Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread



Few cars are as iconic as the Lamborghini Countach. The styling was far ahead of its time, and even your most hipster friend with a goat beard and a fixed-gear bicycle with no interest in cars will identify it as a Lambo if you show them a picture of this car. The Countach also mirrors traditional Lamborghini thinking as we know it. "Body Styling first, Top Speed and Acceleration next, then let's maybe discuss Handling last thing on a Friday sometime."

I was fully expecting this early 70's mid-engine car to be an absolute widowmaker, but in fact the rear tires are usually quite unwilling to try and overtake the fronts. Monty at one point remarked perhaps the most accurate observation of the '74 Countach, "It's a better car driven at 90% than flat out." The Countach tends to initially understeer into corners, which when you're trying to attack a twisty two-lane mountain road is a far more preferable warning that you're pushing too hard than snap-oversteering off a cliff.



On the confines of a racetrack in the heat of battle however, the Countach and I never seemed to be on the same page. I always either braked too soon or too late, and the transition from the initial understeer into sudden oversteer never seemed predictable. Thus I had many opportunities to get grass and sand on the tires during Tuesday's races.

On a lesser car, these aspects might have added up to a Beater ranking. But this is not any ordinary car. This is a Countach. If you owned this car for real, you'd grumble about the limited sight-lines and the less than stellar handling from time to time, but the second you got out and admired this car from the outside, all those flaws would simply melt away.

Heck, you'd even put that wing back on it even if you could never use the car in COTW competition again, just because the Countach literally needs to have it.



The Lamborghini Countach defies Beater or Sleeper labels. It's simply "A Car That Needs to Be in Your Garage."
 
Here's yet another one that cannot be called a sleeper, and is definitely not a beater. Saturday's races were a mixed bag for me, a win, a couple of seconds, and then some half minute or more behind. It never dawned on me to follow Vic's lead and use CS tires out back. More than once I found myself needing to use the handbrake to get it to rotate, and not all attempts were successful. My only complaint is the brakes. I'm pretty bad at braking anyway, but just could not seem to get it figured out. Sand traps were unfortunately my friend often. That being said, I've got 3 of these in my garage. I was surprised no one took out the Miura for a comparison.

I love this car 👍
 
Draggon
Here's yet another one that cannot be called a sleeper, and is definitely not a beater. Saturday's races were a mixed bag for me, a win, a couple of seconds, and then some half minute or more behind. It never dawned on me to follow Vic's lead and use CS tires out back. More than once I found myself needing to use the handbrake to get it to rotate, and not all attempts were successful. My only complaint is the brakes. I'm pretty bad at braking anyway, but just could not seem to get it figured out. Sand traps were unfortunately my friend often. That being said, I've got 3 of these in my garage. I was surprised no one took out the Miura for a comparison.

I love this car 👍
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I was thinking the Muira, along with the 512 BB, would have been a suitable comparison. Thing is though, I don't have $10m to spend at the moment. (I just bought the Mark IV Race car, I'm hoping to farm enough money to buy all the particularly expensive cars before PD axes the seasonal events)
 
Due to it being 4th of July, I'm guessing this week's car may be...
-American
-V8, 5L or bigger
-On sport tyres
-Handling will be an afterthought
-Despite big displacement, only like 300-400bhp.
-Lots of torque though.

Wonder if I'm right in any of those fields... :)
(DISCLAIMER) This is pure guess, I'm just as in the dark as you guys.
 
Vic Reign93
So in the same way the Ford GT40 exists because of Ferrai snubbing Ford on a deal and Lamborghini existing because Ferrari refused to build better clutches, Pagani exists because Lamborghini refused to use better composites to build Supercars.

Funny how things turn out eh? :lol:
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Thanks for the history and perspective Vic!! 👍

Vic Reign93
Now with a weight distribution of 42/58 I was expecting some snap oversteer issues and whilst it didn't, it led to another problem.

Because the rear tyres had so much grip, it was pushing wide in the turns and understeering, an issue which plagued us all to varying degrees.

My solution which felt counterproductive was putting less grippy tyres at the back which on a front wheel drive car is a logical idea, not so on a rear drive car. :scared:
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I too was surprised and somewhat perplexed at the Countach rear grip. I was expecting it would be much worse than the 86 MR2 we drove a few weeks back, and that I'd have to drive it gingerly into turns. But the rear just stuck lap after lap, and I found myself pushing the speed, and trail braking more as the laps progressed. Understeer was definitely present but unlike a normal car, I found that giving more steering input helped to guide the car to where I wanted it to go. At first I thought - maybe this is an AWD car where more steering input helps to "pull" a car out of a turn. So I went an looked at the specs to check whether it was AWD - nope RWD. So driving aggressively into the turns, and more steering input on the way out seemed to work for me. I'd hate to look at the wear patterns on the front tires after driving this way, but hey, that's the great thing about sim racing - you dont' have to pay for driving habits that destroy the consumables! :sly:

Sleeper or Beater? Sleeper!

Before this week's cotw, I was fully expecting the Countach was a garage queen with driving dynamics of the widow maker variety. Nope! The car actually handles well, with tenacious rear grip and with a front power on understeer that can be controlled by increased steering input. Who would have thought?

Thanks COTW! You are accomplishing exactly what you set out to do: testing car preconceptions and setting them straight. :cheers:
 
Obelisk
Brad's probably in an alcohol-induced coma.
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I rarely drink, let alone to celebrate this place. It's a land of constant disappointment and false promises. Like Robin Williams said, Canada is like a really nice apartment above a meth lab.

Sorry about the delay, my family hijacked my schedule thanks to the holiday. To celebrate, I've reported them to the NSA as members of ISIS. It's been much quieter since.

I hadn't selected a winner, so we'll just go with 'Murica cause I haven't been set on fire yet. YET. To celebrate Canada Day, we'll also have a hat trick!

Congratulations 'Murica... f yeah.

hot-girl-subaru-brz.jpg

This week's car is the 2012 Scion FR-S/Toyota 86GT/Subaru BRZ!!!

Because everything American is built somewhere else by someone else, and beside, it qualifies for American events! It counts!

Interesting side note, all cars are assembled in Gunma, prefecture of a certain Mr. Fujiwara...

This week's Time Trial is... where else? Silverstone! Before you go, grab an umbrella.
 
Okay, let's see...
-American: Yes (should be no, but because of Scion...)
-V8, 5L or bigger: Nope
-On sport tyres: Yes
-Handling will be an afterthought: Depends on how aggressive you drive it.
-Despite big displacement, only like 300-400bhp: Doesn't have big displacement, and nope.
-Lots of torque though: Haha, nope.

Ah well. :crazy:
 
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Well this was... surprisingly un-American for a post-4th-July choice, I have to say. Maybe one of the fireworks exploded close to Brad and rocked his nerve system as he was thinking about a car choice for this week. Or maybe he asked Stone Cold Steve Austin to pick a car and he enforced ye ol'DTA rule on that, who knows...?

Either way, guess it's time to put my Power Rangers watching on hold, and leave the NXT matches of Shinsuke Nakamura for later viewing, because it's tri-Boxer Bros. time! It may not feel American, and it may be American-sized, but this trio has always delivered in the fun front like most American muscle cars have. With about a fifth of the latter's weight, no less. And it can take a supercharger in real life, much like those large V8s...

Well, I know few might care about the real-life pictures I post here from time to time when the car matches the thread, but I did get acquainted with one third of this lovely trio in Porto one month ago;
SAM_1516_small.jpg SAM_1517_small.jpg SAM_1518_small.jpg SAM_1519_small.jpg SAM_1523_small.jpg SAM_1524_small.jpg

I have a fun story regarding this fated meeting, in fact; as I entered its cozy interior, I happened to look down and find something that doesn't usually feature in these cars. "What, an Automatic?" No, something a bit different; a packet of Heinz ketchup from McDonalds. Speaking of proper Americana... As the packet was swiftly removed, one of Toyota's representatives was called to know about the situation. I explained the story to him, to which he replied;

"Well, maybe it was done to make the car spicier..."

And then he laughed. Followed by me laughing. As much as we car nuts criticize Toyota for being too beige, there is still a faint sense of humor hidden beneath the tidy image... :lol:
 
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Toyota 86 GT '12 / Subaru BRZ S '12 / Scion FR-S '12
2.0L
198 hp / 7,000 rpm
151 ft-lb / 6,500 rpm
1,230 kg (2,712 lbs)
407 pp

13.7 lbs/hp which is 2.6 lbs/hp better than the Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex (AE86) '83 👍

At Mid-Field, it seems like the BR-Z has a slight advantage, or perhaps I just had better luck. And the 86 GT '12 was tested in April 2015, or 5 months prior to the Subarion...Sciobaru...?





Cars within 0.500 seconds of the fastest/slowest of the triplets:

1:27.215 - 451 - Chevrolet Camaro SS '69
1:27.309 - 395 - Hommell Berlinette R/S Coupe '99
1:27.328 - 409 - Lotus Elise Type 72 '01
1:27.342 - 423 - Alfa Romeo GT 3.2 V6 24V '04
1:27.354 - 417 - Mitsubishi Pajero Rally Raid Car '85
1:27.363 - 410 - Mercedes Benz 190 E 2.5 - 16 Evolution II '91
1:27.368 - 431 - Mitsubishi Eclipse GT '06
1:27.406 - 408 - Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 '85
1:27.418 - 425 - BMW 330i '05
1:27.422 - 409 - TRD Celica TRD Sports M (ZZT231) '00
1:27.427 - 410 - Honda Integra Type R (DC2) '99
1:27.428 - 439 - Jaguar E-Type Coupe '61
1:27.444 - 428 - Audi S4 '98
1:27.446 - 479 - Plymouth Cuda 440 Six Pack '71
1:27.460 - 417 - Chrysler Crossfire '04
1:27.485 - 435 - Plymouth AAR Cuda 340 Six Barrel '70
1:27.489 - 407 - Suzuki Concept-S2 '03
1:27.548 - 422 - Nissan Skyline Sedan 300GT '01
1:27.574 - 423 - Volkswagen Golf IV R32 '03
1:27.593 - 428 - Volkswagen Golf VI R '10
1:27.603 - 434 - Toyota Aristo 3.0V '91
1:27.613 - 439 - Mazda Mazdaspeed Atenza '05
1:27.620 - 427 - Alfa Romeo 147 GTA '02
1:27.636 - 408 - Honda Integra Type R (DC2) '98
1:27.673 - 411 - Mazda Savanna RX-7 Infini III (FC) '90
1:27.684 - 407 - Subaru BRZ S '12
1:27.762 - 433 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III GSR '95
1:27.802 - 429 - Toyota Supra 3.0GT Turbo A '88
1:27.811 - 411 - Nissan Sileighty '98
1:27.817 - 433 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution II GSR '94
1:27.818 - 428 - Toyota Soarer 430SCV '01
1:27.820 - 405 - DMC Delorean S2 '04
1:27.835 - 461 - Pontiac Tempest Le Mans GTO '64
1:27.842 - 420 - BMW Z4 '03
1:27.847 - 421 - Honda Accord Coupe EX '03
1:27.861 - 435 - Subaru Legacy B4 RSK '98
1:27.892 - 424 - Audi A3 3.2 Quattro '03
1:27.892 - 426 - Mazda MX-Crossport '05
1:27.899 - 422 - Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z Concept '88
1:27.913 - 456 - Mercedes-Benz CL 600 '00
1:27.914 - 406 - Mazda RX-8 '03
1:27.985 - 407 - Scion FR-S '12
1:27.991 - 404 - Toyota MR2 G-Limited '97

1:28.167 - 405 - Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R '99
1:28.195 - 405 - Honda Civic Type R (EP, EU) '01
1:28.224 - 411 - Lotus Elise '00
1:28.228 - 442 - Ford SVT F-150 Lightning '03
1:28.294 - 409 - Nissan Skyline GTS-t Type M (R32) '89
1:28.297 - 407 - Toyota 86 GT '12
1:28.304 - 415 - Ford Focus ST '06
1:28.330 - 402 - Mazda Kusabi '03
1:28.336 - 407 - Toyota 86 "Racing" '13
1:28.350 - 408 - Mazda RX-8 Type E '03
1:28.422 - 402 - Acura RSX Type-S '04
1:28.445 - 424 - Toyota Celica GT-Four (ST205) '98
1:28.480 - 403 - Renault Sport Clio R.S. '11
1:28.498 - 421 - Audi TT Coupe 3.2 Quattro '03
1:28.523 - 406 - Mazda RX-7 GT-X (FC) '90
1:28.529 - 401 - Mitsubishi FTO GPX '97
1:28.555 - 428 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR '92
1:28.575 - 443 - Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium '07
1:28.580 - 396 - Toyota Altezza RS200 '98
1:28.605 - 411 - Nissan Silvia K's (S13) '91
1:28.612 - 430 - Toyota Soarer 2.5GT-T '97
1:28.623 - 407 - Nissan Silvia K's Aero (S14) '93
1:28.636 - 400 - Mitsubishi FTO GPX '94
1:28.669 - 403 - Acura Integra Type R '01
1:28.669 - 417 - Nissan Stagea 260RS AutechVersion '98
1:28.713 - 419 - Alpine A110 1600S '73
1:28.719 - 438 - Mercedes-Benz SL 500 (R129) '98
1:28.728 - 415 - Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Coupe Dynamic '13
1:28.754 - 427 - Buick GNX '87
1:28.756 - 414 - Renault Sport Mégane R.S. '08
1:28.768 - 408 - Volkswagen New Beetle Cup Car '00
1:28.784 - 409 - Nissan 180SX Type X '96

I bolded some other premium, recent, could-be rivals. The 86 has always been and will always be awesome. I love the stability compared with an MX-5 which has lots of body roll. Sure it can be fixed with aftermarket suspension components, but it's nice when a car comes with what you want, and only gets even better with upgrades. Sleeper.


 
I'm seeing a few 86 Racings on that field, how did they stack up to the bog-standard brothers (and the Modellista Celica for some reason)? Last time I checked, those were slightly lighter than the stock models... Unless I'm wrong, of course.

Also, Nismo, I really want to say your sister ruined the car, but it ended up becoming strangely alluring. It's not really as horrendous as a pink 86 with blue rims, or a 86 with one of those ghastly GT-brand spoilers (now now, don't take my ideas for granted, the last thing we want is a ruined 86)....

Darn it, I respect a sports car customized by a woman, that takes some talent. :crazy: :lol:
 
@Niku Driver HC She is an art student, so she knows what colours go with what, and I agree, it's not as horrible as it could have been.

As for how the 86 Racings went, they're literally just 86s with tow hooks, same power, weight, everything. So they were just as good as the others. On a few occasions some people even tried Gazoo Racing N24 86, and even that couldn't leave everyone in the dust. That machine's actually a few PP LOWER than the base model.
 
Er, careful with the double posts, Nismo. Not acting as the GTP Police or anything, just handing out friendly advice.

Either way, your sister has the right qualifications for art work, if her 86 is anything to go by. She could have done much, much worse, but she kept the rims stock and went for a rather interesting shade of pink. Speaking of which, what paintchip is that? Some sort of TVR color?

Also, guess the Racing isn't as racy as its name might have suggested before, but it is a very nice beginner's racing car if anything. With such a solid base, it can be any kind of race car; drift, rally, touring car... It's literally a blank canvas with a Boxer engine.

As for Baron's Canadian choice, only one emoticon can describe it;

:lol:
 

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