As a direct ancestor of iRacing, the ‘Grand Prix Legends engine’ had multiple stock car racing false starts, before eventually releasing as NASCAR Racing 4. The original NASCAR 3, cancelled and replaced by one that used NASCAR 2’s engine, is barely remembered.
Shortly after the release of Grand Prix Legends the sim racing community looked forward to another title that promised to offer a similar insight into historic racing. Trans-Am Racing ’68-’72 ultimately never released, a victim of a publishers shady dealings, but as a part of my research I uncovered a VHS of a never-released trailer for the game. Watch the trailer and read about what sim racing missed out on.
This is an interesting idea… Slightly Mad Studios appear to have collaborated with Ruf and created a race version of the road car, and decided to include that as a pre-order bonus for Project Cars. Screenshots and press release below.
Press release:
Pre-Order Project CARS and Recieve Special Ruf CTR3 SMS-R Vehicle
When you pre-order Project CARS from selected retailers you get your hands on a one-of-a-kind vehicle – the Ruf CTR3 SMS-R. Up until now this unique car has been under wraps in testing but now we’re ready to unveil it and tell you a bit more about how the collaboration between Slightly Mad Studios and Ruf…
Further blurring the lines between reality and gaming, the Ruf CTR3 SMS-R is a race spec version created by the talented engineers at veteran developers Slightly Mad Studios of the already-impressive Ruf CTR3 super sports car. With a stripped interior, bespoke bodywork and highly-tuned engine, the Ruf CTR3 SMS-R produces over 750 horsepower and a staggering 330 km/h top speed making it a truly unique combination of technical excellence and aesthetic passion.
“We wanted the bodywork to reflect our idea of what Ruf would really do if they were to make a track-only version of the CTR3, very much like what Pagani did with the Zonda R” says Vehicle Lead Casey Ringley.
“As a result, none of the bodywork is excessively extreme and it takes a lot of cues from modern GT3 class cars: dive planes at the front, swan neck rear wing, aggressive diffuser and other little details that are normal for a car that is honed to perform on the track.”
Vehicle Manager Jan Frischkorn adds “We also stripped the interior and added other racing equipment such as racing slicks in order to get it track-ready.”
Mechanically, the engine is similar to the CTR3 Clubsport with 767hp and 980Nm of torque! That power level puts it on a par with the aforementioned Pagani Zonda R and allows it to compete alongside it in the GT1X class in-game.
By the removal of 270kg of weight and the addition of an aerodynamics package that doubles the downforce of the road car and tuned suspension for increased cornering loads, the SMS-R is a machine that could entirely exist in the real world thanks to the authentic way that it was created using techniques that real drivers have used for decades – cutting weight, tuning suspension, improving aero.
Exclusive to Project CARS and only available as part of the Modified Car Pack, the CTR3 SMS-R is a pioneering machine that further shows how Project CARS continues to push the boundaries between reality and gaming. Get your hands on it by pre-ordering on projectcarsgame.com/preorder
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