An Oldie but a Goldie

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]I'm going to be honest with you - Porsches aren't my favourite cars. Don't get me wrong, they are fine automobiles, and a pleasure to drive in race or road trim, but the "purist" tag attached to the cars themselves and the snobbish, "my-car's-the-best-and-only-my-opinion-counts" or Californian-Daddy's-girl stereotypes of the typical Porsche owner have left me feeling rather indifferent to the frog-faced cars from Stuttgart that have their engines at the wrong end. Until now. Holden still rules supreme as far as I'm concerned, but Porsche has risen up my best-car-brands-in-the-world ladder since I tried this new mod for GTR Evolution, courtesy of Majoteam and Ravenmorpheus2k.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]A little background info is probably necessary at this point. The car featured in this mod is the legendary Porsche 935, winner of the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1979 (as well as the 12 hours of Sebring and 24 hours of Daytona multiple times), and one of the cars that helped assure Porsche's dominance over Sportscar racing through the 1970s and into the 1980s. Winning 123 out of 370 races entered, which equates to a 33.24% winning percentage, the 935 is revered even today as one of the great sports car racers. Its dominance was like almost no other in history up to that point, and the fact that it was available to customers for their own racing exploits compounds that even more.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]So, Majoteam, Ravenmorpheus2k and friends over at NoGrip began the task of converting the existing 935 mod over to the GTR Evolution platform, and this is the result. And after months of development, beta testing and hard work on their part, all I can say is this: nothing short of a masterpiece. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]I tested out the 935 at various tracks typical of the car's era: Flowing, high-speed tracks such as Mosport, Kyalami, Watkins Glen and, it goes without saying, Le Mans 1979. The fact is, the 935 is quite at home on these tracks, as you will find in the coming paragraphs.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Starting now. As I clicked that suddenly very nice-looking "Start Session" button at the bottom right of my menu screen, I eagerly anticipated what the mod would be like. Even before I pulled out of the garage, I wasn't disappointed. The car certainly looks the part, with the gigantic rear wing and smooth haunches. It looks mean. Very 70s indeed. And the liveries included with the car make for some nice eye candy - the Martini livery in particular is my favourite, but all the skins are beautiful; kudos to the skinners. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]I decided to give the engine a couple of revs, to see how it sounded. Long story short, the turbocharged flat-six made me go weak at the knees. The engine is loud and proud, with an audible mechanical clang as I took my foot off the accelerator - so much so that I felt this irrepressible urge to turn up my speakers full-blast, to appreciate the aural symphony that greeted my ears whenever I put my foot down. And when I switched to the swingman camera view, I could clearly hear the hiss of the turbo as the car's revs climbed. The 935 sounds so mechanically beautiful, that even now, I wish I had surround sound. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Okay, maybe that story turned out long after all... anyways, the drive. That's what everyone wants to read about. Again, to cut a long story short (and make it long again in the process) the car is, using the most basic positive adjective of the English language that can be used in this context, incredible to drive. Noticeable turbo lag is detected when I feed on the power, but this is expected, and is actually quite fun. The clang of the transmission as I changed gear seemed to mesh so perfectly with the rest of the car's behaviour - this vehicle is brutal, and I am loving every second of it. When I say brutal, I mean it; having only four gear ratios means nothing to this engine. As proof, on the default setup, I shifted into first from a standing start, and the acceleration was so hard and fast that I was hurriedly shifting into second in no time. And on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans, I reached 330 km/h... in fourth. No joke, this car is amazingly fast. Half-sliding through the corners, I recalled that this car has a locked differential, in keeping with real life, which means you need to drift a little with it. Understeer in, oversteer out - but only in small increments. The car drives so well, despite the locked diff, that I found I could steer it through fast turns with my right foot. And my left foot did an equally effective job: the brakes are more powerful than I ever thought they would be. The amazing amount of power at the driving wheels is crazy, yet can be harnessed and tamed - to an extent. Push the car too hard and you will pay the price. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]But still, you will love it just as much as when you first got behing the vrtual steering wheel. The sheer magic of the Porsche 935 is that it's so infectiously wonderful to drive, and to hear. I'm facing a dilemma here, because I can't find a single thing wrong with this mod. At the time of writing, it is the most complete mod available for Race 07/GTR Evolution out there. Down to the tiniest detail, the 935 mod is just perfect. Absolutely flawless, not only because of the lack of errors, but for the "feeling" you get when you take it out on the virtual asphalt.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]I cannot for the life of me understand why it is that I don't get the same feeling driving modern virtual race cars as I do with historical ones. Maybe it's because, back then, you didn't have computer gizmos helping you out, and you had to do all the driving work yourself. Maybe it's because, back then, the car's power wasn't regulated by rules, and your heart rate grew ever higher with anticipation because of all that horsepower underneath that right pedal. Maybe it's because, back then, you had so much fun trying to probe the car's limits, and trying to see how long you could hold it in a powerslide for. Or, maybe it's because, today, you get a big goofy smile on your face because you know that the car you're driving made history when you either were a kid, or had yet to come into the world.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Yes, that is why this mod is the greatest ever for Evo at the moment. If there's a more excellent effort for a mod, I certainly haven't found it yet. Majoteam, Raven Morpheus, and all of the rest of their team who poured their spare time into this car: You guys deserve a medal each. No other mod comes even close to this monumental work of art. Thanks to you, I love Porsches a lot more now.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Rhys's grade: A+ ...I can't go any higher![/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Author's Note: Since this review was written, an update for this mod has been released. Since the changes do not affect the car's physics or performance as far as the writer is aware, the views, opinions and comments expressed in this review should still apply.[/FONT]
 

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Rhys,

Have you heard on e of these at full song in real life yet? Brother it is indeed one of the rare treats for any Gear(petrol) head to experience the sound.

We have had vintage events at Limerock that included a few of these awesome cars and the sound and presence is simple stunning!!!!!! seeing that massive turbo tucked underneath the rear bumper is only a hint of the goods until you see them toss a massive flame out when off throttle.

nice write up! I'll be sure to download this mod and tear into Watkins glen GP soon!
 
nice write up! I'll be sure to download this mod and tear into Watkins glen GP soon!

1. Thankyou! :party2:

2. Tear into the Glen as much as you can! It was one of the first tracks I took this out on and I had the time of my life. You won't be disappointed.

3. I'll be sure to look up some YouTube clips of the car so I can see what you're talking about. Looking forward to it already... :D
 
Well written review, Rhys.
Sounds like you would be a great fan of GTL, if you don't have it.

You have talked me into trying this mod now, just need to go find it, heads off to NG. CYA. :skywalker:

EDIT: Found here in the RD downloads. :drool:
 
Warren, I am indeed a fan of GTL, and really want to try it out. Problem is, nobody has a copy - as a game shop manager told me, "It's such a good game that no-one wants to let it go..." :laugh2:

I'll keep looking all the same, and if all else fails, there's always eBay... I'll let you know when I do manage to get it! :)
 
Warren, I am indeed a fan of GTL, and really want to try it out. Problem is, nobody has a copy - as a game shop manager told me, "It's such a good game that no-one wants to let it go..." :laugh2:

I'll keep looking all the same, and if all else fails, there's always eBay... I'll let you know when I do manage to get it! :)

Rhys,
Here you go:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/GT-Legends-P...ms=65:1|66:2|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:3|294:50

I bought RBR from them and had it in a couple of days, no problems.
 
Warren, I am indeed a fan of GTL, and really want to try it out. Problem is, nobody has a copy - as a game shop manager told me, "It's such a good game that no-one wants to let it go..." :laugh2:

I'll keep looking all the same, and if all else fails, there's always eBay... I'll let you know when I do manage to get it! :)

Very well written article Rhys!!!!!

BTW I just got GTL from

www.newegg.com

$15 US including shipping. Shipping to AU shouldn;t be much
 
1. Thankyou! :party2:

2. Tear into the Glen as much as you can! It was one of the first tracks I took this out on and I had the time of my life. You won't be disappointed.

3. I'll be sure to look up some YouTube clips of the car so I can see what you're talking about. Looking forward to it already... :D


http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/pic.php?imagenum=5&carnum=3671

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj4-clpN8N4[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bIrzllzypI[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48pqO5yzmHU[/ame]
 
the sexiest sounding race car I EVER heard was a

Ferrari 512 BB LM. LM= Le Mans

It was just indescribeable how it makes you feel if your a gear head.

Me personally, I 'm a slut for any unrestricted race engine sound.....

first 3 cars are 512's in this video below

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGyGoDJNxpM[/ame]
 

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