Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

Guys, I'm not even going to do a review for the RSX, for the sole fact that I didn't even get that much mileage in it! Not only that, but the mileage I did get in it, that thing was awful!!! Seriously, some helpful advice. Just save the $3,000 extra and buy the premium Type R Integra!

Anyways, let's see what content I did make for this week's goings on!





Right anyway, time for another look through the initial list, and... ooh. Okay, this one looks interesting. Like the RSX, it's not the top spec model, but I have a feeling this one will be a whole lot better!

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It's the 2005 BMW 330i!!!!

Prepare your fake M badges and be sure never to use your turn signals! This week's Playing With TT's will be at the Nurbrugring, though fear not, we'll go with one of the GP layouts. I'm not that evil...


...yet.


what?

Also, bonus points if we manage to get a picture from this week's racing with three cars side by side in these colours...
BMW-M-symbol-1920x1080.png

See you Tuesday!!!
 
BMW 330i '05
3.0L
254 hp / 6,500 rpm
221 ft-lb / 2,500 rpm
1,525 kg (3,362 lbs)
425 pp



Cars within 0.500 seconds:

1:26.920 - 438 - Subaru Legacy B4 Blitzen '00
1:26.931 - 438 - Toyota Aristo V300 '00

1:26.932 - 453 - Ford Mustang Mach 1 '71
1:26.948 - 429 - Ford Focus ST '13
1:26.950 - 451 - Ford Mustang GT '05
1:26.963 - 428 - SRT SRT4 '03
1:26.975 - 403 - Opel Speedster '00
1:26.994 - 414 - Honda Civic Type R (EP) '04
1:26.997 - 434 - Toyota Supra 2.5GT Twin Turbo R '90
1:27.122 - 407 - Honda Integra Type R (DC2) '95
1:27.147 - 435 - Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon GT-B '96
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

I bolded all 4-door rivals. The 330i is as quick around Mid-Field as the Alfa Romeo GT of similar vintage. The 7 years older Audi S4 finishes its lap basically door-to-door with the BMW. Mazda's turbocharged, all-wheel-drive Atenza is right behind. The non-M3 is a fantastic bargain for what it is, despite being over 5 seconds slower than the E46 M3. Definite sleeper.
 
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05 BMW 330i

BMW has a strong line-up in GT6 with a variety of different models to choose from so how does the 330i stack up against the rest.

Well surprisingly not to bad. This is a car I would normally just over look because nothing impressive stands out about it and it's also a standard car and with the 335 in a premium model lurking around the same page as the 330 its easy to see why I over look it.

The 330 comes equipped with comfort soft tires but it handles really well for being on a cheaper set of rubber. There are really no bad stand out traits with this car, its very predictable, easy handling, good on power, good on the brakes and good in bad weather conditions.

The one complete surprise this car gave me was its ability to take on the Ring in wet weather and handle it like a champ.
Totally_Lit and myself stayed nose to tail for almost the entire track and checked out from the rest of our group all while keeping Vic in striking distance should have he made a mistake.

So just because of it's ability to handle the Ring surprisingly well in all conditions I'm calling this one a SLEEPER for sure.
 
Hey everyone! It has been a while since I have appeared here. Just wanted to leave something that came up in my news feed today. Donut Media put out a pretty cool video presented by none other than our fellow racer GreenBrains. (Cant remember your GTPlanet username sorry bro). Anyway that got me thinking about all the good times I had here. Hopefully I can come back and join every once in a while. Cheers!

 
So last night @Infineon and myself decided to get on GTS and find a good online lobby to race in. We found a decent GR4 race with most of the rules we like to run by, I just didn't like the tuning part. The lobby filled up quickly and @Draggon and @Baron Blitz Red popped in the race too so we had 4 COTW members all in the same race. We did not disappoint as we consistently finished in the top 5 every race out of a full lobby of 16 drivers. Ash won a race at the Ring ( congratulations ) and my highest place was 2nd, Infineon was 3rd and Baron was 2nd.
It was a blast racing with you guys and it was awesome seeing us run so strong in a full field. We definitely should do that more often.

@Baron Blitz Red I know Ash said something to you last night about the 1 hour endurance race I have planed after GT6 goes off line. Everything was mentioned in a private message sent out but we can get on Discord and talk about it some more.

I'm posting details about it right now on Discord for anyone who is interested on having a discussion about it and hashing out the fine details.
 
So last night @Infineon and myself decided to get on GTS and find a good online lobby to race in. We found a decent GR4 race with most of the rules we like to run by, I just didn't like the tuning part.

so we had 4 COTW members all in the same race

It was sure great racing with you guys last night, having @Baron Blitz Red join us was "icing on the cake" for me. But there was tuning? I ran right out of the box, except for super soft tires. Winning Nurburgring was a treat for me, I've only done that once here at COTW. @Rinsky you were fast last night, that Porsche suits you well.

I'm sure looking forward to when COTW starts up on GT Sport. Need those decals too. In a way, we are all sort of teammates, eh?
 
Eiger Nordwand Short Track_3.jpg

Got the positioning right for the "M Badge styled photo", just wrong colours..

The BMW 330i, well where to start! For just under $50k you get a fine sports car that isn't top of the line, M spec. But it's still just as fun! Apparently this thing won World Car Of The Year, so that must mean it's a pretty alright road car. But how does it compare on the racetrack? Funnily enough, it's actually a really capable little racer!

First thing's first, it's rather unassuming. 254bhp, 1525kgs and PS2-era graphics means you'd be forgiven for glossing over this thing in the dealer. However should you end up in the possession of one, I wouldn't get rid of it. There's quite a bit to it that gives it an appeal. The first of which is the power. While certainly not record breaking, it's smooth, easy to use power, not overly aggressive or violent, and it manages to get up to speed in a timely manner.

The handling is also surprisingly on pont even when you consider the 1500kgs it has to lug around the track and the comfort tyres you're stuck with. When you lower the TCS to 1, you can dance around the track without too much hassle, it's just a case of practise and skill. It can even tackle the wet with confidence, at the wet race at Mid Field we did, I was able to rather flamboyantly slide the right hander just before the hairpin, then use the momentum to lunge around the hairpin. Like a relatively extreme version of the scandanavian flick!

Mid-Field Raceway.jpg

Vic watches on, gasping in British.

The night's racing was very good, we had an awesome race at Bathurst where Vic and I tried (and failed) to reel in Y, and through all the pushing and pressure, the BMW stayed solid. I actually really enjoyed that one, and it made me really wish GT6 wasn't on it's last few weeks of life... I'll be looking out for a special on PS4s, hopefully there's something under $500 for me to snap up!

Surprisingly, the 330i isn't allowed on dirt or snow tracks, which is odd because it's not a high end super car or anything. I reckon it'd do quite alright on the dirt, but hey, PD obviously don't think so. Still, without trying too hard the 330i succeeds at being very, very good. A sleeper and a definite keeper!

As I mentioned, the night was packed with good fast racing, the videos of which I'll be uploading later, hopefully soon. We're going to be moving house in a couple of months, and then we'll get unlimited wifi, so woo! But till then my content production is still going to be limited. Boo... anyway, time for a new car!
 
Now, I posted something on Drivetribe about our Lemons prep, and I just got word that it's been promoted to the front page, so quick!!! Check Drivetribe and catch me & Hooncorp on the front page! :D

...anyways, my chosen one didn't get back to me with a car, so oh well. Guess I'll pick one.

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It's the 2004 Honda Integra Type R Touring Car!!!!!

Those of you who've known me for a long time know this car is special to me. The philosophy behing my DC5 began in GT4, made the jump to a racecar in GT5, and then came across to GT6, so between the three games... I've driven this car a lot. This week's Playing With TT's will be at the Mid Field, but backwards. Hope for some fast, close racing this week, see you all there!!!

I'm sure looking forward to when COTW starts up on GT Sport. Need those decals too. In a way, we are all sort of teammates, eh?
T'is true, and I'm still open to ideas. We have a group chat for that, but it sort of went off topic, what with Rinsky trying to organise GTS races until COTW makes the jump... still, i'm loving @todally_lit's design!
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It was sure great racing with you guys last night, having @Baron Blitz Red join us was "icing on the cake" for me. But there was tuning? I ran right out of the box, except for super soft tires. Winning Nurburgring was a treat for me, I've only done that once here at COTW. @Rinsky you were fast last night, that Porsche suits you well.

I'm sure looking forward to when COTW starts up on GT Sport. Need those decals too. In a way, we are all sort of teammates, eh?

I don't think many people paid any attention to the tuning. I played around with the top speed adjustment some but it didn't seem to help much. Now the lobby leader and his friends definitely had their Transmissions tuned to where the power of their car was the strongest. I could be full throttle and those guys would come around me like I was on the brakes.

@Draggon you were super fast yourself and that car you had for the Ring was a deadly weapon in your hands.
I like cars with a slight touch of oversteer and that Porsche is just about right. That was the first time I had raced it against others online and I think I will be spending more time in it.

I had more fun racing with you guys last night than I've had in any sport mode race as of yet.

We have a group chat for that, but it sort of went off topic, what with Rinsky trying to organise GTS races until COTW makes the jump...

Sorry for hijacking the group chat on the logos. I've moved all discussions about the race over to Discord now.
 
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Seeing as how I missed reviewing probably every car we've raced since I got the PS4 in December, I think I should write something. I'll start with last weeks offering, the 330i. I think PD got confused about the BMW's, and thought MPower was "EmPower". Most sound more like a Hoover than my Hoover does.

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Ok, joking aside, what first drew me to this car was the muffler. To me it was one of the less obnoxious of all the Bimmers. No surprise, being a fine bavarian machine, it handles quite well. Both stock and tuned, I found it responds to my inputs flawlessly. I seem to remember it tops out around 500pp, and is very capable in all races it's not outclassed, or out PP-ed in. I had one that was fully tuned, in my favorites garage, but we didn't go that route Tuesday, at least as long as I was there. I know I left the lobby pretty quick, but I was getting tired, and was starting to affect others races, so it was time for me to go.

This car does have 2 glaring faults: CS tires, and that darn muffler. A "less obnoxious" muffler is not a synonym for "wow, that sounds great!"

So with only 2 faults and a lovely driving experince, my verdict is: sleeper!

The Integra is a lovely car albeit with a decent amount of understeer. We'll have to see how it stacks up against our favorite Xsara Rally Car. The Integra has 11 more hp, but weighs 306 lbs more. That's 138.799 kilos for you metric folks.

I cked out Hooncorp on Drivetribe Nate, the writeup makes you guys sound almost professional, and stuff. :lol:



 
Sorry for hijacking the group chat on the logos. I've moved all discussions about the race over to Discord

It's all good, we got some pretty solid logo ideas out of it at least.

On a slightly unrelated note, I really hope that everyone can bear with me once GT6 dies. Obviously itll take time for me to not only save up for a PS4 and GTS, but also get it all set up, get used to the flow of the gameplay, set up the club, all that... Oh, and there's 24hr Lemons and moving house in there somewhere. There may be a few months without COTW, but hopefully we'll all reunite in good time.

I cked out Hooncorp on Drivetribe Nate, the writeup makes you guys sound almost professional, and stuff.
Cheers, figured if I'm gonna hype up this event, I may as well have a solid crack at it! Plus doing the updates in article format seems to garner much more attention than just "Oh, I painted a rollcage today."
 
We also have MC that could/will set up the COTW in GTS if he is up to it.
Yes this is true, he left us because of constant connection issues and lag, but at the end of the day COTW is his baby. If he's wanting to restart it on GTS, I'd happily let him.
 
jdm-buddy-club-dc5-honda-integra-type-r.jpg


2004 Honda Integra Type R TouringCar.

I've always enjoyed the road model of the 2004 Honda Integra in the game. Actually it's my favorite FF in GT6 and it a premium car too. So this week we get to test out the Touring Car version that has more power, grip, down force, racing parts and less weight.

As expected it didn't disappoint and it was a blast to race. It's very quick and easy to flick around the track. The Brakes are phenomenal and slow this light weight beast down in a hurry. Racing in tight groups is not a problem and slight bumps from other cars will not send this baby into a uncontrollable spin or slide off the track. It can take a beating and dish one out as well if the circumstances call for it. ( like someone driving backwards in the middle of our race.)

My only gripe with it is my typical problem with a FF cars... that freaking understeer. It's very noticeable with the racing hard tires it came with. This makes the front stick to the Tarmac like glue and the constant understeer in every corner is very noticeable. However there are tricks to help with this issue.

It's still a fun little car to drive hard and it won't give you any unexpected hidden flaws that make it uncontrollable. So my vote is SLEEPER -BUT- yes there is a but.

I prefer the street version tuned to 450pp to 500pp much much better. Giving the street car the same power & weight and tires I feel it is a all around better performer.
 
The Almighty Integra Touring Car!!!!
A car that means quite a bit to me...

As I mentioned at the start of the week, this car has quite the story behind it. So here goes.
Back in my GT4 era, when I was perhaps 12 or 13, Dad and I decided to try and build a car that had absolutely everything in terms of weight loss, transmission and suspension, but the power couldn't be touched. The hope was that we'd have a car with pretty average power, capable of taking on full blown racecars. It was very much "cornering over straight line speed", and we set about choosing a car to realise this idea. We didn't want the car to be particularly powerful (such as many of the "276bhp" Japanese sports cars), but at the same time we didn't want it to be severely underpowered (such as the Ford KA, Mazda Demio, or one of those old Alfa Romeos).

Eventually, we settled on the Honda Integra Type R DC5.

IMG0239.JPG


The power was a respectable 210bhp, and we gave it everything in the tuning shop that didn't affect it's power. Racing suspension, full weight loss package, super soft racing slicks, the whole lot! And it was really good! It slayed tracks like Autumn Ring, Tsukuba, and George V Paris, and we would spend hours lapping various tracks, squeezing out maximum performance given the lack of power.

Fast forward to when I leaped to the PS3, and got GT5 shortly after. Sure, the servers had been down for ages by now, but I didn't care! Given the major visual improvements, I was satisfied with it regardless!!! Interior views were something I really looked forward to, as well as the return of racing modifications. Of course, that was a bit of a let down, I mean with 1000 cars, around 200 of which are premium, you'd kind of expect a wider range of cars with racing mods avaliable, not just 17... Anyways, I bought the DC5 again in GT5, and when I found out it could be race modified, I decided to do it. Despite being bumped up to a still rather humble 230bhp, I withheld the rest of the power parts from it and once again, built it to be amazing in handling, but not in speed. It turned out to be an excellent rally car, and I used it to clear most of the lower and mid level rally events. I found it to be particularly dominating on snow, but then for some reason I as a driver seem to be quicker on snow than on gravel... interesting. Over the course of my time on GT5, the power very gradually snuck up to 320bhp.

Tsukuba Circuit_3.jpg


Anyways, finally we come to Gran Turismo 6. At this point the setups were pretty much perfected, and it was just a case of buying the car, replicating the setup, and ta-dahh! It was only recently I decided to up the power yet again, boosting it to 370bhp and for the first time breaking the 500pp barrier. So between the three games, I've driven this car (in it's various incarnations) a total distance of over 20,000km. So you can see why I have such a bond with this thing. Regardless, for COTW I had to review it stock, so how does it fare up?

Like all FF cars, it suffers understeer, the severity of which will depend on how fast you flung it into the corner, expecting it to grip. It was also shown to be quite the tyre killer, gassing it hard out of corners would usually light up the front wheels, costing momentum, speed and grip. However it can cling to corners pretty well if you know how to drive an FF properly. It's strengths lie in a similar way to last year's COTY, the EG Civic. Keep your driving tidy, keep it smooth, and the tighter, more technical tracks are where it will shine. Cape Ring, Monaco, etc.

Of course, on longer straights you can expect to get overtaken, but don't sweat it, Integra will pull them back in the upcoming corners. And at only $117k it's one of the more affordable ways to acquire a fully fledged racecar as such, so even though Steven over there in his $500,000 GT300 BRZ blew past you at the straight on Deep Forest, imagine his horror when you slip by once again through the complex inner section.. :mischievous:

Circuito de la Sierra - Time Rally_2.jpg


I love it. It's an obvious sleeper from me. it looks great, sounds great, goes great, and is a real supercar killer, given the stats!

Now for some thinking....

It's time to consider how we should carry on COTW. I've got three ideas on how we could go about this, but of course I wanna hear everyone else's ideas! Anyway, here's mine...

1. We carry on GT6 after online dies. Sure, we won't be able to race together, but at least we'll have Free Run to set lap times, post photographic evidence here, write reviews, etc. And plus there are still like 900+ cars here for us to review, so no shortage of content!

2. McClarenDesign sets up GTS COTW. Being his baby, he might want to take it into the PS4 era. Espeically since he led it through GT5 and most of GT6. If he wanted to do that, I'd have no problem.

3. Be patient, and know that good things come to those who wait. I am saving up for a PS4, got about $250 put aside atm, and I can also trade in some of my never used games to further reduce the cost. You guys can sit tight for a bit, can't you?

Like I said, keen to hear thoughts. In the meantime I have a new car for you all...
 
Sorry I'm late on this. I forgot several times throughout the week, and am also quite lazy...

Honda Integra Type R (DC5) Touring Car '04
2.0L
298 hp / 8,800 rpm
191 ft-lb / 7,800 rpm
950 kg (2,094 lbs)
477 pp

Compared with the regular Type R, this has 82 more horsepowers, 38 more torques, and 230 fewer kg's or 507 lbs for us United States of Americans.

That all amounts to a 4 second faster lap time.



Cars within 0.500 seconds:

1:21.824 - 466 - Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) '02
1:21.830 - 489 - Maserati GranTurismo S '08
1:21.849 - 489 - Mitsubishi HSR-II '89
1:21.876 - 471 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV Rally Car '97
1:21.910 - 521 - Cadillac CTS-V Coupe '11
1:21.911 - 480 - Mitsubishi Starion 4WD Rally Car '84
1:21.922 - 518 - Audi RS 6 Avant '08
1:21.933 - 509 - Lexus IS F '07
1:21.939 - 462 - Amuse S2000 R1 '04
1:21.971 - 440 - Lotus Elise 111R '04

1:22.025 - 449 - Honda NSX '01
1:22.142 - 460 - Lotus Evora '09
1:22.147 - 503 - Jaguar XFR '10
1:22.173 - 470 - BMW M3 '04
1:22.174 - 470 - Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C '09
1:22.226 - 462 - Mazda RX-7 Type R Bathurst R (FD) '01
1:22.233 - 509 - Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG (R230) '02
1:22.260 - 469 - BMW Z4 M Coupé '08
1:22.288 - 477 - Honda Integra Type R (DC5) Touring Car '04
1:22.292 - 484 - Jaguar XKR R Performance '02
1:22.374 - 471 - Honda Integra Type R Touring Car
1:22.386 - 470 - Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi Spec C (Type-II) '04
1:22.521 - 459 - Mazda RX-7 Type RS (FD) '98
1:22.529 - 454 - Honda NSX Type S Zero '99
1:22.544 - 447 - Mazda RX-8 Concept (Type-II) '01
1:22.664 - 471 - Subaru S206 NBR Challenge Package '12
1:22.673 - 499 - Mercedes Benz C 63 AMG '08
1:22.687 - 475 - Tommykaira ZZ-S '00
1:22.710 - 478 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII RS '03
1:22.732 - 475 - Nissan Skyline GT-R M•spec Nür (R34) '02
1:22.783 - 490 - SRT Challenger SRT8 '08

Only a tenth slower than the E46 BMW M3 and a tenth quicker than the Subaru WRX STi of the same year. Pretty good for a FF.
 
Brace yourself. This week we're doing it.


...what's It, you ask?

Well, we've reviewed a lot of cars with varying levels of performance. And I believe we've reviewed the slowest car in the game (If you can find a slower car than the Honda Z ACT, then let me know). Now it's time to review the fastest...

gran-turismo-red-bull-car.jpg

It's the Gran Turismo RedBull X2011 Prototype!!!!!

Here we go. The highest PP car in the game. The pinnacle of racing cars.
"But the SRT Tomahawk X is way fas-"
No.

As tested in Duel Of The week when @Cowboy resigned as leader, the Redbull is actually superior to the X, mainly because of its handling and agility. The fan tends to help with that. Anyway, expect some seriously high speed racing this Tuesday! and a ton of vids! I'm moving into my Aunt's house for a couple of weeks and will have a lot of time (and internet!) on my hands.

See you Tuesday!!!
 
Now for some thinking....

It's time to consider how we should carry on COTW. I've got three ideas on how we could go about this, but of course I wanna hear everyone else's ideas! Anyway, here's mine...

1. We carry on GT6 after online dies. Sure, we won't be able to race together, but at least we'll have Free Run to set lap times, post photographic evidence here, write reviews, etc. And plus there are still like 900+ cars here for us to review, so no shortage of content!

2. McClarenDesign sets up GTS COTW. Being his baby, he might want to take it into the PS4 era. Espeically since he led it through GT5 and most of GT6. If he wanted to do that, I'd have no problem.

3. Be patient, and know that good things come to those who wait. I am saving up for a PS4, got about $250 put aside atm, and I can also trade in some of my never used games to further reduce the cost. You guys can sit tight for a bit, can't you?

Like I said, keen to hear thoughts. In the meantime I have a new car for you all...
I'm happy with option #1 as I'm not planning on getting a PS4.

Maybe we could race the cars in a offline race as well.

I'll be more than happy to help to keep it going on GT6.
 
Hey everyone! It has been a while since I have appeared here.

Me, too. :cheers:
I remember GreenBrains - raced with him many a time back in the 'bad ol' days' of the COTW Gang. Vic, the Baron, Jack Ryan, McD himself - it was a great gang - glad to see some of them are still at it. 👍

Just wanted to leave something that came up in my news feed today. Donut Media put out a pretty cool video presented by none other than our fellow racer GreenBrains. (Cant remember your GTPlanet username sorry bro). Anyway that got me thinking about all the good times I had here. Hopefully I can come back and join every once in a while. Cheers!



That was a pretty tight presentation. Didn't know he had it in him - was a really humble guy, but he could be totally comical sometimes. Now I want to go out there and get Dirt 4.

And that was the most positive review I've heard about GTS. Obviously I can't cross it off my list.
 
(it was actually the X2014 instead of the X2011, the X2014 is also slower than the X2011.)
Oh yeah, my bad.

I remember GreenBrains - raced with him many a time back in the 'bad ol' days' of the COTW Gang. Vic, the Baron, Jack Ryan, McD himself - it was a great gang - glad to see some of them are still at it. 👍
Your name rings a bell, have we met? Maybe you were still active in the club when I was just starting out..
 
Oh yeah, my bad.


Your name rings a bell, have we met? Maybe you were still active in the club when I was just starting out..

I happened to be around in the very early years - if you go back in the thread it was me that picked the first Ferrari as a 'beater or sleeper'. I remember McD having a fit about that - it was a riot. IIRC, GreenBrains was racing that week, too, as well as Lewis Hamilton. I remember reading up on your reviews a long time ago, though - when I had more time with the game and the forum.
My reviews at the time happened to be in 'story' form - fictional accounts using COTW members as characters and a review of the cars within the storyline. I did 2 Chapters but couldn't find the time to keep up after that - Post #452 in this thread:



The CotW Gang Chronicles.



Chapter 1

"Harry. It's Mack," said the voice on the phone when I answered it.
It was Mack, the knife, my buddy from way back when we chased the same pussy* together.
"Hey, whaddya know now," I said. "Long time no see, buddy, what are you doing?"
"You wanna buy a new Spitfire?"
That's Mack - brutal charm, blunt humour, and to the point. And always an edge to him. He's not called the Knife for nothing.
"Dealing in warplanes now, Mack?" I laughed.
He had to be joking as usual.
Or maybe not. One never knew what twist and turns Mack could plunge you into.
He seemed to be gathering his thoughts. I wondered for a moment whether he had actually unboxed some Supermarines from a shady buddy of his and was looking to unload them. This is a guy who dines with princes one day and beggars the next. He knew people. He knew I could afford one.
"What are you doing next Tuesday eve - got any plans?"
"Not that I can't cancel if the world was ending," I said. "What do you have in mind?"
He must have forgotten about the Spitfire.
"You want a Triumph Spitfire, brand-spanking new, sonny, I can get you one," he said abruptly.
I sat up. What? Triumph Spitfire? Triumph? As in the car Spitfire?
"Jeebus!" I frowned. "What are you talking about? New?"
He knew I collected fine cars - he has seen my garage, and once even procured a fine, rare El Camino for me in pristine condition.
"Look, I can't talk much. I gotta run. Meet me at Brands Hatch, Tuesday eve."
"Blandshlatch__!" I spluttered trying to organise my tongue around my now thoroughly befuddled wits.
"Yeah. Friend of a friend of a friend of mine recovered a stash of brand new Spitfires from a former Triumph Manager who invested a lot in the cars. Not sure how many cars are there, but he bought a heap of 'em anyway. He's ready to sell now. He lives close to the track, and that's where he has stored these cars - they're '64 Spits. He's running them over in the haulers over to the track - so be there if you want."
"'74 Spits? Brand new?"
"Zero on the odo," he said. "Okay, cya."
"Jeez, Tuesday is tomorrow," I complain. "I'm not in the UK right now."
"Deal with it," he says. And rings off.
Typical Mack. Blunt and edgey at the same time.
I hit the button for my secretary. "Miss Hunnimunni," I said, hoping I didn't sound peevish. I like to sound carelessly powerful when I spoke to her. "I need to file a flight plan."
I was going to have to catch my private red-eye.

Something was on in London - pennants, barricades, hordes of people - and the place was crawling with some hot looking birds, too. Being single and in my forties, I notice these things.
"What's going on?" I asked James, my chauffeur, who had picked me up at the airfield.
"Races, guv'nor," he said, "It's them Tuesday races on. Local league."
We stopped at my flat for a quick cuppa and a few calls before setting off for the Hatch; I also wanted to take my '57 507 for a spin, so I decided to drive myself to the track. Before long I was at Junction 3 of the M25, and following the signposts. Cruising along in the 507 I wondered what Mack had in store at the track.

As I got out of the car at Brands, I noticed Mack at the entrance to the pits, with a bunch of people around him.
Now . . . I got crowdophobia.
Crowds make my skin crawl. I can take one, two, maybe three people at a time. Maybe I'm the unfriendly sort. I don't know.
I started off hesitantly towards the bunch of them. They watched me approach. They looked like attack dogs. I was hoping Mack would walk over, himself, to join me. He waved me over heartily, a gay blade. I could almost hear him call, "Get over here, wimp."
I had to join them.
Where were the cars, I wondered. I looked around but didn't see any haulers. I wanted to select, pay, arrange the shipping, and get the hell back to my cosy office in the sky, with Miss Hunnimunni to speak with about the odd thing to now and then - like 'Can you arrange to have fifty million simoleons deposited into my Swiss account, the secondary one, please, Miss Hunnimunni.' or "I would like some Gouda with the Beluga today, Miss Hunnimunni." - that sort of thing. I live a quiet life, officially.
Okay, I admit I've had a few adventures - but these were freak accidents in my life. Not the kind of thing I would plan to happen.
I suddenly realised there was something weird about the gang of people around him. My skin crawled. They definitely looked like attack dogs. They were all snarling at me, albeit silently, canines bared, eyes glinting ferociously.
I froze.
"Hi" I said, a bit weakly.
Mack introduced us: "Harry, meet the King, that's the Baron, over there's Bruno, the kid's Bill, this is Dr. Ryan . . . ."
"Oh!" I relaxed a bit, forgetting to listen to the names and looking at their faces. "I see."
I took a better look at them. They were smiling, not snarling. Other collectors, huh, I thought.
They looked a bit more human now that I had a better look at them. Kings? Barons? Well, I guessed, these would be the type of people in for deal like this - guys who could afford to shell out half a million for a brand new Spitfre right out of the seventies. This car was about as hip as a car could get. In fact it still is about as hip as a car can get.
I noticed absently, and then with a start, that a couple of these suddenly princely-looking guys were kitted out for the track.
"You guys are . . . uh, are you going to be racing?"
"Yup," said the King.
"Is the Pope Catholic?" Mack asked.
"Yeah, wanna race?" someone else asked.
WTF? I thought. I looked at Mack. "So what's happening here?" I demanded, hoping my raised eyebrows were conveying the necessary disdain.
"Guys are going to race some of those Spits," Mack answered. "Right off the hauler. Pump gas, check the oil, outta here. 5 laps. You pays your money you gets your fun."
"Are you kidding? These are brand new Spitfire 1500s!" I think my voice rose five octaves.
"Suck it up, Harry," said Mack. "In fact, you'll have, to." He turned to the rest. "Let's go boys."
He led me away from the pits, taking my arm and pulling me ahead of the royalty that trailed behind us.

"Look, there is a string attached to this," he began as we strolled towards the offices. I groaned. I should have known better than to trust Mack. I suddenly foresaw a spontaneous run across Europe. I couldn't do that anymore. Every moment I was away from my quiet, cosy little office I was losing a few millions here, a couple more there. Or rather - I was not so much losing as failing to gain.
"This guy is a bit of an eccentric," continued Mack as we approached the offices. "He stipulates that we must hold a race for him as part of the deal. A real race. No sandbagging."
I stopped in my tracks. "What?"
Bruno slammed into me, caught surprised by my sudden halt, and everybody behind him accordioned.
Mack tugged me on, and we unsorted ourselves.
"Listen, don't mess this up. Just shut up and do what he says. It took me months to arrange this. He's giving us the cars at the price it was going for at the time. In the sixties. We're getting brand-new cars at the sixties price."
I swung round to face him, shocked, and the gang behind slammed into us again. I thought I heard an Irish oath from somewhere in the rear.
But as we stumbled ahead, Mack could say no more because the door to the office we were approaching opened and a silver haired, sprightly-looking sprite in a suit, that must have cost a bit more than an arm and a leg, stood there grinning at us.
"Meet Lord March, boys, " said Mack expansively with a broad smile as he introduced us.

Turned out that the Lord was a petrol-head and did stuff like this. In any case the story was that he had invested in these cars through the former Triumph manager and stored them away. Now he wanted to stage a race with a bunch of them at Brands, the only requisite for competition being that we paid for the cars. No race, no deal.
This was a strange situation indeed. The others were already marching behind the Lord into the depths of the offices, and I followed suit.
Soon we were looking at the catalogs and picking out the colours we wanted. Lord March had the cars stored a few miles away, and would have them trucked down as soon as we made our selection.
Meanwhile, those of us who were not suited up were supposed to do so right away.
I asked if I could buy two Spits - there was no problem. Someone wanted to know if we could have any accessories, or quick mods fitted before the race. The Lord refused.
Mack sided with him: "If you can't drive stock, you can't drive tuned," he chided those of us who wanted it. "Now suck it up and deal with it."
Finally, seeing the disapointment on the faces of some of us, Lord march relented, and pulled out some other catalogs.
"I can fit you gentlemen with new wheels," he said. "And that's about all I want modified on these cars when you race them, gentlemen."

I couldn't believe all this. Buying new cars, and rare ones at that, and taking them out right away to trade paint.
Everything was a bit of a whirl after that. I managed to procure a track suit, and was suited and sweating in no time. When the haulers trundled in we were terribly excited of course, watching the cars being unloaded, taking possesion of the vehicle that we had selected, walking around it, starting it up - this car was really a hidden gem, a well-kept secret when it came to an in-your-face fun mobile.
I had ordered one in red - and was chagrined to see three other 'reds' unloaded. I wanted my car to stand out.
Mack had got a classic white, and so had Junior.
The guy from Ireland had ordered a bright yellow with even brighter green wheels; there would be no excuse for not seeing him on the track. His car definitely stood out. And Jack (Mack had hinted that he was former CIA) had selected a suspicious-looking blue.

Lord March had arranged for us to take a few practise spins before the race, and I set off in the Spitfire. I have to confess, that even being the owner of close to 500 cars, and having driven many more, I hadn't ever driven the Spitfire 1500. This was the bigger engine. The Spit was based upon the old Herald - the sports version of it, but the Spit had a personality of its own. This was the car you would throw an overnight bag in, take the top down, and go toodling around the countryside, preferably countryside liberally littered with cows, farmhouses, and hordes of likely places to picnic at. With suitable company of course.
Not that it wouldn't look good flying around the streets of London, either.
This car had a certain style, a certain understated class that only went with the most impeccable breeding.
There was no flamboyancy about the car - it said, 'I look classy, because I am classy.' Small as it was, the curves and angles were iconic.
I realised soon enough that this car had huge potential. I suddenly saw the sense in what Mack was saying: If you don't know what the car would do, then you can't potentialise what the car could do.
A lap around the hatch, and I was actually looking forward to racing this thing. There was a certain amount of swing-ability to this car, a certain amount of eagerness to get up and go, that challenges one to push its limits.
This was a car that dared you to take your foot off the throttle. This was a WOT machine. You kept your foot down and swung the car in the direction you wanted it to go, never mind how fast you swung it, this car would follow like a puppy who had its leash jerked.
'Corner me,' it said. 'Don't lift.'

Finally we were ready to race. Lord March dropped the checkers and we were off - 5 laps at Brands Hatch in brand-new Spitfire 1500s. Full throttle.
It was great race.
There were battles all around the track.
I was amazed by the skill shown by the rest of the guys; these guys were obviously not just collectors they seemed to actually know how to command a good line at the track. It was a good race and Lord March was thrilled.
After the race we gathered, for drinks, in a clump at the pits to discuss what we felt and this young guy walks up to us and asks whether we would like to buy some pics. Then he pulls out a tablet and shows some of the pictures he had taken of us racing. In next to no time currency had changed hands and we were clutching flash-drives full of pics. He even provided the drives, and charged 20 quid for a hundred pics. That was a good deal - and I think he made a pile of cash, too. Another young entrepreneur on his way to becoming a millionaire, I guessed.

When we were arranging to ship the cars out, Mack suddenly gets off the phone he had been busy on and asks us whether we would like to join the races on in London. He had managed to buy some time from the organisers and so if we wished it . . .
There was a resounding 'Yes.' We kept our suits on.
I was going to have a lot to tell Miss Hunnimunni during lunch when I got back.

Here are some of the pics snapped by the young lad at the track:























*( https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/jenkins-the-gran-turismo-cat.240737/ )

Post #514 has Chapter 2 - when we tested the Ferrari GTO. :D
 
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Also a heads up for Tuesday so we start on time. US just had Daylight Savings this morning so plan accordingly. I might not make it to Tuesdays night race since I'll be at a concert.
 
I will be moving on to GTS full time once GT6 goes offline. With two big updates hitting GTS in the next month there will be plenty to keep me busy.

It's was absolutely the great online racing that got me into the group and kept me coming back week after week the car reviews are just an extra bonus.

The first day COTW comes to GTS I will be there ready to go but until that time comes I will be hosting a few race's on Sport and will be joining in on a few as well.

For all those not moving on to GTS it was nice meeting and racing with you and hopefully someday you will decide to join us once again.
 
And I believe we've reviewed the slowest car in the game (If you can find a slower car than the Honda Z ACT, then let me know).

There are several:

2:04.644 - 275 - Honda Z ACT '70
2:04.751 - 280 - Honda N360 '67
2:12.556 - 226 - Volkswagen Beetle 1100 Standard (Type-11) '49
2:15.605 - 245 - Honda Life Step Van '72
2:17.892 - 371 - Gran Turismo Racing Kart Junior
2:21.678 - 209 - Volkswagen Sambabus Typ 2 (T1) '62
2:22.995 - 216 - Mazda Carol 360 Deluxe '62
2:23.511 - 221 - Fiat 500 R '72
2:26.541 - 223 - Fiat 500 F '68
2:36.615 - 206 - Volkswagen Schwimmwagen Typ 166 '42
2:38.991 - 227 - Volkswagen Kübelwagen Typ 82 '44
2:39.152 - 209 - Citroën 2CV Type A '54
2:49.276 - 241 - Subaru 360 '58

Well you did say to let you know :lol:
 
There are several:

2:04.644 - 275 - Honda Z ACT '70
2:04.751 - 280 - Honda N360 '67
2:12.556 - 226 - Volkswagen Beetle 1100 Standard (Type-11) '49
2:15.605 - 245 - Honda Life Step Van '72
2:17.892 - 371 - Gran Turismo Racing Kart Junior
2:21.678 - 209 - Volkswagen Sambabus Typ 2 (T1) '62
2:22.995 - 216 - Mazda Carol 360 Deluxe '62
2:23.511 - 221 - Fiat 500 R '72
2:26.541 - 223 - Fiat 500 F '68
2:36.615 - 206 - Volkswagen Schwimmwagen Typ 166 '42
2:38.991 - 227 - Volkswagen Kübelwagen Typ 82 '44
2:39.152 - 209 - Citroën 2CV Type A '54
2:49.276 - 241 - Subaru 360 '58

Well you did say to let you know :lol:
Wow. I kind of just assumed that since the Z has a 0-20 of about 3.5 years, it would be slowest. Still, we did review the 360 as well, so I'm still right technically :D

Cheers Maven!
 
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