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...

My FH5 Log: Muscle Garbage

Forza Horizon 5's Summer Party update gave us a cesspool of muscle oldies fresh off the garbage bag. That's right, older-generation muscle cars have invaded the summer-themed playlist and we got our hands dirty on scavenging such garbage.

Anyway, let's take a look at the Summer Party dump we've scavenged throughout the course of the update...

This is the Ford XB Falcon that was salvaged from the Wet Season playlist. This car needs no further explanation because this appeared in the Mad Max movies, a car worthy of surviving the post-apocalyptic warzone. Anyway, if you need some info, the XB Falcon is the second phase of the third generation of Ford's Australian-made model, which features minor cosmetic differences from the previous XA model. The XB Falcon features different body styles from a saloon, an estate, a ute, a van, and many others. Engine configurations include a 200ci 6-cylinder, a 250ci 6-cylinder, a 302ci V8, and a powerful 351ci V8. Depending on the engine choices, it can be mated with either a 3-speed MT, a 4-speed MT, or a 3-speed AT. In its involvement in motorsports, a driver named Allan Moffat drove a Falcon to victory in the 1974 Sandown 250 using a GT hardtop model as well as the 1976 Australian Touring Car Championship in the same model and the 1977 Australian Touring Car Championship, using both the XB and the XC Falcons.

Next up is the DeBerti Ford Mustang, the one we've salvaged from the Summer Party playlist as one of the overall prize cars. Tuned by DeBerti, this facelifted 6th-gen Mustang features a unique grille and a heavily tuned V8 engine producing over seven hundred horsepower.

Salvaged from the Storm Season playlist is the Hot Wheels Pontiac Firebird, the winner of the 2020 Hot Wheels Legends Tour and immortalized as a Hot Wheels toy a year later. Based on a 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, owner Riley Stair jammed an LSX V8 engine into it and heavily tuned it to produce a thousand horses.

Lastly, fresh off the Hot Season Playlist, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD-455. It's by no means one of the muscle cars that survived the Oil Crisis to live the tale.

Having gotten to know the latest cesspool of old cars, it's time to give the latest dump a wide variety of challenges to show their worth in these trying times. The XB Falcon will live a Mad Max moment by taking on a post-apocalyptic sandbox curated by Forza resident "GT Deny" while the DeBerti Mustang battles against a pack of unbeatable drivers in an EventLab creation penned by "DorifutoMerc", the Hot Wheels Pontiac Firebird racing through the Acceleracers-inspired cave track curated by "AnPsyc0", and the Firebird SD-455 taking on a rather familiar racetrack re-enacted by "TypeHardFark". Alright, let's get this party started.

Launch!

How's the cesspool doing? Are they still doing the shots? Good.

And that's the cesspool of muscle garbage fresh off the FH5 Summer Party update. Expect another wave of toxic waste coming to this game; mostly Italian ones because next week marks the beginning of the Italian Automotive update where Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Abarth, and Lancia are back in the party and you can expect another cesspool of old cars sweeping your way as expected.

Until then, enjoy your new rides!

Forza Horizon 4: Series 34 debriefing

If you've managed to get the two new prize cars from the Series 34 update of the Forza Horizon 4, then congratulations. You now have two new welcoming additions to your ever-growing garage. So, if you want to know the two prize cars you've obtained from the update before moving on to the next series update, it's time for a quick debriefing.

The Porsche 356 RSR from Emory Motorsports that you've won from the Summer Playlist. How was it? Yes, I know, this game has a lot of 356 models from normal ones to the other Emory-made 356 that you got from a long time ago but in-game, this is the quickest 356 you'll be familiar with.

The Emory RS is the ultimate Outlaw vehicle that blends the characteristics of both the 356 and the 964. Like most Outlaw machines, it can be fitted with either a 2.4 (seen here) or a 2.6 depending on the specific configuration. Turbochargers are optional.

The car that you've got from the Spring Playlist is the first-generation Pontiac Firebird, it's the first chapter of Pontiac's equivalent of the Chevrolet Camaro. First launched in 1967 until its full model change in 1970, the Firebird is offered in a choice of a coupe or cabriolet with a range of straight-six and V8s offered. Seen here is the range-topper with the 400cu V8 engine producing 335hp of power and 430ft-lb of torque while mated to a four-speed manual gearbox.

Now that the quick debriefing's done, let's give these two new additions a quick spin. Roll the tapes!

Enjoy your new rides!

Forza Horizon 4: Winter surprises from the US to the UK

With winter nears its climax, I managed to get a hand on this week's prize cars on Forza Horizon 4 and both of these cars are blessings straight from the United States of America; the Pontiac Firebird and the Cadillac Escalade ESV.



Both of these gems are from the greatest country in the world and while they're not as great as today's cars, these V8-powered cowboys really know how to add some American charm to our journey across Britain. The Firebird Trans Am SD-455 is by no means one of the muscle cars that survived the Oil Crisis to live the tale of drivers past and present while the third-generation Cadillac Escalade, in ESV Platinum form, knows how to turn intimate get-togethers into parties. I know, I said this while driving one back in the original Horizon several years ago but you get the point.



Now that I had both of these prize cars, let's see how an orangutan like me going full throttle on those American icons in the middle of the British winter. Roll the tape.




Job well done, there's nothing else I can say.

Enjoy your new ride!

Forza Motorsport 6: Breaking Aztek

One of the strangest cars that appeared in the Forza Motorsport 6's Alpinestars Car Pack is none other than the world's least lovable car on the road, the Pontiac Aztek, the crossover, despite its infamous styling, became a cult classic since it became Heisenberg's personal transport in the Breaking Bad TV series. So, what's it all about?



Launched as a 2001 model year, the Aztek is Pontiac's first-ever crossover utility vehicle that shares its underpinnings with the Buick Rendezvous, although the platform these crossovers used is a shortened version used in General Motors' minivans. Rather than using sliding doors, the Aztek's design features a conventional rear swing-open kammback and a bi-parting rear tailgate. It was penned by Tom Peters and reports state that the Aztek was supposed to be a sign of General Motors' rebirth, only to find out that it became a commercial flop until the Aztek's discontinuation and it became the car of choice for Breaking Bad's Walt "Heisenberg" White.

The Aztek is powered by a 3.4L LA1 V6 engine which produces 185HP of power and 210lb-ft of torque, while mated with a 4-speed 4T65-E automatic gearbox. It is available in either front-wheel or four-wheel drive with independent rear suspension.

The Aztek was produced in Mexico from 2001 to 2005 and it was replaced by the Chevrolet Equinox-based Pontiac Torrent. When it was launched, it became the official pace car for the 2001 Daytona 500. Although intended to be sold for the younger demographic, some criticized the Aztek as one of the cars that could save General Motors as well as one of the worst-designed cars in history.

The Pontiac Aztek appeared in the "America's Worst Cars" episode of Top Gear USA as Rutledge Wood's car of choice as the presenters try to make it look cool and sell it to the highest bidder.



I have no idea why the game's producers decided to put this crossover here and any purpose about how this car does in FM6 remains a mystery for now. We already had the weirdest cars in-game such as Fast Five's Gurkha and the Cadillac XTS Limousine, and with the addition of the Pontiac Aztek, it's really difficult to find a purpose to drive this car in-game unless you have endless imagination to do so. Apart from its styling, I find driving the Aztek to be somewhat terrible. Of course, it may have a V6 engine, which is fairly nice, but it's less powerful, meaning it doesn't have the oomph to go further. Because it's mated only with a 4-speed automatic gearbox, you won't find much excitement either.

Handling-wise, the Aztek feels heavy and I find this car doesn't find much purpose on track at all. It's just plain terrible and a quick demonstration comes into driving this car round Long Beach, California. Hey, at least this is a city track so it would work...



While most underpowered cars can get around this track around the two-minute mark, the Aztek did poorly with a lap time of a disappointing 2:13.083 and I thought this Aztek finds its purpose in a city center like this.

It's a shame that we had one of the most terrible cars like the Pontiac Aztek in Forza Motorsport 6 but with a little know-it-all, a little appreciation goes a long way. Who knows, this car might have some potential underneath its bizarre bodywork or having the ghost of Heisenberg do its work for you.

Gran Turismo 6: An Australian sports machine you might like

This is the Holden Monaro. When the first Monaro came out in Australia in the 1960's, they want to refer this as Australia's first sports machine and as the jingle says...It's Going To Be Very Monaro. In the 21st century, the Monaro returns with a sleeker profile, well-lavished interior, and a choice of either a Supercharged V6 or a Gen III V8. This is the CV8 model and it was powered by a Gen III V8 engine, the same kind of engine you can find in the C5 Corvette. It develops 327HP of power and 342.8ft-lb of torque, making this a purebred cheap V8 monster.

Even though it has an international following and the fact that it was sold in the US as the Pontiac GTO, the Monaro is a world-class muscle car until its discontinuation in 2006 with no direct replacement.

This Monaro will run through the Goodwood Hill Climb but at what time will the Monaro post?









It posted a 0:59.658 lap time!

Namely one of the best Australian-made cars in ages, the Monaro is still a cult following even after its 2006 discontinuation. The Australian motor industry maybe on the verge of a collapse, with news about plant closures from both Holden and Ford Australia as well as foreign ones, but it's done to honor the cars made in the Land Down Under. This one's for you, mates!

Holden Monaro CV8 - An Australian sports machine YOU MAY LIKE on GT6.

The car Tanner Foust used on Top Gear USA's Old GM Car Challenge

The Stig tries out the iconic Fiero

Why did the Pontiac Fiero got featured in Forza Motorsport 4's December IGN Pack? It's simple really because it has a place in Top Gear history, that is if that car's featured in an episode of Top Gear USA when the presenters have to bought an old GM car for a series of challenges. As a matter of fact this Pontiac Fiero GT is Tanner Foust's car of choice. Despite its looks, the Fiero failed most of the challenges.

Okay, enough Top Gear crud right now. About that Fiero, this car is been made to be kind of a "poor man's Ferrari" even though that the Pontiac Fiero is a mid-engine all-American sports car. This is how when Americans built a midship sports cars...and then lost it. This here is the GT version, a more hardcore version of the American midship sports car, no wait, this is the 1988 Model of the Pontiac Fiero GT. It features some Lotus-style suspension system made by Pontiac to enhance the handling of the Fiero GT. Too bad, the 1988 Model Year is the last of it even though Pontiac made a 1990 pre-production model of the Fiero.

What surprised me about the Fiero is the exterior design because that looked like the cars of racing video games, especially a game you used to have...RIDGE RACER!