My GT7 Log: 10-cylinder Salute

The Dodge Viper is the first road car powered by a V10 engine, but the Lamborghini Huracan is the last to have one. With the V10 engine officially laid to rest, it's time for a ten-cylinder salute with the first and the last to have the glorious engine that made such a glorious noise.

Here they are, the first-generation Dodge Viper and the Lamborghini Huracan on Gran Turismo 7, two sports cars that made their mark in the history of the ten-cylinder engine. Before having our last words with these ten-cylinder marvels, let's get to know them first.

Let's begin with the first-generation Dodge Viper, the SR model. The Dodge Viper was first conceived as a concept car in 1989. It was intended to be a modern interpretation of the legendary Shelby Cobra. The first-generation Viper was introduced in 1991 as the RT/10 roadster and was later joined by the hardtop GTS variant.

Now, let's get to know the Lamborghini Huracan, the last V10-powered road car. Launched in 2014, the Lamborghini Huracan is the successor of the Gallardo. It was named after a Mayan god. It was powered by a 5.2L V10 engine developing 602HP of power and when mated to a double-clutch gearbox derived from the Audi R8 as well as its 4WD system, it has a top speed of 202mph. The Lamborghini Huracan has gone through numerous updates over its near-decade lifespan and the STJ is in its final form with only 10 built and sold.

With their quick introduction done, it's time to drive these V10-powered road cars around Tsukuba Circuit just like the good old days. Obviously, the Viper came at a time when cars were fitted with ABS and Traction Control but being an all-American sports car, it eschews such driving aids in favor of total control from the driver. The Huracan, meanwhile, is all about relying on 2010s technology derived from its big brother, the V12-powered Aventador, but with a double-clutch gearbox to match its V10 performance.

Anyway, no time to mince more words. It's time to have a quick time attack with these two ten-cylinder legends. Roll the tape.

And now, the results...

Viper GTS '02 - 1m06.025s

Huracan - 1m02.212s

Even though the Huracan trumped the Viper by around four seconds, the results didn't matter because what mattered was that they'd fulfilled the V10 engine's dying wish, giving these two the biggest send-off to the greatest high-performance engine of all time.

From the Dodge Viper to the Lamborghini Huracan, the V10 engine powered some of the most iconic cars of our time. Now that it's permanently gone, nothing will ever be the same.

GOODBYE FOREVER, V10 ENGINE. You made us proud and loud.

My FH5 Log: Who is the ultimate Horizon Hero?

As the Forza Horizon 10th Anniversary celebration came to its bittersweet end, it's time to find out which of the Horizon hero cars is the ultimate Horizon Hero. Will it be the SRT Viper GTS? The Lamborghini Huracan? The Lamborghini Centenario? The McLaren Senna? Or the Mercedes-AMG Project One?

Five Horizon heroes are gathered at the Volcan Sprint and all they have to do is to set the fastest time, ultimately deciding once and for all who is the ultimate Horizon Hero. It's all or nothing now. It's do-or-die for these machines as they are giving this Forza Horizon 10th anniversary celebration the ideal sendoff I've envisioned.

Without further ado, let the battle commence. GO!

With their bravery tests done, here are the results;

Viper - 3m18.665s

Huracan - 3m08.155s

Centenario - 3m00.864s

Senna - 2m51.905s

One - 2m52.890s

So, after ten years of enjoying the Forza Horizon series since the first one up to now, this is the ultimate Horizon Hero. The McLaren Senna, the hero car of Forza Horizon 4, is the ultimate Horizon Hero.

FOREVER KING.

And that's a wrap! This is the end of the Forza Horizon 10th Anniversary celebration. The celebration has ended but our journey on Forza Horizon 5 continues because there will be more surprises in store, starting with tomorrow's Donut Media collaboration series update as well as December's holiday series update. There will be more to come this 2023 so stick around!

Here's to ten more years of the Horizon Festival! 

The party never ends...

My FH5 Log: Horizon Heroes - SRT Viper GTS

The Forza Horizon series is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. From the streets of the US state of Colorado to Mexico, from dusk to dawn, from summer to spring, it's a never-ending odyssey for speedo boys who enjoy the greatest things that made Forza Horizon, well, Forza Horizon. Fast cars, cool music, epic scenery, dramatic stories, fierce rivals, and endless imagination, these things truly shaped the meaning of Forza Horizon to the world and this is how Horizon rolls, spectacularly.

To celebrate ten years of Forza Horizon, let's kick off with the one that started it all; the hero car of the original Forza Horizon known as the Dodge SRT Viper GTS.

Known to be the spin-off of the Forza Motorsport series, Forza Horizon is the first-ever open-world action racing game that uses the same tried-and-tested formula from the Forza Motorsport series in a way never attempted before. In the original Forza Horizon, players start themselves with a VW Corrado and then work their way to unlock new wristbands, and new races, and battle against the top superstars in a one-on-one duel to snag the cars they drove. From racing on sanctioned events to street racing at nighttime, searching for barn finds, smashing bonus boards, exploring the scenery, experiencing rally racing, and completing a thousand challenges, the original Horizon has it all.

The SRT Viper GTS is the hero car of the original Horizon. Unveiled at the 2012 New York Auto Show, the SRT Viper GTS comes with the same 8.4L V10 OHV engine from the previous Dodge Viper SRT-10 but now it churns out 640HP of power and 600lb-ft of torque. It is mated with a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission with a shorter throw shifter, close gear ratio, and shorter final drive ratio of 3.07. With a triple-digit weight loss, the power-to-weight ratio is better than the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 and the Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1.

Production ended after the 2017 model year and Dodge offered customers a 1-of-1 customization program that allows them to create a bespoke Viper for themselves.

Now that we get to know about the SRT Viper GTS, the hero of the Horizon Colorado festival, it's time to give the Viper a little exhibition run on Horizon Mexico festival grounds against seasoned drivers, just to find out if it's still the hero we know and loved ten years ago. Roll the tape.

The original Horizon hero still got the moves after ten years.

With the SRT Viper GTS spearheading Forza Horizon's 10th-anniversary celebration, next time, let's get to know the hero of Horizon Europe, the Lamborghini Huracan.

See you again.

Forza Motorsport 7: Dom's Demon

When the Dodge Challenger Demon unveiled to the world, everyone's cowered in fear over the most powerful production car in the world. With its 840HP from its 6.2L HEMI V8 and the fastest 0-60mph time of any production sportscar, 2.3 seconds to be precise, no wonder every supercar in the world got choked by the Demon's incredible straight line speed and as Forza fans, we wanted to see the most powerful V8 car in the world to be there. However, we got this instead...





Yes, this is still the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon we are familiar with, the one that made Europe tremble in fear because of its monstrous power output that upsets almost every supercar in the world but don't be fooled because this particular Dodge Demon belongs to, well let's cut to the chase, Dom Toretto.

This is Dom's Demon and you can now play it on FM7 via The Fate of The Furious car pack. While Dom's Ice Charger overshadowed the Demon when it comes to star appeal, this demon of a machine should not be overlooked because this is the muscle car well known to break every world record in history, especially the fact that being the first production car in the world that can do the longest wheelie as verified by Guinness Book of World Records and because of The Fate of The Furious, every Mopar fanatic wants to have one in their collection and as a matter of fact, it's the numbers they should be worrying about because the Demon is strictly a limited-edition Challenger available only in the US and Canada and because it starts at 84,995 US Dollars, it's the most expensive Dodge to buy, although cheaper to buy than those European exotics the Demon sets its pitchforks at.

The Americans are as ballsy as the fat man in charge of the nation who wanted to build more nukes against his enemies but for a Dodge Demon, this is a definitive point how Americans are capable of, building stuff that are astronomical enough to crush their rivals into dust to show everyone that they are the greatest people in the world. I'm impressed to think that with all 840HP unleashed from its V8 engine, the Demon has evolved from muscle car into exotic in its own right and it's time for me to prove that theory.



Here we are at the Top Gear Test Track just to see if the Demon has grown into a proper supercar that can eat almost everyone, even in its compatriots like the Corvette and the Ford GT. Of course, with no one ever turned up to the party because I suspect, they've got intimidated by the Demon's power output, and instead someone popped up bravely.





Yes, this is the Dodge Viper ACR, the most hardcore Viper ever made and even though this is the last of the Vipers before its demise, probably because the Hellcats already devoured it like Titans in the forest, its GTS-R-inspired dynamics is what made the ACR a road-legal racecar and it lapped round the Top Gear Test Track in 1:15.1.

Time to get some beer and nachos because this will be the most interesting comparo of them all as the Viper ACR goes up against Dom Toretto's Demon from F8. Time to get this show rolling...


And now the results...

1:14.945 - Viper ACR
1:24.267 - Dom's Demon

And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen. Even though the Demon is over 200HP more than the Viper, it couldn't beat the Viper in a lap round the track and I think there's a clear reason for that. One, it's heavier than the ACR, and second, drag tires don't usually work on track days. Sure, it can be a blast to drive on the drag straights but on the track, it's very challenging indeed and looks like the Viper ACR, despite its demise, finally teached the Demon a very painful lesson on the track.



For me, it's been an honor to drive Dom's Demon on Forza Motorsport 7. Even though it's not as quick as the Viper ACR, this car makes me want to go Vin Diesel all the way because of its appearance in The Fate of The Furious. Those who saw the Dodge Demon would make them think that's the car Dom Toretto drove in the film and this Vin Diesel-approved muscle car is just one of the main reasons why we're into cars like these. The crazier they get, the awesomer they become and the Demon is just one of the Fast and Furious cars that get the job done. Now that's Fast & Furious to you.

Forza Horizon 3: Clash of American Heroes

The heated debate between Vipers and Corvettes remained to be the forefront of American sportscar hierarchy even though the muscle car wars in America remains to be the hot topic here. With high-performance versions of these cars like the Dodge Viper ACR and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, with its 650HP supercharged V8, tensions between these two remain as heated as America versus the communist countries of China and Russia combined.



The Corvette C7 Z06 remains a very special place in my books because while this is essentially called the Z06, it remains, to date, as the most powerful Corvette ever made. I was not a fan of the normal C7 Corvette Stingray when it shook the world by its storm because of personal issues I can think of but with the Z06, my attitude towards the C7 Corvette has changed and I like this Corvette a lot as much as the previous C6 ZR1. While the Z06 was inspired from the C7.R racing machine, it remains a dynamic handling machine that is not fit for the faint at heart and you have to be careful and where you're turning the wheel at because even a slight mistake can punish you big time. Who knew modern American sportscars can be very dynamic and dangerous at a hands of an amateur?



While the Viper is set to be removed from the lineup after the 2017 model year, the ACR is a heartful reminder that this GTS-R-inspired machine wants to die beautiful with all the best bits from its motorsports experience. It still has a 8.4L V10 engine, which is the biggest engine output for a production vehicle ever made, but it's been rooted to 645HP of power and 600ft-lb of torque. Although not as powerful as the Z06, the ACR weighs 1500kg and it comes with track-honed dynamics to keep it competitive on the road and on the track. While it is slower on the straights compared to a normal Viper, its low center of gravity as well as its massive rear wing keeps it very glued on the bends like an extreme track toy. However, despite its motorsport knowhow, the ACr can be very bravado and it takes guts to master this hardcore Viper at ease. I forgot to mentioned that this car is part of Forza Horizon 3's Alpinestars car pack.



Now with the rivalry between the Corvette C7 Z06 and the Dodge Viper ACR has finally arrived on Forza Horizon 3, I have a better way to see which of these American heroes stand out by giving it a timed lap at one part of Byron Bay. Specifically, the Grand Tour Sprint because it has the words "Grand Tour" on it and it reminds me of...well, you get the idea but let's find out which American hero stands out...



After one go, I have the results. The Corvette C7 Z06 did it in 2:29.850 while the Dodge Viper ACR did it in a shocking 2:23.377. It's a shocking victory that with all that grit unleashed on these American heroes, the Viper ACR stands out against the Corvette Z06 and I have no idea how to sum these cars up.

Since I got no idea how to explain why the Dodge Viper ACR is better than the Corvette Z06, I decided to let these American heroes do their activities on their own and that meant I have to make some adjustments to make sure they're ready for their shooting schedules.







The C7 Corvette Z06 wants to meet up with the other Corvettes but first, it needs to be presentable inside and out, and that meant getting dressed for the occasion. Seen here is a familiar theme I made from the second Horizon game a while back. It's themed after THE IDOLM@STER's Iori Minase but it has been improved to Platinum Stars standards.









The Viper ACR doesn't want to be flashy while it tries to meet up 25 years of Vipers but a slight color change would do the trick. Seen here is the similar ACR that the infamous Chris Evans drove in his first and only season as a Top Gear presenter. Believe it or not, the Viper ACR edges off against the Corvette C7 Z06 with Sabine Schmitz behind the wheel and left the fighter pilot sitting next to her throwing up.



It's a great thing to have this rivalry became part of the American car culture, especially in the Land Down Under on Forza Horizon 3 and while the whole world's waving goodbye on these, seems that the age-old rivalry between the Viper and the Corvette will be consigned to the history books. With the Viper is set to be removed from the lineup and the next Corvette will be different, these cars will be surely a blast to drive 'till the bitter end.

SRT Viper

I've already toying around with the all new 2013 SRT Viper in most games such as Car Town, Forza Motorsport 4, Forza Horizon, and Need For Speed Most Wanted (ahem, the 2012 one, not the 2005 kind of Most Wanted you've remember). I've already told you that new Viper sports a new look, new V10 engine, and a new level of Viper-ness that some Viper loyalists believe that they're better than the undisputed king of American cars, the Chevrolet Corvette. As for me, I was in a bit of a shock that I thought that this new 2013 SRT Viper is a much better alternative to the Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1. I'll report this kind of story...now...

2013 SRT Viper

Before that, here's a bit of a history lesson about the Viper heritage. You see, the Viper project began in the late 80's when the people behind the legendary Viper wanted to create a modern day version of the legendary Shelby Cobra. When Bob Lutz once ruled Chrysler with an iron fist, he enlisted help to Tom Gale at Chrysler Design to make a modern-day Cobra into fruition and the pre-production mule appeared at the 1989 NAIAS, which such feedback propelled to a wildly successful 1992 debut. The elite few behind this project is called Team Viper. These guys were also responsible for making high-performance versions of other Chrysler models, thus better known as the Street and Racing Technology or SRT for that matter. With several years passed, the Viper recipe really is a poisonous redemption that rules the performance benchmark with an iron fist and right until the death of the Viper in 2010 due to the economic climate.

However, even when the Viper stopped in 2010, when Fiat's Sergio Marchionne took over ever since Fiat took over Chrysler during the financial crisis, he said that the Viper will rise again like a phoenix rose from the ashes and a couple of years later...here it is. The Viper returns with a indefinite vengeance to claim back what it took during its two year hibernation.

2013 SRT Viper interior

Former boss of Dodge, now boss of the SRT brand, Ralph Gilles, told that for its rebirth, it should not be based on anything, has a very rearward cabin and a long hood, and most importantly, a more forgiving car to drive and accessible to more people. In the past, most Vipers don't have a host of safety features such as traction control and stability control, therefore most Vipers are made to be almost challenging for beginners. I wouldn't believe that those who once owned a Viper must have been braved enough to master the venom within. Anyway, now onto this new model, the promises that the SRT CEO told were fulfilled...nearly. It's not based on anything because the body and the platform are all new as well as its components, the interior cabin is very rearward, the hood is very long to accommodate its extra-large 8.4L V10 engine, and also more forgiving to drive and accessible to more people because for the first time in Viper history, the all new SRT Viper now comes with a host of safety equipment, especially traction control and stability control.

Thankfully though, it still retains the proper 6-speed manual transmission but it was developed to survive the massive and unforgiving torque coming from the V10 engine that powers it.

2013 SRT Viper

When I drive one of these in such video games, I was gonna say that the all new SRT Viper is going to be as unforgiving as the past Vipers but for me, it's almost unforgiving as other Vipers of yesteryears. It feels more civilized, it feels like a European exotic in terms of handling. Seems that the Americans finally made something that the Americans would be proud of but one thing though...could the SRT Viper be more enough to rattle down against the Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1? General fact though that the all new Viper's 8.4L V10 engine produces much more power than the ZR1 and thanks to the SRT Viper's weight loss diet, it produces a power-to-weight ratio of 4.91, which means that's more power to weight than the ZR1 and also a Lamborghini Aventador, but we're not into that because you know that the V12 Lambo can crush an SRT Viper easily on the straights. Mind you, we did put both the SRT Viper and the Corvette ZR1 in the straights and the results are by such luck.

Instead of putting such differences, the producers told me to take part of a week-long Car Town challenge, which is known to be as Who Rules? In the first installment, there was a comparison between the Chevy Camaro and the Ford Mustang. I voted Mustang but the results picking up that there are more Camaro supporters than Mustang supporters. Anyway, forget about that and I was on the second chapter and this time it's the war between America's finest sports cars such as the Corvette and the Viper. I was in a bit of discussion about the odds between the Viper and the Vette, then some agreed that the Corvette has more of the heritage than the Viper, but then I protested (like a Doctor Who scene where The Doctor pushed the PROTEST button), saying that Vipers will always be the king of American sports cars because their big, heavy, V10 engine, can't be beaten by such a loser car from a loser American car brand that is Chevrolet. The discussion went on and on and on right until the fateful day that...if I'm honest...I'm with the Viper supporters because I'm doing this for the honor of the new 2013 SRT Viper. As I joined with fellow Viper enthusiasts in a game of Who Rules, it seems that the results shown that there are more and more enthusiasts saying that Corvettes are better than Vipers but it's too early to declare the winner so what I do is to convince more and more Car Town noobs, amateurs, and vets asking that Vipers are better than Vettes. I've tried so hard right until the final day of the Who Rules event, which is now. In the end, it seems that there are more Corvette supporters than Viper supporters, proving that Corvettes are better than Vipers. End of discussion.

Even when the all new SRT Viper suffered a humiliating loss in a game of popularity, it still beats the Corvette in every intangible way. On the city streets, the Viper tries to be more of a show-off and tries to attract more fans than the Corvette. On the road however, it started to become more of a civilized but deadly road warrior rather than being a crazed gladiator. A big powerful engine with a mix of spartan driving manners is what made the all new SRT Viper a different kind of spartan in the west. The base model starts at $97,395 while the GTS model, which is loaded with more gizmos than the standard model, costs $120,395 (both excluding $1,995 destination).

Photo: Chrysler Group LLC.

Forza Horizon: The star of the show!

The Star of Horizon is here!

Allons-y! As I knew, the all new 2013 SRT Viper GTS is the hero car of Forza Horizon. Reason why this is the hero car of Horizon? It's in the cover, get it? In the front cover!

Anyway, the reason why they picked the SRT Viper GTS is because the producers said that this car's a fitting take to the roads of Colorado. With legendary Forza DNA in free roam driving and incredibly fluidic graphics, it seems that this car never felt so alive. It really has the soul in motion within.

It's also BAD TO THE BONE because with the 8.4L V10 engine that generates 640HP, 0-60 in 3.3 seconds, and 220 mph top speed, the SRT Viper is one heck of a brutal sportscar which is great for show-offs. 

Overpowered, great on straight lines, dynamic and challenging handling, that's how I like most about the SRT Viper and this hero car is all about being the hero of the Horizon Festival.

The SRT Viper GTS-R on FM4

Le Mans Viper reporting for duty!

It was in one of these. Well, not exactly one of these. Yes, this is the SRT Viper GTS-R, the race-spec version of the SRT Viper and part of Forza Motorsport 4's September Pennzoil Car Pack, the final DLC car pack to be ever offered on this game.

Final DLC car pack on this game? Hmmm....Very convincing. Never thought of it that this is the last car pack we will ever get on Forza 4. Anyway, the car...

Another SRT Viper GTS-R!

It's like the SRT Viper GTS in terms of its looks but the 8.4L V10 engine was been toned down to 8.0L and the power output's reduced from 640HP to 455HP in order to meet the regulations of the GT-class for the American Le Mans. For the GT class, it is required that a GT-class racer to have the maximum engine size of 5.5L but the 8-litre GTS-R was exempted, requiring a restrictor in the engine’s intake tract. Also, the luxuries on the interior has been stripped and replaced it with racing peripherals and they made it lighter than the normal SRT Viper. It weighs almost about three tons.

Here in Forza 4, they featured not one but two SRT Viper GTS-R racers. One is the #91, which made it on 10th place for the GT-class, and the #93 Viper. Little known fact that major sponsors for the SRT Viper GTS-R includes Forza Motorsport, TWS Forged, Michelin, Magneti Marelli, Sabelt, Pennzoil, and Mopar. Something bothered me that a couple of months ago, Car Town did featured a Forza Motorsport-sponsored #91 Viper GTS-R. Isn't that too timey-wimey? Never mind that. I will be driving the #91 Viper and I am going to survive the assault at Road America until my uploaded YouTube video regarding Viper GTS-R's at the Top Gear Test Track and when uploading starts, I shall set off....

And because it's starting to upload, the Viper assault begins...

Viper Assault

Ooh, it's getting a bit too dynamic...

Okay, 0-60 takes over three seconds and top speed...not as fast as the road car. SRT claims that it's about 182MPH. Gearbox's mounted at the back for better weight distribution, carbon fiber body, aircon on the racing cockpit as a regulation to keep racers well-ventilated, I am starting to think about this is my new office. My new cubicle for the race track perhaps. But rather than being a cubicle, the SRT Viper GTS-R tends to be even more dynamic so you have to watch out for that because the slightest mistake may cost you dearly. It may not about as amazing as the Corvette Racing ZR1 I drove last June but I'm managing...

SEVERAL MINUTES LATER...

Okay, I think my upload's about 70% done and let's not mess around shall we? Let's be serious...

Nearly hit the cone...

Mmmmm....toasty!

I now have 90% complete on my upload and I'm starting to get serious about the SRT Viper GTS-R's hidden talent, something that will give the judges a BIG YES. And if I mean BIG YES, I wanna refer to an Amy Pond-kind of BIG YES. I am unable to contain excitement to this...

BIG YES!

UNABLE TO CONTAIN EXCITEMENT

..because it's a BIG YES and I am UNABLE TO CONTAIN EXCITEMENT, I'm starting to like this stripped-out race-spec version of the SRT Viper but then someone said that the upload is complete so...my excitement's over...

Excitement's end...

It was quite a thrill for me to drive the SRT Viper GTS-R and for that Community Rivals event set on Road Atlanta course using nothing but Viper GTS-R's, here's how I stacked up...

Here's how I stacked up...

To mark the occasion, let's watch the YouTube video I've uploaded...