I Spent All Morning in GT7 to Buy a Yellow Porsche

I'm way past the age where I can even dream about racing in F1. I could join other motorsports, but it's unlikely I could become competitive on a global level. There's only one exception, and that's drifting. But I'd still need a six-figure budget to stand a chance against all the big names in Poland, Japan, Ireland, and the USA.

Anyway, I'm still happy to experience life at a grassroots level. I don't need a cup to make me smile; I'm glad I've improved my lap times since my first outing. But I'll talk about my latest trackday experience in an article soon. Until then, I was still thinking about the latest update for Gran Turismo 7.

Both the cars I wanted to experience more were Porsches. The new Mission X isn't cheap, at one million credits. And even though I just took it out for the Online Time Trial at the Red Bull Ring, I wanted to see what it could do around the Nurburgring Nordschleife. And the best way I knew of to raise the money was to take on the new Weekly Challenges.

Jimny Cup

If you read my previous story on the GT7 update, you may remember me saying I don't plan to drive the Jimny again. That wouldn't stop anyone at Polyphony Digital from trying to convince me otherwise. I remember the last Jimny Cup event on Eiger Nordwand, but this new one takes us to the Grand Valley - South layout.

It's shorter than the Highway 1 section, which is great news for a vehicle that's not that fast. With no PP limit in sight, I set out to improve the performance figures of the tiny SUV. Taking it up from 101 hp to 217 wasn't cheap, and I also reduced the weight by a bit to make it go faster.

After changing the color and installing the Enkei wheels, it's quite a bit more enticing than it was before. Frankly, it was more exciting to drive, too. Even though I struggled to reach 124 mph (200 kph), I was already in the lead by the end of the first lap. And the car sounds quite nice in the tunnel section. After over four minutes, I won the event and was surprised to see a payout of 47,000 credits!

Japanese Clubman Cup

The Japanese Clubman Cup recommends choosing a car with a maximum of 550 PP. With all the turbo upgrades in the game, my Mazda RX-7 FD3S was way over that level. After switching back to the OEM turbo and street tires and adding 440 lbs (200 kg) of ballast, it was finally eligible for this race around the South Counterclockwise layout of the Tokyo Expressway.

It's always exciting to drive around the Wangan, especially when everyone is running tuned cars. I was in the lead by the end of the second lap and smiled, seeing another FD in front of the pack.

At one point, I had a "drifty" moment that made me happy, and I once again realized how much I love RX-7s. I must find my way to Japan soon to drive one on the Wangan, touge, or any racetrack I can see (preferably Ebisu, Tsukuba, or Autopolis).

World Touring Car 600

I don't remember ever having a World Touring Car—Rallycross mixture, but I haven't played these Weekly Challenges events for that long. It's not long since I attempted the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Rallycross layout with the Toyota GR Yaris. My fastest lap was 49.337, and it was quite fun to drive there.

I needed a car with less than 600 PP and dirt tires for today's event. I thought I'd give my R33 GT-R a try, as I've barely driven it so far. Expect a standing start for this race, crowded with 12 cars on the grid. Right off the bat, the R33 feels a bit slower than the GR Yaris.

But with the longer wheelbase, it's considerably more exciting, and I enjoyed throwing it around every corner until I realized I was losing time. I won the race with an 11-second advantage over the second-fastest opponent. The pay is 45,000 credits after almost 320 seconds of driving like you stole it.

Porsche Cup

I knew I'd get another shot at the Porsche 911 Turbo S soon, and here it is. The Porsche Cup takes place at Autodrome Lago Maggiore (full course), and I just wanted to get a few upgrades for my car before going there.

I may have created the perfect spec for the 992 Turbo S, with the yellow paint job and white Rotiform ROC-H wheels. I changed the front bumper and installed a slightly larger wing on the back. I almost couldn't stop taking photos of it, but this 911 isn't why I took on the Weekly Challenges this time.

With 721 bhp on tap and weighing 1,459 kg (thanks to a weight reduction package), the car still suffers from understeer. It's heavy but thrilling. And I just finished ahead of a GT3 RS by six seconds, winning 70,000 credits.

Special Event

It's another week with no tire wear or fuel consumption affecting the Weekly Challenges. Things would have been a bit more exciting if it happened for the Special Event at the famous 24 Heures du Mans Racing Circuit, but I'm not complaining here. Some may know how much I love GT1 and Group C racing.

It was probably the best era of motorsports, and we get to live them out thanks to games like Gran Turismo 7. I thought about going with the Porsche 962C for a second but then opted for the Mazda 787B. Even better about this event is that there's no chicane to worry about. Hearing the rotary engine screaming up to 217 mph (350 kph) reminded me of a cool video of the real car flying down the Hunaudieres main straight years ago.

The event spans 5 laps, and you have 17 opponents to defeat. It starts as a night race and is probably one of the most amazing things you'll experience in GT7. I witnessed the exhaust flames of the cars in the front and wild sparks flying out as I was going flat out towards the next corner.

No matter how hard I pushed the car, I couldn't catch up with the leaders. Even though I had the fastest lap at 3:14, I still finished third overall after more than 16 minutes of racing. The payout was only 56,000 credits, and I was still short of my goal. Even with the three bonus reward tickets totaling 800,000 credits, I didn't have enough cash for the Porsche Mission X.

Bonus Test

So, I raced two more events at Tsukuba to get the money. Once I bought the Porsche Mission X, I opted for a color change. I knew getting the most out of it at the Nordschleife won't be easy. And I made things worse by sticking with my controlled pad instead of the Logitech G29 wheel.

I felt it almost undrivable on regular street tires, with excessive wheelspin until 124 mph (200 kph). If Porsche plans to set a new record, they can't use racing slicks. But I thought I'd go for a set either way. I crashed several times. There's still not enough traction up until the previously-mentioned speed.

And slowing the car down can be a nightmare at times. That's what you would expect when it can reach almost 186 mph (300 kph) before most corners. I think it's the first vehicle in Gran Turismo 7 that requires me to spend so much time on the brakes. I expected a 6:30 easy but ended up with a seven-minute run. I guess it's back to the drawing board for now.