Forza 4

I know what you’re going to say: “Video games? On an automotive site?” Well, let me start off by saying that, like Matt, I’ve never been a big gamer. It wasn’t until I was 15 that I got my first gaming system, a Playstation bundle pack my family got with the new TV. It came with one game: Gran Turismo. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I loved the fact I got to drive real cars, and not some made up space karts with turbo boosters. I loved the fact that it was the most realistic racing game I had ever played. I was amazed by the graphics (1998, haha) and sounds of the game. Needless to say, I was hooked. I played that game until my thumbs were sore.  I remember waking up early before school , just to drive my hard earned Formula 1 car around the Nürburgring. Then it all changed. Somewhere between going off to college and discovering the fairer sex, I lost interest in video games. Sure, occasionally I’d sit down to play some racing games with friends, but was never really as enamored with them as when I first sat down with that revolutionary racing game I grew up with. I lost interest and focused more on actual driving and having fun behind the wheel of a REAL car. More after the jump.

Fast forward a few years and many speeding tickets later, and I find myself in today’s digital world. It seems to me that every video game out there is either some post-apocalyptic aliens-are-taking-over-Walmart shooter or a new karaoke pokemon breakdance party game. Not exactly my cup of tea.

So you can imagine my hesitation when I got a phone call asking if I’d like to review the new Forza 4. I actually had played Forza 3, and while it was fun for a quick race, I didn’t get the full experience since, well, I don’t own an Xbox or have any friends that regularly play the game.  Something though, maybe it was the rumors I had heard of Top Gear’s involvement, sparked my interest and I decided to check it out.

Boy was I glad I did. From the moment you turn on the game for the first time and hear Jeremy Clarkson’s introduction, you know it’s not just another racing game. Forza 4 has literally revolutionized the racing game as we know it.

The graphics are absolutely stunning. Not only featuring an all new lighting engine, Turn 10, the games developer, actually brought in Hollywood lighting experts as part of the development team.  Racing around Laguna Seca in an M3 GTR looks as though you’re actually watching HD coverage of an ALMS race, and not sitting on the couch in your boxers. Also, using Kinect’s Head Tracking system, the camera actually pans its view based on how you naturally look into the corners when hard charging an apex.

Turn 10's Creative Director Dan Greenawalt

Turn 10, the developer behind the Forza franchise, spent a lot of time listening to the enthusiast community and using their input throughout the development process, and it shows. With more than 80 manufacturers represented in the game (sorry, still no Porsche), Forza 4 features the most diverse grouping of cars I’ve ever seen in a game.  From obscure JDM cars you’ve probably never heard of, to the Teutonic giants of the Nürburgring, there’s something for every gearhead in this game. That diversity lends itself well to Forza’s already huge Xbox Live network, where you and your friends can create your own Car Club, bringing together the best drivers, tuners and customizers from the Forza community. As part of each club, you have the ability to share cars, so if I have a perfectly set up AE86 drift car, you can take that on the (very Initial D-esque) downhill mountain road, while I use your Veyron to slaughter track day heroes at Sebring. Microsoft’s innovative Kinect system also comes into play in the new Autovista mode, which not only features commentary by Top Gear’s Jezza himself, but also the ability to walk around, look at engine bay details. Kinect’s Head Tracking system, in game play, even pans the camera view based on how you naturally look into the corners when hard charging an apex.

To get down to brass tacks, Forza not only looks and sounds the part but also drives like no other game available. With vehicle dynamics developed directly with Pirelli, using their actual real world test results as data, the physics of the game are simply jaw dropping. Using a force-feedback wheel, you can literally feel the cracks in the pavement as you fly into the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight. One of the best parts of Forza 4 though, is the ability to custom tune your gaming experience. While Forza is equipped with a physics engine bordering on professional simulation, and graphics modeling on par with movie CGI, the game still features a plethora of driver aids, steering and brake assists available, so that even the most casual player can race.

In short, Forza 4 is an amazing game. It combines the polish and design needed to attract today’s gaming community, but still offers part of the visceral sights and sounds that car enthusiasts love. While we live in an age where teens are getting their licenses later and later, with a steady declining interest in cars, it’s games like Forza 4 that will hopefully bring them back around.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a Ferrari 330 P4 to whip around the Nürburgring. Aids off.

- Daniel Volz

Speed, lots of power and…. GREEN? The hottest cars on the market today push the envelope when it comes to performance, fuel economy, technology. With cars like the Porsche 918 Spyder looming on the horizon, promising rediculous performance figures (198 MPH, 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, 718 HP, all while giving us 78 MPG), the future of cars truly lies in the maximization of a cars efficiency as opposed to the old school approach of building a strong chassis, and then simply throwing power at it until it goes like hell. As evidenced by the 918 Spyder, along with the new GT3 R Hybrid and Cayenne Hybrid, Porsche has spearheaded the movement they like to call “Intelligent Performance”. There is no doubt that these new hybrid cars give us both performance and efficiency. But what if you can’t wait for a Hybrid Porsche and have a budget that is much, much smaller than the $800,000+ estimated price of the 918 Spyder, or even the Cayenne Hybrid’s $67,700? How about if all you can afford is a bicycle but you want the looks of a GT3 RS? Well, I’ve got the solution for you: The Ferdinand GT3 RS

Hit the jump for the build gallery and more information…

Built from nothing more than a quad-cycle, PVC piping, packing tape, and dreams, the Ferdinand GT3 RS is the lifeblood of artist Hannes Langeder. Smitten by the curves of the original GT3 RS, Langeder used the Porsche as a muse for his interpretation of “speed”. While not exactly fast, it is definitely the most unique GT3 RS I have ever seen.

- Daniel Volz

Source: Stern

Ughhh… It’s yellow. It’s a Chrysler. It’s an ex rental car. Do I really need to continue? This color theme might work on say… a Porsche 911 Turbo, but not on an old Sebring. I’m done, nothing left to say…

Another “poke your eyes out” picture of the Quad exhaust after the jump…

Yuck!

- Daniel

This is one of the reasons I love living in Southern California. You see some of the craziest cars in everyday. I saw this DeLorean as I was trying to avoid traffic on the freeway. Out of nowhere, Doc rolls up in a fully Back to the Future II spec DeLorean. Everything down to the license plate and Mr. Fusion intake is correct.While I can’t be sure, I’m 99% certain that this is the actual movie car unless someone actually dedicated their life to BTTF cars.

- Daniel

Ironically, the “gentleman” driving this behemoth was a short, rather fit Mexican. I can tell you though, I’ve seen plenty of trucks on which this decal would be more appropriate. And on top of it all, this was in metro LA, not exactly where I would expect to see a truck like this…

-Daniel Volz

Celebrity cars are all over LA. Some are beautiful, others very plain. But sometimes they just make you shake your head. The car in the picture above is actually Candy Metallic Pink. (I think the color broke the camera on my iPhone.) It belongs to the MTV VJ LaLa. Instead of wasting my words here, why don’t you guys tell me what comes to mind when you see something like this?

- Daniel Volz

Driving around my neighborhood in Los Angeles, I see a lot of nice cars everyday. From Exotics to 4×4′s, from a yellow  Phantom Drophead Coupe to Fabio, rolling around in his SL65. As you can imagine, after a while one becomes jaded. I find myself ho-humming at the sound of a Gallardo bouncing off the rev limiter and I no longer have flashbacks to my alien abduction when I see an R8 in my rear view mirror. However, sometimes something will grab my attention, unfortunately it’s usually something like this hideous Ford Escape. It’s about as visually pleasing as being shaken awake by a Lowland Gorilla while wearing a banana suit.

Verdict on the Fast & Furious Escape Hybrid with Robo-Orca-Tail-Shopping-Cart Handle: FAIL.

- Daniel Volz

Even with a substantial amount of rain this week in Southern California, Cars & Coffee participants in Irvine, CA braved the storm and brought out some unique and rare rides. Take a look at the gallery and let us know which is your favorite! From a very special Chevy Nomad/Corvette lovechild to a loud, mean, and very red Murcielago, Cars & Coffee always has something for everyone.

- Daniel Volz