Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

"New" Beetle Cup Car!
Maybe 17 years ago...

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Curb jumping in an attempt to catch up to @Draggon

The humble VW Beetle is a rather innocent car. Compact, economical and easy to drive. It's quite the motoring icon, and an original, mint condition example is surely rising in value each passing year. The New Beetle is it's modern replacement, and serves as a cheap, perky German daily driver. However the difference between the old and new Beetles is that the New Beetle offers a cup car variation...

There are quite a few funky cars in GT6 you can by for the ripe, clean sum of $30,000. The Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 4, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am and the Toyota GT86 (in all it's aliases) spring to mind. And those aren't bad cars. However only $25,000 will place the New Beetle Cup Car in your garage. Now think about that, $30k gets you a road car. But $25k gets you a fully fledged racecar!!! It's gotta be one of the cheapest ways to get a proper race car in the game, aside from perhaps the Hyundai Click Type R.
Visually, it looks very close (if not, identical) to the Beetle RSi, but with a livery. It comes in several basic colours, blue, green, yellow, red, black... the typical bright eye catching colours that are popular amongst race cars. To the untrained eye, it still looks rather cute and unassuming, but to those a bit wiser in the ways of the automobile, just looking at it gives it's hidden potential away. :mischievous:

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Rinsky doing the business at Laguna Seca!

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Close fast cup car action!

It has a tremendous beginner's appeal, you can push it hard and it doesn't display any nasty handling characteristics or traits that will make you think you're wrestling a titan. It may come with a few go-faster bits, pumping 200bhp as opposed to the 120bhp you'll find in the road car, but I still feel there could be... more. I'm not complaining though, power delivery is smooth and fluid, complimented by light and easy handling. You can take pretty much any line you like around corners, try different methods, "out-in-out" or the more technical "slow in, fast out.". The Beetle can do it all! Like @Rinsky mentioned, early braking isn't neccessary but late braking won't work out either. While certainly not excelling in the fields of either top speed, acceleration or handling, it strikes a nice balance between the three, presenting itself as an affordable, safe and simple option for learning how to peddle a race car, before moving up to something with a bit more grunt. An Integra Touring Car perhaps, or a Renault Clio Trophy Car.

The racing on Tuesday was awesome, with some really high quality racing and no shortage of overtaking and a good variety of results for everybody. I even challenged Vic to handicap himself by 10 seconds, then try to catch us in 3 laps, reminiscent of the old mission races in GT4. He nearly succeeded, but it was still a solid effort considering I pulled it on him out of the blue. But then hey, it's Vic, what did we expect. I love the Beetle, the only thing I found to criticise about it was the gearbox. I nearly never needed 6th gear, so the first thing I'd do to it is bring the gears in a bit closer, therefore improving the acceleration and making it that little bit zippier. Other than that, I'm quite a fan of it. It does exactly what you ask of it, goes exactly where you point it, and can be driven well by rookies and veterans alike. I'm calling this one a sleeper! 👍

And now for some videos. Max usage: Infinity. If symptoms persist consult your GP. T's and C's apply. See in store for details. Offer not avaliable in all states.






(Also, I've had my first lot of votes sent in for COTY awards! Hopefully you're considering your picks, and get them sent in to me via inbox!)
 
Rinsky
I like this week's car.. nice pick :cheers:

I'll probably have around 400 miles on it before our race
Click to expand...

Yes, I like it too!

As Rinsky's hinted, this week's pick could well be capable of some rather exciting racing, assuming it doesn't end up being too overencumbered in heavy luxury goodies that means it's a dog on the track..

Congratulations @mica3speedy!!!!!
Please welcome to the Car Of The Week stage for the next week...

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The 2007 Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT Type SP!!!!!!

We raced the 350GT a few moons ago, but this one is packing a bigger engine. Is bigger necessarilly better, though? Depends on who you ask.
(If you ask @McClarenDesign he may well say "giggity".)

This week's Playing With TT's will be at the London street circuit, where you can actually drive the streets free from traffic. Which I hear is quite a rarity in real life. Also, I've decided the deadline for COTY votes will be Sunday 17th December. Then I'll announce the winners of each respective category, and the final week of 2017 we'll race the Car Of The Year! :D
@Baron Blitz Red even though you retired from GT6 this year, your votes would still be welcome, so feel free to put in your two cents worth! :)

See you guys Tuesday!
 
*Sighs*

Starting to become a habit with these late reviews aren’t we Vinnie Vic? :P

Let’s start with the 3 front wheel drives we’ve tested and also show the people the occasional dumb idea that the auto industry churns out. :dunce:

The Toyota Will Vs will be our first pick, Styled like a stealth fighter, but this isn’t no Reventon. :odd:

Powered by a 1.8 NA 4 cylinder engine which makes a respectable 194hp after oil change and this engine is used quite a lot in Toyotas line up, as well as some Lotus Elise’s, it’s a engine that likes to be revved and needs to be so it can make its high end power and torque.

It’s an engine that when paired with the right gearbox and chassis, makes for a rather enthusiastic machine..

The Will VS as you probably already picked up on, has neither of those things. :rolleyes:

It’s very understeery due to the weight balance and the wallowy suspension and that by itself isn’t great, but the real kick in the family jewels is the 4 speed gearbox.

When you have an engine that works at high rpm, don’t give it a long ratioed gearbox, especially if it drops below the rpm where it swaps from the efficiency camshaft to the performance camshaft each time you go up a gear.

Auto users like Ash were handicapped further as the auto box shifts at around 6.5k rpm, but the engine doesnt make peak power until 7.5k and the limter cuts in at 8k. :yuck:

Again, with an engine like that you need more gears and shorter ratios to enjoy it properly, the Will VS doesn’t offer that.

The question I asked myself when it was announced was, Will it be good? :sly:

Now if I could go back and ask myself that again I would say, Will it bollocks. :lol:

Verdict: Beater 👎

Now from japan to sweden and the Volvo C30 R Design.

Now power and torque is no problem with the Volvo as it’s 2.5 litre 5 cylinder turbo engine makes 223hp and 233 ft-lbs of torque from 1,500rpm onwards in a torque curve resembling a table. :D

Of course with it being a Volvo and their emphasis on safety, it’s heavier than the Will VS at 1,430kgs, most of it again over the front axle.

Now the gearbox isn’t a big deal here because of the low down torque, but the understeer is and the smoke shows from the CS tyres in every corner just exaggerates that issue.

Rinsky actually brought out on race night the 2006 Ford Focus ST which has the same engine, power and torque output, P.P. and weight as the Volvo and while he was slightly off pace, @MidFieldMaven drove the focus around Midfield almost 2 seconds quicker than the Volvo. :drool:

Not only that, the noticeable 5 cylinder burble was taken away from both cars in the sound update of the past which just adds salt in the wound for the Volvo.

So what are we left with? The only premium Volvo that’s slower than its older Ford based cousin, doesn’t sound great, handles terribly and is more expensive than its Ford cousin by 10k.:rolleyes:

Verdict: Beater 👎

That just leaves the VW New Beetle Cup Car.

Let’s make this clear right now, It was an absolute blast driving this thing and it’s definitely a Sleeper. :sly:

Let’s go over the specs, It has a 2.8 litre 4 cylinder engine making just 200hp and weighs under 1,200kgs and it’s sending it’s power to front by a 6 speed gearbox.

Wearing some Racing Hard tyres as standard, lack of grip was never gonna be a problem, heck some corners I could take at full throttle no problem in this thing.

Interestingly, it’s cheaper than the road car it’s based on, a normal New Beetle costs just under 26K, the Cup Car is 25K flat. :bowdown:

It’s an entry level racer that can serve you well and it won’t cost you much to get started, it could do with a shorter 6th gear, but a minor weight loss or power uppage will offset that.

Cheap, fun and a Sleeper.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

Now on to the Nissan 300ZX, A late 80’s and early to late 90’s GT car with a twin turbo 3.0 litre V6 as the top spec engine.

With power at “276hp” (Wink wink :P) and weighing just over 1,500kgs, it’s capable of getting about rather sharpish.

Handling was a mixed bag for some of us, some got a bit of understeer and others got oversteer, but it’s fairly balanced in my eyes.

Now when you decide to open up that V6 for some extra grunt, the power levels head skywards as 750+ all the way up to just over 900hp are possible with the ‘98 model 300ZX’s. :eek:

In stock form, it’s not overtly great (Needs SH tyres as standard, not CS tyres.) but not terrible either by any means.

Verdict: Neutral

I’ll probably do the 370GT Skyline later in the week after a few other reviews come through. ;)
 
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07 Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT Type SP

Opening Thoughts:
The Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT looks just like an Infinity and maybe that's because Nissan owns Infinity. Without a doubt I think the Nissan looks much more aggressive. It has a better looking front-end, better looking aero package, better looking rear spoiler and of course it's got more power. Before this review came up I was already a fan of this car and while it's not your typical looking Skyline it sure drove like one. But all my previous runs in this Skyline have all been tuned so this will be my first time logging miles on a Stock Dealership Factory one. So It's time for me to put around 400 miles of testing on this Skyline.

Suspension and Handling:
It rides and handles like you would expect a luxury car to do. Almost as if your riding on air that is until you start pushing it hard into the corners then it's massive weight (1660kg) shows its ugly self as the front end pushes out and the tires struggle for grip under the load. So pushing it hard into the corners is a no go unless you like bouncing off the walls or watching it slide off the track. Other than the huge amount of understeer both on and off throttle the rest of the ride is very smooth.


Power:
I decided to take the Skyline straight from the dealership and enter the 550pp Beginner Seasonal at London. With absolutely no changes made to the Skyline and over a 100pp down I was able to grab the lead on lap 3 of 4. The power is smooth across the RPM range making it feel slow as you never hear of feel any abrupt changes in the powerband. It will kick out the rear on you from time to time but you almost have to force it to come around as it stays planted 99% of the time at full throttle. Believe it or not this Skyline is just as fast as the '97 Skyline GT-R V spec R33. It's the same PP and has 9hp more but also weighs 1020kg more. So the '97 Skyline gets better lap times but not by much.

Automatic Transmission:
Here is an area where the Skyline lacks any kind of performance. It's slow to go and all the gears seem to be real tall so its not building up any speed in a hurry. Short tracks are not its strong point but It will get the job done even though it doesn't feel that way. Putting the Skyline on larger tracks is where it shines.


Brakes:
One big disappointment about this car is the Brakes. Again the weight of this car really effects it's stopping power. You can give it all you want and never lock them up..it just doesn't stop. Early early braking is a must to avoid over driving. Even maxing out the brake bias at 10 doesn't do the job.


Weather Snow:
It was time to strap on a set of snow shoes and head out to ChamoniX. To my surprise the 2 wheel drive Skyline does quite well here. My guess is that all that weight helps the car stay planted in the snow and almost drives like it's on pavement with all kinds of traction. This is with TC off may I remind you so needless to say I was impressed.


Weather Rain:
I head out to The famous testing grounds of Mid-Field Raceway for this part. Only 3 tire compounds will be used CS, SS & Race Wet tires to see which one performs better than the stock SH in the rain. After an hour of testing the choice for rain tires is SS as they out perform all the others by a lot. If your not allowed that choice then stay with SH


Verdict:
At first the Skyline in stock condition seems unexciting because unlike the Skyline of the past this is a luxury car not a performance car and it was never ment to be pushed to the limit. Even though its not like the Skyline cars we come to love its still quite capable of performing like one but at the same time never gives you that feeling that it could. To me this car is the exact definition of a SLEEPER.

Lap Times at Mount Panorama.
'97 Skyline GT-R V-Spec R33 2:27.037
'07 Skyline Coupe 370GT. 2:27.669

Now that's close. The 97 Skyline was chosen because it's the exact same PP but that's all it has in common with it's counterpart.
In our weekly COTW race the Skyline Coupe proved to be a fun car to race. We had a huge turn out along with some great battles going on for 3hrs straight.

It's definitely a SLEEPER.
Miles tested 523.7

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Here is the 500pp tune I use. Try it out without any aids except abs1

No oil change

Tires.
Sport Soft

Suspension
Ride height: 95/95
Spring Rate: 12.75/10.75
Dampers (C): 5/5
Dampers (E): 4/6
Roll bar: 3/4
Camber: 1.3/1.3
Toe: -0.10/0.10
Brakes: 5/4

Transmission
1. 3.462
2. 2.600
3. 2.080
4. 1.685
5. 1.400
6. 1.190
Final: 3.275
Hit reset & Set final to 4500 - max speed to 124 - adjust gear ratios - set final to 3.275
Always make sure to set your power and PP lvl before adjusting gears.

LSD
5/10/5
Triple clutch plate
Carbon drive shaft

Power
96.7
Racing Exhaust
Exhaust manifold
Catalytic converter
Intake.

Body
Weight reduction full on everything

Other parts.
Front Areo kit
Rear spoiler - not a wing.

This tune holds my 5th fastest 500pp lap time at Circuito de la Sierra on SS tires.


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Here is @Nismonath5's photo thread with some COTW action in it.
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...0-revised-and-organised.353216/#post-12087165
Courtesy of hard work done by our club leader @Nismonath5's himself


Here is an Impressive list of Factory Stock lap times for over 700 car at Mid-Field Raceway.
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/mid-field-raceway-lap-times-for-716-cars.325386/
Courtesy of hard work done by one of our talented club members @MidFieldMaven


Link to our Car Of The Week TimeTrial Club
https://www.gran-turismo.com/us/gt6/user/#!/clubid/1067430/
We are always looking for respectful racers to join our club. Fun & Competitive

Tuesday Night Racing:
Around 9:00pm CST & 10:00pm EST
Factory Stock with an Oil Change.
Aids turned on SFR, Drive Line & ABS 1
TC if needed.
 
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I've had a few responses with nominations for our 2017 COTY awards, with some interesting choices indeed! Some you'll agree with, some may surprise you, and some I'm sure you already know what's going to win! :sly: If you haven't already, be sure to inbox me with your picks, remember
17th December is the deadline!
 
Rinsky
Weather Rain:
I head out to The famous testing grounds of Mid-Field Raceway for this part. Only 3 tire compounds will be used CS, SS & Race Wet tires to see which one performs better than the stock SH in the rain. After an hour of testing the choice for rain tires is SS as they out perform all the others by a lot. If your not allowed that choice then stay with SH
Click to expand...
I may be mistaken, but I think you didn't mention here or earlier the track grip setting used. I'll assume "Real", for now.
 
Thematic
I may be mistaken, but I think you didn't mention here or earlier the track grip setting used. I'll assume "Real", for now.
Click to expand...

Sorry about that. It was set to default and I think that's LOW. I completely forgot you can change grip for a wet track and not just curbs. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Ok so I went back to Midfield Raceway do some more testing on the 07 Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT in the rain with the setting switched over to Real this time. In my previous review the setting was only on Low.

Things really change with the setting on Real and what tires will work. I started with stock tires ran 10 laps then changed to a different compound and did 10 laps and so on. So here are my findings if your running on the Real setting.

#1 Race wets are by far the best this time.
#2 Comfort Soft are a strong second
#3 Sport Soft are not that great this time but are better than stock.
#4 Sport Hard (stock) just avoid these at all cost.
 
Sky High Skyline!!!!
The Anti-Skyline that's not really a Skyline..

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We had to replace oil sumps after this race. Never quite figured out why. Strange...

I don't even know where to start with this one.

This kind of Skyline has been a bit of an oddity for me. Considering the Skylines before it were turbocharged inline 6s with GT-R variants, this one has an N/A V6 with rear wheel drive only. I think I speak for a few people when I say that this car was recieved as "not a real Skyline", rather a new car trying to piggyback on the coat tails of a legendary name. Even mechanically, the V35 Skyline was more 350Z than Skyline, sharing the same platform and motor as the 350Z, though 100kgs heavier.

Even tuner companies shunned the V35. At the 2006 Tsukuba Super Lap, there was not a single V35 to be seen. Companies like Mine's, Amuse, HKS and Top Secret stuck with the R32-R34's. Top Secret ended up working with one, but put a twin turbo VK45 in it. All in all, it was an outcast, for sure. Here we have the successor, the 370GT. With a motor out of a Nissan 370Z instead, it continues that "not a real Skyline but still has the name" thing, but with a bit more grunt. So, with all this in mind, what's it actually like to drive?

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You couldn't stage a photo like this any better!

With 318 horses, and weighing in at 1660kgs, it's pretty good considering the numbers! I was expecting a lot more body roll and less precise handling, but it was quite manouverable, comfortable and actually fun to drive! Even at Mid-Field as the tyres degraded, it handled well, in fact I only pitted in that race because although it still had good control, it wasn't enough to hold off @Vic Reign93 so I made the jump from SM to SS in an attempt to out-grip him. Of course, what I hadn't accounted for was that he would end up not pitting at all...

It's got some great pace, it won't set any lap records but it's still no slouch! The power is enough to smoke the tyres off the line, but not enough to prove a significant threat to handling in the heat of battle! At only $45k it's also reasonably priced considering you can literally have a great time in it as is, no tuning whatsoever! The race at Mid-Field was a pretty epic race but there was also a pretty heated battle at Suzuka, where Vic tried again to beat us after handicapping himself by 10 seconds, winning this time. We also took our 370GTs to Toscana and had a go in the dirt, and again it surprised me with just how controllable and fun it was to drive! Personally, I've found I'm better on snow, but I really enjoyed myself! The 370GT seems to have that near-perfect suspension setup. Firm enough to be nice and stable on the paved tracks, yet soft enough to make rally racing a viable possibility if you so choose.

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Good ol' fashioned COTW racing with a strong field and a fun car. I've missed this!

I didn't do any warm ups or prior practise in the 370GT, and I don't think I needed to. There's not really a lot to learn about it as far as how to drive it. Just respect it the way you would any other RWD, and be mindful that it is a tad on the heavy side. Having said that, it still doesn't feel like the better part of 1.6 tonnes, which really surprised me, kudos to the blokes that built and designed the springs on this thing!

I'm yet to get under the hood of the 370GT, but to be honest I kind of don't want to. Part of me says "Do what you did to the 302 Mustang, give it a bodykit, give it brakes, give it a bit of weight loss.." while the other part says "Keep it stock so you can race it in future COTW events!" And I have no idea what to do. It'll stay stock for the time being, but will it remain that way? Only time will tell!

My verdict is this. Sure, it's no twin turbo 4WD monster, but it's still a pretty damn fun N/A RWD to throw around every once in a while! A Sleeper for sure 👍
back soon with the next car..
 
Now, last week I attended the Lets Play Live Gran Turismo NZ Championship. It was the first e-Sports event to be broadcast in New Zealand, and although it was a bit of a flop as far as attendance and ratings, it still marked the beginning of e-Sports actually being a serious thing in NZ as far as prize money, free-to-air broadcasting and widespread coverage.

The race was pretty intense, with some epic battles and celebrity appearances, I just wish the commentators knew what they were talking about... they obviously weren't in the know as far as motorsports. :yuck:

Example 1:
"They're coming down the Conrod Straight at 167km/h!!!"
Erm, check again bucko. The 8-seat sim setup they were using was using imperial measurements, meaning it was actually 167mph (270km/h). You'd have to be in a real pile of junk to be only doing 160kmh down Conrod!

Example 2:
"These Nissan GT-R GT3's, they're 1300kgs, which is very heavy!"
Really? Sure, it's no KTM X-Bow, but 1300kgs is pretty damn good considering the road car weighs 1700+kgs...

Example 3:
"And he's not pitting, why not? Surely his tyres are toast and he'll be losing grip.."
It was the last lap. That's why.

Anyway, enough about under-educated commentators, I already let slip the next car, but screw it! I was at the track yesterday hammering three racecars like there's no tomorrow and I'm too tired to care!

Congratulations LetsPlayLive!!!!

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It's the 2013 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3!!!!!

Now, this baby comes in a few versions, so just so we're clear you're welcome to use any of the following this week.
-Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 '13
-Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 Base Model '13
-Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 N24 Schulze Motorsport '13
-Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 Nissan GT Academy Team RJN '13

This week's Playing With TT's will be at the Gran Turismo cult classic, Apricot Hill Raceway! I'll do the setup tomorrow and get everything ready. Also, this week I didn't upload any vids!!! No worries, they've been recorded and I'll hopefully upload them tomorrow, if not then on Thursday along with this week's batch of vids!

And I'll bet I sound like a stuck record but again, COTY votes people! Get them in!
See y'all Tuesday! :cheers:
 
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Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 '13-Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 Base Model '13-Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 N24 Schulze Motorsport '13
Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 Nissan GT Academy Team RJN '13


Specs:

Game Version: 1.22

Controller Type: Game Controller

Vehicle Manufacturer: Nissan

Performance Points: 609

Max Power: 591

Weight: 1350

Weight Distribution: 54 : 46

Tires: Race Hard


Opening Thoughts:

Welcome to this week's COTW the 2013 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3. This is where you separate the men from the boys when you bring out the full blown bad ass race car.
Put on that racing helmet, strap into that racing harness and hold on for dear life as this thing has enormous amounts of power and more grip than the floor at your Adult Store Peep Show ( yuck ).
I'm definitely not in the Men's category when it comes to Race Cars. I find it very hard to be smooth being a pad user once you get to this level of car. I've always played GT for the huge amount of production cars anyway and in the range of 250hp to 450hp is what I like. So I have very little seat time in cars like this even though I've been playing GT from day one.

To me they are that beautiful sexy girl who is everything you've ever dreamed of, but has a hidden nasty psychopathic habit of trying to cut your balls off.
Cars like the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 '13 will reward you with it's ultimate handling, braking & power but accidentally put one wheel in the grass or up on a curb and all of a sudden your strapped into the world's most expensive Tilt-A-Whirl Carnival Ride. They are not forgiving at the littlest of mistakes.

So this week there is very little need for me to go into my usual reviews on suspension and Handling, Power, Transmission, Brakes, ect.
This time it's all about my skill level and if I have what it takes to tame this beast in its Stock Condition.
As always I go Straight to the dealership and buy the COTW and this time I'm buying the 2013 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 Base Model so I can go over and paint the body & wheels. Now I have a fresh new cars with 0 miles to begin my testing and try put around 600 miles on it before our race on Tuesday night.

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Verdict:
Pushes like a bulldozer. I could probably end it with just that statement.

At first me and this car did not get along (no surprise there) but as the night's racing went on I started to like this car more, not because it was a great car or that I finally got a handle on it but because it leveled the playing field. You see everyone struggled with the push of this car as it makes you slow down on corner entry and in return this slowed the faster guys down. This allowed for some close tight racing all night long in every position.

I ended up having some great racing with some very fast guys. @todally_lit & G_ASHER are very fast and I normally don't get the pleasure of racing them so closely but we had some great clean racing lap after lap.
The NISMO GT3 Base Model '13-Nissan GT-R had another bad trait and that was it liked to get squirrely under braking and it could make the car get away from you at times.
Because of that it setup a pass for me I thought would never happen in our very last race. It made @Vic Reign93 run wide on the first lap at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and allowed me squeeze by for the lead. (yes I have video proof so it happened) I held on to the lead for the first lap then without a fight I watched @ Vic Reign93 take it back away from me and I ended up 3rd by race end.

So yes the car Pushes like a bulldozer and yes its almost out of control under braking at high speeds and yes I made some costly mistakes with it throughout the night. But overall I had so much fun in this thing along with some of my best racing since I joined this group. So while everything about this car should say beater she is a Sleeper to me.

Miles tested 624.4

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Rinsky
Verdict:
Pushes like a bulldozer. I could probably end it with just that statement.

I ended up having some great racing with some very fast guys. @todally_lit & G_ASHER are very fast and I normally don't get the pleasure of racing them so closely but we had some great clean racing lap after lap.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the report @Rinsky! First things first....I'm G_ASHER, I signed up here before I started racing online, not realizing there was going to be a name discrepancy. And as far as fast, well that's Vic. I simply try to win the battle for first loser. :lol: But yes, we did have some great racing. You and I are pretty closely matched as witnessed by our TT's.

As for our Nismo-dozer, it's not as bad as I remembered. As I was going through the game's career mode, it was like, holy cow, this thing is bad, what a waste of my credits. But it feels better now. Sure it pushes a bit, but I found when I braked a bit earlier than I am used to, it did respond and turned ok. Perhaps some of this critique comes from my time on GT Sport. That game really responds to the old mantra, "slow in, fast out".

If I was to critique it, I found my biggest issue to be with the aero. When we were at the 'Ring Tuesday, I found it extremely twitchy, which led to difficulties staying on course. I was having a good race for 3rd with Y, until I wasn't. @Rinsky and I shared crashing and passing duties. I forget who crashed the most, but he had the last off course escapade, which allowed me to pass and get shed of the indignities of being in last place.

I dunno....I sure wouldn't pick this one for online, but within the parameters of offline it's not so bad. But it's not an R35 TC. @Nismonath5 showed us the domination it has. We should have raced that one Tuesday.

Verdict: Neutral.

Edit: I had an issue with one of the newcomers that joined us Tuesday. At spa, the servers were doing what the servers do. Apparently we had major contact at Eau Rouge, however, I did not see him on the track. He swore at me and called me names and I responded as best I could without being a total arse. He obviously does not have enough experience to understand that this happens. So I want to send an apology to my COTW friends for participating in his childish B.S., and thank-you to @Vic Reign93 for sticking up for me.
 
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@Draggon I had a feeling that was you but wasn't 100% for sure.
I'm not to worried about winning yet I just try to run clean laps especially when I'm racing close with someone. So even when I have an opening to pass most of the time I don't.

I was doing really good in that race until my rear tire barely touched the grass then in a split second I was spinning. Won't be the last time. Anyway didn't matter if it was for first or last place we still had a good battle going on. :cheers:
 
The Absolute Best GT-R EVER!!!!!
...or so I hoped...

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When I first got GT6, one of the first new models that really caught my attention was the GT-R NISMO GT3. Do I really need to explain why? It's a real-world R35 race car, not like the R35 TC! So when I found myself with a then-unimaginable sum of money thanks to the Ayrton Senna events, this was the first thing on my shopping list!!! However, driving it I was quite underwhelmed. It proved moody, difficult to drive and quite slow compared to it's rivals, so I parked mine up, quite disappointed. Although in the last week, it has all been made so clear to me.

As mentioned before by Vic, it has so much rear downforce and not enough front downforce to counter it, that it understeers awfully. cornering performance is actually quite bad compared to other cars in its category. Now, at first I thought it was a psycological thing. Maybe, because it's a GT-R, I was driving it like a 4wd, when I should be driving it like an FR. But really, the excessive downforce reason makes sense. But it's not just the handling that lets the GT3 down. I took it to the Apricot Hill 20 minute race, and just drove. I turned the HUD off, and turned laps for 20 minutes straight. I struggled to keep up with my rivals, which incidentally were other GT3 cars like the Audi R8 LMS and BMW Z4 GT3. It just didn't seem to be able to hold the same cornering speeds, or even brake in a straight line. When you brake, the car lurches to whichever side the steering wheel's pointed. Even small steering angles will send the car off course, so braking in a dead straight line is a must!

There is actually one little secret difference they don't tell you about in the dealership. The GT-R N24 Schulze Motorsport, despite being the same model, with same performance numbers and everything, is still a N24 car, and therefore cannot be tuned as is. Whereas the others can be tuned. Whether this minor detail makes much of a difference, I'm not sure, but still a noteworthy point. The non-liveried GT3's also lack foglights, another minor but probably unimportant detail.

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Pushing a little too hard at Red Bull Ring...

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Ash finds out that Vic wasn't kidding when he said "I'm gonna stay right on you this next race!"

Now, I've harped on enough about what the GT3 doesn't do well, but it does have some merits to talk about!
Not surprising for a twin turbo V6, it's got a good, strong helping of torque. The motor sounds very lazy, as if it's not working all that hard to provide the performance it's got. You can pull away from a particularly tight turn such as Forrest's Elbow or the hairpin at Mid-Field in 3rd gear without hurting your lap time too much. It IS capable of amazing lap times, as @Vic Reign93 demonstrated with a video I'll be posting at the bottom where he did a 2:01 around Bathurst. It's just that it demands so much more precision, care and control than any other race car I've driven. Pre-race practise is almost a must, as you'll no doubt need a lap or two to get to grips with the GT3's unique handling thanks to it's aero.

By this point, you're probably thinking: "Okay Nismo, the GT3's got it's ups and downs, but it's a good car, right?" And the answer to that is simple. No.
It probably won't come as a surprise, but there are alternatives. Much better alternatives. For comparison, let's look at the GT3's key stats at a glance.

621bhp
1350kgs
FR
617pp

Now, for some alternatives.

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Nissan GT-R Touring Car

For a price virtually identical to the GT3, at $357,000, the GT-R TC offers a GT original package derived from the R35 GT-R GT1. To get into COTW racing on Tuesday, it needed a bit of a power limiter, but the numbers were still signifigantly in it's favour. Let's take a look.

657bhp
1215kgs
4WD
617pp (on a 95.7% power limiter)

So that's a heap more power, way less weight, and extra grip in the form of 4WD. And it's sheer dominance was certainly proven, to be shown in a vid I'll post following this review. Off the line it laid waste to the GT3s, and not even Vic could touch me! The handling is a world better, it's actually agile and manouverable, and guess what!! It has working brakes! The one thing I loathe about this car is the visuals. Those silvery-purple chrome bits, I hate them! They're ghastly! And they don't suit literally any colour, if I had my way I'd pull them off and go for a more... well, if I had GTS I could show you, but anyways. I have the design in my head!
Oh, and this puppy did easy 1:58's round Bathurst, and that was with Dad driving! That's gotta be saying something.

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Nissan GT-R Concept LM Race Car

The oldest and most expensive alternative to the GT3, at a million bucks and with the visual quality of Gran Turismo 4, the GT-R Concept LM is fairly overlooked, but it's to be feared all the same. What it lacks in power it more than makes up for in extreme weight loss, traction and smoothness.

593bhp
1100kgs
4WD
617pp (on a 91.7% power limiter)

Maybe it's not a dominator like the R35 TC, but it's still a GT3 killer. It's capabilities weren't shown on Tuesday because I chose to handicap myself with a bit too much faith in it's abilities. (3 laps of Grand Valley East to pull in a 15 second gap. Seemed like a good idea at the time.) But some post-Tuesday testing revealed that it was in fact, on par with the GT3 all the same, ableit easier to drive and a bit more unique thanks to its CVT transmission. A real point of difference in the GT6 racecar lineup!

So, anyways. Back to the GT3, it can be made to do great things, but not without a lot of hard work and effort. If you're just after a strong, reliable racecar that has a good versatility and isn't too hard to drive, go for the R35 TC.
Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 = Beater.

And now, the previously mentioned vid by Vic!!!
WARNING: DO NOT WATCH IF PARTICIPATING IN WHAMMAGEDDON. WAIT TILL JANUARY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
 
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And now for the videos. Playing catchup here cos I didn't do them last week, so enjoy a double dose of COTW goodness!







Btw, still waiting on word from this week's winner for the last COTW pick for 2017 before we crown our Car Of The Year! I'll have the new car ready for y'all tomorrow!
 
Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 '13
3.8L
591 hp / 6,500 rpm
509 ft-lb / 3,500 rpm
1,350 kg (2,976 lbs)
609 pp



Cars within 0.500 seconds:

1:15.210 - 583 - Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 '11
1:15.304 - 553 - Honda NSX-R Prototype LM Road Car
1:15.406 - 571 - Ford GT '05
1:15.424 - 540 - Toyota RSC Rally Raid Car
1:15.694 - 609 - Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 '13
1:15.695 - 561 - Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 Touring Car
1:15.918 - 546 - Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 '08
1:15.926 - 564 - Saleen S7 '02
1:15.943 - 574 - Mine's BNR34 Skyline GT-R N1 Base '06
1:15.956 - 559 - Ferrari 458 Italia '09
1:16.060 - 556 - Lamborghini Diablo GT '00
1:16.101 - 553 - BMW M3 GTR Race Car '01
1:16.109 - 565 - Pagani Zonda C12S '00

Either I suck or the 609 PP GT-R punches way below its weight class. Mine's GT-R N1 Base is nearly faster, and matches the GT3's top speed of 161 mph on the straight.



I'm going with Beater on this one.
 
I knew most of you would call this a beater and In all fairness it really is in stock form but at the same time it's one of the best cars I've seen so far that really honestly level the playing field.

There is no tricks to pull to make it any better so everyone has to deal with the same problem. It all really comes down to driver skill and for that reason alone Is why I really liked it. Would love to do a 30+ lap race with it.
 
Alrighty, it's time. The votes are in, the results are being counted and the winners are being picked. 2017 is nearly at an end, and next week we'll be racing the car you've chosen as Car Of The Year. But before that, we have one last car to race...

Congratulations @todally_lit!!!!!

This particular car is very appropriate since it is local to my area, and I see it in action several times through the year at local and national autocross events! The owner, Mary, is quite a character - the one thing that is not modeled on the car in GT6 is the iconic sticker - which by the way has been adopted by many a racer (a little hard to read on the trunk lid in the pic below). The story goes that Mary took someone as a passenger on an autocross run, and she has quite the potty mouth. The blasphemous stream of words spewing forth as the autocross run progressed included screaming "stick you b*tch" as she went hot into a corner :D - and so this phrase became a local autocross bumper sticker! In fact the vanity license plate on this car is now reads "STKUBCH".
Click to expand...

Autocross events? Mary? blasphemous words?! There's only one car that fits that criteria!!!

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It's the Pozzi Motorsports Camaro RS!!!!!!

We conclude 2017 with some classic custom muscle... be sure to give them a solid push and have some fun while you're at it! This week's Playing With TT's will be... not sure. My internet has been intolerably slow lately, and I can only blame the Christmas traffic. Haven't been able to sign in from either my PS3, laptop or phone, so if someone's able to, could they set up an event somehwere? @Draggon
 

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