Jaz Rignall, gamesplayer extrodinare, lends his tips to the Gran Turismo experience.
THE GRAN TURISMO ULTIMATE GUIDE
Part 3. What, you want more?
NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R VSPEC
MITSUBISHI '95 GTO MR
REAR WHEEL DRIVE
TOYOTA SUPRA RZ
CHRYSLER VIPER GTS
TVR GRIFFITH BLACKPOOL B340
HONDA NSX TYPE S ZERO
MAZDA RX-7 A-SPEC
SOARER 2.5 GT-T VVT-I
STOCK-DERIVED RACING CARS
FRONT WHEEL DRIVE
MAZDA DEMIO A-SPEC
HONDA CRX SiR
HONDA PRELUDE SiR
MITSUBISHI FTO GP VERSION R
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE
SUBARU '96 IMPREZA WRX-STi III
SUBARU '94 IMPREZA WAGON
MITSUBISHI LANCER GSR EVOLUTION IV
NISSAN '89 SKYLINE GT-R
MITSUBISHI '95 GTO MR
REAR WHEEL DRIVE
TOYOTA SUPRA RZ
NISMO GT-R LM
TVR GRIFFITH 500
HONDA NSX TYPE S ZERO
SPECIAL RACE CARS AND LIMITED EDITION RACE CARS
FOUR WHEEL DRIVE
SUBARU RALLY EDITION
MITSUBISHI FTO LM EDITION
MITSUBISHI GTO LM
REAR WHEEL DRIVE
HONDA DEL SOL LM
MAZDA RX-7 A-SPEC LM
MAZDA RX-7 LM
NISSAN SILVIA LM
TOYOTA CHASER LM
CHRYSLER CONCEPT CAR
CHRYSLER VIPER GTS-R
TOYOTA CASTROL SUPRA GT
HONDA NSX-R GT2 TURBO
THE BEST CAR IN THE GAME
TVR CERBERA LM
Power: 941 ps
Weight: 2885 lb
This Skyline makes the list thanks to the fact that it's the most powerful car in the game. If screaming out of corners with all four wheels spinning is your thing, this car must not be missed. The downside of this warp-speed accelerating car is its weight - if you want to keep this car on the road, you have to get on the brakes early. However, once you get the measure of its balance, you can four wheel drift through corners at speed, and then use its lunatic power to burst out of the bend with all four wheels spinning. Truly one of the Gran Turismo greats.
Power: 930 hp
Weight: 3203 lb
This car's just too heavy for most twisting courses, but for the Mega Speed race it's excellent. Particularly on the oval test track, where it's really at home. Just remember to brake very early, and don't try to throw this car through the bends - you'll just end up plowing off the track.
Power: 910 hp
Weight: 2828 lb
If lurid tail slides are your thing, this insane rear wheel driver is definitely one for you. It's a heavy motor, so get on the brakes early for corners, and only pour the power on when the car is balanced and ready to go in a straight line, otherwise you'll find yourself facing traffic within a heartbeat. Other than that, have fun - this car has phenomenal straight line acceleration, and can get serious air on tracks with jumps, like Deep Forest's straightaway.
Power: 578 hp
Weight: 2526 lb
As smooth as rear wheel drive cars get, this vehicle's supremely fat tires enables it to get the power down comfortably, and makes sliding it through corners a breeze. It's not as fast as a souped-up Supra, but it's far more controllable and it has exceptional midrange acceleration.
Power: 430 hp
Weight: 1820 lb
If you're getting good at the game and are after a challenging car that'll reward and delight, this is the one to try. Just don't buy it straight away. It's very powerful and very light, which makes it very susceptible to spinouts if the power is gotten on to early. But learn to brake right, to balance the car right through corners and when to get the power on and you'll find a record breaker in the making.
Power: 534 hp
Weight: 2182 lb
Like it is in its stock form, this is a very easy and forgiving car to drive - it takes an unskilled baboon with no finesse to get it out of shape. It's extremely fast, has very impressive top end and is comfortable on pretty much any track in the game. An excellent all-rounder and a good one to choose early on in your career as a Gran Turismo driver.
Power: 527 hp
Weight: 2286 lb
The RX-7, thanks to its reasonable weight and quick steering, is a fun driver. Just remember to keep those revs high, as it delivers its power at the top end of the rev band. As usual with rear wheel drive cars, watch for that early power-on or you'll be waltzing down the track making beautiful clouds of smoke as you spin.
Power: 789 hp
Weight: 2923 lb
This one's in here thanks to the fact that it's great fun to drive. It's heavy, it has relatively thin tires and it has lots of power. Which means one thing - lots of tail-sliding, tire-shredding sideways-slideways action. The Soarer isn't the car to choose if you want to break records, but if you're looking to impress, or want to indulge in a little exhibition driving, this car's fun, fun, fun.
Lighter, more nimble and gripper than their stock-tuned counterparts, stock- derived race cars are a total blast to drive. One thing to remember when you're deciding whether to upgrade to a race car or not is that you can actually do this relatively cheaply and still keep your stock-tuned car. Buy the same model and take it racing. But don't race it - select "change parts" from the menu and you'll be able to select every option you've already bought for your other car - for free (and it's a permanent thing too, as long as you save the game)! The only things you need to buy are port polishing, rebore and the three stages of aerodynamics (and, occasionally and for an inexplicable reason on some models, the brake controller). Then, all you have to do is buy the racing body and you have two different class cars at cut-rate price.
Power: 211 hp
Weight: 1210 lb
The racing version of this is even more insane and, with practice, you can actually flip this car onto two wheels on the straights!
Power: 259 hp
Weight: 1430 lb
Faster, smoother and more predictable than its stock counterpart, this pocket rocket sure does fly.
Power: 378 hp
Weight: 1977 lb
Easier to manage than the stock-tuned version, just watch for its tendency to spin its wheels on every corner.
Power: 364 hp
Weight: 1697 lb
Here's the game's ultimate front wheel drive car. Fantastically responsive and extremely fast, this is the easiest car in the game to drive at insane speeds.
Power: 494 hp
Weight: 1935 lb
A fabulous rally car that's razor sharp and controllably quick.
Power: 567 hp
Weight: 2030 lb
Faster, but slightly less manageable than the STi III, this car rewards the skilled driver.
Power: 492 hp
Weight: 2142 lb
Similar characteristics to stock-tuned, but obviously faster and more responsive.
Power: 913 hp
Weight: 2268 lb
If you thought the stock-tuned version was mad, this version should be locked up and given sedatives. Watch it on tight, closed-in courses - if you're not careful you'll be bouncing off the walls.
Power: 930 hp
Weight: 2665 lb
Here's the car to break top speed records with, particularly if you're willing to fiddle with its setup.
Power: 910 hp
Weight: 2396 lb
The fatter tires of the racing body conversion makes this a lot more controllable, and it's able to put the power down better, which means it's even quicker in a straight line.
Power: 860 hp
Weight: 2506 lb
This car, earned by winning the 30-lap R11 II race, is rather disappointing in stock and stock-tuned form. But it comes into its own when you slap a racing body into it - it's lighter and more powerful than the Special Edition Nismo GT-R LM that costs 50m credits! Very highly recommended.
Power: 430 hp
Weight: 1565 lb
Just like it is in its other forms, this TVR is one for Gran Turismo masters. It's a blinder if you have the ability - an uncontrollable nightmare if you don't.
Power: 534 hp
Weight: 1873 lb
Even easier to drive than stock-tuned, this is a car that's highly recommended to beginners looking to step up from stock-level racing.
Here's where the racing goes from fast to warp speed. All the following cars are "pure" racers. Each has exceptional scope for tuning and most of them are supremely competitive. The 50,000,000 credit Special Model cars are obviously fast, but the game's best cars are actually ones that you can win. Here's a complete list of all of the pure racing cars in the game - strap your seatbelt on and get ready for the ride of your life.
Power: 575 hp
Weight: 2160 lb
Simply, the best there is for tight courses like Autumnring (mini and regular) and the Special Stages, this rally car is blisteringly fast thanks to its incredibly close gear ratios, and it's incredibly responsive - you can literally hurl it through corners. On the high speed courses, you have to increase its final drive ratio, otherwise you'll find the car hitting its rev limiter way to early.
Power: 541 hp
Weight: 2050 lb
One of the Gran Turismo greats, this is the best all-round car in the game. Light, incredibly easy and forgiving to drive, sporting excellent acceleration, responsive pickup across the rev band and fast steering, this is a car that you can really cane the nuts off without worrying about crashing every few seconds. It's not as quick as some other cars, but because of its ease of use is ideal for beating the endurance races.
Power: 604 hp
Weight: 2821 lb
This is a fairly easy to drive car thanks to its great grip and acceleration - as long as you brake and accelerate without spinning the tires. If you're a sucker for tail sliding, you'll find this will punish you due to its poor low- down pickup. Not a car for twisty courses, this one lives for open, high speed tracks.
Power: 563 hp
Weight: 1962 lb
A very light, very powerful car that's extremely stable thanks to its mid- engine configuration. Its acceleration is road-ripplingly fast and it can be thrown into corners at speed. Just watch for mid-corner oversteer at high speed.
Power: 570 hp
Weight: 2314 lb
A decent car that's good all round and has excellent cornering ability. Watch for mid-corner oversteer and keep the engine spinning and this will see you right. Get it wrong and well, you should know the score by now.
Power: 596 hp
Weight: 2116 lb
With more power, less weight and fatter tires than the A-Spec LM, this is by far the ultimate RX-7. It's exceptionally fast, corners at unbelievable speed thanks to the sheer amount of rubber in contact with the road and has outstanding acceleration, making it one of the best 50m Special Editions in the game.
Power: 536 hp
Weight: 2116 lb
Another excellent rear wheel drive car that offers great handling and good all-round speed. Not as quick as some of the other racing cars, but that's not to say that it's an incredibly fast, highly enjoyable racer.
Power: 655 hp
Weight: 2777 lb
This, the heaviest Limited Edition racing car in the game, is fun to drive, but it has a tendency to understeer. A good beginners car, but not one to stick with if you have record-breaking in mind.
Power: 560 hp
Weight: 1329 lb
Supremely light and very powerful, this car is an outstanding motor that's great to drive on every type of course.
Power: 680 hp
Weight: 2753 lb
The second best car in the game, this is an absolutely superb racing car that offers smooth handling, astounding grip, lunatic fast acceleration and amazing top speed. If you're able to avoid the early power-on oversteer which its big power and little weight tend to cause (easy enough as long as you put the power down once the car has settled through the corner), you'll find this car is fabulous. Best thing of all - you don't even have to fiddle with its setup to start beating the competition and breaking records!
Power: 655 hp
Weight: 2535 lb
This awesome racer is fast, smooth and responsive and has huge potential for tweaking. It's got excellent all-round power and superb acceleration and, as long as the driver doesn't go for lurid tail slides, is one of the best- balanced racers in the game.
Power: 549 hp
Weight: 2314 lb
Like the Castrol Supra, this is another great, well-balanced car that has excellent scope for tweaking. A brilliant all-rounder, its only vice is that its handling gets a little twitchy and it can get out of shape at very high speeds.
Power: 581 hp
Weight: 1984 lb
With the best power-to-weight ratio of any car in the game, this is quite simply the fastest car that Gran Turismo has to offer. However, you have to be an excellent driver to get the best out of it - novices need not apply. Once you have the skill to drive it, the Cerbera offers an absolutely astonishing ride. It's fantastically fast, its acceleration is mind-boggling and its cornering ability is simply unbelievable - if you're good enough, you can actually corner on two wheels while tail sliding! Once you master this car, you'll break every record you thought you'd never beat.
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