Forza Horizon: The RAGE of the RACER

Forza Horizon's January RECARO Car Pack is out now and to begin, there is one car in the pack that tickles my fancy, if you know what I mean? First and foremost, I once tried the supercharged Evora S, which is the pinnacle of the Lotus range but for some fans they want something lighter because that's what Lotuses are made of. Luckily though, help is at hand because there's now a Lotus that combines big power and lighter weight and here's the result....

A supercharged V6 Toyota engine in a light car...

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the new Lotus Exige S, the V6 model, not the one that has a Toyota Celica engine from the past. Anyway, this is one of the cars from the January RECARO Car Pack that tickles my fancies because this feels just right. Big power in a light car equals a total recipe of RAGE for the RACER within. Sure you'll gonna get people noticing you and then they'll say "teach this sucker a lesson.", "Move out!", "Don't you know how to drive?", "I like your style, kid...", "Excellent cornering!", and the feedback from others just goes on and on but it doesn't matter because what I got here is a Lotus that will make me happy...VERY happy because a supercharged 3.5L V6 Toyota engine in a lightweight car made in Hethel, Norfolk is just what I want to drive in the world of Forza.

Teach this sucker a lesson...

By the moment I drove this brand-new pinnacle of the Lotus range, first impressions isn't going to be a nice one but as I long I got addicted to the V6 Exige, we're going to have a long-distance relationship between me and the Norfolk-built car with a V6 Toyota engine on it but that will be wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey for that. Anyway, thanks to such big V6 engine on it, I was expecting that the weight is now doubled and yes...sort of because by the data, it's now 500 pounds more than the previous Exige but despite its added weight, it can get me through 60 in four seconds and it can do 170mph on a straight line...just. In terms of handling, thanks to being a lightweight Lotus despite a bulky engine on it, it's just so great to handle. It's not hard to master and it doesn't matter if you're not concentrating. It is as emotional as a gloomy schoolgirl but it is as serious as a professional racer who want to brag everything at the luncheon and if by luncheon, mmmm....luncheon meat...

This has some screen presence on it!

What I also like about the new Exige S V6 is its presence, it's "screen presence" if you know what I mean because in my thoughts, the closing credits from a classic video game titled Rage Racer are gonna look good if I was going to parodize it with my might. Maybe a little AMV or a MAD would do but still, it looks fantastically gorgeous, it kinda reminiscent of the fictitious Fatalita from either Rage Racer or the PSV version of Ridge Racer. Is it just me or am I saying it too far?

A very aggressive corner muncher

But still, I love this car. Even though this car's just unfit for my height, I still love this car, all that zany personality, the lightweight body, the bulky engine, the race-focused cockpit, everything, especially its presence at Forza Horizon. This is going to be my favorite car in Horizon for the month of January.

Forza 4 Head to Head: Sushi vs. Hamburger

THIS IS SUSHI VS. HAMBURGER!!

We got so many cars in Forza 4 we haven't tried yet on the Top Gear Test Track so instead of putting one car each, why not do a little head-to-head like some other car magazines do?

This is sushi vs. hamburger! He he he, sorry about that. Must have been watching too much Top Gear but whatever, I've watched an episode of Top Gear when Jeremy Clarkson races the Exige against a Ford Mustang, which was driven by The Stig. Anyway, what I have here is the same kind of cars as seen on Top Gear but they're a bit different. What I have here is a 2005 Ford Mustang GT and a 2006 Lotus Exige Cup 240.

First off, the 2005 Ford Mustang GT. When it was launched, this generation ushered a revival of old-school muscle car designs. That was first. I mean look at it, it kinda reminds me of the first Mustang ever made. Because of the fact that Ford never implemented independent suspension to the Mustang, the handling's a bit too challenging. With such an old-school suspension instead of the independent suspension, you can almost feel that the 2005 Mustang is too much dynamic in terms of handling. Dynamic but challenging, that's one of my philosophy when it comes to checking out the car's handling.

Despite being DYNAMIC, what appreciates me is the noise coming out of the 4.6L V8 engine. Just listen to that noise, you wouldn't believe that this is the noise scientists believed that this is going to be far worse to your eardrums but hey, we all like a bonkers muscle.

Anyway, enough chitter chatter, let's see how good is this car...

...the 2005 Ford Mustang GT crossed the line in 1.32.745.

Now, let's move from hamburger to sushi with the Exige Cup 240.

Back in Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson drove the Exige and he said that it can out-maneuver an Apache helicopter right until to the part that it got locked on and it's over. Later on, he jumped through the Exige S and it defeated the Ford Mustang. This was like sushi vs. hamburger.

Anyway, about this car, the Series 2 Exige, which is a hardcore hardtop version of the Series 2 Elise, was launched in 2004 and it comes with a 1.8L Toyota engine (2ZZ-GE) from the Celica, which produces 190HP of power.

In 2005, a special edition 240R was launched and it was limited up to 50 units, powered by a supercharged version of the 2ZZ-GE engine, which churns out 243HP of power and it was available in yellow or black, representing the colors of Lotus Sport.

Lotus Sport developed track-ready versions of the Exige dubbed as Cup and Cup 240, which were stripped-out versions of the 2006MY Exige, which has no luxury equipement in exchange for uprated clutch, sports exhaust, adjustable suspension, uprated brakes, limited slip differential, switchable traction control, a T45 steel roll-over hoop and Aframe with harness mounts, fuel and ignition kill switches and a fully plumbed in fire extinguisher system.

Anyway, enough analogy for now and into that car. Because this is the Cup 240, the interior's getting some scaffolding and yes, the luxury equipment is gone all in the name of lightweight and for the handling, unlike the Mustang, it isn't a bit too challenging and dynamic. It's just so easy, it's not a hard car. You can brake later, turn harder, and get on the power sooner than the Mustang. Lightweight cars are notoriously fun to drive than heavyweights but let's see how good is this...Exige.



...and the Lotus Cup 240 crossed the line in 1.24.514 so it's better than the 2005 Mustang GT!

NORFOLK - 1   DETROIT - 0

Frankly, the results aren't surprising because stuff sold by gram is always being more exciting than stuff sold by pound. As observed, it seems that small and light cars are more exciting to drive in every different ways. The Exige though, it is the triumph of British engineering.

Lotus Exige S V6

The power of three...what could possibly be? I'm not sure if we do live in the year of the slow invasion but anyway, that would be too wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey spacey-wasey to talk about that later so, for a three's a crowd, we found one that is worth THE POWER OF THREE...

2012 Lotus Exige S

Some people thought that the Lotus Exige is probably a hardtop hardcore version of the Lotus Elise but for this one, NOT ANYMORE IT ISN'T!

Welcome everybody to the all new Lotus Exige S, the hardcore hardtop Lotus now made even better and for starters, the Toyota engine that used to power the old Celica was been thrown away and replaced with the supercharged 3.5L V6 Toyota engine first applied on the Lotus Evora S. So then, what you're looking up here is a lightweight V6 rage racer. It does 0-100kph at around 3.8 seconds and flatout, it can crack it up to 271kph, about 6kph less than the Lotus Evora S.

Yes, I may want to call it a "rage racer" because look at it, from every angle, this new Exige S looks absolutely enraging. Even though it looks enraging, it's about as elegant as Takane Shijou and for the fun of it, this is about as real as the fictitious Fatalita. Look at the bodywork. If you manage to put some Fatalita livery on it, this is just astonishing and truly an envy of your crowd.

Of course, with all that beauty of a Ridge Racer do come with a price. Because the Exige is all about being a serious lightweight car with a Japanese V6 engine on it, the interior is all about being race-focused and what I expect here is the speedometer. It looks kinda like the one from the Evora. Sure it has an audio but I don't care about it. I don't care about the racer-focused interior. What matters here is the Exige S V6's elegance. Think of it as...Takane Shijou in Christie Monteiro's outfit. Here we go...

When I said Takane Shijou in Christie Monteiro's costume, I really do mean it because the handling is just fantastic for a car that weighs about two tons, about as similar as the Lotus Elise. It's not as mild as a luxury car and it's not as dynamic as an American muscle car. The handling is well balanced and easy to drive because of its lightweight body. Couple that with the 6-speed close ratio manual transmission and this car is a bit more fun. This car is not made for the noobs everywhere because this car's a serious track-day racer, doing the capoeira in every single corner. It is a good car but what about being an everyday car?

Sadly though, it isn't. Sure, the Exige may be track-ready and road legal but with all that sports suspension mounted on the Exige S V6, I'm sorry to say that you'll be going to have a very uncomfortable feeling. It maybe elegant on the track but on the road, this is a different story because when you use this car while going out on a date, this is a bit more wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey spacey-wasey and your girlfriend might think that you're driving a car that scares her the most. Funny thing is, there's no power steering. That's it.

Despite all that bonkers technology, this is really the Lotus I like. I am gladly want to ditch the Evora S for this because the Evora's too heavy and too complicating because of the monitor that I can't read in the sunshine. This car, it's all about THE POWER OF THREE. That is by being lighter, powerful, and aggressive than the old Exige.

Photo: Group Lotus

Guys, meet the Lotus Cortina...

Now when I wasn't born yet and my mommy is still a kid, there was a kind of car that was made in the 1960's and it was proven to be a performance car icon. This classic you can find on Forza Motorsport 4's Top Gear Car Pack is known to be the DADDY OF SUPER SALOONS.

The Good Old Days...

This is the Ford Lotus Cortina. First produced in 1963 and it's only available in White with Sherwood Green stripe. It started out in life as a Mk1 Ford Cortina but Lotus performed some modifications on it, which includes the steering, suspension, 1500cc twin-cam engine, and a speedo that reads up to 140mph. This Lotus-tuned 1500cc engine produces 105HP, which is twice the power of the normal Ford Cortina. 0-60mph time of 10 seconds and a top speed of 108mph, meaning that the needle won't reach up to the limit. Despite that, this Lotus engine that give life to the modified Ford Cortina still harbors a spirit that best kept for Lotus.Cars. Not only power enhancements are involved but weight loss is also a part of the Lotus Cortina courtesy of aluminum doors and aluminum hood, 20kg less than the normal Ford Cortina but remember, this is much lighter than its rivals. Think about it, if you put it with a drag race against the Austin Healey 3000 Mk III, sorry to say that the Cortina will kick the Healey because it's lighter than the Austin Healey.

Scenic Route with the Cortina. How lovely...

Most car magazines praised the Lotus Cortina due to its striking performance and with the gearbox derived from the Lotus Elan, rumor has it that it can hit nearly 50mph in first gear and 70 in 2nd gear. Those Forza faithfuls who tried the Cortina really liked its gearbox because of its accuracy and the handling that is somewhat not so bad. It's not so skittish, it's not so unstable, it's as delicate as a piano concerto. In the race between power and size, this Lotus Cortina is not to shabby on that situation.

An icon steps in the Top Gear Track

For some delicious tidbits, the Cortina was heavily involved in motorsports. It was homologated to 1000 units and its race debut was in the Oulton Park Gold Cuo where it finished 3rd and 4th. In 1964, the Lotus Cortina led Jim Clark won the British Saloon Car Championship. That's not all, racers Jackie Stewart and Mike Beckwith became victors of the Marlboro 12-hour race. A 1-2 victory by Alan Mann Racing at the Motor 6 hour International Touring Car Race at Brands Hatch is just another example of Lotus Cortina-related wins.

There are so many stories involved about the Lotus Cortina taking part in motorsports, even rallying, but with this, this has the best racing pedigree than you can possibly imagine. A Ford Cortina retooled by Lotus, this is just something we admire and we love to call it a legend.

Welcome Back: 2009 Lotus Evora

Just like what Jeremy Clarkson did on Top Gear

Lotus Dress Shop returned on Forza Motorsport 4. If you said "Lotus Dress Shop", blame it on Clarkson for calling it for the Lotus Evora. With no major changes occurred, I often used the Lotus Evora with multiple strategies in mind. Let's put it with this; if the Evora comes with the 6-speed manual transmission, I'll just put it on "MANUAL W/CLUTCH" but I need to be alert while shifting gears because pressing the Clutch is required before switching gears, otherwise, I might damage the transmission. When I'm thinking about the Lotus Evora S (the supercharged Evora), I should just fit a supercharger on the Evora's V6 engine so it can act like the Evora S. What about the Evora IPS? By my research, the IPS is the Evora that comes with a 6-speed automatic + manual mode. Play the Evora on AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and it should be enough but for something, I'll play the Evora on MANUAL TRANSMISSION. The Lotus Evora is built for strategy from the driver in mind and this applies the same thing on Forza Motorsport 4.

Guess I should drive the Lotus Evora at the Top Gear Test Track anyway...

Richard Hammond tries out the iconic Lotus Carlton

Lotus Carlton at Top Gear Test Track

*Image shown for illustrative purposes only

At the December 2011 issue of Top Gear (UK), Richard Hammond tries out the legendary Lotus Carlton round the Top Gear Test Track.

Check it out: http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/richard-hammond-drives-lotus-carlton-top-gear-2011-12-07

The days of being an AMBUSH VEHICLE

Song played on my Personal BGM: The Man With The Harmonica by Ennio Morricone

From the Album: Once Upon A Time In The West OST

The hunter becomes the hunted...

I first laid my eyes on the Lotus Carlton by a Playstation2 game titled The Getaway: Black Monday, where the Lotus Carlton was used as a gang car by Viktor Skobel's goons for ambushing main protagonist Eddie O'Connor wherever he goes. I see, this Lotus Carlton was the most murdered-out rides I have ever saw on Black Monday but this gang car used by Skobel's henchmen carried on to some video games, especially Gran Turismo 5 where I am talking about it. So what's a Lotus Carlton?

Making amends at the Top Gear Test Track

The Lotus Carlton was a modified version of the Vauxhall Carlton (Great Britain equivalent of the Opel Omega) 3.0 Si 20V and since its arrival as a 1990 model, it was a huge sensation because this was the fastest super sedan ever made with the collaboration of Vauxhall and Lotus. On the front, you'll see the old Vauxhall logo on while on the side, you'll see some Lotus logos on it (one on the left side and one on the right side). At the back, the words "LOTUS" and "CARLTON" spelled it out. It uses a modified 3.6L 6-cylinder C36GET engine and a 6-speed manual ZF transmission sourced from the old Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. One majestic idea about the Lotus Carlton was it's powered with twin turbos and that makes it one of the most ultimate masterpieces in the past.

Absurdly the most fastest sports sedan ever made...

In the hands on owner, he/she can murder out with tuning parts and services to bring this murdered-out super saloon up to 700HP of power, 1347kg of weight, and 565 Performance Points. When Traction Control is not an issue, the Carlton is one heck of a wild ride. It's amazing that this was the most sinister-looking ride enthusiasts would ever indulge on it. I am glad when I sit inside the driver seat of the Lotus Carlton, I felt like I'm driving like Viktor Skobel's goons while gunning down Eddie O'Connor. Whoever owns it must have mattered it for some risk-taking procedures. It was the only 4-door sedan that exceeds the limits of the top speed of over 280km/h.

Ambushed by Viktor Skobel's henchmen driving
the Lotus Carlton! Watch out! They're heavily armed!

The Royal Society For The Prevention of Accidents called the Lotus Carlton a high speed safety hazard. The Association of Chief Police Officers said about the Lotus Carlton was an outrageous invitation to speed. It even caused a top speed outrage in the 1990's when BMW and Mercedes-Benz decided to limit their high-performance cars to 250km/h of top speed but the Carlton pushed against the barriers of the speed limit. No wonder the Russians on The Getaway: Black Monday, used the Lotus Carlton for ambush purposes against Eddie O'Connor, but enough what I said. The Lotus Carlton was one heck of a collector's item on GT5. You gonna love the way the Lotus Carlton reacts but the reality of being not equipped with TCS and ABS is one heck of a minor drawback but still it's worth a try to master the fastest super saloon that was preferred by the "Thieves In Law" for ambush purposes on Black Monday.

Lotus Evora

The question for sports car enthusiasts is, is this a next-generation Lotus Elise? Or is that the return of the Lotus Esprit? There is one big answer to these two questions: a plain solid NO. The truth is, this is neither an Elise nor the Esprit (which is gone a few years ago). This is the new age Lotus sports car named Evora. The Evora name remains the Lotus legacy of having their car names start with the letter E such as the Elise and the Europa and its Lotus' newest kind of sports car to bat out the likes of the Chevrolet Camaro and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe in the face of the diminishing sports car industry today.
How well do you know the Lotus Evora? Here’s a quick glimpse of this new age sports car;

1) Hydraulic-assisted power steering for some full cornering at all places, including city roads.

2) Interior features such as a flat-bottomed steering wheel, Air Conditioner, and a choice of an ALPINE sound system or an optional navigation system to reach the places of your choice.

3) Adjustable Recaro sports seats (optional for the 2+2seater variant.)

4) Modular lightweight bonded aluminium structure

5) Suspension system thanks to Bilstein

6) Powered with Toyota’s 2GR-FE 3.5-litre engine (found on the Toyota Alphard and the Lexus RX350) which has the maximum output of over 280PS at the fuel economy of 13.8km/L thanks to its fuel and CO2 emissions.

7) Superior braking system.

NEED TO SAY IT?
If you have no idea what this sports car was, well think twice before you encounter this new kind of sports car from the British sports car manufacturer. It might be new to the weakened market today but it sure packs a huge blast among sports car enthusiasts from all over the world. Aside from its good looks, enhanced suspension, good braking, and the performance you can almost had it with your old sports car.

Source: http://leopauldelr.multiply.com/reviews/item/119