Showing posts with label deberti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deberti. Show all posts

Saturday, December 2, 2023

My FH5 Log: Junkyard Dogs

The Forza Horizon 5 American Automotive series update is littered with old-school American cars out from the junkyard and into the Horizon Mexico playground, a swarm of flies attracting a cesspool of vintage American cars.

As the American Automotive series update is wrapping up, let's check out the cesspool of old-school American cars that littered through the Horizon Mexico playpen.


The Wet Season playlist brought us the fifth-generation Plymouth Belvedere, the only model to come with the 426 Chrysler Hemi Engine and the one that scored Plymouth's podium sweep at the 1964 NASCAR race in Daytona, with one of them driven by the legendary Richard Petty.



The Storm Season playlist brought us the first-generation Pontiac Firebird, the first chapter of Pontiac's equivalent of the Chevrolet Camaro, as well as the second-generation Chevrolet Nova, in Super Sport trim with the Turbo-Fire 327 cu in V8 engine producing a power output of 350hp while mated exclusively with a 4-speed MT.


The Dry Season playlist brought us the Pontiac GTO "The Judge". Known for its funky logo and stripe decals, The Judge is powered by a 6.6L V8 Ram Air 3 engine that produces over 361HP of power output while mated to a Hurst shifter, heavy-duty suspension, wide tires, and a rear spoiler. It is the ultimate sports spec car made before the GTO was laid to rest.


Lastly, the Hot Season playlist brought us the fourth-generation Lincoln Continental luxury sedan, the first in the Continental lineage to feature suicide doors.







I've sent these junkyard dogs on a short trip through four new sprint races introduced in the American Automotive series update; the Línea Costera Sprint, the Aeródromo Sprint, the Marigold Sprint, and the Vista Del Mar Sprint. These four new sprint races will serve as the litmus test for these American vintage cars to flex their muscles as they scat through the competition in style. Want to see these dogs in action? Let's roll the tapes...






What do you think? Do these scavengers make you fall in love with old cars? I bet you are because your gut tells you to have fun with these junkyard dogs fresh from being junkyard scrap and into the Horizon Mexico sandbox but wait, there's more.

As it turns out, the vintage prize cars from the American Automotive update weren't the only stray dogs littering around the Mexican landscape. In fact, there's one junkyard dog to end them all...


What you're looking up here is the DeBerti Shop Rod, which is included in the game's American Automotive DLC Pack. Based on the 1961 Ford Econoline, it's been stripped off, lowered, made it right-hand-drive, and jammed with a Coyote engine paired to a Reid racing 4L80-E transmission with an ATD reverse manual valve body, producing 850hp of power output.


I got to sample it on an oval track to see if the Shop Rod from DeBerti is the hot rod in a van body. Let's roll the tape.


It's a hot rod, alright. A hot rod in a van's body.


This latest cesspool of old-school American cars proves that a game like Forza never stops jamming old cars to younger players who never heard of them. There are Gen Z players out there and showing them old cars is like slapping dog poo on their faces. In the end, this is how they roll.

When sleeping dogs lie, they'll come back to cause havoc another day and these junkyard dogs proved their point. We can expect more junkyard dogs littering around Horizon Mexico even before 2023 ends and 2024 begins and what a living nightmare our Gen Z players will experience.

The fun's just getting started...

Friday, June 16, 2023

My FH5 Log: Pick Up, Pack Down

The Explore the Horizon update on Forza Horizon 5 isn't just more than the powered-up Photo Mode update, Pathfinder challenges, two Cupra crossovers, and new overland parts on selected offroaders, it's about four American trucks taking centerstage on Horizon Mexico; a modified F-250 with a unique party piece, two classic American trucks, and the long-awaited arrival of the GMC Hummer EV.

Now that I got all of the four prize trucks over the course of the Explore the Horizon update, it's time to take a gander at my recent hauls;


In the Wet Season, I got my hands on the DeBerti Ford F-250 Transformer, it's a modified F-250 truck made possible by DeBerti Design that wowed the crowd at the 2019 SEMA Show. Aside from numerous modifications, it features unique tool drawers and hidden storage beneath the fiberglass fender.


In the Storm Season, I got the keys to the seventh-generation Ford F-150, the model that redefined the F-150 lineage because it was the first to feature the Ford Blue Oval grille emblem, the diesel variant, and an optional dashboard with a full set of instruments.


The second-generation Chevrolet K10 truck became part of my FH5 garage ever since winning one in the Dry Season. Mind you, because this is the 1972 model year K10, it's qualified to be designated as a "vintage car" if you know what I mean. This is part of the "Action Line" C/K models produced from 1967 to 1972 and over its span, it received numerous updates and underwent a mid-cycle refresh for the 1971 model year.


Lastly, and obviously the best one, the GMC Hummer EV that I won from the Hot Season. Signaling the return of the Hummer name in the age of the new normal, the GMC Hummer EV features a three-motor powertrain generating 1,000hp of power and 15,591Nm of torque in its top-spec Edition 1 variant, capable of going from 0-60mph in three seconds. In addition, it features adaptive air suspension with available Extract Mode, a choice of 35 to 37-inch tires, underbody armor, Ultravision, removable Sky Panel roof sections, Watts to Freedom, MultiPro tailgate, and CrabWalk. Sadly, we can't do CrabWalk in the game but Watts to Freedom? Engage Launch Control and see it for yourself.





With all four American trucks now part of the FH5 family, it's time to give them some necessary roughness they deserved and with the FH5 Rally Adventure still open for business, let's give these American truckers their moment of glory as they're tackling through the rough against the competition. Roll the tapes!





Having enjoyed all four trucks in the game, which one is the favorite? For me, it's got to be the Hummer EV. Sure, it's a massive monster to handle but I had a blast to drive the ultimate electric truck that caused a lot of stir since its world premiere and gained a two thumbs-up by LeBron James himself.

This unboxing is finished but I still have a word with the GMC Hummer EV. Watch for it. It's gonna be interesting...