Car of the Week | Porsche 356 A/1500 GS GT Carrera Speedster '56 & Porsche 356 A/1500 GS Carrera '56

[Vic Reign93]

My times for the SPC this week on both SM & SS tyres.

Replays are already shared under #COTW if you folks want benchmarks.

 

[SomePlayaDude]

Welcome to yet another episode of SPD taking yet another fruitless weekly challenge too seriously.
Week 130 Edition

This week, we return to a nightly cruise around Road Atlanta on a road car with Sports Softs.

Booring, I know. There's a chunk of you that has no clue this isn't the first time we got a combo like this. And while I was to complain about originality, I don't have a convincing basis for how much shade I'm going to throw about it.

To today's star that caused this basis to crack: the Valkyrie.

The most extreme of all road cars today.

I don't want to talk about what's in it, how much it costs, and all kinds of philosophical crap. That was to be the script: just me rambling on what a 2 minute Google search can find for ye. With a honest heart, I announce to myself that I didn't even want to do the challenge.

But then came the Saturday lobby. Not only did I survive, I was good.

How good? Well, quite good enough to my own known limitations, I thought to myself.. if Past SPD was watching me ride this monster, he's be like that animation of Nick doing the.. the..

Yeah, that one.

Of course, this all comes with the SPD character of how self absorbed that clown can be. It's so much so, it gave me motivation to drive it more. Along the fact the car on stock really suits my driving style, there's your reason.

So, Mrs. Puff... what's my final score? And it isn't six.

It's a 1:09.271.

My own opinion? There's a good chance I can go under 1:09 if my general consistency was any better.

I also made an SM lap time, as you can see. But you know what happened? When I went to save the replay, it instead saved a scuffed Softs lap time, which means sorry: you're going to have to go with my word on that lap.

The softs does have a replay, under the usual tags.

I might go back and try to get under that 69 second limit. But anyone fancy a go, here's my two cents: please don't use any assists (like a real MAN), please use the hybrid system and don't be afraid to early shift twice: it's how my exits are crisp especially around the 90 degrees turn 7 and just before the start line.

 

[Skyrocket44]

In case it isn't obvious, the Valkyrie is fast. Too fast. I can believe that the platinum nitro-fuelled fusion drive can propel me to speeds only eclipsed by the Mustang from the NFS movie, but when I'm cozying up to the GOAT of LMP2 after eight laps on streetable tyres, I may have to raise a Rock-style eyebrow using the little muscle mass he didn't lose. We know what this car is capable of - landing itself squarely onto the GTE rung with potential to spare. And here we are with PD's approximation, utterly demolishing its real-life LMH counterpart. Perhaps the body we see is not the one the game sees.

The worst part is that this car is what a Valkyrie should feel like. It's stiff and skittish, chopping through the track like a surfboard in rough and shallow waters. There is no give in the suspension, even when compared to LMP1 machines. It has the same suspension settings as them, save for the sway bars and thinner sidewalls. It reacts to my input more akin to a black-body ideal than a car. But still, I cannot shake the feeling of this blacklisted car being massively overrated. I lift the throttle and feather the steering, but not to the degree Darren Turner did. He's taking corners 30-40 clicks slower than I am. He's not clamouring for an extra Subaru under the scoop, but we have that option for all the two minutes until the lobby host kicks you.

If you're looking for a car that matches the pace of a real-life Valkyrie, get the LaFerrari Similar power, weight, and slow enough that GT3 cars can still hear the engine. And if you want a car that matches the pace of a real life LaFerrari, get the 918.
And add ballast.

Overrated Sleeper

 

[XSquareStickIt]

Holy sticks, this is a new record for a late announcement post! At least I can blame it on the PSN outage earlier yesterday!

The results for last week's SPC, the "Night of the Valkyries" TT, are in!

Player​	Tyres​	Time
Vic Reign93​	SM​	1:11.722
SomePlayaDude​	SM​	1:11.682
Vic Reign93​	SS​	1:09.298
SomePlayaDude​	SS​	1:09.271
Skyrocket44​	SS​	1:08.905

...wait, two winners?

Skyrocket did technically set the fastest lap within the rules, but I would be remiss if I didn't point out that they did so going fully off course before crossing the finish line, registering a clean lap before the game could penalise them. It's my oversight for not sealing this loophole, so I'm declaring two winners. Well done to everyone!

As far as being self–absorbed and egotistical goes, it ain't boasting if you can beat Vic

---

It's @Soyuz 77 's turn to pick the next Car of the Week! They haven't picked a V10, though it does very much have a snail attached to it...

Hot off the Update 1.63 oven, let's welcome the super cool Hyundai Elantra N '23 under the COTW spotlight!

Soyuz 77​

Hyundai introduced the brand "N" right around the same time Ford and several other manufacturers stated they would be moving their focus onto SUVs, which apparently "sell better" 🙄
I wish I could personally thank the brands that have stepped up and kept hot hatches and affordable sporty cars alive in a world where they don't make sense. Nobody asked for the Elantra to get this fantastic blue and red styling with a decent turbo which pops and bangs on every gear change, yet here it is! I think I'm in love!

The Elantra N seems to tick all the boxes we depraved petrolheads crave for: a sharp sedan styling, a 6–speed stick shift, sublime handling, and enough poke to generate a tsunami of nostalgia: 276HP to be precise!

Formidable? Fun? Both or neither? Join us in our weekly antics to find out!

---

Join Our Weekly Lobbies!​

Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing Elantras under BoP conditions!

Spoiler: Lobbies Information

Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!

The Americas Lobby​

• Tuesday. 21st October, 10 P.M. CST
• Host: Victory_Reign93

The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby​

• Saturday, 25th October, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
• Host: XSquareStickIt

BoP/Settings Disabled: On (Cars will temporarily be reverted to stock settings, WIDE BODIED AND/OR ENGINE SWAPPED CARS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE!)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~7 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 511PP
Car: No Limit
Tyres: Sports Hard

---

~Single–Player Challenge!~​

Soyuz 77​

The single player challenge comes from a real life story of mine: late one night, I had a street race with one of my friends who drives a Kia Stinger. I challenged him in my daily driven Toyota Corolla hatchback XSE, and well, most could guess the results. My 2.0L NA FF making 170hp stood no chance against the AWD V6 twin turbo Stinger. I lost, badly.
The Elantra N is on my shortlist along with the GR Corolla as my next car IRL. So:

Hop in the Elantra N and start a custom race on Tokyo Expressway East Clockwise 1 lap, grid start, slipstream weak, set boost to none, no tire wear or fuel consumption. Has to be midnight with equal conditions preset weather: C03 Dark and Cloudy, go with professional difficulty, wall collision and car collision penalty strong. Set the GR Corolla on pole and the Genesis G70 3.3T AWD '22 in second. See if you can topple the AWD heavyweights over the course of 1 lap, but the fastest time out of us wins! Oh! And you can only pass on the left hand side. We're street racers not animals.

Set up the following street race with the following conditions (and remember to not let Toyota get wind of us racing their cars on the streets!)

Custom Race:

• AI: Regular AI
• Track: Tokyo Expressway East Clockwise
• Race Type/Length: Lap/1
• Start Type: Grid Start, default interval
• Conditions: Midnight, C03 Dark and Cloudy
• Tyre Wear & Fuel Con: Off
• Boost: Off
• Slipstream: Weak
• Mechanical Damage: Heavy
• Wall/Car Collision Penalty: Strong
• Rivals Difficulty: Any

Starting Grid:

1. Toyota GR Corolla MORIZO Edition '22
2. Genesis G70 3.3T AWD P.Package '22
3. Hyundai Elantra N '23 (You!)

Additional Rule:

• The player can only pass another car on the defending car's left side.

All cars MUST be stock! Fastest total race time wins!

---

Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the the thread!

 

[Jayzedyy]

Hi everyone!

It's been awhile since I tackled a Single Player Challenge!

Being one of the cars added in the latest patch to Gran Turismo, the Elantra isn't a car that I have driven all that much.

After Saturday's lobby and the subsequent SPC attempt, I think it earns a Neutral rating from me.

It is certainly a capable car, with tons of potential, but its driving character of strong lift-off oversteer & understeer requires some adjustments in driving technique.

Additionally, it doesn't help that there are tons of competition in its performance bracket, of which many are 4WD, making them easy to drive and quick off the line.

This week's lobby also got me to appreciate how fun the Lancia Stratos is. Great car once you put it on some Sport Compound tyres.

Video:

 

[XSquareStickIt]

The results for last week's SPC, the "To The Left, To The Left" Challenge, are in!

Vic Reign​	2:37.738
XSquareStickIt​	2:37.438
Jayzedyy​	2:36.510

Ah god dangit, I actually thought I drove pretty well too. I must've WAY overslowed in the Sector 3 Chicane.

Congratulations, Jayzedyy! I am not bitter about this AT ALL (no but seriously, well done, especially considering you weren't comfortable with the car).

---

It's MY turn to pick the next Car of the Week! (Well technically any week can be the week I pick a car but shssh!) There are actually a handful of cars I'd like to feature, but ultimately, I settled on...

The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (C6) '09!

That's right: we're featuring the cover car of Gran Turismo PSP! Can you believe it's been 16 years since that game's launch?

The 2009 ZR1 is GM's response to the utterly outrageous Viper ACR and the Beast from the East, the GT-R. It revived the ZR1 moniker for the 21st century, ditching the hyphen and adding a supercharger to the 7–Litre LS9 V8 of the base Corvette to allow the bowties to reclaim superiority over the aforementioned cars at the Nordschleife!

We may have already ran the C7 ZR1 just a few months ago, but let's see if the C6 has anything to offer its more angular brother doesn't!

---

Join Our Weekly Lobbies!​

Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing ZR1s under BoP conditions!

Spoiler: Lobbies Information

Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!

The Americas Lobby​

• Tuesday. 28th October, 10 P.M. CST
• Host: Victory_Reign93

The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby​

• Saturday, 1st November, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
• Host: XSquareStickIt

BoP/Settings Disabled: On (Cars will temporarily be reverted to stock settings, WIDE BODIED AND/OR ENGINE SWAPPED CARS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE!)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~7 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 622PP
Car: No Limit
Tyres: Sports Hard

Note to any Europeans planning to join our lobbies: as Europe moved their clocks back an hour, the lobbies will happen an hour earlier for Europeans. Make sure to check the time conversions!

---

~Single–Player Challenge!~​

This week's SPC is inspired by this GTPSP commercial:

​

Set up the following Custom Race:

• AI: Regular AI

• Race Type/Length: Laps/5
• No. of Cars/Starting Pos.: 6/6
• Start Type/Interval: Rolling, 20m (Default)
• Boost: Weak
• Slipstream: Real
• Mechanical Damage: Light
• Tyre Wear/Fuel Con: 1x/1x
• Grip Loss: Real

• Weather: Preset
• Conditions: S01
• Equal Conditions: On
• ToD: Afternoon

• Difficulty: Professional
• Track Cut Penalty: Weak

Grid (All cars must be STOCK!):

• GT-R T-spec '24
• SLR McLaren '09
• GT '06
• M3 Coupé '03
• Corvette C7 Gr.3 Race Car
• Corvette ZR1 (C6) '09 (You!)

On the rolling start, you will pass the Gr.3 Corvette.

From there, your goal is to stay ahead of the Gr.3 Corvette for as long as possible. Your time spent ahead of the C7 will be taken as the Total Race Time (bottom left of the screen) on the frame you get passed.

Oh, and one more thing: if your car suffers any mechanical damage at any point (HUD starts flashing red), your time will stop at the frame of contact.

You are REQUIRED to share your Replay in–game with me to submit your entry for this SPC!

---

Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the the thread!

 

[SomePlayaDude]

Oh goody.

Signature Car territory. Quick story related blurb time.

Since I'm so horrendously westernized as an Asian, I had a character that represented one of my favorite car families: the Vette, ever since the C4 and C2 Stingray piqued my interest back in Gran Turismo 1.

That representation manifested back in 2012 as a youthful soul and mind in Keith Ross: younger brother of the main character. And it's as obvious as water being wet, but his designated codename, for all the years, is 'little bro'.

He tries to be cool, but gives off this sort of dorky, I'm not as cool as my big bro vibe. As well as being a bit of a weeb. There are ideas of him having anime themed.. umm.. items around, but I haven't written too much about him in general these days. Here's the bio..

Spoiler: Successor of a great family's legacy with doubt in his role: Keith Ross (5)

The current era successor of the well known Ross racing family of Ventura Bay, California. A casual player who takes his journey step by step and reeling in the experiences to be this future force of nature his brother already is..

Theme Song: Airbourne - Ready To Rock (Black Dog Barking)
Racing Duel Music: AC/DC - Rock Your Heart Out
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Age: 26
Current occupation: Race car driver
Distinct features: Partially scruffy, blonde combed back hair. Diamond face with rough edges. Blue eyes, hard edged grecian nose, and wide, deep mouth. Average height with slightly thin build.
Choice of clothing: Wears a zipped up sports jacket at all times, but contents vary from racing teams, anime or American football logos. Under all that's always a t-shirt with blue denim jeans and matching sports shoes.
Cars: A whole collection of them, but is 95% of the time seen with his Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (C6)

Like his brother, Keith too was born in the sunny side of coastal California. But there, the similarities end. However, while his brother distanced himself from his family after a certain event, Keith was the only exception to that rule.

Carrying a nice flowing blonde hairdo, Keith grew up as if he was more normal than that of his only other sibling: not in military school and instead in your usual elementary. Considering his father's reputation, Keith became a strong contender for the family's legacy as soon as he was bred into it, from entering racing schools as soon as he was able, to even forcing, then growing an interest in his father's signature car: the Corvette. It's not unusual for Keith to show this interest strong towards his friends and classmates, wearing racing memorabilia as his usual fashion statement.

Befriending a certain Asian American Badass and a small fat nerd with a flair for the young internet imagery, the once wimpy Keith took his influences from their actions, coming out into adulthood with his geeky yet cool flair of his, and took his future to the track after high school. While initially flourishing in the amateur leagues, an opportunity came for him to take part in Super GT for Honda. Unknowingly, alongside his nerdy friend, he's accompanied by a set of characters whom his brother set up with to watch him, eventually befriending them. Said group includes an Italian Interpol agent, his German hot head sweetheart, and the Bristol Harbinger.

Despite scoring high overall, and eventually getting into GT racing, rumors spread of Keith being too pampered, and the presence of his brother's intervention to the racing scene bound to come. Then, it all came down to Keith officially named the successor of his family's racing heritage: a name he strongly objected to at first, but then he didn't relent to represent when encouraged by his brother who he endeared so much all his life. And due to recent events, the Ross brothers dream start to flourish after today..

And the song for the car? I had this prepared for years!

You can say it's an old friend.
It's a familiar song from a familiar brand of chaotic racing.
It's also Keith's favorite song when he roars his C6 about.





I'm thinking though.. has the C6 ever appeared in COTW story form yet?

Spoiler: It took me a moment, but yes! On week 86..

And once again: that's not all..

A silver tongued Blue Devil intrudes the peace, perhaps even moreso from inside the race tuned hatchback.

Having overtaken and gone through sector 2 without hassle from 2 less track worthy cars is signal enough there's trouble afoot..


His car's plate, by the way, is an obvious reference to his given theme song (on his bio).. a song I still play frequently ever since I gave it to him.. I think it was back in 2018?

EDIT: it was also in that other place.. Week 16's Showcase.

 

[XSquareStickIt]

In a vacuum, the Hyundai Elantra N '23 looks good, drives great (for an FF), is relatively cheap, and can be had with a 6MT or a quick–shifting 8DCT. All that is on top of just how refreshing it is nowadays to see a performance sedan. Honestly, I don't think there is much to dislike about the Elantra at all.

Aetos by swampy_iguana98
#ateos
リコリスリコイル　ELANTRA N by mad_kitt32
#lycorisrecoil #anime #itasha​

However, here in GT7, it's saddled with a few problems. The first and most glaring are the 21st century Evos and WRXes, which are similarly 4–door sedans that often have more power, carry comparable mass, but have the advantage of AWD. Though the main difference between the Evos/WRXes and the Elantra is the driven wheels, in practice, the AWD cars are just so much faster than the Elantra, as though we were racing in different classes altogether. And yet, despite that big pace difference, the Evos and WRXes are just within 10PP of the Elantra's stock rating (500.55PP as of v1.63) for reasons only PD knows. So not only do the Evos and WRXes unfairly trounce the Elantra stock for stock, the AWD monsters also have a higher performance ceilings, as well as established fan followings to boot. Plus, long–time GT7 players would have already been showered with plenty of free FK8 and FL5 Civics by the time the Elantra was added to the game. But perhaps the most damning of them all is that Single–Player races in the Elantra's stock performance bracket are all weirdly region–locked, being split into European/Japanese FF Challenges and Clubman Cups, none of which the Korean car is eligible for. At 600PP where these arbitrary restrictions lift, an FWD car is just going to struggle immensely, and that is before we even consider how prone the Elantra is to have its tyres hit the bodywork and lock up the steering at higher performance levels. Heck, there isn't even a single Korean Scapes location to shoot the pretty car. It's almost like the game is doing everything it can to deincentivise players from buying the Elantra.

​

That said, the Elantra does have some party tricks that make it stand out. For one, the Elantra's blind spot indicator warnings are replicated in GT7, with a yellow triangle lighting up on the side mirrors whenever another car or obstacle is within range. This might only be relevant for PSVR2 players, but I imagine it must be a godsend to have something like that with the headset on, given how minimalistic the HUD is in VR.

​

Heck, PS5 Pro players might appreciate the quirk, too: on a base PS5, this blurry mess is the best I can get the reflections to look.

Second, the Elantra has an engine torque readout on the dash that not only reflects throttle and revs, but also tuning parts! With a full* tune and full–strength Nitrous, I was able to achieve around 1,070N·m (789.2lbf · ft) of torque, going beyond what the 3–digit display can handle. Call me a child, but that still makes me smile with glee as I write this.

​

Obviously, the engine temp readout doesn't work; I'd like to see an engine maintain 85°C putting down 634HP plus full NOS!

Maybe the Elantra isn't made for GT7, but rather, a future Gran Turismo game. A future GT game that seems poised to be more focused on street driving, perhaps? Be that as it may, it's still good fun here and now, as out of place as it appears to me.

​

*Excluding the High–Lift Camshaft mod. The Cams actually lower the max power output with a full tune.

My Single–Player Challenge run:

Genesis Track Taxi Nurburgring by GTP_Famine
#taxi #replica #magma​

 

[Jayzedyy]

Hi again!

This week features the Corvette ZR1 (C6), and it's certainly an exciting car to drive!

Most surprisingly, during the Saturday lobby, it was keeping up with some of its strongest competition in its performance bracket, generating all of its lap time on the straights, and struggling through the corners.

Single-Player Challenge:
​

Today, I really wanted to talk about the SPC that Square submitted.
THIS WAS THE MOST FUN I EVER HAD RACING AGAINST THE STANDARD GT7 AI

In the challenge, we were tasked to see how long we can lead a race at Laguna Seca, before its racing car relative, the C7 Gr.3 overtakes us.

In my testing, I ran this race several times, and observed that the C7 always had some inconsistency down the corkscrew.

In my final run, it went into a full spin into the gravel, opening the door for a chance of survival. The C7 then quickly dispatched both the Ford GT & McLaren SLR in a span of one lap.

In the remaining 2.5 laps, it felt as if I was facing one of those video game bosses you were meant to lose against. But, maybe, perhaps, this time it could be different. Current Objective: SURVIVE.

I realised in my previous runs that if I defended the racing line perfectly into each corner, and slowed down at the apex, the AI was hesitant to make a move, so I knew what I had to do. Make my C6 ZR1 the width of the entire track, and disappear down the straights.

As for the result?

VIDEO:

 

[XSquareStickIt]

The results for last week's SPC, the Handheld Horror Challenge, are in!

Player​	Time Ahead
Vic Reign93​	7:41.918
Jayzedyy​	7:45.464

Both entrants had UNBELIEVABLE runs, staying ahead of the C7 Gr.3 for the whole race! When I was testing the SPC, I was only able to stay ahead for about 2 laps. I wasn't expecting anyone to smash the challenge like that!

Imagine winning this fight.​

Congrats to Jay for seizing the SPC crown two weeks in a row! Too bad, Vic. You're too damn fast for your own good this time The challenge was to stay ahead for the longest time!

---

We're in the last two weeks of GT7 COTW, and our longest active regular, @Baron Blitz Red , was given the chance to pick the car that'd start us off on November.

His choice? Given it's potentially his last pick, he brought out some BIG GUNS, much like Vic. We're featuring the Ferrari 499P Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo!

Baron Blitz Red​

Ok... Let's ask ourselves if the Ferrari VGT is the best driving VGT ever made??? Handling wise, I think it is.

Muahahaha

The Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo, or the "499P At Home", is, well, Ferrari doing what they do best: making things up That said, it does come with Racing Medium tyres, over 1,300HP, downforce, ferocious brakes, and looks extremely unique, making it well–received for a VGT. And heck, one was given out for free as a Viewers' Campaign gift, so no complaints!

Join us in our Weekly Lobbies and/or Single–Player Challenge to see if that hype is justified or not!

---

Join Our Weekly Lobbies!​

Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing Ferrari VGTs under BoP conditions!

Spoiler: Lobbies Information

Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!

The Americas Lobby​

• Tuesday. 4th November, 10 P.M. CST
• Host: Victory_Reign93

The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby​

• Saturday, 8th November, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
• Host: XSquareStickIt

BoP/Settings Disabled: On (Cars will temporarily be reverted to stock settings, WIDE BODIED AND/OR ENGINE SWAPPED CARS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE!)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~7 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 948PP
Car: No Limit
Tyres: Racing Medium

PLEASE NOTE: America has reverted from DST, moving their clocks forward an hour. Anyone wishing to join the Tuesday lobby from sensible parts of the world should note that the Tuesday lobby is happening ONE HOUR EARLIER THAN USUAL.

The Saturday lobby is hosted by people in sensible, modern parts of the world, and hence will not be affected. In the unlikely event any Americans are looking to join the Saturday lobby, do take note that the Saturday lobby is happening ONE HOUR EARLIER THAN USUAL.

Yes, I will take every chance to diss on DST as I get, seeing as this might be my last chance.

---

~Single–Player Challenge!~​

Baron Blitz Red​

When I really fell in love with this VGT, it was a cheesy dare by a friend...

Head to Germany, jump in the Euro Clubman Cup 600.

The dare? Complete both laps in under 12 minutes and get the CRB.

Enter the European Clubman Cup 600 race at the Nordschleife with a STOCK Ferrari VGT. Fastest race time wins! The Clean Race Bonus is REQUIRED for your time to count.

---

Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the the thread!

 

[Yard_Sale]

I know I don’t post a lot anymore, but if a car tickles my fancy, I usually test it. My favorite test track is the Nurburgring sprint layout. Forgiving enough where miscues won’t spit you into a wall. Technical enough to where you really have to nail your braking and apex points or you’ll leave a lot of time on the table. And short enough, to repetitively crank out laps.


Just about any middle class man with a good work ethic and some practical budgeting, is able to pull together enough scratch to either finance a new Corvette, or buy a previous generation on the used market (albeit a base model). I can’t think of any other manufacturer that has mass produced a supercar the way General Motors has over the decades. The Corvette is everyman’s super car. It was that way in 1953, it’s still that way in 2025.

I’ve driven the C6 a number of times over the years - mainly as a comparison car when testing something else in the highly competitive >600pp class. Decided to screen record my usual testing process when running cars, which is take my time to get up to speed with the subject car, and then repeat the process with at least two other similarly PP’d cars. The 600pp class might be one of the most frustrating groups in Gran Turismo 7, for the simple fact that the cars are much better than the SH tires they come with. Because of that, the class by in large is very tough to drive in the context of a video game - where “real world sensations” can only be communicated via a FFB wheel, and Polyphony’s current digital implementation of a physics model.






The C6 corvette took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to do anything. It took a loooooong time to stop, a looooooooooong time to get the weight transfer and balance correct to initiate turn in, a loooooooooooooooooong time to get to the apex, and a looooooooooooooooooong time and precise throttle control to get the proper traction when accelerating out of said turns. When the C6 comes on the pipe, best assured your front wheels are pointed exactly parallel to the bonnet, as the only thing this car will do in a hurry, is face you backwards on the circuit if you get too overzealous with the throttle, regardless of the gear. Like most of the cars in this class, the transition from second to 3rd is the most difficult to manage. What worked best for my style (which was pretty universal amongst the 3 cars I tested), was to feather the throttle in second gear out of corners till you got 1/2 way through the pedals throw, then grab third gear and hammer the throttle as fast as you can.

I would consider my driving style to be geared towards the handling quirks of MR cars. But by the time I finished testing the F50 and then the 458, I felt myself longing for lazy and predictable handling of the C6 corvette. Sure, the stop watch will confirm that the I was objectively the slowest while piloting the C6…but the video doesn’t lie. The trundling and methodical nature of the Corvette, aided in a consistency that I was never able to duplicate in either Ferrari. Would a simple switch of putting all the cars of SM tires change the pecking order from both the stop watch and seat-of-the pants perspective. Probably. But as tested off the showroom floor, the C6 Corvette reigned supreme.


It’s always nice to see the working man steal a W from the elites every once in a while 🇺🇸🖕🏼

 

[XSquareStickIt]

No matter how bad a car in a video game is, it has never crossed the digital divide and hurt me physically before. This holds true for understeery boats like the Gallardo or sloppy oversteery messes like the 308 GTB. Over the five or so years I've been taking part in COTW, I've ran some of the most boring of station wagons to some of the most cutting edge racing cars both in the real and virtual worlds, like the Super Formulae and Red Bull fan cars.

None of them have made me physically and literally sick like the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo.

The problem with the FVGT is that it has only 30mm (1.18in) ground clearance front and rear. For some context, a 2023 Super Formula car has 25mm (0.94in) clearance, a typical Gr.3 racecar has 60mm (2.36in), a modern supercar R35 has 110mm (4.33in), and a sensible family hatch like the Honda Fit has 135mm (5.31in). The FVGT is so stupidly low that it skates over the mirror–smooth asphalt of fictional and FIA Grade One racetracks as much as it drives over them. As with most VGTs, customisation options are severely limited with the Ferrari VGT; only the dampers, the accel and decel sensitivities of the diff, and brake balance can be adjusted in addition to the usual tyres, power limiter, and ballast. Oh yeah, the dampers are what's wrong with this car, thanks Ferrari. With a car this low, its suspension is just glorified bricks, meaning that the car not only skates across tracks, but it also hops like a crazed kangaroo on crack. You think I'm exaggerating? Here, watch for yourself if you think you can stomach it:

​

Even when being spared the likely fate of crapping out my still beating heart, that kind of constant jumpiness literally makes me carsick even through a TV screen. And just to reiterate, I've never gotten carsick before in real life nor in a video game. I've even had to resort to driving the FVGT in chase cam just to keep my lunch in my stomach. Something in me kinda wants me to believe that someone at Ferrari knew this car would mash every bone in a human's body down to fine dust, hence why they force drivers into a driving suit that looks like a mummy cast with the silhouette of a strap–on drawn onto it to remind you just how far up into your rectum they are.

​

I know I've portrayed myself as a Ferrari hater these past five years, but I hope you'll trust me when I write that I genuinely try to approach each car with an open mind hoping to find something that brings me joy. I don't like being angry, nor do I like feeling like I've wasted my time. I find it a shame that the FVGT makes me sick, because it looks amazing, has an incredible cockpit view, generates immense downforce, and is stupendously surefooted in the turns when it isn't hopping from pole to pole. It's even fast, too: on the right tracks, it'd even outrun a 2023 Super Formula and embarrass anything in Gr.1 even without BoP holding the bona–fide racecars back.

F1 2025 Mega Combo Livery Thing by RichJones57
#f1 #2025 #redbull​

......buuuuuuut, a good chunk of its pace comes from its hybrid boost, which goes completely limp after around 2 minutes of hard driving, and that's just about enough for 1 lap of Spa. After it dies, it takes about 4 minutes of sitting still for the engine to recharge the battery up to full. Also, because the engine recharges the battery, sometimes you just don't get any engine braking in the car when coasting through a sweeper. Oh yeah, rob me of engine braking for 0.5 seconds and understeer me wide to give me 0.25 seconds of boost. Worth. Combine this with how its tyres take about half a lap or so to warm up and will melt in just a few more (as is typical with high–downforce cars that cook their tyres), and the result is a car that operates at its optimal pace about as frequently as solar eclipses and about as consistent as fickle, moody mistress with multiple personalities.

​

Fortunately, alternatives exist to the FVGT, though most of them are VGTs themselves. For those not keen on VGTs, about the only things that will keep pace with the Fezza are the Super Formulae cars, and even that is rather track dependent. The Aston Martin Valkyrie will ideally need some stiffening up to its suspension to handle racing slicks, but match the compounds on both cars, and the Valkyrie will be really even competition for the FVGT after the latter's two minutes of fame is up. If one doesn't mind VGTs, the Tomahawk S and Corvette CX, both similarly classified as #Road Cars, will unapologetically whoop the FVGT despite being rated lower by the PP system even with Racing Medium tyres, and crucially, none of the aforementioned cars other than the Ferrari makes me sick.

​

I usually come away from driving a VGT thinking, "what the hell were they thinking? Did anyone test drive this?" But no other car really embodies that more than the Ferrari VeGeTable.

Sorry, Baron.

 

[jrbabbitt]

No matter how bad a car in a video game is, it has never crossed the digital divide and hurt me physically before. This holds true for understeery boats like the Gallardo or sloppy oversteery messes like the 308 GTB. Over the five or so years I've been taking part in COTW, I've ran some of the most boring of station wagons to some of the most cutting edge racing cars both in the real and virtual worlds, like the Super Formulae and Red Bull fan cars.

None of them have made me physically and literally sick like the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo.

The problem with the FVGT is that it has only 30mm (1.18in) ground clearance front and rear. For some context, a 2023 Super Formula car has 25mm (0.94in) clearance, a typical Gr.3 racecar has 60mm (2.36in), a modern supercar R35 has 110mm (4.33in), and a sensible family hatch like the Honda Fit has 135mm (5.31in). The FVGT is so stupidly low that it skates over the mirror–smooth asphalt of fictional and FIA Grade One racetracks as much as it drives over them. As with most VGTs, customisation options are severely limited with the Ferrari VGT; only the dampers, the accel and decel sensitivities of the diff, and brake balance can be adjusted in addition to the usual tyres, power limiter, and ballast. Oh yeah, the dampers are what's wrong with this car, thanks Ferrari. With a car this low, its suspension is just glorified bricks, meaning that the car not only skates across tracks, but it also hops like a crazed kangaroo on crack. You think I'm exaggerating? Here, watch for yourself if you think you can stomach it:

​

Even when being spared the likely fate of crapping out my still beating heart, that kind of constant jumpiness literally makes me carsick even through a TV screen. And just to reiterate, I've never gotten carsick before in real life nor in a video game. I've even had to resort to driving the FVGT in chase cam just to keep my lunch in my stomach. Something in me kinda wants me to believe that someone at Ferrari knew this car would mash every bone in a human's body down to fine dust, hence why they force drivers into a driving suit that looks like a mummy cast with the silhouette of a strap–on drawn onto it to remind you just how far up into your rectum they are.

​

I know I've portrayed myself as a Ferrari hater these past five years, but I hope you'll trust me when I write that I genuinely try to approach each car with an open mind hoping to find something that brings me joy. I don't like being angry, nor do I like feeling like I've wasted my time. I find it a shame that the FVGT makes me sick, because it looks amazing, has an incredible cockpit view, generates immense downforce, and is stupendously surefooted in the turns when it isn't hopping from pole to pole. It's even fast, too: on the right tracks, it'd even outrun a 2023 Super Formula and embarrass anything in Gr.1 even without BoP holding the bona–fide racecars back.

F1 2025 Mega Combo Livery Thing by RichJones57
#f1 #2025 #redbull​

......buuuuuuut, a good chunk of its pace comes from its hybrid boost, which goes completely limp after around 2 minutes of hard driving, and that's just about enough for 1 lap of Spa. After it dies, it takes about 4 minutes of sitting still for the engine to recharge the battery up to full. Also, because the engine recharges the battery, sometimes you just don't get any engine braking in the car when coasting through a sweeper. Oh yeah, rob me of engine braking for 0.5 seconds and understeer me wide to give me 0.25 seconds of boost. Worth. Combine this with how its tyres take about half a lap or so to warm up and will melt in just a few more (as is typical with high–downforce cars that cook their tyres), and the result is a car that operates at its optimal pace about as frequently as solar eclipses and about as consistent as fickle, moody mistress with multiple personalities.

​

Fortunately, alternatives exist to the FVGT, though most of them are VGTs themselves. For those not keen on VGTs, about the only things that will keep pace with the Fezza are the Super Formulae cars, and even that is rather track dependent. The Aston Martin Valkyrie will ideally need some stiffening up to its suspension to handle racing slicks, but match the compounds on both cars, and the Valkyrie will be really even competition for the FVGT after the latter's two minutes of fame is up. If one doesn't mind VGTs, the Tomahawk S and Corvette CX, both similarly classified as #Road Cars, will unapologetically whoop the FVGT despite being rated lower by the PP system even with Racing Medium tyres, and crucially, none of the aforementioned cars other than the Ferrari makes me sick.

​

I usually come away from driving a VGT thinking, "what the hell were they thinking? Did anyone test drive this?" But no other car really embodies that more than the Ferrari VeGeTable.

Sorry, Baron.

Great review, I still think it moves like a baboon with two club feet... it grips well in high-speed turns but when you have to slow down, the understeer is horrendous that you barely turn at all...

 

[Vic Reign93]

The Ferrari VGT’s low ride height and rather stiff suspension are some of its biggest permanent issues, but IMO it’s also rated a little too high for its PP level.

I mean the two VGTs I brought along to compare against it had lower PP ratings and yet had no qualms with leaving the Ferrari behind.

The Bugatti VGT gives up 150kgs to the Fezza’s 1,250kgs, but gets nearly 300hp more in return AND it’s all from the engine, no hybrid power loss here.

But if you want absolute overkill, the Corvette CX.R VGT comes in at the same weight as the Fezza, but with an extra 675hp from its turbo V8 hybrid set up.

Put it like this, you can put a C6 ZR1 and a Unimog’s power together, add it to the Fezza’s and you’ll still be 7hp short of the Vette’s 2,038hp.

Combine that with the update that handed more control of the hybrid deployment over to the drivers, you have a car that’ll outrun the Fezza convincingly AND still make its hybrid go the distance in most cases.

25 seconds, that’s how long it waited at the start of a 5 lap race at Fuji against an F1500A, A Valkyrie on RS tyres and the Fezza VGT.

It took the lead early on the final lap.

And let me re-clarify a previous point for dramatic effect…

It’s, Still, Rated, Lower, Than, The, Ferrari!!

In a vacuum, the Fezza VGT is a decent car and it’s Road Car classification does open up more uses for it, but the second you put it against similar PP’d machines is when it’s flaws start presenting themselves.

In summary, it’s quick, but struggles to maintain that pace without its quick draining hybrid boost and the slightly stiff ride can make it unpleasant for some.

Verdict(s) Neutral by itself, Beater against similar machinery.

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

Best laid plans...

My original intention of showcasing this VGT, was to bring the best driving VGT as a last hurrah to the world of COTW...

And then the wake up call came. 😭

What the hell happened to my baby?!?

The Euro 600 event I chose, was a very cheesy dare from a friend, and very easily done by anyone in our group. I've done that race countless times because it's quick, and a great showcase of a car.

Where the porpoise style bouncing came from, left me speechless and rather disillusioned tbh. That was unexpected and I could only wish I knew beforehand to avoid this level of disappointment.

Sorry people.

 

[XSquareStickIt]

The results for last week's SPC, the How Is This A Road Car? Challenge, are in! Only Vic successfully attempted the challenge, though I'll be the last person to blame anyone for not trying. Vic bounced to a hugely impressive 11:29.812 over two laps of the Nordschleife. Well done!

---

While @Jayzedyy hasn't been with us that long, he sure as hell picked up the spirit of what we do quickly, being incredibly clean, quick, and actively participating in SPCs!

They continue the trend of the BIG GUNS being brought out to close out COTW with a bang: the Pagani Zonda R '09!

Jayzedyy​

my pick is the Pagani Zonda R. It's a car that I honestly have never driven before and never really thought much about. Funny thing is how close it is in performance to the non-BOP Gr.3 Cars

in a way, to me the Zonda R was a celebration of the entire history of the Zonda up till that point. In a way I found it poetic as one of the last picks of COTW to celebrate it as such.

Jay told me that he's partial to cars with visceral sounds, and oh boy, does it even get more (AUP BLEEP) than this?

The Zonda R, released in 2009, is perhaps Pagani's magnum opus, being the last flagship to carry the wail of a Naturally Aspirated V12. And yet, in spite of its stunning sounds and blistering performance, what really struck me with the Zonda R is the intricate and beautiful carbon weaves visible throughout the car. It even stirred me to try my hand at writing my own cheesy self–insert fic, eheh. Only 15 Zonda Rs were made in real life, though here in GT7, you can have all 15 to yourself without an Invitation... as long as you have 27 million Credits, that is!

Will we end up falling in love with the Zonda on 11/11? Let's find out together via our Single–Player Challenge and/or Weekly Lobbies!

---

Join Our Weekly Lobbies!​

Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing Zonda Rs under BoP conditions!

Spoiler: Lobbies Information

Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!

The Americas Lobby​

• Tuesday. 11th November, 10 P.M. CST
• Host: Victory_Reign93

The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby​

• Saturday, 15th November, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
• Host: XSquareStickIt

BoP/Settings Disabled: On (Cars will temporarily be reverted to stock settings, WIDE BODIED AND/OR ENGINE SWAPPED CARS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE!)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~7 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 782PP
Car: No Limit
Tyres: Racing Hard

---

~Single–Player Challenge!~​

Jayzedyy​

the SPC - Finding a home for the Zonda R. In real life, it was never road legal, and never made for any racing series.

Prove that the Zonda R belongs on track by winning the race against GR.3 competition!

Winner will be the fastest overall event time

Enter the World Touring Car 800 race at the Watkins Glen with a STOCK Zonda R. Fastest race time wins!

---

Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the the thread!

 

[jrbabbitt]

This week's lobby was fun, the Zonda R handled much better than I expected (much better than that crippled Ferrari VGT) and possibly my driving needs improvements as I'm still understeering at lower speeds ...
Thanks to everyone.

 

[jrbabbitt]

Not a clean race and just a full second slow...
Replay shared and uploaded to server.

 

[Jayzedyy]

COTW Week 134: Pagani Zonda R

"All Good Things..."

Intro:

Hi everyone!

Thanks again for the opportunity for my 2nd (and most likely, final) COTW Pick.

As Square mentioned above, I found the choice of the Zonda R a little poetic, as to me, it was really the celebration of the legendary Zonda lineup.

Because of that, excuse the massive cheesiness, I wanted to find a car that celebrated its legacy, to focus on how fortunate and happy we were to experience it happen. I guess in a way, it was one way to show how we should "Smile because it happened..."

As COTW winds to a close in the next 2 months, I really wanted to choose a car that embodies this attitude. What better way than the Zonda R, a NA V12 Track Day monster that screams to the heavens above.

Saturday Lobbies:

Instead of just summarizing the car, I want to also take this opportunity to reflect on what has been the most transformative, positive 10 months that I can remember. I started Sim Racing, and Gran Turismo 7 late in 2024, and although I spent tons of time grinding Sport Mode, I never really felt connected with the community (both locally and internationally).

Doing some research, early in 2025 I started doing League racing, and by complete accident, found COTW in February while looking for a Singaporean GT7 League.

I still remember my first week out in the E36 M3. It was the first time I did any serious racing on any tyres that weren't racing slicks. I spun so many times that it was embarrassing. Back then, I thought that I was already a quick GT7 driver. How wrong I was...

Thanks again to the Saturday Lobby Regulars (Square, RX8, SPD, K31th) for being so welcoming and understanding. Truly these lobbies were something I look forward to at the end of every work week, and I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss it next year.

But what about the Zonda?

Well in this week's lobby, I was unfortunately reminded of my experience in the E36s. I made tons of mistakes and caused a few incidents (sorry!).

Strangely enough, in the races where I didn't spin, I was able to really extract maximum pace from the Zonda R, and this came at Grand Valley, where the high-speed track really suited the Zonda's characteristics. It also helped that with the tunnel section, we were really able to enjoy the V12 symphony.

Unfortunately, I was unable to extract the same potential in the other tracks, making it quite an inconsistent performer for me. That being said, the experience driving the Zonda is enough for me to rank it a "Sleeper" (can we really call a car like the Zonda R a sleeper? haha)

Single Player Challenge (SPC):

Another happy coincidence was that the SPC really embodies my experience in COTW thus far. In real-life, the Zonda R was developed to be a Track Day Car, and was never developed for any racing series.

In fact if it was in game, this choice would have gone to the Zonda Cinque instead.

So, my challenge was to see if the Zonda R could keep up on track against non-BOP Gr.3 Machinery. Of course, it has the horsepower advantage, but with its poorer fuel consumption, and less driver-friendly characteristics, could it prove it belonged with the most popular class of racing cars in GT7?

Safe to say, it truly shined here at Watkins Glen. My strategy was simple, some fuel saving to ensure I can one-stop the event in Fuel Map 2, and just send it. With a mix of higher-speed and medium-speed corners, the typically lazy front tyres found much needed grip from the increased downforce, and with the Zonda screaming down every other straight, it absolutely dominated this event and proved that it belongs on the track!

Summary:

While this isn't the end of COTW, with it symbolically being my last pick, I wanted to find a car that could capture how much I appreciate, and will continue to remember COTW for a long time to come.

As we always do, we evaluate each car through the SPC and the lobbies, how they drive, how they sound, etc.

You already know how much I love driving this car.

But more importantly, when I see a Zonda R again, I will remember and cherish these months here at COTW.

- Jayzedyy

 

[XSquareStickIt]

The results for last week's challenge, the "Somewhere I Belong" challenge, are in!

jrbabbitt​	18:44.810
Jayzedyy​	17:45.565
Vic Reign93​	17:45.259

Big congrats to cinching this one by three tenths from a very game Jay, and thanks to everyone who participated!

---

As COTW winds down to a close, many regulars have gone with some BIG GUNS as their last pick. Not @K31thc0m however...

Let's welcome under the COTW spotlight, a car that just might be what COTW is originally all about: the Honda N-ONE RS '22!

(Photo by K31thc0m)​

Kei cars are a bit of a dying breed even in Japan, but Honda is not only persisting with the yellow–plated econoboxes, but making sporty versions of them! The N-ONE RS, inheriting the spirit of Honda's first Keisha, the N360 (are these things XBoxes?), is reportedly the only Kei car with FF and a 6MT gearbox. While only a recent addition to the game, the N-ONE has garnered a lot of love from the GT7 community, including not just K31th, but also Obelisk!

Will more fall in love with the N-ONE, or did the N-ONE deserve NONE (I'm not sorry) of its hype? Join us in our Single–Player Challenge and/or Weekly Lobbies to find out!

---

Join Our Weekly Lobbies!​

Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing N-ONEs under BoP conditions!

Spoiler: Lobbies Information

Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!

The Americas Lobby​

• Tuesday. 18th November, 10 P.M. CST
• Host: Victory_Reign93

The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby​

• Saturday, 22nd November, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
• Host: XSquareStickIt

BoP/Settings Disabled: On (Cars will temporarily be reverted to stock settings, WIDE BODIED AND/OR ENGINE SWAPPED CARS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE!)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~7 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 312PP
Car: No Limit
Tyres: Comfort Medium

---

~Single–Player Challenge!~​

K31thc0m​

SPC: Win the Lightweight K-Cup at Tokyo by tuning the N-One into a race winning machine. Nitrous is not allowed.

Get P1 in the N-ONE! A simple challenge, but will it be easy?

Fastest race time without any wall contact wins! Share your replay with me to submit your run!

---

Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the the thread!

 

[05XR8]

Sweet choice!

 

[SomePlayaDude]

 

[RX8 Racer]

So, I took a crack at the SPC tonight. No, I am not posting my time now because like hell I am going to give Vic a target he can just blast through like an RPG through wet tissue.

But my build can sure put out some impressive flames when off throttle. Which would be great if it weren’t for Photo Mode revealing some… issues with the exhaust system:

Or to quote one of my favourite songs:

“Burn more, that’s what I was born for,
Burn more….
FUEL IS FOR GOING ON!
BURN! IT DOWN! Until it falls over….
FUEL IS FOR GOING ON!
BURN! IT DOWN! Until it falls over….”

- Fuel by Utsu-P

 

[Obelisk]

The N-ONE was tied with the S660 for most popular car in the last running of SRC's Lightweight K-Cup, on merit alone. Though, granted, it turns out it was slightly overtuned for the spec since it had to compensate for drag with added power (but didn't receive enough weight to negate the added accel).

I personally found the car to be very friendly, even when above stock power. It doesn't suffer from the crazy power bands curves that most of the keis suffer from, and the ultra-modern FF platform is composed and neutral - with strong brakes relative to car class to boot.

I'll have a more proper writeup on the N-ONE in isolation later this week. This reminded me that I have a bunch of BOP work to do.

 

[XSquareStickIt]

There's a saying about Japanese culture that I find really profound and scarily accurate: "Japan has been living in the year 2000 for the past 40 years." (Or something to that effect anyway; I don't recall the exact quote.)

For a country so renowned for its zany technological prowess, Japanese culture—especially its work culture—is strangely leashed to the past. No sane Gaijin would reasonably expect the country that gave the world bidets and bullet trains to have done so while being so reliant on fax machines and toxic drinking etiquette. Japanese culture is, to my limited knowledge as a curious but cautious onlooker, very meticulous and risk–averse, preferring the comfort of certainty over someone having to take responsibility for a failure. And so when something does come along that even the Japanese can't ignore, it tends to be so mind–blowing and revolutionary that other countries start having to copy and play catch up to it, resulting in a country and culture that has an ostensibly bizarre mix of the traditional and futuristic.

Japan is, of course, the country that gave the world the Nissan GT-R.

T-spec Black Mask by XSquareStickIt
#blackmask #prologue #gt5p​

As might be expected, a car as revolutionary as the sixth–generation GT-R was born in a situation that was hardly safe and even less comfortable. In 1999, Nissan was in dire financial straits, and a Lebanese by the name of Carlos Ghosn was appointed as one of the excruciatingly few foreigners to take the helm at a Japanese automotive company, given the unenviable task of taking the company riddled with a 37.7 billion USD debt back to profitability. Unshackled and unconcerned by the esoteric rules and etiquette of Japanese society, Ghosn would completely upheave the wilting roots of Nissan from soil long since dried, restructuring the company by, among other things, changing the company's official language from Japanese to English, laying off a significant portion of the workforce, and promoting only those who perform well at their tasks instead of seniority. Us English speaking folk might see all that as a given, but to the very traditional Japanese, it must've felt as blasphemous as an alien invasion upon their homeland, suddenly being forced to defile their own customs and speak an alien language. The "Keiretsu Killer", as Ghosn was called, also wanted something very particular from Nissan as part of the Nissan Revival Project: "I told them, "no compromise". I don't care how much time it's gonna take—I want a very strong performance car."

Safe it is to say then, that Ghosn is the kind of man that usually gets what he wants.

​

While Chief Engineer Mizuno Kazutoshi is often colloquially called the "Godfather of the GT-R", I opine instead that the sixth–generation GT-R took after Ghosn more than anybody else. The "R35" GT-R seemed a completely supernatural lifeform descended to cause chaos and force others into rethinking their lifestyles, not unlike the movie character Godzilla. With the freedom of being the first GT-R to be its own independent model instead of being "just" a spiced up version of a family sedan, the R35 shook up the world of supercars so drastically in 2007 that I opine that performance cars since have just never been the same. It was the first car to offer launch control. The first with a dual–clutch semi–automatic gearbox, with no option for a stick–shift manual. Its door handles were flush against the door panels without as much a cubby hole to stick one's fingers into, instead having to push one end of the handle in to cantilever the other end out to pull, all in the name of minimising aerodynamic drag. It eschews a big NA engine in favour of a compact 3.8L twin–turbo V6 for balance and packaging benefits, mounted wholly behind the front axle for a front–midship layout. It spits in the pages of common performance bible by being extremely heavy, pushing its bespoke tyres more into the ground. It featured a LCD screen on the dashboard, and of course, it has a wealth of onboard computers that not only allow for a selection of multiple drive modes, but will also adjust the spring rates and torque distribution in real time according to what it senses on the road.

​

If you're a younger reader, all that might sound like a given in any premium automobile these days, but many of those things were simply unfathomable—let alone unheard of—in 2007. The Porsche Carrera GT—whose production ended in 2006—is often described to be the last analogue supercar, and I truly believe the R35 to be the cause of that by rewriting the supercar book cover–to–cover. But perhaps the damndest thing that the GT-R could do that seemingly no one else seems to have been able to replicate is that it was priced such that one needn't be in the 1% to be able to afford it; the base GT-R started at 7.78 million Yen in 2007 (70,000 USD in 2007, ~108,248 USD in 2025), and yet, it could more than hang with the flagship models of exotic brands like Porsche and Ferrari even in the best of conditions; come rain or snow, those prestigious cars wouldn't even dare leave their humidity controlled garages. And that I suspect is the only reason the R35 doesn't get as much renown and acclaim as something like the McLaren F1; it's so easy and realistically attainable, demanding neither ridiculous wealth nor skill from its driver to experience supercar thrills. It's become such a common sight, such a household name, that I feel it undermines just how big of a paradigm shift it has effected in its wake.

栃木県警R35GT-Rパトカ by XSquareStickIt
#patoka #police #highway
Amuse Carbon R35 by XSquareStickIt
#amuse #r35 #tuner
Amuse Phantom R35 by XSquareStickIt
#amuse #r35 #tuner​

But once the Japanese find a new comfort, they tend to sit on it for a long, long time, preserving it painstakingly as though a significant cultural artefact. The R35 GT-R was in production for some 18 years since, which is longer than all of the prior 5 generations of GT-Rs... combined. In that exceptionally long production run, the R35 has received minor updates and facelifts, but stayed largely the same, resulting in it slowly and surely beginning to feel outdated as the rest of the world caught up to and built upon the ideas the R35 unleashed. Supercars nowadays are almost always sporting a turbo engine kept in check by a bevy of electronic nannies, offering stupendous torque from a wide rev range while sounding dull and soulless, just like the R35. They're all heavy beasts that default to understeer at the limit, just like the GT-R. They almost always have screens in the cockpit, and many feature flush door handles to minimise drag, just like the GT-R. More than those however, modern carmakers began to implement even more futuristic tech into their car, like a screen to replace an entire dashboard, hybridisation and electrification, 7 or more forward gears, active aero, and even autonomous driving. The R35 on the other hand, stayed exclusively petrol–propelled with a 6–speed gearbox, using barbaric sticks to count its revs and speed. Its wing is as permanent and unmoving as though a historic monument, and it still employs the use of physical dials and knobs for chores like air con and radio.

​

But being outdated isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, I've yet to hear tales of an over–the–air software update bricking an R35 and leaving its driver stranded in the middle of nowhere, nor does it have nonsensical electronic door locks that have proved deadly in accidents. Amenities already in the car are all available to the driver without a subscription, and it hasn't ever run over anyone without its driver's say–so. Needles do the job just fine without risking a screen burning in, and not having to take my eyes off the road to adjust the air con or audio via physical controls with tactile feedback are all godzillasends when driving. There's no range anxiety in the GT-R, and it drinks petrol from just about any station. For as alien as the R35 first appeared to be, time has proved that it can be quite Japanese as well; the R35 is a blend of the future and the past, offering the best of both worlds in a package that is futuristic where the future seems promising, while staying rooted in the past where it has been proven.

​

Of course, in a driving video game, very little of that real life nonsense matters. It's not often that I write about the real world stories and feats of a car, but the GT-Rs across its six generations are all cars that I hold massive respect for, and they more often than not have stories to tell, even if I don't much fancy how many of them drive in the games. Of the four road–going R35 GT-Rs in GT7, the 2017 Nismo variant is clearly the fastest, being shod with Sports Medium tyres by default and weighing more or less the same as the base R35s while packing a good chunk more power, although it still exhibits many of the same behaviours as the "base" GT-Rs, just at a higher speed. The road–going R35s all drive very similarly, being almost alarmingly composed and isolating its driver across all types of roads, feeling every bit as uncanny and futuristic as it did in 2007. At the same time, they do feel a little outdated even in the driving dynamics area: push them hard enough in a way they don't quite like, and the cars can very suddenly lose grip and start washing wide, giving me the impression that the onboard wizards aren't quite as sharp and omnipotent as some of the most hand–holdy supercars of today. That said, it resolves itself in a split second of waiting, and I as a driver feel nothing whatsoever. The part that spikes my heart rate the most is that these GT-Rs are incredibly tail happy on hard trail braking even on the strongest ABS setting of Default, and this tail happiness somehow feels so unrefined, yet helpful at the same time that I can't even tell if it's intentional or not. But once the time comes to apply the throttle, the R35s hook up with scary efficiency, and the even power curves paired with damn near instantaneous shifts and monotonous V6 whirr make the cars feel as uncanny, soulless, and efficient as a spaceship. For as uncanny as these cars corner, they're almost even more uncanny with how they make me feel bewildered each time I roll on the gas pedal with "just" 570PS (419kW) (T-spec).

​

However, there's a glaring difference in driving dynamics between the 2024 T-spec and the 2017 variants: the T-spec somehow feels undeniably more nose heavy and understeery than its older siblings in spite of having the exact same mass distribution of 54:46, and it's a difference I can only feel, not explain. For that reason, I much prefer the older R35s for driving, and I don't much fancy how the 2024 car looks, either. While the T-spec is offered in the sacred colour of Midnight Purple, I really don't see the appeal of a paintjob that looks like someone vomited into an oil spill. To tune, the 2024 T-spec and 2017 Nismo get the utterly broken Chiron engine swap, whereas the 2017 has to make do with the much more unwieldy turbo LS7 V8 from the BRZ Drift Car, and the safety car gets sweet f–all. Honestly, unless you need the strobe lights of the safety car for whatever reason, the 2017 Nismo is clearly the pick of the litter, invalidating every other road–going R35 in the game.

​

With Ghosn now effectively exiled from Japan and Nissan slumping into yet another financial crisis, maybe now is the time for someone else to play the villain and create another monster of discomfort that can disrupt the status quo and revive the brand. But for now, Godzilla rests. It may be gone, but its presence in the industry will be felt for what I suspect will be decades still to come.

​

 

[jrbabbitt]

My dogs...

 

[SomePlayaDude]

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

Hot off the press, 2 hours old and just by coincidence...



Cheers

 

[Obelisk]

One of the things that I sincerely love about keijidosha, and their awkward keitora cousins, is how their packaging manages to be no-nonsense and feature complete without truly sacrificing anything else.

​

With the progression of technology since 1990, that's especially evident with how even kei trucks could be built with a laundry list of features that some modern poverty-spec cars don't have. My Midget II has a radio and A/C in it, and it is a really bare-bones R-Type. My Alto Works is an ie/s with the slushbox, but I have a stereo with full sound system, a very sharp and responsive viscous coupling AWD, and power windows + automatic open/close - and that's a 1998 era car. I don't remember automatic open/close toggles being a thing until much more recently than that here in the US. In fact, I think I only ever noticed that functionality in my 2016 Mazda3 onwards (and even then, my Mazda3 was a poverty spec one lol).

So to see that the Honda N-ONE RS is loaded with a full infotainment system, window switches for all four windows on the driver's side, an economy/sport mode toggle, cupholders, bolstered seats, full AC, and a lot more doodads that I can't quite identify from the in-game rendering...

Yeah, it's already a good sign. The N-ONE is a very, very feature-loaded car, and even with that and stringent safety standards in the 2020s, this car still comes in at a very light 1852 pounds. It's doing more with its limited footprint than even some mid-grade US pickups, and that's saying something about the economy of space that goes into a kei car.

But I'm gushing about this as a coping mechanism for an incident yesterday that I only really mentioned to @XSquareStickIt and a few private groups.

So, being the newest and most modern kei car in Gran Turismo by a long shot, how does the N-ONE stack up?

As expected from the category, the max power of the N-ONE from the factory floor is 63 HP / 64 PS from a turbocharged inline 3, paired with a 6-speed manual transmission and powering the front wheels exclusively. This gives it a pretty predictable 62:38 weight distribution.

The turbo spools up at 1,500 RPM and tapers off around 5,500 RPM, giving the car significant torque from as early as 1700 RPM, and only really becoming unproductive once the turbo is no longer providing extra power to the engine. This gives the N-ONE ample room to demand power from its tiny, legally restricted engine at almost any arbitrary RPM in almost any gear, and that's significant from both a daily driver and a performance car perspective.

Granted, given that it's a kei car, you're only going to realistically see 155 km/h at full bore. Any car that can go north of that at the same PP range is going to walk you without any issue. Interestingly, it seems to handle the drag at those extreme speeds (for a kei) better than the S660, despite being way worse off overall.

I do notice that there are quite a few more cars at this low PP than I initially expected, and at a momentum track like the Nordschleife - the N-ONE seems quite happy to outpace basically everything except the 1967 Alfa Romeo.

I'll get right to the chase. The N-ONE:

• has excellent, almost neutral handling.
• is very darty, responsive and compliant in the driver's hands
• has very good performance for a kei brick, almost comparable to an S660.

• is a brick, so drag bites it faster than any of the other keis
• only has effective use of 5 of its 6 forward gears
• has very little personality compared to the other keis. it's very bland, predictable and clinical
• the turbo produces shockingly little boost, and none of it is in the actual peak power band (where this car desperately needs it in a door-to-door situation

It fits the COTW ethos and qualifies as a Sleeper, but the car feels really devoid of any true personality besides "honda engine screaming its head off". I'm sure there's something in there, but I won't have access to an N-ONE RS until 2047, and by then half of them aren't going to be in very good shape.

Speaking from experience with two keis of my own.

---

On the SPC:
I already had an N-ONE in SRC K-Cup spec, so I just grabbed that, turned the power way up, then had a go at it. Unlike another poster, I'm not scared of putting a bullseye on my back, so I tried to put my best foot forward anyways.

My total race time was 6:33.733, with a fastest lap of 2:09.419.

I suspect that time can drop even further with some setup tweaks, but for a K-Cup spec car with more power than it was built for, that's really good imo.

Replay is shared for verification: #spc #cotw #n1

 

[XSquareStickIt]

The results for last week's challenge, the N-ONE to P1 Challenge, are in!

Obelisk​	6:33.750
RX8 Racer​	6:33.215
Vic Reign93​	6:30.387
SomePlayaDude​	6:25.085

SPD completely blew everyone out of Tokyo this time, being an astonishing five seconds quicker than Vic and beating our Keisha Connoisseur! Well done!

---

It's @Nismonath5 's turn to pick the next victim of COTW, and he's chosen... rather predictably, the Nismo R34 GT-R Z-tune '05!

(No, I did NOT twist his arm WHATSOEVER, why would you even THINK of something so vile???)​

Nismonath5​

I guess that must mean it's time then right? Z-Tune for the win

The R34 GT-R is by itself a bit of a forbidden fruit and stuff of legends, but the Z-tune R34 might as well be of mythical status: including the prototype, only 19 were ever built... or should I say, converted? Because production of the R34 ended in 2002, Nismo had to select and buy back 19 customer cars to spice up into Z-tune spec, and its bored out 2.8L Z2 Kai engine produces in excess of 500PS!

Unfortunately, here in GT7, it's still a bit of unobtanium, as it costs a whopping three million credits! Is it worth the price? Let's find out together in the Single–Player Challenge and Weekly Lobbies!

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Join Our Weekly Lobbies!​

Our weekly lobbies are ongoing as usual, and anyone (not a dick) is welcome to join us in racing Z-tunes under BoP conditions!

Spoiler: Lobbies Information

Click on the hyperlinks to convert the times to your time zone, and feel free to add the hosts as friends on PSN to make searching for the lobbies easier!

The Americas Lobby​

• Tuesday. 25th November, 10 P.M. CST
• Host: Victory_Reign93

The Asia/Oceania also kinda European Lobby​

• Saturday, 29th November, 4 P.M. Singapore Time
• Host: XSquareStickIt

BoP/Settings Disabled: On (Cars will temporarily be reverted to stock settings, WIDE BODIED AND/OR ENGINE SWAPPED CARS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE!)
Tracks: Randomly selected by lobby participants (~5 mins practice, ~7 mins sprint)
PP Limit: 601PP
Car: No Limit
Tyres: Sports Medium

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~Single–Player Challenge!~​

Skyline GT-Rs and Trial Mountain is a combo as old as the Gran Turismo series itself, responsible for some of the most nightmarish licence tests ever in the series.

The ultimate Skyline GT-R takes on the revamped Trial Mountain, with your goal being to set the fastest possible Optimal Lap Time in Time Trial mode!

As usual, the car MUST be stock! And remember, the Z-tune comes default with Sports Medium tyres.

Show a screenshot of your optimal time in the MFD, AND share a replay of your session!

I'll just put this here as well: Optimal times don't care about track cutting, so, you know, maybe yeet the final chicane like the good ol' days...

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Of course, we always welcome opinions, tunes, liveries, photos, videos, or stories about the car here on the the thread!

Spoiler

Sorry for the super late post; I blanked on an SPC idea for a long, long time...