I drove the new Celicas, and I do agree that the hp curve on the cars
(especially the GT-S) is a little annoying. Here are my impressions of
the two cars (my point of view is my daily driver...a 94 Celica GT - 2nd
at 99 Nats):
2000 GT - The first thought was that the car is very nimble, like it was
on rails. The tires are good and the alignment felt dead on. My 94 GT
is the 2.2L engine with good torque, and the 2000 GT didn't feel that
fast. I love the way it looks on the outside. Inside is ok too,
although I don't like the light grey plastic parts that look a little
cheap (I think light grey is a bad color for a plastic interior). For
autocross, I think this may be a very good car because it is almost as
light as the 94 Celica ST (maybe 40 lbs difference) and it has a better
engine. This may be a VERY good car for ES next year. Time will tell.
2000 GT-S - I drove the GT-S with the 16" wheels, and my first
impression was that it was not quite as nimble as the 2000 GT. The
reason may be the extra 150 or so pounds or tire pressure (not likely)
or suspension setup (could it be?). The engine is very similar to the
Type R engine; so I don't really like it. I am with Matt Murray on that
one. The cam timing change-over happens at about 6000 RPM or maybe even
a touch higher, and below that, the car is not very fast (not slow but
not as fast as my 94 GT down low). If this car goes to G-Stock, I
predict it will NOT be THE car to have because it is almost exactly the
same as the 2000 GT except for a small band of 2-stroke-like power way
up high. That 6000+RPM power is fun on the road for road racing, but I
don't think it would be much of an advantage in autocross considering
the increasingly technical nature of Nat courses. When all is said and
done, the GT-S is heavier, and the engine will not make up for it much.
My final thought is only to repeat that I think the car is cool to look
at and fun to drive. The GT will be a VERY competitive car if placed in
ES. The GT-S will die a fast death in GS. Of course that is just my
opinion, I could be wrong.
Best Regards to everyone,
Chris
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