With the release of the 2020 mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette, the dawn of a new era has officially begun.
However, that doesn't mean the story is over the front engine, rear wheel drive models quite yet. First, there are only a few of the new C8's running around (thanks to the UAW strike, production was last reported to be starting in February 2020) and those few are either dealer demos, lucky pre-order customers and/or press cars.
So, if you are wanting a brand new, off the lot C7, you have plenty of time to park one in your driveway/garage (or, you could wait and see if they start to go down in price, since they are now "obsolete"....).
With all things considered, I could pull off getting a 2019 C7 Corvette myself, but there are two things standing in my way. One, it wouldn't be very practical for my purposes. Don't get me wrong here, the fun factor almost overides the fact I could only use it for about half the year and wouldn't be able to go some places my main driver could for work projects.
But number two is the all deciding factor on not getting this vehicle....my wife, nuff said.
Nevertheless, there are other ways I can sorta drive one at least....
I am sure there are more than just a few Lamborghini aficionados that are either in self denial or have blocked out the very existence of the Urus.
Welcome to the era of the SUV, which can trace more modern roots to the 1980's and 1990's, thanks to vehicles like the Jeep Cherokee and Ford Explorer. Nowadays, nearly ever automotive manufacturer is making at least one (even late to the game Ferrari is planning on revealing theirs, called the Purosangue, in 2021), with only a few stubbornly holdouts (like Lotus) remaining.
The aforementioned Jeep Cherokee and Ford Explorer (both bare little aesthetic resemblance to the original models) are the "everyday drivers," where as the Maserati Levante, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Bentley Bentayga occupy the "high end luxury" part of the spectrum.
However, there are a few players in the performance SUV segment, like Mercedes-AMG, BMW M and Audi SQ. Then re-entered Lamborghini....
That's right, the Urus is their second SUV to be introduced to the market, the low production Lamborghini LM002 was the first (manufactured between 1986 and 1993, with about 328 produced).
In the real world, a slightly used Urus is currently beyond my financial reach, si I will go with the only other alternative I have to drive one....
Thanks to a Facebook notification, a major race with one of my favorite "unobtainable cars" was taking place.
Up to this point in my life, I have never owned or even driven an Audi, let alone an R8 in any form.
Despite that, I have played with virtual versions....
....and more than just marveled at the few I have come across in real life.
This isn't the first time I have written about this particular car ( just take a look through the past blog entries here and you will see I spoken about and played a few "virtual" versions of the Audi R8 across a few titles) and no doubt, it won't be the last. I know I will never own one (a little bit outside my car buying budget), but not having one keeps the dream alive (some of you will know what I mean).
Nevertheless, I was inspired by the current running of the 24 Hours at Daytona (at bit of a disappointing performance from this year's entry, the #88 WRT Speedstar Audi Sport
Audi R8 LMS GT3) and looked to Real Racing 3 as an outlet. The upside, I had an Audi R8 variant that would do the job (not as new as the one in this year's race). The downside was Daytona wasn't a selectable track, outside of NASCAR events.
Well, Indianapolis Motor Speedway will have to stand in for that....oversight.
In the words of Jeremy Clarkson, "you can’t be a true petrolhead until you’ve owned an Alfa Romeo."
If you don't know who Jeremy Clarkson is (pictured far right, beside Richard Hammond, middle and James May, left), that's okay.
The original Top Gear was a rather dry and factual based motoring show that first ran from 1977 to cancellation in 2001. An automotive journalist named Jeremy Clarkson came onboard the programme in 1988 and brought a bit of British sarcastic humor to his segments, which made him stand out from the other presents on the show at the time.
12 years later, with slipping rating and presenters leaving for other shows on different networks, the BBC decided to pull the plug on the show. However, Jeremy Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman pitched a revamped Top Gear concept to the BBC and the network took a chance on the idea.
In 2002, the BBC relaunched Top Gear and much to the surprise of everyone, a world wide phenomenon was born, estimated to have been watch by 350 million globally. The short lived spin offs (Top Gear Australia, Top Gear USA and more), the merchandising (just Google "The Stig") and exposure of vehicles rarely seen outside of video games was unprecedented. For thirteen years, Top Gear was a motoring powerhouse both on and off the air.
Then, in 2015, a controversial incident (later settled) between Jeremy Clarkson and one of the show's producing resulted in Clarkson's contract to be terminated, eventually leading to Andy Wilman, James May and Richard Hammond to leave the show and the BBC.
Before the dust would settle, a deal was signed with Amazon and The Grand Tour was created. One could see this new show as "more of the same" from the old, but both shows owe their success to the presenters, Richard Hammond, James May and or course, Jeremy Clarkson.
As of 2020, The Grand Tour is still going strong, but the recent change in format and staggered release of episodes will show if this decision was the right or wrong thing to do. Meanwhile, Top Gear has yet to find a stable cast of presenters, since they are changing out on a yearly basis. After watching a recent episode, the show still has this "lost" feeling for me....
Now, let's be done with the history lecture and move on to The Grand Tour Game.
My lovely wife got this title for me this past Christmas, helping to spurn on my switch from playing tank games and returning back onto virtual roads and tracks. This version is for the Xbox One.
In essence, The Grand Tour Game is a condensed version of the show, where the player gets to do the "driving bits." The performance success or failure during the interactive motoring segments have no influence on the outcome of the episode itself. In other words, getting a Gold Medal or the Toilet changes nothing to how the rest of the experience plays out.
Off the bat, I must say I am a bit disappointed, since I can only play one full season of the show. I find it odd the previous seasons aren't available as options and can't help but wonder why....
The controls are simple enough for causal gamers and the default setup should be familiar enough to those with more experience playing in the genre.
For me, the graphics are a nostalgic throwback to my old Playstation 2 gaming days.
Not this is a bad thing, but if you are coming to this particular title looking for a Gran Turismo or Forza quality visual experience, be ready for some lower resolution disappointment, but it does offer a split-screen, local multiplayer mode, just like the other two titles.
So, here's a quick look at the game and trying my skills at being a petrolhead in an Alfa Romeo GTV6, from "Well Aged Scotch," Season 3 Episode 7....
I can't believe how long it's been since I have played GRID Autosport!
A quick look back through this very blog shows the last time I wrote anything about the game was near the end of 2016. I do remember there were technical issues of the game crashing to the desktop a lot back then and frustrated me into quitting and uninstalling the title.
Now, over 3 years later, let's see if those issues have been resolved properly....
If you are interested in more details or to purchase a copy for your Steam account, check that out here.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one definition of Benchmark is something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged. For me, every mobile game that involves driving and/or racing is benchmarked against Real Racing 3.
Now, before I am attacked for being a shill or a fan boi, all of us are guilty of exercising our comparative nature, it's merely instinct.
It's no different than going out in the real world, to a car dealership and test driving new or different vehicles than what you currently own now. Perhaps, you are evening looking at a new or newer model of what you already have. The comparison process begins once you see what is available and will intensify when you come across something that really piques your interest.
Do you find the exterior to be aesthetically pleasing, from the shade of paint, the style of rims to the very shape of the vehicle? Open the door, is that seat comfortable, does the instrument panel and HVAC controls make sense to you? Is there a learning curve to owning this particular vehicle over and above what you currently own? All of this and you haven't even started the thing for the drive.
You get the idea.
Although I played a few mobile driving/racing games before Real Racing 3, it was this title that brought nearly all the elements together that I was looking for. Vehicle selection, a large variety of tracks, multiple views, a replay function and etc. That biggest standout was the option to simplify the racing experience, by offering auto acceleration and auto braking. The last items might not be for everyone, but they work for me.
So, I tried to match the car, as best I could and found the track. However, I could only do two laps here, as opposed to three laps from the other game....
It has been a long time since I Beta'ed a game and this will be the first time I have done so on a mobile app.
I was lucky enough this past week to find out there was a racing game in development and they were searching for folks to try their progress out and leave feedback. Challenge accepted! Over the past few years, I have "cut my teeth" on some well know mobile titles, such as some from the Need for Speed series (Most Wanted, Shift and No Limits), Real Racing 3 and I believe I gave few from the Asphalt series a try (can't remember which ones specifically, I was disappointed in some of the gameplay and just purged my memory of those episodes).
Needless to say, I bring experience and expectations to this latest venture.
Today was the official launch for Beta Testing and even though I requested to join the Facebook Beta Testing Group just a short while ago, I was still accepted in and received the download link for the APK file, installed the game and checked things out.
Have a look at the following video, captured on my Huawei P30 Lite, showing the various menu/gameplay options, loading screens/cinematics and gameplay from three different perspectives....
Despite being in "fullscreen mode," the Android triangle circle square are clearly visible.
So, what do I like about this early Beta version? I shall start from the top down.
I love the overcast sky and hope it eventually leads into weather effects, or at least variable, atmospheric conditions. Not all races take place under sunshine and clear, blue skies. The mini-map, timings and metrics are easy enough to read, so I would just leave those alone.
The track is exceptionally rendered. I know it's Suzuka International Racing Course (they don't say this) in the Mie Prefecture (yes, I know it says that part) from Japan, I have seen other interpretations of this place in other games and I like the version here. The buildings, fence-lines and barriers, the grass, all of it was very well done. Even the main road-course is textured to be believable.
The car is an unlicensed, mild mashup of a few recognizable track stars, however, the defining shape and essence of the Porsche GT2/Ruf RTRis very apparent. Once again, very well rendered and I look forward to improvements and later additions.
Now, there is only one thing I don't particularly like about this stage of the game, cornering.
Although there a few ways to customize the racing experience in terms of how to drive the car, I stuck with auto acceleration/auto-braking, based on my Real Racing 3 habits. For Project:Racer, this turning into a gamble with 50/50 odds. The best way I can describe what I was subjected to was a front wheel drive car, trying to turn a corner, with bald tires on wet pavement. The over-steer and loss of traction was horrendous and it took a few races to get a better feel for mitigating it, but never truly eliminating it.
So, other than one major point of contention (for me anyways), I think this title is off to a very good start indeed.
If you are curious about the game, check out the Project:Racer on Instagram here or their Facebook page there, or request to join the Closed Beta Tester Group here.
Although I usually make gameplay videos, I have been wanting to expand into the real world when it comes to vehicles, drivers and conditions for a long time now. Something along the lines of Jay Leno's Garage, Top Gear and The Grand Tour (just to name a few).
Like a lot of other folks, I have used the most readily available equipment on hand, my cellphone, to capture still shots and short movies. Despite the advancement of cellphone technology during this century alone, I have read and been told that dedicated cameras can offer up better options for improved quality.
The trouble is I am confusing "cheap" with "on a budget."
Exhibit "A."
On sale at Princess Auto (a little bit of everything store, including automotive accessorizes) for only $19.99 CDN (regularly priced at $34.99), the ADURO DVC 300 appeared to be a low cost solution for one of my camera needs. I was hooked on the sale price, the packaging had a "professional" look to it and the specs seemed to be adequate. All in all, other than a Micro-SD card (which I had), it seemed to be "out of the box" ready to go.
Mounting on the windshield of my Mitsubishi RVR was a snap, although the hanging power cord looked a little on the unprofessional side (no, I wasn't going to spend an extra minute or two to tuck it out of view). I read through the instructions to quickly learn how the thing worked and discovered there was quite a few complicated finger/button tricks to perform what I considered to be simple functions, like removing the date before recording. After a few minutes of trial and a lot of error, I decided to just test the whole system out and see the results....
I guess the upside is I only paid $19.99 CDN (not including taxes) for it, so I am not nearly as upset as I would have been paying the full price.
As I commented in the video, changing the resolution from VGA to 720p made no difference in perceived video quality or speed. The audio not keeping in step with the video was the biggest letdown and I don't see how that problem could have been resolved (short of running any captured footage through a video editing program to match it all up, or close to it).
One issue I didn't mention was the recordings were in 3 minute segments and I couldn't find away to change that (the capture clips rolled into each other, meaning as long as the camera detected motion, the next segment starting picked right up after the one ending).
The quality of the camera itself was sketchy. I felt if I squeezed it just a bit too hard, it was going to snap or my finger would get cut up going through it. As for the user interface, (not a touchscreen, you have to click through the buttons and pray it does what you want it to) it was a frustrating experience and I doubt few out there would have the patience to push through in an attempt to achieve the desired (if available) setting results.
I think I will end this disappointing experience by packing this setup back into the box and dropping it off at a Goodwill Store or Value Village.
This was considered by many to be the "Holy Grail" of all auto finds.
However, there were two Highland Green 390 GT Mustangs used in the iconic movie Bullitt.
The first one to be rediscovered was the stunt car, used for the jumping scenes on the San Francisco streets and the infamous motor-soundtrack chase scene. Pictured above when first found in 2017, there wasn't much left of the car, having been badly damaged during filming, later repaired and gone through many paint jobs over the years, before winding up in a scrapyard in Mexico’s Baja region.
Nearly becoming another “Eleanor” replica from 2000's "Gone in 60 Seconds," it was saved from that fate through a vehicle identification number check, later to be verified and confirmed as the missing stunt car from the movie.
However, the car can't be restored to completely original, since the factory motor, transmission and various other components are long since missing. At the time of this posting, it isn't clear how far along in the restoration they are. Read about all of this in more detail here.
But, what about the other car?
Well, the "Hero" car, used for close ups and slow, normal driving, was recently sold by Mecum Auctions in Kissimmee, Florida. This running, over 90% original car was purchased by an undisclosed buyer for $3.7 million dollars! Read the story and specs here.
In all honesty, if I had this car, they would have to bury me in it when my time came.
Across a lot of the social media platforms, the sale of the "Hero" car, especially the price point has brought out almost all the trolls from under their bridges. Take the above example, I am getting the distinct feeling the guy just hates Mustangs, or had a bad Ford experience and holds all of the nameplates in ill will.
However, once I checked his profile, I saw he "proudly owned" a modified Mazda Miata, so I changed my opinion to reflect the fact he probably tried to race a Mustang and got his ass handled to him real good and his ego won't him recover from that.
Real Racing 3 doesn't have a Ford Mustang 390 GT, so I will have to settle for the 1967 Shelby GT 500 instead. Also, no San Francisco to pick from, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will be my California location.
A quick "corner battle" scene between a Ferrari 512S and Porsche 917K from the 1971 film, Le Mans.
I can't say specifically when I saw this cult classic for the first time, but I was very, very young and it was on TV when I should have been in bed. Despite that, I do remember that Gulf livery Porsche, the colors, the sound it made, the very shape of the vehicle....my first love?
As I mentioned in another article, I might sit down and compare this movie with Ford V Ferrari/Le Mans '66, since they both take in the same era and at the same place (both are good movies in their own rights).
An interesting fact to share is it was only ten months time from when Porsche started the 917 project was started to a industry stunning win the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, it wasn't any of the Gulf livery cars from the movie of the same name....
....it was the red and white #23 driven by Richard Attwood.
The late 90's through early 2000's was a retrospective in motion era for the automotive industry.
I believe Volkswagen kicked things off when they brought back the Beetle. BMW introduced the Z8, which borrowed every design influence from the legendary 507. The Fiat 500, Dodge Challenger, the relaunched Chevrolet Camaro and on and on.
Ford was also on the bandwagon, with the short lived return of the Thunderbird, the 5th Generation Mustang and lastly, the Ford GT. I hardly see 11th Generation Thunderbirds, 2005 to 2014 Mustangs are plentiful enough, since there are just another mass produced, used car at this point (with exceptions to Special and Limited Editions) and I catch a time-or-two glimpse at the few Ford GT's that are running around where I live.
The one pictured at the top of this page was at a local car show this past summer, the other was literally parked on the side of a street. It was the Gulf livery inspired GT that I was thinking about when I saw Ford v Ferrari (also know as Le Mans '66 in other countries)....
It turns out that seeing the movie might have been a bit of a "memory correction" for me, I had always thought the first Ford GT40's used those colors. Technically, the car driven by Ken Miles shared similar hues, just not the Gulf look.
Then again, I could be letting the memory of one of my favorite "track movies," 1971's Le Mans with the late, great Steve McQueen, leak into my movie watching experience. I do love that Gulf-Porsche 917K.
Perhaps I will do a side by side comparison/review of both movies someday.
Real Racing 3 doesn't currently have the original 1966 Ford GT40, so I went with the 2005 version. Sadly, there was an option for the Gulf livery and I didn't feel up to the task of trying to replicate it with my humble set of vinyling skills, so I selected the State Farm livery and hit the same track used in both movies mentioned above....
As much as the Ferrari marque is revered by an untold number of people around the world, there are only a few models they ever produced that did anything for me.
The car I am standing next to, the modern Ferrari 488 Spider, can trace it's evolutionary roots all the way back to the V8 powered Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS (which is one of those favorite cars on my list from this Italian car maker) from the mid-70's. In fact, the F8 Tributo has replaced this car in the current "Prancing Horse" lineup.
Powered by a 3.9 Litre, twin-turbocharged V8, it produces 661 horsepower at 8000 rpm and 561 lb-ft of torque at 3000 rpm (by contrast, the old naturally aspirated 2.9 Litre V8 in the 308GTB/GTS put out 252 horsepower at 7500 rpm and 210 lb-ft of torque at 5000 rpm, less than half for both specs). If both cars were parked side by side, the would nearly compliment each other in size (one would be a touch wider, the other a touch longer, you get the idea).
Sadly, I can't show you what this car would be like in Real Racing 3, since a 488 Spider isn't available. There is the previous model, the 458 Spider, which will just have to do....
I has been well over a year since I wrote about any kind of automotive related stuff here, so I will bring you up to speed on what's gone on since.
In the real world, I still have my 2015 Mitsubishi RVR that I bought back in June, 2018. Overall, I haven't really driven it much, since it's only sporting less than 40,000 kilometers (under 25,000 miles for you other folks) and I don't have any major issues to report (a oddly loose driver's door mirror, something I will point out with the dealership on a future visit).
On the mobile gaming front, my old Motorola Nexus 6 was starting to get really slow. With the then latest update to the Android OS and cluttered with a ton of apps and files, the poor phone wasn't processing things as fast as when I first got it (I tried multiple optimizing programs, dumped a ton of pictures and uninstalled programs to make room, but without the ability to expand the memory....).
Needless to say, it was time to get something new and despite all the bad press in the media, I went with a Huawei P30 Lite. With a fast processor, 128 gigs of internal memory (and the option to expand it through MicroSD cards) and a wide screen, it seemed to be the right choice to go with (and the price was right too!).
Now, I didn't install Real Racing 3 right away, I wanted to be sure the phone was living up to all the good reviews I was reading. Believing my experience was on par with the positive raves, I downloaded the game and noticed in my absence, they added the Bugatti EB110 (around 7 months after I stopped playing). Well now, they put my favorite all time car (that I will never own in real life and last drove a virtual version in Forza Motorsport 6 ) into a game I have played, off and on, for nearly 6 years?
