To be fair, entering a GT car as a track-focused mata replacement was a pretty long shot 
Oh my god. Not only survived the first cut. My car actually getting into the finalist. Even words can’t express how happy I am! 
*By the way, I have some difficulty to check all the cars. It’s quite annoying. Anyone can teach me some way to check all the comments made by a specific user?
You made my day twice, finalist, HECK YEAH 
*around Laguna Seca only. And also significantly more expensive to drive ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Nonetheless thanks for the memes. Next time @TheElt we’ll really push it to the limit 
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fell at the second. expected, but happy to have advanced with that thin of a meme
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CSR74 Reviews and Results, Part 3: The Final Reckoning
With the track test complete and the top five finalized, it was time to rank the finalists. This was an action-packed day for sure, and now the moment of truth was imminent. Eventually, though, after a lengthy period of deliberation, I finally came up with a finishing order for the remaining cars. And so, after a day which featured a roller-coaster of emotions both during and after the track test, the final ranking was as follows:
5th - Watermelon3878 - CVM SC32
This would have been a more balanced car if it had stability control, but as it stands it’s too demanding to drive flat-out compared to the other finalists, even with the traction control turned on. Given that track cars may sometimes see occasional road use, that’s a sore point, and combined with the fact that it’s the most expensive of the finalists, the SC32 cannot finish any higher than fifth.
4th - findRED19 - Grand Motors Spite
I loved the authentic muscle car feel of the Spite early on, but when put up against some of the other finalists, its live rear axle turned out to be more of a hindrance than a benefit. In particular, the inability to adjust the rear camber angle was a real annoyance given that I like to tinker with my car setup in between hot laps, and ultimately leaves it with one hand tied behind its back at times, which is why the Spite finishes fourth.
3rd - Tsundere-kun - Righello
Unlike the Spite, the Righello had a proper independent rear end, allowing me more freedom when adjusting its suspension. It was also faster over a single lap (and also easier to drive), thanks to its sophisticated active suspension. However, that extra complication is not without its drawbacks; such a setup is quite expensive to service, as well as being more difficult to maintain. Moreover, given that a track car ought to make me feel connected to the road, the active suspension on the Righello seems to neuter that connection somewhat. Nevertheless, the Righello can proudly claim its spot on the bottom step of the podium.
2nd - Mr.Computah - Caliban Type SC TO
If there was ever a car that could teach you all about balance, this would be it. Its challenge factor was closer to 1.0 than any of the other finalists, and was equally exhilarating whether it was driven normally (slow-in fast-out) or sideways. It was also the lightest and cheapest car in the top five, which meant that not only would I have lots of leftover cash for upgrades, but the impact of adding extra power would be more easily felt. On the subject of power, it had less of it than the other finalists, which explains why its lap time was the slowest among those of the top five cars. In the end, the Caliban proved to be a giant-killer, but its relative lack of pace consigned it to second place.
1st - Chipskate - Bowen Danio 510R
By bringing a supercar to a sports car fight, Bowen have blown away the opposition in the track car category. Yes, it’s more challenging to drive than any of the finalists except for the SC32, but it’s worth it. It feels more like a race car when you’re chasing lap records, and is equally entertaining on the road. Given that it’s one of the most powerful cars in the whole field, let alone the top five, the fact that its lap time was faster than what any of the other finalists could manage speaks volumes about its effectiveness. And it looks properly exotic, with its eye-catching lime green paintjob, wide rear wing and svelte yet aggressive styling. Front up to a track day in one of these and you’re very likely, if not guaranteed, to make the opposition see its rear end.
And so the most nerve-racking car-buying decision of my whole life up to this point concluded satisfactorily with the purchase of a Bowen Danio 510R. With the sun slowly setting, I got in it and drove home, knowing that the big green beast would provide me with many memorable driving experiences for years to come.
I knew it would be a real nightmare getting all 35(!) initial reviews done in time, so I kept them short and to the point. I also used the same strategy for the second round of cuts, again saving time and effort. But in the end, my decision to condense the reviews (by keeping only the most important information about each car) meant that hosting this round was definitely worth it for me.
Final Standings
1st - Chipskate
2nd - Mr.Computah
3rd - Tsundere-kun
4th - findRED19
5th - Watermelon3878
And to all the users who entered this round… Thanks for entering!
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Well, my best result so far and congratulations to Chipskate for winning!
Well, downsizing caught up to Hibiki in the end. It was the most engine I could get out of it before fuel consumption would outright DQ the car. But when you had competition pushing close to 400hp with smaller bodies, the Hibiki’s handicap was just too big.
Still, all of that aside, I couldn’t be prouder of the Hibiki. For a car that was effectively handicapped, finding my way past round 1 was a huge victory, after countless technical and design failures in the CSR. For once I had a car that looked and drove nicely, a car that was more than a novelty act.
Perhaps with a different set of rules I can get the Hibiki to where I wanted it to be, but even now it’s my finest Automation car.
Many thanks to abg for hosting the event, and congrats to watermelon and Tsundere-kun for the surprisingly good sleeper performances!
Er, best not to tag the winner, that’s a no-no as far as final results are concerned.
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My bad 
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It’s fine, that mistake is a common one. Above all else, you should be very proud of your second place! Taking the least powerful car out of the finalists to a 2nd place is a victory for the Lotus philosphy.
I can understand the excitement leading to some mishaps… 
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In hindsight, I would’ve done a 2.5-ish turbo, but I was going for a more authentic sports car vibe with N/A and no ESC.
wow, my best csr finish yet, and it wasn’t even a car from any of my official companies. Maybe I should do wild-card designs more often.
Well god damn Chipskate seems to be on a hell of a winning streak
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Woah, I didn’t even expect to make it to the finals, much less win. Thanks to abg for hosting this and managing to pull it off despite the overwhelming number of entrants!
Unfortunately I’m not quite up to hosting the next CSR, so I’ll be passing it on to @Mr.Computah
Car for those interested: CSR74 - Chipskate - Bowen Danio 510R.car (35.1 KB)
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Works for me on all fronts. And how about that, a ford falcon boganmobile didn’t win it! That’s a good thing in my books
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Can’t believe that my car actually made this far. It’s the first time I ever join a community challenge and take the 3rd place already!I’m probably the happiest person in the world right now!
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Interestingly, all of the top five cars (and indeed all but three of the entries which made my shortlist) were powered by normally aspirated engines. Every single one of the finalists was also rear-wheel-drive. Given that I have a preference for NA RWD performance cars (which were more common in 2005 than they are now), this should not come as a surprise.
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Hahahahahaha I’m actually not knocking the Ford Falcon, actually they are very good. It’s more for a period of time abg had and, I suspect, still does have a very particular penchant for cars of that particular drivetrain, dimension and philosophy which is why I very deliberately went and did about as opposite as I could get
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I’ll work a set of rules out and be back soon 
EDIT: The new CSR is up!
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