Forza 5: Aston Martin Vanquish

This is the Aston Martin Vanquish and this is probably one of my favorite Aston Martins up to this date. To me, this is by no means one of the most beautiful machines ever made because this car, between you and me, blends the elements from the two defunct Aston Martins; the hardcore DBS and the softer Virage. Unfortunately for me, this car made me as silly as the dog from the Beggin' Strips commercial.



It may not be quite a direct competitor against the world's modern grand tourers, especially the Italians such as the Ferrari F12 and the Lamborghini Aventador, but the "Power, Beauty, and Soul" is what made the Vanquish a pure Aston Martin. I know it maybe a DBS replacement borrowing some design elements from the million-dollar One-77 supercar but this car is worth begging to have the driver, especially those playing FM5 on their X1, to be on the driver's seat of this car.





It maybe lovely on the road but it's not brilliant on the track because it feels a bit dynamic for a beautiful car of this magnitude. It takes a gentle driving style to master it and when you do, this is the car that treats you with care, no matter the circumstances you're been. No wonder this car sustained the least shots in the game of Aerial Laser Tag but no matter. This is still the best Aston yet by a long way.

 

Sochi 2014 Highlights - Day 15

February 21, 2014 - DAY 15

The Sochi 2014 maybe near from over but the games keeps getting more exciting and the tensions build up for the athletes before the climax. USA's Mikaela Shiffrin won the Women's Slalom Run with the time of 1:44.54, beating two Austrian athletes. Meanwhile, Ukraine shined the Women's 4x6km Relay against the Russians and the Norwegians.

In the Men's Bronze Medal Curling Game, Sweden took the bronze against China at the score of 4-6. That's China 4, Sweden 6. In the Gold Medal game, Canadians stood as the victor after defeated the British curlers at the score of 9-3.

Two Canadian female athletes done a 1-2 finish as Marielle Thompson hailed as the victor while Kelsey Serwa placed 2nd.

In the Men's 500m finals, Victor An from Russia is the winner while in the Ladies' 1000m Finals, Park Seung Hi from South Korea is the winner.

Russian males became the dominant force after destroying the USA and China at the Men's 5000m Relay finals.

Details: http://www.sochi2014.com/en/daily-schedule-day-15

What's in our Car Town garage today? (February 22, 2014)

What's in our Car Town garage today?

2004 Ford Mustang FR500S

This Mustang-based race car was driven by Eric Foss from Capaldi Racing for the 2011 Pirelli World Challenge season and this muscle car's quite a contender on the track. The FR500S is a mid-range track-only version that slots between the "Boy Racer" FR500C and the top-of-the-line "Man Racer" FR500GT. It uses the same V8 engine as the normal Mustang but uses a lot of track-honed essentials. Normally, it was built for use in a one-make race series but since it was ended, the Mustang was homologated for the World Challenge.

2004 Ford Mustang FR500S

1955 Lincoln Futura

This is a concept car from Ford's Lincoln luxury brand that follows the same flow of the cars from the 50's and it's essentially based from the Lincoln Mark II. There's a well known fact that this car became the basis of the Batmobile from the classic Batman TV series starring Adam West as Batman. POW!

1955 Lincoln Futura

1977 Ferrari 308 GTS

The 308 GTS is the targa-top equivalent of the 308 GTB hardtop coupe. This car became famous for being the car of choice of everyone's favorite crime-fighting detective, Magnum P.I. This memorable and iconic berlinetta is powered by a 2.9L Tipo V8 engine which, in its hardtop equivalent, can get a sub-6 second mark in its 0-60mph time.

1977 Ferrari 308 GTS

2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

A front-engine rear-wheel drive V12 berlinetta brought to you by Ferrari. The 599 features the same V12 engine that was used on the limited-run Enzo Ferrari and it comes with a host of F1 technology, making it track-focused while being usable on the road. It features a very clever magnetorheological suspension to keep this car stuck on the road. It is a product from Ferrari's passion for motorsports.

2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

Let's Do The News! (February 21, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- The Honor Code of the Philippine Military Academy states that no cadet shall cheat, lie, steal, or tolerate. Any cadet who violate the Honor Code will face a terrible consequence. There was a big news regarding a PMA cadet named Aldrin Jeff Cudia, who violated the Honor Code for being 2 minutes late for class and lying. He's on the risk of being dismissed by the PMA...

- Former PMA cadets, especially dismissed ones, are supporting on the PMA Honor Code by making their cadet photos as Facebook profile pics in the midst of criticisms after Cadet Cudia was dismissed when he was going to lie about the reason why he arrived to class two minutes late.

- The expansion of Volkswagen's presence in the Philippines continues as Automobile Central Enterprise, the official PH distributor of Volkswagen, will open a Cebu VW showroom at the end of 2014.

- Volkswagen revealed a PHEV equivalent of the Golf GTi called the Golf GTE. Set for its Geneva premiere, the Golf GTE comes with the 1.4L TSi engine connected to a 101HP electric motor mated to a double clutch gearbox.

2015 VW Golf GTE

- Audi gave us a teaser for the upcoming third-generation TT. It's set for Geneva Motor Show premiere next month.

- Lotus makes motorcycles and the C-01 is the pilot product set to be produced soon.

Lotus C-01

- Citroen will showcase the brand new C5 CrossTourer for next month's Geneva Motor Show and unlike any other sport utility wagons like the 508 RXH or the Outback or the Country Tourer or whatever...the C5 CrossTourer is available only in front-wheel drive. Not a great challenge for this particular C5.

2015 Citroen C5 CrossTourer

- The Zettai Karen Children manga will reach its final arc this Summer. Is this goodbye to The Children?

TTFN!!!

Gran Turismo 6: A fitting tribute to the third-generation WRX STi

For many years, the WRX has become the pinnacle of the history of Subaru. From its God-given talent tried and tested for rally racing to the twists and turns at the Nurburgring, this Subie has been a favorite among Subarists everywhere.



According to some dealership print ads from Japan, the third-generation WRX STi will be phased out late February 2014 and some say, it will make room for the next model. However, we're not letting this third-generation STi go without a proper sendoff so here in GT6, a good send-off to the current and outgoing WRX STi, available in GR-spec hatchback and GV-spec sedan forms, lies to the question of...Which is the best of the third-generation STi? The winner will face off against...the last Subaru ever entered the WRC before its withdrawal from the World Rally Championship.



Here she is. Now all I have to do is to gather round four different flavors of the WRX STi and meet up at the Ascari.



First off, the GRB-spec hatchback STi. For a quick background, this car was launched at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show and sales of this model commenced moments later. Unlike its predecessors, which are comprised of high-performance saloons, the GRB WRX STi is a hatchback and this model do thrown a curve to the enthusiasts. Even though it's based on a hatchback Impreza, it's still a high-performance Subie that behaves just like its predecessors. Unlike the Evo X, this STi tries to be more of a comfortable car on the long road ahead rather than showing off its razor-sharp reflexes on the corners. Despite that, it sure loves to cut through corners even though this car was born from the rally bloodlines.

Two years later, a Spec C was offered and for this model, it sheds off 20kg of weight, making it a driver-focused WRX STi hatch that you can use it on the road or on the track. Anyway, can the 20kg advantage of the WRX STi Spec C do better?





These two STi hatches gave it a good thrashing round the Ascari and again, thanks to the Spec C's 20kg weight loss and the host of numerous improvements such as the sport-tuned chassis, it means it can scamper away from the standard model. The only downside is that since they wore hard tires, they can tend to understeer in some parts of the Ascari track. In just a few minutes later...I have the result...

GRB - 2:27.962
GRB Spec C - 2:26.473

The Spec C ate the normal STi before tea time in a second. So, what about the sedan models?



In response from numerous Subies because they still prefer the styling of the sedan because of its clean shape and long history as the top model of the Impreza, they unveiled the much-awaited 4-door version at the 2010 New York Auto Show and sales in Japan commenced in the Summer of 2010, just a few moments before Gran Turismo 5 hit stores late November 2010 after double delays. It may have the same mechanical stuff from the 5-door model but for this 4-door model, this is by no means the ultimate Subie ever made because it went round the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 55 seconds. This Subaru managed to broke the 8-minute barrier at the fabled German race track and thanks to its sleek aerodynamic styling, it feels more well-balanced.

This Subie racked up class wins at the Nurburgring 24 Hour and to commemorate this achievement, STi made a special S206 NBR Challenge Package which features numerous upgrades including a carbon fiber roof and a rear spoiler. They even updated the engine so that now, it develops 315HP of power and this model is limited to 100 units, available exclusively to the Japanese market.





Both of them are track-focused and usable on the road. These two STi sedans sure knew how to shake it up in the midst of their prime and it's kinda odd because I thought the S206 NBR was supposed to be the swan song for this current-generation STi but in general, the tS Type RA is the real swan song. Anyway, while the tS Type RA is not here, it seems that the S206 NBR gave the normal STi sedan a good roasting and moments later, I have the time. Let's see...

GVB - 2:26.593
GVB S206 - 2:24.764

This leaves now to the Spec C hatchback and the S206 NBR saloon and now, let's move to the Brands Hatch GP Circuit to see which of these two will be facing off against the WRC 2008 rally car.



Look at these two, all primed up and pumped up for their one last vow. Remember, I'm using the GP version of the Brands Hatch just to add a little challenge to these two STi models. For an added twist; let's not forget that the Spec C hatchback is a few kilos lighter than the S206 NBR saloon but because this S206 NBR saloon has more power than the Spec C hatchback, I'd expect this to be more of a similarity.





In the first half of Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit, both of the Spec C hatchback and the S206 NBR Saloon are doing pretty well while in the latter half of the track, things are looking to get a bit more struggling and it seems that a small mistake from the Spec C's understeer cost two seconds behind the S206 NBR. After one lap, there can only be one winner...

GRB Spec C - 1:44.755
GVB S206 - 1:42.899

The GVB-spec Subaru S206 NBR Challenge Package is definitely the best of the third-generation WRX STis offered on GT6 but will it be enough to take on the Impreza WRC 2008 Rally Car?



To find out, I went to Monaco Cote d'Azur and this is where the stage is set for the ultimate send-off for our third-generation WRX STi. Who will triumph? Road car or rally car?





Both the S206 and the Impreza Rally Car are like playing a game of cat and mouse as while the rally car can outrun the S206 on a straight line, the S206 found some advantages when it faces a corner, sneaking past the Impreza rally car! As they approached to the final parts of the Monaco Cote d'Azur, it's a fight to the finish and it's kill or be killed.

In this kill or be killed match, the S206 came out a second slower than the Impreza rally car.

Impreza WRC 2008 - 1:47.664
GVB S206 - 1:48.421



So there we are, even though it came a second slower against the Impreza WRC 2008 Rally Car, I can therefore conclude that here on GT6, the S206 NBR CHALLENGE PACKAGE is the best of the third-generation WRX STi models. Now the only idea left for me is...how can I say goodbye to this and waiting for the new model to arrive in the Japanese market and in GT6 as well...

Sochi 2014 Highlights - Day 14

February 20, 2014 - DAY 14

It's been quite a ride for this day as the climax of the 2014 Winter Games draws near and things are shaking up for the athletes.

First up is the curling match and in the Women's Bronze Medal Game; Great Britain beats Switzerland at the score of 6 to 5, therefore the Brits snagged the bronze medal while in the Women's Gold Medal Game, the champions of curling come courtesy of the Canadians after they won the match against Sweden at the score of 3-6. That's Sweden 3, Canada 6.

Meanwhile in the Ladies' Free Skating, Russia's very own Adelina Sotnikova is the champion, beating the likes of South Korea's favorite, Kim Yuna, and Italy's own Carolina Kostner.

In the Men's Ski Cross Finals, the French got a 1-2-3 finish as Jean Frederic Chapuis placed 1st while Arnaud Bovolenta placed 2nd and Jonathan Midol placed 3rd.

Team USA scored a gold from the Ladies' Ski Halfpipe final courtesy of Maddie Bowman.

In the Ice Hockey match, female athletes from Switzerland got the bronze medal after beating Sweden at the score of 4 to 3 while in the Gold Medal Game, two North American countries clashed themselves in the game of hockey and the Canadians stood victorious against Team USA at the score of 3-2.

And finally, at the Team Gundersen LH 4x5km Cross-Country, Team Norway is the winner.

Details: http://www.sochi2014.com/en/daily-schedule-day-14

Let's Do The News! (February 20, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- Think you're finished with NFS Rivals? Think again because there are two brand new DLC Packs now available on Rivals. First up is the Ferrari Edizioni Speciali DLC Pack which features two flavors of two special edition Ferraris like the F40 and the F50, in cop or racer guise. Then, there's the Simply Jaguar DLC Pack which comes with the fabled XJ220 and the C-X75 concept car.

- Even though they sell less cars, Ferrari is recognized as one of the world's most powerful brands, beating the likes of BMW and Porsche. They maybe sold fewer volumes but they had high profits. They done this because they want to maintain its exclusivity and increase their car's value over time.

- Disney posted another BTS video for the upcoming Disney XD series; Star Wars Rebels. This time, the staff highlights one of the newest characters of the Star Wars history; Sabine. She's a graffiti artist/weapons expert and she's voiced by Tiya Sircar.

- Check out clips from the upcoming PS3-exclusive sequel from the Dream Club franchise titled Dream Club Gogo.

- Actor John Lloyd Cruz got involved in a minor biking accident in Tarlac. He's in stable condition and he's fine, as told by Star Magic.

- Despite truce, protesters continue clash against Ukrainian police forces in the capital city of Kiev.

- It's another one of the tuning masterpieces from Vorsteiner and this time, welcome the new Vorsteiner V-CT based on the second-generation Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

2014 Vorsteiner V-CT

- There has been a leakage of toxic water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant but workers managed to stopped it to avoid contaminating the nearby oceans surrounding it.

- Four senators seek to decriminalize libel in the wake of the controversial anti-cybercrime law.

- DOTC announced that the MRT3 will extend its operating hours in order to give commuters more time during the rush hour.

- Forza Motorsport 5 has its first track add-on and the Road America DLC is free of charge! Download it on your XBOX One and take on this racetrack with yourself or your friends!

TTFN!!!