Forza Motorsports 6: Ferrari 330 P4 V.S. Ford GT40
Since the 1960s, Ferrari and Ford have been at each other's throats. Ford tried to buy Ferrari, and when Ferrari ended up wasting Ford's money and time, Ford decided to get even. Ferrari had only sold road cars so he could finance his racing team. Ford wanted to take away the thing that made Ferrari the most proud. Ford wanted to take Ferrari's victory in the La Mans 24 Hour endurance race.
In the following years, Ford developed the GT40. However, the GT40 MK I was not a success.
The GT40 MK II was the most famous of the GT40 name.
Few people know that the GT40 wasn't discontinued until the early 70s The MK III was a great looking car as well. There were minor changes, including the removal of the iconic hood scoop.
The MK IV brought back the scoop, and took on more of a Lola appearance, which made sense because the car was built on Lola chassis.
The last model was the MK V. The one pictured is a kit car, but from what I understand it is the most accurate kit car out there. The only car that looks different than the others is the MK IV.
For the most part the power stayed the same while the weight went down over the generations.
This was Ford's first real attempt to build a real race car. As a result, it was rough and unrefined. Ferrari, on the other hand, was all about racing. The car that he was bringing to the table was a result of years of research and development.
There was only one version of the P4 was built, and only four were built. One of which was built on a different car's chassis. They didn't have to start from scratch like Ford did.
Fifty years has passed since these two cars, the P4 and the GT40 MK II, first went head to head on the 24 hour race. Ford ended up with a one-two-three victory.
The closes you or me will ever get to driving these cars, or even sitting in one of these, is in video games. As the other articles that I've written have shown, I like playing these games, particularly the Forza series. I like comparing myself to other people, and so I decided to test these cars head to head, using myself as the constant.
But lets talk about the numbers. GT40 first. In Forza Motorsports 6, The GT is at A 667. A V8 produces 485 Horsepower, and 475 LB-FT of torque. The car weights 2,682 pounds, and with a power to weight ratio like that, it was a rocket at the time.
I drove both the cars around the Le Mans track five times to get a good idea of the times I could set with each car.
The GT, as it turns out, was a very difficult car to drive. You could tell that this was Ford's first try at a real race car. When I would exit a corner, if I immediately floored it, the front end would feel like it was lifting off the ground. At low speed corners, if any tire hit the rumble strips the car slides around like crazy. The worst was when you would exit a corner too wide and have no traction in the front and be sliding.
(Skin by xX8psycho8Xx)
I had the settings as real as I could. HUD off, Suggest line off, ABS off, simulated steering, Traction and Stability control are both off, Manual with clutch, every damage, fuel, and tire wear were simulated, and rewind off.
Another thing I noticed is that the rev-matching has to be exact while slowing down. With most cars, there is at least a little forgiveness in the down-shifting. But if it wasn't within 200 RPM or so you loose all hope of getting around the corner with any speed.
I ended up making a 4:33.778 lap. It was the fastest of the five laps I completed. Three of the five laps were dirty, two of those just being a little too far off the track, and one after I missed the breaking point and hit a wall.
Next was the Ferrari. It is A 679 with a V12 pushing 450 horsepower, 358 LB-FT with a weight of 2,271. The power to weight ratio is actually just slightly lower than the GT40's.
(skin by Cyperpunk001)
The P4 pulled off a 4:31.167 time. It drove much better than the GT40. I could feel that the car had been build by people who knew what they were doing. The grip is amazing. The breaks are great. The P4 has wider tires than the GT's by a long shot. The car is also much more stable. I could pull lap after lap with consistancy. The only laps that were over 4:31 were the first and last. The first was becuase I didn't get a running start, and the last I hit a wall at nearly 200 miles an hour and ended up with a lap time of 6:03.912. It was pretty bad.
Over all, the P4 seemed more refined. It just goes to show that Ford had some insane people to drive the GT40s of this time. I was able to hit two seconds faster than the Ford while driving the Ferrari. However, I like the GT better. Personal preference, the story of Ferrari screwing Ford, and the story of Ferrari screwing Lamborghini as well make me dislike Ferrari on a personal level. But that's just me, you do you. Anyways, see you later. Bye.
In the following years, Ford developed the GT40. However, the GT40 MK I was not a success.
The GT40 MK II was the most famous of the GT40 name.
Few people know that the GT40 wasn't discontinued until the early 70s The MK III was a great looking car as well. There were minor changes, including the removal of the iconic hood scoop.
The MK IV brought back the scoop, and took on more of a Lola appearance, which made sense because the car was built on Lola chassis.
The last model was the MK V. The one pictured is a kit car, but from what I understand it is the most accurate kit car out there. The only car that looks different than the others is the MK IV.
For the most part the power stayed the same while the weight went down over the generations.
This was Ford's first real attempt to build a real race car. As a result, it was rough and unrefined. Ferrari, on the other hand, was all about racing. The car that he was bringing to the table was a result of years of research and development.
There was only one version of the P4 was built, and only four were built. One of which was built on a different car's chassis. They didn't have to start from scratch like Ford did.
Fifty years has passed since these two cars, the P4 and the GT40 MK II, first went head to head on the 24 hour race. Ford ended up with a one-two-three victory.
The closes you or me will ever get to driving these cars, or even sitting in one of these, is in video games. As the other articles that I've written have shown, I like playing these games, particularly the Forza series. I like comparing myself to other people, and so I decided to test these cars head to head, using myself as the constant.
But lets talk about the numbers. GT40 first. In Forza Motorsports 6, The GT is at A 667. A V8 produces 485 Horsepower, and 475 LB-FT of torque. The car weights 2,682 pounds, and with a power to weight ratio like that, it was a rocket at the time.
I drove both the cars around the Le Mans track five times to get a good idea of the times I could set with each car.
The GT, as it turns out, was a very difficult car to drive. You could tell that this was Ford's first try at a real race car. When I would exit a corner, if I immediately floored it, the front end would feel like it was lifting off the ground. At low speed corners, if any tire hit the rumble strips the car slides around like crazy. The worst was when you would exit a corner too wide and have no traction in the front and be sliding.
I had the settings as real as I could. HUD off, Suggest line off, ABS off, simulated steering, Traction and Stability control are both off, Manual with clutch, every damage, fuel, and tire wear were simulated, and rewind off.
Another thing I noticed is that the rev-matching has to be exact while slowing down. With most cars, there is at least a little forgiveness in the down-shifting. But if it wasn't within 200 RPM or so you loose all hope of getting around the corner with any speed.
I ended up making a 4:33.778 lap. It was the fastest of the five laps I completed. Three of the five laps were dirty, two of those just being a little too far off the track, and one after I missed the breaking point and hit a wall.
Next was the Ferrari. It is A 679 with a V12 pushing 450 horsepower, 358 LB-FT with a weight of 2,271. The power to weight ratio is actually just slightly lower than the GT40's.
The P4 pulled off a 4:31.167 time. It drove much better than the GT40. I could feel that the car had been build by people who knew what they were doing. The grip is amazing. The breaks are great. The P4 has wider tires than the GT's by a long shot. The car is also much more stable. I could pull lap after lap with consistancy. The only laps that were over 4:31 were the first and last. The first was becuase I didn't get a running start, and the last I hit a wall at nearly 200 miles an hour and ended up with a lap time of 6:03.912. It was pretty bad.
Over all, the P4 seemed more refined. It just goes to show that Ford had some insane people to drive the GT40s of this time. I was able to hit two seconds faster than the Ford while driving the Ferrari. However, I like the GT better. Personal preference, the story of Ferrari screwing Ford, and the story of Ferrari screwing Lamborghini as well make me dislike Ferrari on a personal level. But that's just me, you do you. Anyways, see you later. Bye.
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