Cue the Moments to Remember music, ladies and gentlemen, because I will introduce you to one of the cars featured on the K1 Speed Car Pack, a legendary IMSA GT machine known as the GT-P ZX Turbo by Electramotive Engineering.
Made to compete in the IMSA GT Championship, Electramotive Engineering developed the GTP ZX-Turbo for Nissan and competed from 1985 to 1990 in different iterations. As the name implies, the GTP ZX-Turbo is powered by a similar VG30ET V6 engine from the Fairlady Z (300ZX) but is heavily modified for racing purposes. For the chassis, they collaborated with Lola to develop it to such specifications.
In its debut at the 1985-86 season, Nissan placed 7th in the constructor's championship with their best record from Geoff Brabham placed third at Portland. In 1987, the GTP ZX-T became the first to defeat the Porsche 962 at Miami by 11 seconds, and following their first win, Nissan prompted a two-car team for the 1988 season and they dominated Road Atlanta, Palm Beach, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen, and Road America, although the skipping of Daytona and Sebring prompted Porsche another constructor's championship win. In a shocking revelation at the 1989 season, the GTP ZX-T, with Chip Robinson, Geoff Brabham, and Arie Luyendyk behind the wheel, won the 12 Hours of Sebring by two laps.
Winning ten races of the 1989 season, Nissan clenched the Constructor's Championship title and continued until 1990, the final year of the GTP ZX-T's service before being replaced by the NPT-90 machines.
The Forza games had been featuring many IMSA machines lately ever since the partnership and this GTP ZX-T is one of the most iconic IMSA GT machines ever made. While the colors reminded us of any of Nissan's prototype racing machines ever recognized, this one's very different in every single way, and understanding its motorsport success by driving it really gives everyone the feeling of driving the one that trounced the likes of Porsche and Jaguar and became a two-time Constructor's Championship winner. Because this is very advanced for an oldies IMSA GT machine, you need to step your game up to master the raw power of this machine and I shall demonstrate what it feels like with a quick lap around Road Atlanta, one of the tracks this machine faced success and failure.
Sure is intimidatingly fast but I survived spectacularly. Let's play another one straight from Lola's playlist.
Coming up next at Lola's Playlist is the #76 Greenwood Corvette, which made some noise at Le Mans and IMSA.
In the days of the world energy crisis, the C3 Corvette's fame had plummeted but the Greenwood brothers came to the rescue as they transformed them into race cars. John, being the son of a General Motors executive, grew up street-racing at Woodward Avenue in his youth when he decided to try out road racing with the big-block 1968 Corvette and with his success at the SCCA and IMSA races, he even managed to take on FIA endurance racing classes. He even managed to bring the Sebring raceway to life when it lost FIA accreditation.
In that decade, Greenwood's Corvettes dominated every endurance race in Sebring and Daytona as well as Trans Am races in 1975 and 1978. He even managed to clock a top speed of 236mph at Daytona as well.
A famous example is this wide-bodied C3 Corvette. With thanks to GM Design Studio and Zora Arkus-Duntov himself, their widebodied C3 Corvette has a V8 engine that churns out a monstrous 750HP of power output.
While this is a very powerful racing Corvette with some big radial tires, I find that it's very difficult to get around the corner but if you're brave enough to handle this monster of a Corvette, it should be a force to be reckoned with, just like how John Greenwood did when he made some noises in endurance races and Trans Am races. Since I'm near the big apple, how about making some noise around Watkins Glen so the whole New Yorkers can hear?
What a thriller this widebodied Greenwood Corvette is and even if I'm near the Big Apple, they can really hear the rowdy behavior this racing machine possesses. So what's next?
What happens when a race car not only works on a track but is also suitable to drive on the road? The Porsche 906 Carrera 6 is a road-legal racing car made to comply with the homologation requirements of the FIA's Group 4 Sports Car category that led to producing up to 50 units.
Designed as the replacement for the 904, the 906 uses a tubular space frame and unstressed fiberglass body that resulted in 580kg of weight, which is 113kg lighter than the six-cylinder 904 predecessor. Powering the 905 is a six-cylinder lightweight racing engine with carburetors, producing 220HP of power, although some machines come with either a fuel-injected one or an eight-cylinder engine.
In its 1966 debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 906 scored its class wins against Ferrari. Later, it scored another class wins at Sebring and Monza as well as Spa-Francorchamps and Nurburgring. It even managed to score an overall win at the 1966 Targa Fiorio. In the famed 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, four 906 vehicles placed 4th to 7th behind three Ford GT40s, ending Ferrari's reign there.
This has got to be one of the easiest early racing machines I ever drive in Forza. It may be old, and it may be underpowered, but because it weighs over half a ton, it's about as quick as the track toys I'm familiar with without the slip-up that wets my pants. That's what I'm expecting for a car that is both road-legal and fit for racing. That's uncanny but flattering. Say, would you like to see me go with it around Sebring?
See? No biggie and hey, since this year marks the 70th anniversary of Porsche, the 906 is one of the historic Porsches everyone is learning their lessons from, especially when most gearheads are itching to study 70 years of Porsche. Speaking of which, there's another Porsche you can learn some lessons from as part of Porsche's 70th birthday. Roll the tape.
Served as the replacement for the 914, the Porsche 924 was launched in 1976 and it continues to serve as the company's most affordable offering. It was the first front-engined, rear-wheel drive Porsche ever made and it was the first to be mated with a fully automatic gearbox.
Originally a byproduct of a Volkswagen and Porsche, the project was heavily affected by the 1973 oil crisis, and under their deal, the 924 was made at a former NSU factory in Neckarsulm, located north of Stuttgart, with VW as a subcontractor. When it was launched, it was heavily criticized for its performance but that doesn't stop it from being Porsche's best-seller.
With the success of the 924 models in the 80's, the 924 Carrera GT (later GTS) was released with the hopes of entering certain motorsport. It features an intercooler, increased compression, and other upgrades to its VW-made 2.0L turbo engine. For homologation purposes, they were offered as road cars, producing up to 245HP of power. The Clubsport variant comes with a 280HP power output as well as a factory-fitted Matter roll cage and race seats.
It's true what they say about the 924 because even though it's a rear-wheel drive baby Porsche, it understeers like a front-wheel drive car and that's not right for a Porsche sports car. Yes, the handling is pretty much an issue for the 924 but that didn't stop it from being a best-seller of that time. It's like being a celebrity ignoring mean comments from his or her bashers. Such defiance and speaking of defiance, I tried to give it a go on the streets of Long Beach.
My arms are killing me from handling this Porsche sportscar but anyway, it's now time to play the last oldies song of the playlist and this is going to be a very interesting one because this is what you may call a greatest hit.
This is the greatest hit I'm referring to. It's a Ferrari 166 Inter Sport, one of the legendary racing machines ever to emerge from the end of the Second World War.
The dawn of the Tipo 166 2.0L engine inspired a new range of sports and single models for Ferrari and the 166 Inter Sport is the combination of both machines due to its adaptability for international races for two-seater and single-seater sports cars.
As its name implies, the Tipo 166 2.0L 60-degree V12 engine that powers it produces 130hp of power and has a power per liter ratio of 65hp per liter, while mated to a 5-speed gearbox. The chassis is made out of tubular steel and it comes with an independent front suspension, live rear axle, and drum brakes. Weighing 630kg, the 166 Inter Sport has a top speed of 215kph.
Because the 166 Inter Sport features attachable headlights and mudguards to suit regulations, it really is multi-role in its own right.
Listening to the sound of its V12 engine really takes them back like listening to an oldie song all day long and learning from its simple layout and performance, the 166 Inter Sport is magnificent in every single angle and I shall now demonstrate with a quick run round Lime Rock.
Words? I have no words for it because driving a post-war Ferrari left me speechless.
Love it or hate it, these oldies are what made the Forza franchise your ultimate racing game featuring the cars of your life, which is like DWWW, your ultimate AM radio playing the music of your life, and this K1 Speed Car Pack is clear examples of celebrating the golden years of motoring. Although I am unimpressed with such offerings, I am glad that I'm learning some valuable lessons from driving these machines. Even you had fun with it despite your strong dissatisfaction over these oldies machines.
Historics, and vintage races, that's what kept the motoring world go round and for those who believe that old is better than new, why not sit down and take a trip down memory lane with the racing machines that come straight from the Lola's Playlist they called the K1 Speed Car Pack? You should know that this is the last car pack to be covered by the Car Pass so if you haven't got the Car Pass, now's the time to get one.
This is Leopaul signing off from another day of playing endless oldies' music.
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