Forza Horizon 4: An unhoped-for stray cat

The Forza franchise has became notorious for putting so much old cars in latest installments like Forza Horizon 4. It's hard to say how they got their hands on such junk but apparently, they've raided through scrapyards, used car dealers, and other areas in search of some outdated machines worthy to be added in the game like this. One such example is the old Ford coupe made and sold in Europe; the Puma.



Specifically, the Ford Racing Puma, a limited edition model that is proven to be a rare find in Europe. I got this 90's classic from the recent Horizon Autumn Playlist and it's time to have a little talk about this rare Ford.



Launched in 1997, the Puma is a two-door front-wheel drive sports coupe that is made and sold for the European market. Using the same underpinnings as the Ford Fiesta, the Puma is powered by a choice of 1.4L, 1.6L, and 1.7L Zetec-SE engines, made by Yamaha. The design was heavily inspired from the Lynx Concept while incorporating the company's New Edge design language as seen in the Ka compact hatchback and although not as controversial as the Ka, it was widely praised for its cat-like silhouette which is the namesake for this car. Part of the Puma's launch campaign, the UK TV advert featured scenes from Bullitt and cut the late Steve McQueen into the modern setting of a Puma in the streets of San Francisco.

The Racing Puma features a reworked chassis and suspension, muscular design compared to the base Puma, and the reworked 1.7L Zetec-SE engine that is capable of producing 153HP, giving it a top speed of 126mph. The Racing Puma is limited to 1,000 units but due to sales problems and the discontinuation of the Puma, only 500 units were made.



I am familiar with the Ford Puma back in the late 90's because of a certain game I remember but the Racing Puma feels different to the normal Puma because it's lower, faster, and more grippy than the normal one but who cares. It's still a Puma. In the 90's landscape, the Puma really is a nice car to enjoy all day long but in today's landscape, it's all nonsense to me now and even in its rare Racing Puma variant, a handful of hot hatches can outrun this outdated sportscar.





Ford says that the limited-edition Racing Puma is built for the track but in today's world, that's no longer the case for me so I went to Fortune Island and give the Racing Puma a much-needed torture it deserves. Good luck surviving such drops!

Well, despite the falls and the floods, looks like the junkyard stray cat's still kicking.



"We're a rare breed. Only 500 strong!" This is the cryptic clue that led everyone to this old but rare car and despite its age, the Racing Puma still stands and I am quite surprised how this unhoped-for stray cat done for me. Although impressed by today's feat, feels like one race is enough for this car because...why we are facing so many old cars coming to the world of Forza anyway?!