Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

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Apparently, the guy causing us issues today wasn't home and his kid was on.
:odd:

Also, @McClarenDesign you owe me $1 billion for the emotional trauma caused by my PS3 crashing.

(For those who don't know or weren't there - MCD switched some settings around too fast and my PS3 went down)
 
That London race... was a real disappointment to me. I thought (almost) half the field would stay in despite their issues on the track, but alas, you did not. For that, I was not too thrilled about it. If it were to happen again, well I won't say what I will do.
 
RacingOtaku86
That London race... was a real disappointment to me. I thought (almost) half the field would stay in despite their issues on the track, but alas, you did not. For that, I was not too thrilled about it. If it were to happen again, well I won't say what I will do.
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When you say "you", are you referring to me?
 
Lewis_Hamilton_
I could run this car and track combo on an emulator, render it at 5k resolution and 60fps, and upload that if you want me to.
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Ah, thanks, but no worries I'm not precious about it really. I am impressed that you can do that at all though - clearly I've been under a rock regarding PS3 emulators!
 
Good god what an epic fail today. Even using an ethernet cable couldn't keep me connected and it wasn't limited to CoTW, my old PS3 wasn't too happy with the seasonals either. My brand new PS3 is running, but those pesky updates. I left it on overnight and of course when I woke up all 22 of them were there but failed to install. I've been doing the one-at-a-time method and the first 6 are present and accounted for :):crazy: but I want to strangle myself, its so painful.
 


This won't be one of my typical reviews. Not only does the Auto Union Type C escape the boundaries of "Beater or Sleeper" judgement, it also escapes how I can usually judge a car. Judging this car by modern standards would be an injustice, it's far too tail-spin happy for your average driver and it can hardly be called practical in any sense of the term. What I got out of this car however, was something unique. I found a genuine, new-found respect for all the men who piloted this beast in real-life.



It all occurred on the long straights and high banks of SSRX where the Auto Union Type C Streamliner pursued its one goal of sheer outright speed. Hurtling down the track at a transmission relegated 220 MPH, giving only the slightest of inputs into the steering, knowing that the slightest mistake would send me into an uncontrollable crash, I couldn't help but be amazed that men had driven this machine even faster, with little in the way of downforce and nothing in the way of seatbelts, rollbars, or crumple zones, and then wearing little more than normal clothes and leather helmets on top of that.



The level of audacity in the face of dangerous odds displayed by the men who drove this car at its absolute limits is truly equivalent of Chuck Yeager flying past the Sound Barrier or the Mercury Seven astronauts pioneering America's first attempts at space flight. This car should be regarded right up with the V-2 Rocket and the Me-262 Jet as the Reich's most amazing technological accomplishments. I won't remember this as a bad or good car, I'll remember this as a car that made me stand in awe of all those who drove it.
 
For this week's Car of the Week, we're going to do something a little different; we're bringing in an expert.

Congratulations skeagracing!

While we've been playing at being virtual racers, Noel is the 100% authentic thing! He's raced competitively and has been an instructor for the SCCA before a massive accident put an end to his driving career. Although he no longer drives, he still provides consultation for new and upcoming teams, and has even provided encouragement and advice to me on more than one occasion.

He also does videos on YouTube, like this one:

​


I've asked him to select this week's car, and the car he's chosen might seem a little familiar. Compared to the previous iteration we tested, this offers more power, less weight, and it's a Premium model.

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It's the 2002 Lotus Esprit V8!!!

So now the question becomes whether or not you can spot the differences between this Lotus and the 1998 version we tested previously. If I remember correctly, a few of you went with this one simply because it was a Premium model. Will you now go with the Standard model just to stand out? Please also welcome @skeagracing and check out his YouTube channel, or pick his brain on things you can do to be faster or his time with the SCCA and real racing.

@Vic Reign93 once again tops the leaderboard for last week's "Playing With TTs!" event, with a best lap of 2:28.919. This week's event is the city streets of London, simply because Silverstone was already booked. Good luck!
 
As expected from a former SCCA instructor; the Espirit is a MR driving school on wheels. Oversteer, balanced poise, V8 power, you name it, the Espirit has it. Challenging to a certain degree, but not downright undrivable as the Auto Union could be. Not quite as mental as a TVR, but it's no kit car either... And personally, I like to think that this generation of the Espirit shares many aspects with fellow MR car and JDM legend, the Honda NSX. But unlike Honda, who got too attached to what the Type R namesame used to stand for, Lotus had the bigger nuts; adding a V8 to the Espirit, even with the awkward Renault-inherited gearbox, made it a superior car to the NSX.

This Espirit may not be the ultimate of its kind (such honor goes to the Standard Espirit 350 and its Max Power wing), but it is the most refined and elegant-to-drive Espirit of them all...
 
Lotus Esprit V8 '02
3.5L
353 hp / 7,000 rpm
295 ft-lb / 4,500 rpm
1,380 kg (3,042 lbs)
482 pp



Cars within 0.500 seconds:

1:19.918 - 532 - Jaguar XKR-S '11
1:19.952 - 504 - Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) '00
1:19.979 - 468 - Honda NSX Type R '02
1:19.989 - 500 - Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione '08
1:20.207 - 474 - Mazda RX500 '70
1:20.266 - 507 - SRT Viper GTS '99
1:20.404 - 483 - Oullim Motors Spirra Prototype '04
1:20.418 - 482 - Lotus Esprit V8 '02
1:20.423 - 488 - Mitsubishi CZ-3 Tarmac Rally Car
1:20.430 - 498 - Chevrolet Camaro SS '10
1:20.472 - 479 - Ford Focus Rally Car '99
1:20.551 - 476 - Toyota FT-86 G Sports Concept '10
1:20.577 - 499 - Subaru Impreza WRC '08
1:20.617 - 484 - Opera Performance 350Z '04
1:20.707 - 496 - TVR Cerbera Speed 6 '97
1:20.801 - 482 - Toyota Celica GT-Four Rally Car (ST205) '98
1:20.861 - 502 - Amuse Nismo 380RS Super Leggera
1:20.865 - 481 - Ferrari 512 BB '76
1:20.876 - 488 - Lotus Elise Sport 190 '98
1:20.888 - 463 - Honda NSX Type R '92
1:20.895 - 482 - Lotus Esprit V8 GT '98
1:20.902 - 505 - Aston Martin DB9 Coupe '06

I bolded all the cars that stand out to me as competitors in some way, whether being MR or produced around the same year. The premium '02 seems to be the fastest of the three Esprit V8's in GT6 at Mid-Field Raceway.

I hate to do this, but the Esprit V8 is a beater simply because Corvette Z06 is a much better deal. If I lived in Europe, I might be saying the opposite.
 
Well, it is true that a Lotus is an acquired taste in America, where you purchase a C5 or C6 'Vette for chump change and not look like a chump yourself for doing so. And considering that Lotuses represent parts bin engineering at its finest, it may be difficult to source Citroen CX mirrors in North America, I have to imagine. However, it is also true that Esprits, while being far more expensive, are easier to live with in Europe; where the roads are tighter and fuel prices are much, much higher... If it's capable of keeping up with cars which have far bigger engines in terms of time range, then the Lotus's case is hard to deny as far as sleeper cars go.
 
Stupid and offtopic, are Lotuses unreliable? Especially Esprits and newer ones. Actually, what does "represent parts bin engineering at its finest" mean, @Niku Driver HC ?

Still NSX is way more sleeper and it will beat cars with 2 times more power easily. I can't understand how can anyone hate japanese cars without seeing it.

But I still remember that mission from GT4. It was easiest in bunch of 1 lap magic so it's sleeper.I also drove it in GT6 and it doesn't have that suicidial oversteer of Elise.
 
Neddo
Actually, what does "represent parts bin engineering at its finest" mean, @Niku Driver HC ?
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Lotuses are not unreliable cars, but they do need a lot of care if you want to avoid parts failing all over the place. That is what I read around, mind you, I am not a real-life Lotus owner. As for the "parts bin", I was referring to the fact that many Lotuses from the '90s used parts from other cars in their manufacturing. For example, the Esprit used mirrors from the Citroen CX, Vauxhall indicator switches in the interior, and a Renault gearbox, amongst other things. I am not insulting Lotuses in any way, but some of these parts did affect development of cars like the Esprit. The Renault transmission could not handle big amounts of power, so the Esprit V8 had its engine limited to around 350 horsepower, when Lotus planned for a 500-hp V8 engine instead...
 
I also thought of another interpretation: Lotus knows how to make pure yet somewhat affordable cars at the same time, without being pretentious like Lambo or Ferrari cars and actually relatable like NSX or Corvette and way too exclusive to be considered boring. In short I love Lotus, too!

But let's not get far off the theme. This car becomes better once you hear main menu theme and showcase theme in NFS2.
 

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