MICROSOFT XBOX SAYS: Whether fast conjures up images of limited production American muscle, advanced European supercar designs or purpose-built races cars, you’ll find a car to meet your tastes in Forza Motorsport 3.
In honour of Gamescom in Germany, we start this week’s reveal with the 2008 Audi A4 Touring Car and 2009 BMW M3 GT2 #92 Rahal Leterman Racing models. With its exotic arrangement of canards, side pod spoilers, ribbed rear wheel well fins and massive rear wing, the Audi A4 Touring Car is a master of down force. Alternatively, Rahal Letterman Racing’s #92 ushered the return of BMW to the American Le Mans Series and it showed speed early, nabbing a runner-up in GT2 at its second race of 2009. This M3 sports 361kW, tons of mechanical grip and 50/50 weight distribution. Handling the M3 GT2 through the turns will challenge most players but get it right and your lap times are destined to drop.
However, our tour through Europe would not be complete without a brief stop in Italy. But instead of Ferrari, today we’re showcasing one of the most powerful, most expensive and rarest of all Lamborghinis, the Reventon. The 2008 Lamborghini Reventon is a full-tilt thrill ride that will leave even the gutsiest of drivers with a fevered brow and white knuckles. The car’s V12 unleashes 471kW. It costs R11 million and only 20 were produced.
The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 may cost less than many of its European counterparts but will still give them a run for their money at the track. With generous amounts of supercharged V8 power, carbon ceramic brakes and a barely detuned race suspension, the 638-horsepower ZR1 can hit speeds of more than 322km/h.
We round out Volume 1 of our manufacturer’s showcase series with a couple of highly regarded, high performance speedsters – the 1995 Nissan Skyline GT-R SpecV and a 1993 Ford SVT Cobra R. Built with the racer in mind, the 1993 Cobra R was a stripped of everything but the bare essentials. Larger brakes, stiffer coil springs, Koni shocks, larger anti roll bars, and a strut tower brace were added to increase performance. Only 107 1993 Cobra R models were ever produced making it one of the rarest, fastest, and most collectible Fox Body Mustangs of all time.
Last but not least, the 1997 Nissan Skyline GT-R SpecV rides lower than standard GT-Rs with race- tuned shocks and springs. Skyline GT-Rs have one of the biggest upsides on Forza 3 from a modification standpoint so consider effort in the tuning garage time well spent.
“Forza Motorsport 3” will be available in October 2009.
