XBox 360 Forza 4 100% Completed Chapter Five

Gentle reader,

We left off with my VW Golf R racer. Next up is the 2013 Ford Focus ST. A highly desirable car. Yet, most of the car magazines that have compared the Focus ST and Fiesta ST, choose the latter as more fun to drive. Here goes, the next fifteen:

Nice, Martini based livery in this one. 

Next is the first SUV created to be a performance vehicle. The legendary GMC Typhoon. They took the 4.3 liter V6 made by removing two cylinders from the 350 (5.7 liter) V8 engine. Then, they turbocharged it. GMC also sold their S15 pickup as the Cyclone. Same mechanicals as this one.

I had originally painted this to look like a US Border Patrol vehicle. Then changed it to this Burger King sponsored livery.

Here is my 2010 Camaro SS race car. A couple of buddies have real ones. I like them, but they and the Challenger are just too big!

Next up, yet another car I'd like to have and may someday buy: The Hyndai Genesis coupe. Being a turbo guy, I'd prefer the four cylinder engine than the V6.

A product and it's ilk that I'll never buy: RedBull. A lot of Forza painters use this theme as the company IS into sponsoring real race teams.

Next, a huge beast that I sold once I was done with it: Audi's Q7 equipped with the V12 TDI diesel engine.

Below, see a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) 2010 Honda Civic coupe modified by Mugen.

Net up (down?) is another car that never came to America, but is promised to soon. The Ford Focus RS. 

Pretty cool cracked paint scheme. The upcoming RS will be all-wheel-drive, unlike this earlier version.

Below, another GM turbo car. The legendary 1987 Buick Regal GNX. This V6 car with only 200 or so horsepower, which weighed the same as a larger Buick model with a 455 cubic inch V8 and almost 500 horsepower had almost IDENTICAL performance! That's what tubos do.

Next is the Nissan GT-R Skyline. One of many to not be imported to the USA. The first and slowest of the A class of cars/racers.

Next a truly fun and funny car. The all-American Ford Country Squire station wagon. Remember how some cars can't be fully painted? This one, as you can see is one. Can't remove that wood trim!

Some cars, when one chooses Forza brand front spoilers, they paint the headlights. I don't know why. The car was red when new. Thus the red light covers. I posted a video of me racing this beast and rolling it several times.

The first MG MGB that I bought and modified to A class. The second one is still F class if I recall correctly.

Another British sports car legend: The Austin-Healey 3000. This one a Mark III. Far from stock.

The last three for this chapter starts with one of my (and many others) favorite cars and I've driven one in real life. The Datsun 510. Using 2/3rds of the 240Z's six cylinder engine. Made to challenge the BMW 2002 on the street and race circuits. True story, my dad needed a small commuter car to travel between Richmond, VA and Washington, D.C. We had a used 1973 510 on the used car lot at work. Gold with a four speed trans. He bought it and I loved borrowing it and zooming along Riverside Drive!

Painted if period-correct BRE paint scheme. Sigh, what fun it would be........

Time for another true story. I was looking for something fun to replace the Audi TT. We'd gone to a dealer to check out a Volvo V40 wagon. It was not much. I'd seen an Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce on their web site for $2995. It was gold with brown leather interior and had a padded roll bar. I tried to get in it and found NO leg room for my 36" inseam legs. Got out to see if the seat would go back more. Nope. I sighed and looked around and saw another sporty car: The 1991 Capri XR2 that I ended up buying and STILL have. I sold the Alfa for them on ebay.

Another car I've always liked and would love to have a real one. I think I did an engine swap on this one to make it so fast. 

Another period-correct Sunoco paint scheme. See the covered headlights again? On the Datsun 510 too.

That's it for this chapter. We are solidly into the A class which has a lot of fast and fun cars. Thanks for looking!

Scott

 

XBox 360 Forza 4 100% Completed Chapter Four

Gentle reader,

Now that I've revealed that I have too many shoes, let's get back to my digital garage:

XBox 360 Forza 4 100% Completed Chapter Four!

We left off with my all-wheel-drive Ford Focus Cosworth. Remember, as I go along, each car is a bit quicker than the last. Thus, the serious purpose-built race cars will come in much later chapters. It takes a while to compile all this at 15 cars per session and 252 total!

First off, is my 1967 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. It is far from stock. I think I did an engine swap and turbo and I don't recall what. But it is fast and fun.

Here we have my 2010 Lotus Evora. Way faster than when new. Sponsored by OPTIMA Batteries!

Next, my 2009 John Cooper Works Mini Cooper S. They had one at the dealer we bought our 2000 Audi TT quattro from. I'm pretty sure that TT could have whipped that JCW Mini!

Yet another Shelby blessed Mustang Cobra in traditional American racing colors.

In case you didn't know, way back in the last century, race cars and racers had no sponsors! Each country was assigned their national color. England was green, France was blue, Italy, well you can guess THAT one, and the USA was white and blue. Most often they were painted opposite this car's scheme, but this way too. The mid-1960's started to change that at Le Mans when Ford showed up with a rainbow of colored Ford GT 40 Mark IIs. One was even RED! Enzo Ferrari was seeing that color too!

Below is one of the early Japanese invasion cars with trubocharging and all-wheel-drive. Long before they thought to import street versions of their WRC cars. Built by Mitsubishi and sold as an Eagle. Eagle was what former AMC cars were called when Chrysler bought AMC/Renault in order to obtain Jeep. For a while it was, Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge, Jeep and Eagle. Eventually, Eagle was dropped altogether.

Next, a car that intrigues me in real life. Would make a good snow driver, I think. The Suzuki SX$ Sportback.

It was my understanding that the "4" in SX4 meant all-wheel-drive. But apparently Forza people didn't know that.

The first of the Volvos that I have. Closest to my real 2005 V50 T5 wagon. Same engine and transmission, but the S60R is all-wheel-drive.

Yet another of my Lotus' (Loti?). I had to buy this specific one to compete in ONE race! I hate that they do that so often.

Cool paint livery, isn't it?

Next one of the many Nissan Skyline cars that I have. Most of them are JDM, thus right hand drive. The reason they didn't export them earlier, is the straight six cylinder engine had it's twin turbos on the left side of the engine. Leaving no room for a steering shaft.

Next, one of several Pontiac GTOs that I have. True story, when I was a senior in high school in Denver, Colorado. I spied a 1964 GTO convertible for sale. Naturally, I stopped and knocked on the door. Turns out it had the famous 389 V8 with three two-barrel carbs, four speed manual and posi-traction rear end. One dent in the driver's door was all I saw wrong with it. Now, this was during the Arab Oil Embargo and a ten-year-old car. My first three cars were $300, 250, and $300. I asked how much he wanted, "$250. You think that's too much?" Sadly, neither I nor my dad had a spare $250. I was making less than $2.00 and hour. Oh, the car that I bought for $250? That was almost as rare as a GTO: 1964 Chevelle Super Sport Convertible with a 327 V8 and the other stuff the GTO had. Shoulda' kept it, I know! Young and dumb.

I never much liked NASCAR, but I do like "Mr. The King" Richard, Petty. So a few cars have versions of his famous # 43.

Next is my 1965 GTO. One year newer than the one that got away. 

I believe this is one of those historically correct paint schemes.

Next, the oldest Lotus I have. Quite quicker than in just-bought form. I had to reduce it to B class because it was too powerful to handle.

Another historically correct paint scheme.

Three more to go! This is an Opel that they never imported. Would have sold better and been better than the Pontiac Fiero. 

I like how the paint artist attempted with shading to make it look like it has much wider fenders.

The fastest Toyota MR-2 you're likely to encounter. But, I think I do have faster ones.......

I'm not sure what he/she was trying to do with the flip-up headlights area on the car. 

Lastly for this chapter, a car they are finally importing: The VW Golf R. The current model supersedes the long gone R32 Golfs they sold a couple times in the past.

Once again, thanks for taking the time to read my humble blog.

Scott