Forza Garage: ALMS Special Edition

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 09:35 AM PDT

2011 Aston Martin #6 Muscle Milk Aston Martin Lola

We have a special edition of Forza Garage for you today due to the announcement of the partnership between Forza Motorsport 4 and the American Le Man Series. There are lots to be excited about, because the collaboration extends from the game to the trackside experience. ALMS is some of the most exciting racing around, with the incredibly quick prototypes sharing the track with the equally exciting (and highly competitive) GT classes, and all of the heart-pounding racing will be available for fans to experience in real life as well as on Xbox with your friends and rivals. You can read all about the partnership in the announcement article.

From the community team’s perspective, the most exciting part is being able to tell you about some of the great new cars that you’ll be able to spend time with once the game is released this October. Whether your preference is for the insanely fast Acuras, or the sweet-handling M3 GTR (with its high-revving V8), you’re really going to enjoy how great they look on the track with the game’s new lighting engine. And with 16-player multiplayer racing action, and the selection of ALMS tracks available in Forza 4, you’ll be that much closer to a real ALMS racing experience.

While we know you’re going to like reading more about what makes these cars special, it’s even more gratifying to have some truly amazing in-game images that capture all the excitement of Forza’s immersive racing experience. As Brian is fond of saying, if these pictures don’t get your heart racing, you should go see a doctor.
Without any further ado, enjoy the car descriptions and images below:

2008 Acura #15 Lowe’s Fernandez ARX-01b

Resplendent in white, with sporty blue upper accents and pinstriping celebrating the Mexican heritage of team owner and driver Adrian Fernandez and several members of his highly skilled team, the Acura-powered LMP2 racer is as beautiful as it is fast. As the higher-downforce variant of the ARX-01a, the first purpose-designed Acura racecar ever, the -01b utilizes an immensely powerful HPD-developed 3.4-liter V8 that brought team Lowe’s Fernandez a good deal of success in the 2008 season. Of course, it’s one thing to muse on the car’s great livery or its real-life ALMS record; it’s another entirely to take advantage of Forza 4 to experience from the highly-detailed cockpit the shrieking motor at full bore behind your head, the massive downforce, and the incredible cornering prowess.

2008 Acura #26 Andretti-Green Racing ARX-01b

With names like “Andretti,” “Fittipaldi,” and “Kanaan” on the roster, the Andretti-Green Racing ALMS team no doubt has excellent pedigree, which extends to the #26 car, an ARX-01b resulting from the highly successful collaboration between Acura and chassis-constructor Courage. Leading the team from their Indianapolis headquarters is IndyCar champion Michael Andretti, son of Mario Andretti. In 2008, #26 had a strong showing, finishing many times in the top ten and taking first in class for the final race of the season at Laguna Seca. It’s hard to miss the sharp livery, predominantly black with yellow and blue accents, in your rearview mirror; but with 16-player races available and a host of ALMS cars in Forza 4, it’s entirely possible (and a lot of fun) to recreate many of the same grids that #26 faced during its real-life career.

2008 Acura #26 Andretti-Green Racing ARX-01b

2008 Acura #66 de Ferran Motorsports ARX-01b

While some of Acura’s ARX-01 racers used Lola chassis, the ARX-01b of de Ferran Motorsports used a Courage LC75 chassis and the de rigueur Acura 3.4-liter V8 to challenge all comers in ALMS racing. Chassis #12, wearing the #66 number, was a strong contender that placed within the top ten for much of the 2008 season; not bad, considering it was the first season of ALMS racing for both #66’s distinctive and fetching two-tone blue livery with bold red accents, as well as de Ferran Motorsports itself. The #66, as with all -01b variants, enjoyed a host of aerodynamic modifications to the bodywork that improved airflow as well as downforce—racers welcome any advantage, however small, over the fierce competition. Unchanged is the wild performance on tap, enough to challenge and delight Forza players of all stripes.

2011 Aston Martin #6 Muscle Milk Aston Martin Lola

The Muscle Milk team has long been a force to be reckoned with in ALMS racing, and the 2011 season brings many changes to the team. The biggest is a new partnership with Lola-Aston Martin, providing the team with a closed cockpit car packing a 6-liter V12—a big change from the lower-powered open car of previous years. This is due to IMSA rules that allow 2010 LMP1 cars to run in the ALMS, bringing a whole new level of excitement to the series. While the Lola-Aston Martin changeover brings challenges as the drivers get used to the incredible capabilities of the higher-output closed car, it is already brining success. Of course, the rivalry in ALMS LMP1 racing is fierce, but rest assured that the new car and talented crew carried over from the previous season should ensure that the Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing team is going to be fun to watch.

2001 BMW #6 Prototype Technology Group M3 GTR

Tom Milner is the team owner of the PTG team, a semi-works outfit that historically has partnered with BMW to test out the latest slick Motorsport equipment. When BMW rolled out the E46-series M3 GTR for the 2001 season, PTG was on the front lines to test the new car against the formidable ALMS competition. The M3 GTR brought improved aerodynamics and better racing dynamics, courtesy of wider rubber and a more powerful engine. PTG wrapped the #6 car in a boldly patriotic star-spangled livery, with white stars over a blue field and red fender and skirt accents, all over a striking competition white. While many talented PTG drivers took the wheel, it can’t be overlooked that the very talented former F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck co-drove the #6 car to a class victory at the 2001 Petit Le Mans.

2009 BMW #92 Rahal Letterman Racing M3 GT2

Few teams have a more interesting combination of owners than Rahal-Letterman Racing. Co-owned by famous late-night talk show host David Letterman and legendary CART racer Bobby Rahal, the team competed mainly in Indycar racing, but returned to ALMS with a M3 GT2 in 2008. The 2009 season gave the BMW Rahal-Letterman team their first-ever program victory in ALMS, as well as their first 1-2 finish, with the #92 car achieving a second-place podium spot at Road America. It was an impressive result for the talented team, and a tribute to the prowess of the M3 GT2, refined through ruthless weight savings and increased power from the 4-liter V8 when compared with the previous GT2 car. It looks the part, too, with a bold white livery sporting prominent BMW M-Power tri-color stripes and topped off with a bare carbon fiber roof.

2009 Ford #40 Robertson Racing Ford GT Mk7

The original Ford GT40 was a crowd-pleasing racer at Le Mans, so the #40 Ford GT of Robertson Racing has a lot going for it by adopting the similarly gorgeous proportions of the GT40’s modern reincarnation to go racing with. The GTs didn’t solely coast through on their historic endurance racing pedigree, because while Robertson Racing has been admittedly smitten with Ford’s new supercar, they left few bits untouched as they converted the Ford GT for GT2 duties, dubbing it the Mk7 in the process. The #40 Mk7 proved to be reliable and quick, menacing competitors and thrilling bystanders while looking good in its dark-grey over red and black livery. With several ALMS tracks available in Forza 4, the born-to-run #40 has plenty of excuses to provide you with heart-pounding ALMS racing excitement from the comfort of your living room.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this special edition of Forza Garage. Keep an eye on the site for more information about the exciting ALMS partnership, and remember to check on Facebook and Twitter each day for more Forza Garage car reveals.

- Forza Motorsport