a “king of the ‘ring”. But I just haven’t gotten around to mastering it. I got silvers in every license test that required me to run on the ‘ring (except that last one for the Super license…
. But I just can’t seem to “get it”. So…let’s let Bob get in a fully maxed GSX-R/4 and boogie. 7’32.483 on Bob’s first run. Not bad. A Radical SR3 Turbo set a record time of…get this…7’32 on July 15th, 2003. With some tweaks, and at a power level of 320hp, the SR3 later claimed a time of 7’19 with only one flying lap. In reality, Radical is breaking records with their trackday car. In Polyphony’s little world of Gran Turismo, I am matching some of those times with my GSX-R/4. I haven’t gotten to 7’19 yet (or 320hp), but maybe this will be the challenge I need to get better at this track. But that’s for another day.
Until then, let’s check some other venues. How about Suzuka?
The SUPERGT website says that 1’52.663 is the record time held by the ARTA NSX. Just for consistency’s sake, let’s let Bob put in some more seat time. Bad decision. It looks like 2’10.493 is the best Bob will do on a five lap test. My turn! My first flying lap was a 2’03.498. Not the best, but I can improve. One lap later and I am down to a 2’00.780. I bet I can break under two minutes…but it’s not near the GT500 record. At least I easily beat out the GT300 record of 2’03.951 set by the Endless Advan Z earlier last year.
Next…Twin Ring Motegi: The GT 500 Mobil 1 SC runs it in 1’44.095 and the GT300 C-West Advan Z runs it in 1’53.147. Bob gets in and on his first lap hits a 1’57.661. Faster Bob! Faster! Next lap…1’57.950. Ugh. Alright. Get out of the seat, Bob. You can’t even beat the GT300 car time. My feet are heavier on both the gas and the brakes. I think I can do better. 1’51.913 on my first lap. Bob…do you want to keep your job?
Next…Fuji Speedway (current GT configuration): A Zent Cerumo Supra runs it in 1’33.070. The EBBRO M-TEC NSX in GT300 runs it in 1’40.682. Bob blows it again by running a 1’45.039 best lap. Well, every team needs a test driver, right? My first lap…1’43.785. Yep. After berating Bob for poor performance, I run wide…twice! 1’40.084 is the best I can record in five laps. I’m better at the Fuji 90’s track without all those unnecessary turns before the main straight. But at least I beat the real-world GT300 record…again!
So while I am not setting records against real world times set by some full-blown Japanese GT race cars, I can run with them. Plus, my BSpec driver can match the times set by a road-going Radical on the ‘Ring. All this without modifying the suspension from stock settings and parts. Just a little bit of downforce, some sticky tires, and a decent turbo upgrade. Get the picture?
After a few different times running through the full game, I have found alternatives to the GSX-R/4 for many races. I don’t rely on it to finish the game. I don’t NEED to use it to finish any race series. But it really is fun to whip around technical tracks like Suzuka or for hot laps at El Capitan. It is confidence-inspiring and a great tool for those of us who are not really the best drivers or who are just on the hunt for as many ASpec points as possible (I fit both of these types).
Because of this, I usually have three of these cars in my garage by the end of the game. One in stock trim, usually with ballast added, and “Normal” tires on BBS rims.
A second one comes with all of the NA and turbo options available, but with nothing that I can’t take off in the garage. Then, my third is fully tuned with custom transmission, all of the weight reductions, a wing, and every race slick you can find. This last one is usually a dark gray color, with a dark 3D Type DB wing and big, dark race rims (I sometimes steal them off of my Bentley to use in races). I call him “Smoke”.
To sum up, I’ll say it again: This is one of the best mid-engined, rear-drive, extreme handling compact vehicles in the game. I know there are plenty of other vehicles to compare at this power level. The Motorsport Elise and the ZZ-S immediately come to mind. And they do a darn good job too. But this thing is different. It’s radical. I’ve looked at the numbers. And when I experienced the performance of the GSX-R/4, I realized that the numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
(Seriously. Go look. The redline on the tach actually starts at 11.
) If you can get over the bright red helmet that is required for use in this car, then grab one, go out somewhere twisty and take this radical vehicle up to eleven! 👍
SE01
👍 Great report, superb pictures too! 
