Summer means something different to folks around the world. To some it means Saturday barbeques and cold beer. Others think of vacation road trips to bikini-filled beaches. I live in Texas so naturally my thoughts of summer are turning on the air conditioning and heat stroke prevention. Summer is also the time of year that gamers like us are forced to suffer from an apparent apathy for the powers that be to keep us entertained: TV is all about reruns and game companies are holding out game releases for cooler weather. However, Microsoft decided that summer is the perfect time to put quality downloadable titles and content up for sale. Although not technically part of XBLA’s Summer of Arcade, Microsoft and Turn 10 delivered one of the most impressive car packs to date to kick summer off right.
1973 AMC Gremlin X
73 Gremlin at Fujimi Kaido. Design courtesy of Roo65
What the Gremlin lacked in comfort and performance it made up for in unreliability: AMC was not known for making great cars. About the only thing a person could reasonably expect from their Gremlin was that something would fall off of it...soon. However, I cannot deny that these crappy cars had an innovative and original style to their designs. The 73 Gremlin even had a “Levi’s Edition” with blue jean seats and orange stitching.
Tuning the Gremlin was a bit problematic, and eventually I swapped engines from the Javelin to get it to kick. By the time I got the handling in line with the horsepower the Gremlin had soared from F-Class to A-Class. I now have a 438 hp machine that goes from 0-60 in 4.558 seconds and 0-100 in 10.624 seconds, with a top speed of 155.8 mph. I ran Road America recently with some clan-mates and finished in between two Porsche 911s. It’s not a car that excels in any one area, but tuners should be able to balance it nicely.
Top Gear Stock F-Class: 1:41.456
Top Gear A-Class: 1:19.639
1952 Hudson Hornet
Hudson Hornet at Fujimi Kaido. Design courtesy of Roo65
The Hudson Hornet dominated NASCAR in 1950s. Aided by a low center of gravity, center-point steering, dual carburetors, dual exhaust manifolds, and a 6-cylinder 308 that provided high torque at low RPM, the Hornet was the car to beat. Sadly, Hudson folded in 1957, just as the era of the American hot rod was gaining momentum.
The inability to swap engines means that the 52 Hornet cannot be tuned to the higher classes, and its low top-end speed robs it of Le Mans ambitions. My B-Class runs 0-60 in 7.427 seconds and 0-100 in 14.865 seconds with a top speed of 139.2 mph. The big surprise is the handling, it handles Fujimi Kaido with ease and accelerates nicely. Tune it to C-Class or B-class for tracks like Fuji, Ladera, or Iberian.
Top Gear Stock F-Class: 1:41.972
Top Gear C-Class: 1:27.418
Top Gear B-Class: 1:24.202
1956 Lotus Eleven
Lotus Eleven at Top Gear Track
Manufactured for only two years, the Eleven gained notoriety as the racer’s Lotus, and was even driven by the legendary Stirling Moss for a class speed record at Monza. My enthusiasm for the car faded quickly when I tried to tune it. I aimed for a C-Class build, but every improvement I made to the car made it worse. I was ready to declare it “the turd in the punchbowl”...then I ran the Top Gear track in the Eleven’s stock form and it performed admirably. This vehicle has a very small window of competitive potential. The less you add to this car, the better. I ended up with an E-Class build that does 0-60 in 8.197 seconds and 0-100 in 16.348 seconds with a top end of 134.8 mph. Keep in in E-Class and run it anywhere.
Top Gear Stock E-Class: 1:36.628
Top Gear E-Class (Jones tune) 1:34.303
2012 Ascari KZ1R
The Ascari, like the Lotus, is good to go right out of the box. Very little needs to be done to this car to keep it competitive. Widen the tires, add a few horses, and you’re done. The stock time around the Top Gear track was similar to most of my tuned S-Class exotics. It performs well on all tracks. My tuned Ascari with 625 horsepower does 0-60 in 3.384 seconds and 0-100 in 7.305 seconds.
Top Gear Stock S-Class: 1:17.979
Top Gear S-Class (Jones tune): 1:15.590
1995 RUF CTR2
I figured that last month’s inclusion of the insane Yellowbird would be the last we saw of RUF. I was wrong. I expected the CTR2 to be fast and it is. It does 0-60 in 3.128 seconds, 0-100 in 6.953 seconds and boasts a top speed of 223.6 mph. What I didn’t expect was the CTR2’s remarkable handling. I placed fairly well in the July autocross event without the addition of aero, which is unusual for a RUF. Good to go on all tracks.
Top Gear Stock S-Class: 1:19.358
Top Gear S-Class (Jones tune) 1:15.757
2011 McLaren GT MP4-12C GT3
2011 McLaren at Silverstone
It’s nice to finally get a GT version of the MP4, and even nicer to drive it. Fast and extremely grippy, the McLaren does 0-60 in a phenomenal 2.391 seconds and 0-100 in 5.776 seconds with a top end of 184.6 mph. I tuned mine to the top of R3 class, removing restrictors and widening tires, eventually ending up with a 675 horsepower machine that weighs 2710 lbs. The MP4 should run near the front of the pack everywhere but Le Mans.
Top Gear Stock R3-Class: 1:14.162
Top Gear R3-Class (Jones tune): 1:11.341
2012 Mercedes Benz SLK55 AMG
The new SLK55 seems to suffer from an identity crisis: it looks like an SLK from the rear, looks like an SLS from the front, and drives like a POS in stock form. With a little work, while keeping it in A-Class, I was able to drop 7 seconds from the Top Gear lap time. Focus on weight reduction, handling, and tires. My tune runs 0-60 in 3.71 seconds, 0-100 in 9.264 seconds and tops out at 182.7 mph. However, at 3298 lbs she is still a bit heavy. Give the brake pressure an extra 5%-10% and keep it away from hairpins. Maple Valley, Camino Viejo and Nordschleiffe are good track choices for the SLK.
Top Gear Stock A-Class: 1:26.244
Top Gear A-Class (Jones tune): 1:19.218
1954 Jaguar XK120 SE
54 Jag at Nordschleiffe
Top Gear Stock E-Class: 1:35.462
Top Gear B-Class: 1:24.709
1998 Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600
98 Vantage at Odessa Test Track
Top Gear Stock A-Class: 1:25.979
Top Gear A-Class (Jones tune): 1:19.394
2012 Spyker Aileron
Top Gear Stock A-Class: 1:22.586
Top Gear S-Class:1:15.129
The last three cars in the pack are no less noteworthy than the others. The Vantage was surprising competent, but a bit on the ugly side. The Spyker took a bit of tuning, but is a lot of fun to drive. I especially like the Jag: it is a very stylish and deceptively powerful piece of 1950’s English ingenuity.
The Verdict
I have yet to recommend every single car from a Forza car pack...until today. Every single car in this pack is worth having. It’s actually better than the Exotic Car Pack from Forza 3, which was a must have. Half of the cars are brilliant right out of the box. And the other half? Well, tuning is half the fun! This one is 10 out of 10, and it doesn’t get better than that.
