Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

[Cowboy]

You should also mention that I typically leave the low-hanging fruit for everyone else. Otherwise they'd starve.



1. Warm welcomes are a violation of the GTPlanet AUP. Offenders have been reported and are currently under investigation.
2. Off with his (@RuSTeD) head.



En su bocha.

Congratulations Obelisk! You've been volunteered to select this week's car... what could possibly go wrong?



Remember the low-hanging fruit that I mentioned earlier?

Mrs. Elford in the 2J.​

It's the 1970 Chaparral 2J!!!

Okay, J. Edgar Hoover it is...



No, you're wrong. Maytags don't run around wearing skirts.

Sorry about the delay, I've been working on 7 things simultaneously, each with varying degrees of progress and frustration. As such, and also due to the odd nature of this week's choice, there will be no Time Trial event this week. Instead, the challenge will be more... creative...

Install this bathtub somewhere it belongs, aesthetically. Naturally, GT5-6 doesn't have a bathroom available in either Photomode, so you'll have to find the next best location that it'll blend in.

It's a "Photo Finish"!

​

I hope you realize that money doesn't grow on trees . Luckily I have one of these to thrash about.

 

[Nismonath5]

Luckily I have one of these to thrash about.

I'll say!! Thankfully I bought one for the recent historic race car seasonal at Bathurst.. What a car! This week's racing will... really suck! *ba-dum-tiss*

 

[Niku Driver HC]

I'll say!! Thankfully I bought one for the recent historic race car seasonal at Bathurst.. What a car! This week's racing will... really suck! *ba-dum-tiss*

Well that joke crumbled into dust... thank godness we have a vacumm to clean it up!

Don't worry, I'll offer this to myself right away;

But look at this sequence... First, we had a cheaty concept car (Kusabi), then we moved on to a cheaty-but-because-that's-how-they-actually-built-it small city car (Storia). Now we hit the big cheating leagues, with Mr. Jim's Hoo... er, I mean Maytag device, a car that only got reproduced once by some chap named Bernie in Europe... Any given Chaparral, regardless of era, is an S-class cheater, but the 2J may very well be the best of them. Something that has a 3-speed gearbox shouldn't be this quick, shouldn't be this destructive compared to its counterparts, but damm it's all that and much more.

An article I found says this "There's never been a Can-Am car like the Chaparral 2J. The incredible Chaparral 2J."

And they're not f-ing kidding, I can tell you that much.

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

Photo finish eh??? Well here's one for ya...

Oh, did you mean a photo finish with the vacuum cleaner? I have one for that too...

Proof that this week's POS, been banned from racing, cheater's delight, overused cause desperate people do desperate things, I wouldn't piss on it if it were on fire, embarrassment of the Can-Am years selection can't keep up to REAL drivers in REAL cars.

Review to follow...

Cheers

 

[LM7325]

On one hand 2J could possibly win LTW at Route X in reverse, on the other hand, 2J could possibly win LTW at Route X in reverse.

It is only a sleeper if you have never encountered it. After that this overgrown Dyson will be etched permanently into your memory as a car that has super powers. The GT6 equivalent of Staples' easy button.

 

[RuSTeD]

1. Warm welcomes are a violation of the GTPlanet AUP. Offenders have been reported and are currently under investigation.
2. Off with his (@RuSTeD) head.

Why u do dis?! You cold hearted person you!!! You´ll never get me alive!!!*dies anyway*
McClaren is under investigation for murdering a peaceful innocent human being. Family&Friends has been informed. Further actions will be taken.

Well, the almighty vacuum cleaner... Nothing really to say here. We all know this car which our beloved vacuum cleaner god sent us This car is like the escudo pikes peak in GT2
Verdict: No sleeper, nor beater, it´s in it´s own league!

 

[Draggon]

Hey @Niku Driver HC thanks for posting that link to the 2J at Laguna Seca back in 1970. I was there that day 👍 The cornering speed made it look like a slot car, but man, did it kick up some dust. Sadly, something went wrong....documentation says only "engine" and I seem to remember it was the snowmobile engines that were having issues. My pubescent 16 year old self could never have imagined I be here on this forum 46 years later discussing/driving the thing. I don't know if there were even video games that long ago

 

[Obelisk]

Hey @Niku Driver HC thanks for posting that link to the 2J at Laguna Seca back in 1970. I was there that day 👍 The cornering speed made it look like a slot car, but man, did it kick up some dust. Sadly, something went wrong....documentation says only "engine" and I seem to remember it was the snowmobile engines that were having issues. My pubescent 16 year old self could never have imagined I be here on this forum 46 years later discussing/driving the thing. I don't know if there were even video games that long ago

It was the JLO engine failing in that race.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Hey @Niku Driver HC thanks for posting that link to the 2J at Laguna Seca back in 1970. I was there that day 👍 The cornering speed made it look like a slot car, but man, did it kick up some dust. Sadly, something went wrong....documentation says only "engine" and I seem to remember it was the snowmobile engines that were having issues. My pubescent 16 year old self could never have imagined I be here on this forum 46 years later discussing/driving the thing. I don't know if there were even video games that long ago

Wow, I don't know what to say, it's always something else when one young man's curiosity leads to a more experienced man bringing back old memories from the proverbial trunk in the mental attic. But thanks for sharing your memories, it's certainly a good way to know what people felt when the 2J first hit the track like it did in Laguna... 👍

You must also feel somewhat nostalgic and in awe at the fact that the same car that kicked up so much real dust back when you were a teenager could appear in a more affordable format for you to drive, huh...? At least you don't have to deal with the same engine issues that plagued the 2J's (brief) career... Such is the price of being the first guys on the block to test new technologies out on the racing track, really.

 

[VXR]

Across Four - Daihatsu Storia X4

Motorsport is a broad church, offering disciplines from the top to the very bottom of the wheeled spectrum. One of the broader varieties is the world of rallying. From a full fat world rally car on gravel to a Group N hatchback in a tarmac rally, it has seen its fair share of entrants. At the turn of the Millennium, Japanese drivers were offered the promise of a value for money, competitive base to explore their passion in the form of the Daihatsu Storia X4, pronounced Cross Four.

With its peppy turbo triple putting out in the region 125hp to all four wheels, it has enough get up and go for a lightweight shell. To find out just how suited it is for a budding racer, I took it to four distinct locales to see how useful this pocket rocket is.

My starting point was at the Gran Turismo Arena, the stadium-based short track. Perfect for smaller, agile cars, my first impressions were a little underwhelming. The Storia seemed too grippy at first, making it harder to tuck in and get a decent cornering momentum. As I got more familiar, trail braking revealed itself as the weapon of choice. Now I could get the car tipped into the apex early and use the four driven wheels to my advantage. The car felt pretty stable when driven this way, too, so you felt confident in provoking it.

The next stop was at Lord March's driveway and a run up the Goodwood Hillclimb. The Storia handled the run up to the lawn in its stride. I did bog down on the start, which harmed the lap time, however, so the car is best when it's on the boil. Further into the lap, the transition to the walled section pushed the car into oversteer. This was the first sign I'd had of lost composure within its chassis balance. It wouldn't be an issue on a wide course, but in that moment it caused enough bother.

At Twin Ring Motegi's East Ribbon, I had the chance to try its hand on a proper circuit. Here the X4 felt at its most comfortable yet. The trail braking was working a charm and the quicker flow kept the engine within its boost threshold more often. The mobility I'd experienced in the back end was my friend here, allowing me to get some oversteer on the quicker corners. At the circuit it was the most enjoyable experience I'd had in this car yet.

My final sojourn was to France, where I was given another stock example to take to the snow of Chamonix. Unseasonable, heavy snow at that. If any of the disciplines I was trying were to test the Daihatsu, this was it. With snow spikes equipped, I had an absolute blast in the car. The engine seemed to push that little bit harder at altitude and it carved lovely four wheel drifts between the snow banks. Even the bumpy downhill section saw the car maintain its composure. Snow 0 - 1 Storia.

For 13,000 credits, we really shouldn't be discussing the merits of a car in such varied terms. Amongst this price group, you'll do well to get something adept at track work let alone rallying. The Storia punches well above its weight, though. Happy on small, technical tracks or snowy trails, this is the small car that can do almost anything within reason.

So in determining if it's a beater or sleeper, it dawned on me that in GT6 we were all given the same starter car. If we'd been left to our own devices as in previous GT games, would I have chosen the Storia? Having driven it for this review, I can say I definitely would've if I had to consider rallying it whilst funds were tight. Is it a sleeper then? You bet.

 

[UltimateYosh]

You can hardly call the 2J a sleeper can you?
Considering how many people use it in Race Car Seasonals.

It is basically the '70s version of a Red Bull X1.

 

[Obelisk]

You can hardly call the 2J a sleeper can you?
Considering how many people use it in Race Car Seasonals.

It is basically the '70s version of a Red Bull X1.

Exactly. The idea of fan-induced downforce/ground effects started with the 2J. After that, it was the Brabham BT46B, and then the Red Bull.

 

[UltimateYosh]

The problem is, I don't have a 2J. It'll take a while before my funds to back over 10 million


And it's too bad that Fan cars always get banned because they really are fascinating.

 

[Nismonath5]

The problem is, I don't have a 2J. It'll take a while before my funds to back over 10 million


And it's too bad that Fan cars always get banned because they really are fascinating.

The Chappie 2J is only $4.5 million though...

And frankly, "The X2011 of the 70's" is a perfect title for it! At the time it was innovative, radical and completely insane, but it worked! It destroyed the competition, and it's sheer superiority led it to be banned. If the other manufacturers hadn't been such sore losers, and had perhaps taken this technology on board, who knows what the racing scene would look like these days!

It's certainly a unique car to drive. Unbelievable handling, a big gutsy V8, and complete domination, what's not to love?

Spoiler

How about the fact that it's only semi-detailed...

 

[girabyt3]

How about the fact that it's only semi-detailed...

I have no problems with that, and about the 2j (looks nice enough for me), remember how it was in GT4?? You couldn't win the GT championship with it (at least for me). Now I forgive it since is a peach to drive ♥. The fans really do their job in the back. I understood why it had such a fan attraction as a fan car. Hey, did you get it??. Fan attraction?? . No??, Ok. And about the Storia X4 (or Toyota Duet X4 for me). I will check it later in the day

 

[Nismonath5]

I have no problems with that, and about the 2j (looks nice enough for me), remember how it was in GT4?? You couldn't win the GT championship with it (at least for me). Now I forgive it since is a peach to drive ♥. The fans really do their job in the back. I understood why it had such a fan attraction as a fan car. Hey, did you get it??. Fan attraction?? . No??, Ok. And about the Storia X4 (or Toyota Duet X4 for me). I will check it later in the day View attachment 574084 View attachment 574085 View attachment 574086 View attachment 574087

I'd still prefer it to be fully detailed, you can tell by looking at it that it's missing a few polygons.. A car this legendary totally deserves the full visual package!

 

[Cowboy]

Hmm, looks like I haven't tried either of the Chaparrals at Goodwood yet. I swore I did them already.....

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

Here's a couple decent articles on the 2J...

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/91/Chaparral-2J-Chevrolet.html

http://autoweek.com/article/car-life/week-1970-chaparral-2j-unveiled

http://c-lab.columbia.edu/0094.html

Cheers

 

[Vic Reign93]

So the innovation of Can-Am's anything goes formula brought out the team that you could argue, made aerodynamics the next big thing in motorsports.

You had the big active wing of the 2E, the absurd low drag body of the 2H which later also had a huge wing attached to it.

But it's the 2J that was the real stand out for bringing constant ground effects by using skirts and fans to the track.

In theory, it's an aerodynamic engineers wet dream, constant downforce regardless of speed without the need for a huge drag creating wing, but that depends entirely on the fans working and given that the fans were powered by a snowmobile engine, it increased the chances of something failing and causing the car to be retired in a race.

But when it was working, it was the fastest thing out there.

Gordon Maurry later refined the Fan car idea with the Brabham BT46B by mounting the fan to the engine via a series of clutches which Gordon argued, was to help with cooling for the Alfa Romeo Flat 12 with the "unintended" side effect being that it also sucked air away from the underside of the car.

And of course we all know where the 3rd chapter of the Fan car started, right here in the world of GT.

The 2J is a Marmite car in the world of GT, you either love it or you hate it and we'll see where everyone stands on it come race night. 👍

Now for the Daihatsu Storia/Sirion X4.

A run of the mill Kei car given a competition upgrade with the sub 1 litre engine class in mind, it's turbocharged 713cc Inline 4 making almost 120hp which is remarkable for its size.

It's low weight combined with a 4wd system makes it pretty nippy off the line for a hot hatch, but for something based around a Kei car, it's very rapid in comparison.

@Niku Driver HC said it was like Japan's Metro 6R4, but I say that the X4 is the perfect middle ground between its base model and the 6R4.

The 6R4 is all business and no comfort whilst the X4 retains a lot of its practicality so it's a great city car during the week, but is still capable of deflating egos on the weekends at the track.

It really couldn't be anything but a Sleeper, unassuming looks, small dimensions, nothing to indicate that it can outrun most runaround city cars.

Basically it's a Sleeper for being a Kei car cranked up to 11. 👍

And on the subject of things going to 11..

 

[McClarenDesign]

McClaren is under investigation for murdering a peaceful innocent human being. Family&Friends has been informed. Further actions will be taken.

1. My alibi is airtight. I have documentation that proves my innocence. I would like to also point out that these baseless accusations have a habit of bringing our sport into ill repute, and could also bring penalties to the accuser. I graciously accept challenges to my rulings and judgements, doing so ensures tranparency and fairness.

However, insisting that the recently deceased was "peaceful" and/or "innocent" without providing supporting evidence is reckless and demonstrates no knowledge of the facts.

Having been cleared of any wrongdoing, I stand by my statements made at the trial:

"Yes, I did it, and I hope they burn in hell!"

2. Tonight's races will likely inspire a new level of hate. Consider this as "the memo". You're welcome.

3. This ad space is now available for purchase. Inquire within.

 

[Cowboy]

Tested both the Chaps at Goodwood today, but I'll just post the 2J here:

Audi R8 Race Car (Team PlayStation) '05:0:40.413
Audi R10 TDI Stealth Model: 0:40.801
Peugeot 908 HDI FAP: 0:40.976
Audi R10 TDI '06: 0:41.034
SRT Tomahawk S Vision Gran Turismo: 0:41.243
Chaparral 2J '70: 0:41.393
BMW McLaren F1 GTR Race Car '97: 0:41.783
Toyota FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo: 0:42.012
Audi R18 TDI 15th Anniversary Edition '11:0:42.192
Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (C6) LM Race Car '09:0:42.366
Audi Sport quattro S1 Pikes Peak '87: 0:42.388

Well, it can keep right up with modern LMPs. Long gears and somewhat decent handling helped this dishwasher place 18th out of 323 cars on the board.

 

[Nismonath5]

I don't have any pics yet, though I only have two replays saved cos I was stupid and forgot to save the Nurburgring replay... THAT was insane!
For those of you who missed it, we raced at Nurburgring 24h, but realised the 2J has no headlights... We raced in the dark anyway!

Thoughts on it, well it has a good set of brakes on it, and the fans keep it stable when you throw it into a corner at 130kmh with little risk of spinning.
I absolutely love the sound!!! it's a loud n proud V8, the way it should be! Its lack of gears hurts its acceleration off the line though, and anything with a normal gearbox will get a headstart. It doesn't love tight and technical tracks (GT Arena....), and it's best enjoyed on wide, fast and flowing tracks.

 

[RuSTeD]

Good day Mr. Mcclaren, the lawyer of the family Rusted here, me and my clients are shocked about your way of thinking. Murdering a human, be it a innocent or not, only because of a different opinion is never a way you should go. And still you made it worse by commiting mass murders on more innocent humans only because they were befriend with the child of my client. If you think, you are right, please convince me of your innocence. Though, your way of aggressive verbalising and even being proud of your act, don´t let you look innocent at all, it´s actually much worse. So i´m very eager to hear your story of the commited mass murder as the perpetrator. If you don´t reply within 3 days, consider your immediate arrest and further actions.

Yours sincerly,

Bob Richard

Edit: Pure sarcasm included

 

[Nismonath5]

Good day Mr. Mcclaren, the lawyer of the family Rusted here, me and my clients are shocked about your way of thinking. Murdering a human, be it a innocent or not, only because of a different opinion is never a way you should go. And still you made it worse by commiting mass murders on more innocent humans only because they were befriend with the child of my client. If you think, you are right, please convince me of your innocence. Though, your way of aggressive verbalising and even being proud of your act, don´t let you look innocent at all, it´s actually much worse. So i´m very eager to hear your story of the commited mass murder as the perpetrator. If you don´t reply within 3 days, consider your immediate arrest and further actions.

Yours sincerly,

Bob Richard

Well, that escalated quickly...

 

[Obelisk]

Well, that escalated quickly...

That sucked too much.

 

[McClarenDesign]

Well, that escalated quickly...

No, it simply became stairs.

 

[girabyt3]

No, it simply became stairs.

I would say it became an escalator

Edit: Anyway. Finally I ran the Duet (Storia) X4! Didn't drive it since GT3 and I gotta say, what a thing it is. It's really the definition of sleeper (check a japanese dictionary lol). Like @VXR did, I went first to the GT arena fully stock (just visual and some drivetrain upgrades), but man, it really had the grip to kill people (of shockingness)!

Jelly

Then, time to go down and dirty on Eiger. This was really a shocking surprise, it had the grip of OF-MY-GOODNESS-me, and a modest power/torque to go up the hills, it was just pure dirty gold . It also remind me of the GT2 days as well :biggrinsvg:

Down and dirty

Now, since it's winter here at Peru, decided to go to the French mountains (Chamonix), we don't have snow tho... Anyway, on Snow, it was the same as on dirt, enough said ♥

It's cold, really

Ok, now the real business, fully tuned you get 348hp from a 0.7l engine with a little turbo to spice it up! I mean, stock you get 120hp, and with a feather-like weight, Colin Chapman should be either proud, or angry of Daihatsu. I said angry because he (or Lotus) didn't think of making it the Carlton's little brother, imagine a Lotus Storia-Sirion-Duet X4!. To spice the things up, I decided to do the tire glitch on Chamonix and Eiger (that's why the rims are black). Woah, Nelly. It really make the tests a bit drifty, and funnier, but also did it to prove the skills of the car, and it didn't change too much as if you were running with normal dirt-snow tires. This car it's really one of my dream cars now, I even thought of a dream-build! (The body of the Rally Storia from GT2 without the wing, YAW system, the rims I added to my Storia, OZ ones, Iconel exhaust system, low suspension and the fully tuned 0.7l engine! ). Easily the hottest Daihatsu ever made (my dream-build, not the stock )

 

[Nismonath5]

Nismo's COTW Reviews!!!
Episode 30: 1970 Chaparral 2J

It was ambitious, sure. But was it bollocks? Let's discuss..

The Canada-America Challenge Cup (or Can-Am, as it's better known) was the birthplace of many aspects of modern racing that at the time, were cutting edge. These included wings, turbochargers, and lightweight materials. In its prime, the cars were often faster than the F1 cars of the day, and as such were regarded as the peak of racing technology.

Chaparral was a pioneering constructor, well known in Can-Am, and always looking to be one step ahead of the competition. Thus, in 1970, the 2J came out of their shed. This unusual machine was built to... clean up the other drivers. It had the potential to leave the others in the dust... If it wan't for mechanical issues, it could have been a suck-cess....
OK, enough bad vacuum cleaner puns!!

"At least it's got the right number!" -Baron Blitz Red

The truth is, the 2J brought a whole new idea to the table. Using a couple of fans powered by a snowmobile engine to suck the rear to the ground resulted in tremendous downforce, regardless of speed. Though mechanically complex, its effectiveness was undeniable, and after 1970, the regualtions were conveniently changed, adding a line stating that engines couldn't be used to power anything other than the car itself. This left the 2J with nowhere to race, and Chaparral retired from motorsports shortly after.

So a sad conclusion to a story about an insane car. But what's it like to drive in Gran Turismo 6? For starters, let's address the obvious.
-It costs $4.5 million
-It's semi-detailed.
-You can't paint it.
-You can't change the wheels.

The 2J exhibits amazing grip, but doesn't really turn as well...

I didn't get much mileage on the Tuesday night races, but Saturday night was awesome. A good variety of tracks, and some interesting cars to compare against. At Matterhorn, the 2J beat a Peugeot 908. It handled the rapid elevation changes quite well thanks to the suction of the fans, although if even a single wheel hit the grass, that suction was lost and the 2J became dangerously unstable as a result.
The tighter section of the track was where it bogged down a bit, due to the lack of gears. But overall, it was a pretty neat car.

Fans? Pah! I have wings.... and a lot of them!

At Brands Hatch GP 80's, Cowboy donned an Audi Quattro S1 Pikes Peak, and naturally, thanks to 4WD and a turbo, it stole the lead right off the mark. But the 2Js benefitted from the fast flowing corners, wider track and less harsh elevation changes, and they caught up and bid adieu to the Quattro.

Heya Cowboy, ol' buddy, ol' pal! Remember us?

Next stop, Suzuka. Here the 2J was put up against a 787B, and a McLaren F1 GTR longtail. Again, though the other cars had the jump due to having more gears, the 2Js got up to speed and caught both of them.

Even the ex-world's fastest road car and Le-Mans winning rotary sensation can't catch the outlawed innovation!

Final stops, High Speed Ring and Mid-Field. Both races were run on wet tracks, and honestly you couldn't tell they were wet. The fans are just that good at keeping the 2J stable around turns, as long as you keep off curbs and grass, of course!

These cars are glued to the track!!!

Erm, except that one!

So, a verdict? Well, it's certainly not a looker. It's built purely for performance, and though some will consider it beautiful anyway, I don't entirely like having THIS staring at me...

The "Gamer's-eye" view...

It's a car that certainly takes some getting used to, mainly due to the unnatural downforce and resulting handling characteristics, but also because of it's lack of gears and solid torque. Sometimes it feels like the most amazing car you've ever driven, sometimes it feels like a real sh:censored: pile. It really depends on the track. However, for me, it feels great to drive most of the time, and for this reason I'm calling the Chaparral 2J a sleeper 👍
It's practical, unique, iconic, and ambitious! It's worth noting that the use of a fan to add downforce was re-used, 50 years later, on the RedBull X2010, the ultimate race car full stop. That in itself is proof that Chaparral were onto something when they concieved the idea of the 2J, but sore-loser rivals complained, and the 2J was rejected. The fact that it lives on in Gran Turismo 6 is a real privelige, and it's awesome being able to experience this cutting edge technology that could have gone so far...

The Chaparral 2J... the Can Am car that was deemed "too good"

 

[Obelisk]

Nismo's COTW Reviews!!!
Episode 30: 1970 Chaparral 2J

View attachment 575824
It was ambitious, sure. But was it bollocks? Let's discuss..

The Canada-America Challenge Cup (or Can-Am, as it's better known) was the birthplace of many aspects of modern racing that at the time, were cutting edge. These included wings, turbochargers, and lightweight materials. In its prime, the cars were often faster than the F1 cars of the day, and as such were regarded as the peak of racing technology.

Chaparral was a pioneering constructor, well known in Can-Am, and always looking to be one step ahead of the competition. Thus, in 1970, the 2J came out of their shed. This unusual machine was built to... clean up the other drivers. It had the potential to leave the others in the dust... If it wan't for mechanical issues, it could have been a suck-cess....
OK, enough bad vacuum cleaner puns!!

View attachment 575842
"At least it's got the right number!" -Baron Blitz Red

The truth is, the 2J brought a whole new idea to the table. Using a couple of fans powered by a snowmobile engine to suck the rear to the ground resulted in tremendous downforce, regardless of speed. Though mechanically complex, its effectiveness was undeniable, and after 1970, the regualtions were conveniently changed, adding a line stating that engines couldn't be used to power anything other than the car itself. This left the 2J with nowhere to race, and Chaparral retired from motorsports shortly after.

So a sad conclusion to a story about an insane car. But what's it like to drive in Gran Turismo 6? For starters, let's address the obvious.
-It costs $4.5 million
-It's semi-detailed.
-You can't paint it.
-You can't change the wheels.

View attachment 575843The 2J exhibits amazing grip, but doesn't really turn as well...

I didn't get much mileage on the Tuesday night races, but Saturday night was awesome. A good variety of tracks, and some interesting cars to compare against. At Matterhorn, the 2J beat a Peugeot 908. It handled the rapid elevation changes quite well thanks to the suction of the fans, although if even a single wheel hit the grass, that suction was lost and the 2J became dangerously unstable as a result.
The tighter section of the track was where it bogged down a bit, due to the lack of gears. But overall, it was a pretty neat car.

View attachment 575844
Fans? Pah! I have wings.... and a lot of them!

At Brands Hatch GP 80's, Cowboy donned an Audi Quattro S1 Pikes Peak, and naturally, thanks to 4WD and a turbo, it stole the lead right off the mark. But the 2Js benefitted from the fast flowing corners, wider track and less harsh elevation changes, and they caught up and bid adieu to the Quattro.

View attachment 575845
Heya Cowboy, ol' buddy, ol' pal! Remember us?

Next stop, Suzuka. Here the 2J was put up against a 787B, and a McLaren F1 GTR longtail. Again, though the other cars had the jump due to having more gears, the 2Js got up to speed and caught both of them.

View attachment 575846
Even the ex-world's fastest road car and Le-Mans winning rotary sensation can't catch the outlawed innovation!

Final stops, High Speed Ring and Mid-Field. Both races were run on wet tracks, and honestly you couldn't tell they were wet. The fans are just that good at keeping the 2J stable around turns, as long as you keep off curbs and grass, of course!

View attachment 575848 These cars are glued to the track!!!

View attachment 575849
Erm, except that one!

So, a verdict? Well, it's certainly not a looker. It's built purely for performance, and though some will consider it beautiful anyway, I don't entirely like having THIS staring at me...

View attachment 575850
The "Gamer's-eye" view...

It's a car that certainly takes some getting used to, mainly due to the unnatural downforce and resulting handling characteristics, but also because of it's lack of gears and solid torque. Sometimes it feels like the most amazing car you've ever driven, sometimes it feels like a real sh:censored: pile. It really depends on the track. However, for me, it feels great to drive most of the time, and for this reason I'm calling the Chaparral 2J a sleeper 👍
It's practical, unique, iconic, and ambitious! It's worth noting that the use of a fan to add downforce was re-used, 50 years later, on the RedBull X2010, the ultimate race car full stop. That in itself is proof that Chaparral were onto something when they concieved the idea of the 2J, but sore-loser rivals complained, and the 2J was rejected. The fact that it lives on in Gran Turismo 6 is a real privelige, and it's awesome being able to experience this cutting edge technology that could have gone so far...
View attachment 575851
The Chaparral 2J... the Can Am car that was deemed "too good"

You forgot the Brabham BT46b, which did the same thing in F1.

 

[Nismonath5]

You forgot the Brabham BT46b, which did the same thing in F1.

Ah yes, I knew I was forgetting something!

If PD decided to add the Brabham into GTsport / GT7, then the GT franchise would have all the notable fan cars through history.