Spirit of Speed,1939

Just got back from E3 in LA, and a quick peek at the next Microprose racing wonder. From the Hasbro Interactive handout: "Get behind the wheel of a real classic! Step back in time to the early years of motorsport, where fortunes were won and lost, as well as many lives, in the pursuit of speed. In this full simulation, you get behind the wheel of 8 classic cars - Bugatti, Mercedes, Fiat, Alfa Romeo - thundering round 8+ tracks from around the world. Know what it feels like to be behind a 24 liter engine, solid tyres less then 10 inches thick, and as for brakes, What brakes ? " It's release date is Sept /Oct and it looked wonderful. I didn't get to drive, but the two Microprose employees that were demoing were having a blast, sliding sideways through corners and trying to keep these twitchy beasts on the track. GPL beater ? Hard to say without driving, but it has different levels of difficulty and that may be better suited to peolple that find GPL just too tough. And to my eye the graphics, running on a Voodoo3, were just stunning. Still no sign of GP3, though I was told unofficially that it is due to be released around the same time. Roll on October.... Jeff

Its a dream come true!!! GPL is great....but 1939 GP cars...this must be heaven. As far as GP racing for me goes the older it gets the better. I just hope they have an Auto Union. Chris

Ahh, great(!) Nice for the old farts but what about us Damo fans!? Rob "...and I've got to stop, because I've got a lump in my throat!" ~Murray Walker "82.4% of statistics are made up on the spot" ~Vic Reeves "When the segulls follow the trawler, it is because the expect fish to be thrown for them." ~Eric Cantona

> Its a dream come true!!! GPL is great....but 1939 GP cars...this must be > heaven. As far as GP racing for me goes the older it gets the better. I just > hope they have an Auto Union. A bit off subject, But, A group of older SCCA drivers are getting together for what I would call a "what ever happened to.." My father just got a call yesterday from an old driver and asked him about some of the other old drivers, where they are and such. My father started racing in 1964 and the drivers he was asked about started well before that. so,.. Like I said, "a bit off subject, but... -- ========================================= Mike Barlow of Barlow Racing? ========================================= Member of R.O.R. 1999 http://www.pivot.net/~marknjess/ror.html ========================================= Racing online with the help of...... Race Communications Association http://members.xoom.com/RCA/toc.html Holodyne Engineering Mystic Music mikeba.vcf < 1K Download

Damo is Damon Hill who drives one of those beautiful 1999 F1 cars... as opposed to those rickety old 50's cars... <sigh> where is GP3?? Rob "...and I've got to stop, because I've got a lump in my throat!" ~Murray Walker "82.4% of statistics are made up on the spot" ~Vic Reeves "When the segulls follow the trawler, it is because the expect fish to be thrown for them." ~Eric Cantona

Three words - GIVE ME IT NOW! -- Cheers! Graeme Nash http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk ICQ# 11257824 ________________________________________________________________________________ "Sorry, my eyes were on screensaver" (Calvin & Hobbes)

> Was the Bently Super Six one of the cars? Don't know about the Bentley, but they were demoing with one of the silver arrows (great looking bodywork reflections), and I think they said Auto Union was also included in the cars. No Monaco, btw - but certainly Monza and Donnington. Sorry I can't be more detailed, I only had a few hours at E3 and there was way too much to see. Jeff

The Bentley was a sports car as raced at Le Mans, Brooklands etc. I don't think that Bentley ran the speed six in GP's Mark

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>Was the Bently Super Six one of the cars? >> Just got back from E3 in LA, and a quick peek at the next Microprose >> racing wonder. >> From the Hasbro Interactive handout: >> "Get behind the wheel of a real classic! >> Step back in time to the early years of motorsport, where fortunes were >> won and lost, as well as many lives, in the pursuit of speed. In this

full >> simulation, you get behind the wheel of 8 classic cars - Bugatti, >> Mercedes, Fiat, Alfa Romeo - thundering round 8+ tracks from around the >> world. Know what it feels like to be behind a 24 liter engine, solid tyres

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>> less then 10 inches thick, and as for brakes, What brakes ? " >> It's release date is Sept /Oct and it looked wonderful. I didn't get to >> drive, but the two Microprose employees that were demoing were having a >> blast, sliding sideways through corners and trying to keep these twitchy >> beasts on the track. >> GPL beater ? Hard to say without driving, but it has different levels of >> difficulty and that may be better suited to peolple that find GPL just

too

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>> tough. And to my eye the graphics, running on a Voodoo3, were just >> stunning. >> Still no sign of GP3, though I was told unofficially that it is due to be >> released around the same time. >> Roll on October.... >> Jeff

Man, I feel stupid... I know that's 4 words, but the second bit of this post originally said something else :-) Over-E***d I guess! -- Cheers! Graeme Nash http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk ICQ# 11257824 ________________________________________________________________________________ "Sorry, my eyes were on screensaver" (Calvin & Hobbes)

Graeme, that's 4 words, you still in school?? Tony

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> >"Get behind the wheel of a real classic! > >Step back in time to the early years of motorsport, where fortunes were > >won and lost, as well as many lives, in the pursuit of speed. In this full > >simulation, you get behind the wheel of 8 classic cars - Bugatti, > >Mercedes, Fiat, Alfa Romeo - thundering round 8+ tracks from around the > >world. Know what it feels like to be behind a 24 liter engine, solid tyres > >less then 10 inches thick, and as for brakes, What brakes ? " > Three words - GIVE ME IT NOW! > -- > Cheers! > Graeme Nash > http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk > ICQ# 11257824 > ________________________________________________________________________________ > "Sorry, my eyes were on screensaver" > (Calvin & Hobbes)

Reading in Adriano Cimarosti's great _Complete Hist. of Grand Prix Motor Racing_ I noticed that apparently Alfa Romeo developed a rear-engined car in 1939, the type 512. Had a twin-supercharged, 12-cyl., 1490cc boxer-layout engine. Wasn't raced though--the 158 Alfetta was still superior. Other interesting and sad notes from the 1939 season:*** Seaman perished at Spa in his Mercedes W154, as he was unable to unfasten the steering wheel, and leave his burning car. A GP was held in Yugoslavia at Belgrade, and was won by Nuvolari in an Auto Union D. Wilbur Shaw won the Indianapolis 500 in a Maserati 8CTF (and did it again the following year).

Was the Bently Super Six one of the cars?

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> Just got back from E3 in LA, and a quick peek at the next Microprose > racing wonder. > From the Hasbro Interactive handout: > "Get behind the wheel of a real classic! > Step back in time to the early years of motorsport, where fortunes were > won and lost, as well as many lives, in the pursuit of speed. In this full > simulation, you get behind the wheel of 8 classic cars - Bugatti, > Mercedes, Fiat, Alfa Romeo - thundering round 8+ tracks from around the > world. Know what it feels like to be behind a 24 liter engine, solid tyres > less then 10 inches thick, and as for brakes, What brakes ? " > It's release date is Sept /Oct and it looked wonderful. I didn't get to > drive, but the two Microprose employees that were demoing were having a > blast, sliding sideways through corners and trying to keep these twitchy > beasts on the track. > GPL beater ? Hard to say without driving, but it has different levels of > difficulty and that may be better suited to peolple that find GPL just too > tough. And to my eye the graphics, running on a Voodoo3, were just > stunning. > Still no sign of GP3, though I was told unofficially that it is due to be > released around the same time. > Roll on October.... > Jeff

: It's release date is Sept /Oct and it looked wonderful. I didn't get to : drive, but the two Microprose employees that were demoing were having a : blast, sliding sideways through corners and trying to keep these twitchy : beasts on the track. Almost a dream come true! I only wish they'd decided to do 1937 instead of '39. For one thing, it was the last year of the 750kg formula (646hp in the W125 vs. 483hp in the W154). Also, Bernd Rosemeyer was still alive... Now, if only world record attempts on the autobahn were included! Martin Nigel Mansell RIP!

By 1936 Alfa had stopped official racing in the Grand Prix class with the P-series cars, they concentrated their efforts in the 1,5 litre "Voiturette class" from 1936 with the tipo 158 "Alfetta". a rule change in Grand Prix saw a change fom 3 litre to 1,5 litre supercharged engines so Alfa was back in Grand Prix with their voiturette cars and won in Livorno, Pescara and Bern! These cars where stored in a chese factory in Menzo near Milan during the war and was used with great success in Grand Prix from ''46 to '50 and (with developments as the tipo 159) in '51. /Bj.O.rn, SDK #1225

I got to drive it with a MS FF wheel. It is very nice - good looking graphics. The FF wasn't on par with GPL's. It will be a lot of fun. I took a few pictures of this and other things at E3. They should be posted online very soon. -- Pat Dotson > Just got back from E3 in LA, and a quick peek at the next Microprose > racing wonder. > From the Hasbro Interactive handout:

For a while there they tended to race a mixture of Sport and Formula cars. Imgaine the force feedback on an Auto Union. I reckon you would have to build up pretty good arm muscles!

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> The Bentley was a sports car as raced at Le Mans, Brooklands etc. > I don't think that Bentley ran the speed six in GP's > Mark > >Was the Bently Super Six one of the cars? > >> Just got back from E3 in LA, and a quick peek at the next Microprose > >> racing wonder. > >> From the Hasbro Interactive handout: > >> "Get behind the wheel of a real classic! > >> Step back in time to the early years of motorsport, where fortunes were > >> won and lost, as well as many lives, in the pursuit of speed. In this > full > >> simulation, you get behind the wheel of 8 classic cars - Bugatti, > >> Mercedes, Fiat, Alfa Romeo - thundering round 8+ tracks from around the > >> world. Know what it feels like to be behind a 24 liter engine, solid > tyres > >> less then 10 inches thick, and as for brakes, What brakes ? " > >> It's release date is Sept /Oct and it looked wonderful. I didn't get to > >> drive, but the two Microprose employees that were demoing were having a > >> blast, sliding sideways through corners and trying to keep these twitchy > >> beasts on the track. > >> GPL beater ? Hard to say without driving, but it has different levels of > >> difficulty and that may be better suited to peolple that find GPL just > too > >> tough. And to my eye the graphics, running on a Voodoo3, were just > >> stunning. > >> Still no sign of GP3, though I was told unofficially that it is due to be > >> released around the same time. > >> Roll on October.... > >> Jeff

"Solid tyres"?? **SOLID** tyres? I'm not aware of any of the cars mentioned ever having raced on solid tyres. -- Best regards, Bruce. ====== The Stunned Mullet........seriously satirical stuff! http://welcome.to/the_stunned_mullet =============================================== >> >> From the Hasbro Interactive handout: >> >> "Get behind the wheel of a real classic! >> >> Step back in time to the early years of motorsport, where fortunes were >> >> won and lost, as well as many lives, in the pursuit of speed. In this >> full >> >> simulation, you get behind the wheel of 8 classic cars - Bugatti, >> >> Mercedes, Fiat, Alfa Romeo - thundering round 8+ tracks from around the >> >> world. Know what it feels like to be behind a 24 liter engine, solid >> tyres >> >> less then 10 inches thick, and as for brakes, What brakes ? "

Oh. GPL will take care of that! Excuse me, I must go back and rest. ;) Jack Rambo www.RaceLive.com/GPaL

Well, for Christs sake....there's a hell of a difference between *solid* tyres and those with cotton cords!! One has to wonder where some of these advertising-hype types get their information. -- Best regards, Bruce. ====== The Stunned Mullet........seriously satirical stuff! http://welcome.to/the_stunned_mullet =============================================== >On Mon, 17 May 1999 21:12:33 +1000, >>"Solid tyres"?? **SOLID** tyres? >>I'm not aware of any of the cars mentioned ever having raced on solid tyres. >Cotton cord tires, if I remember correctly. >hehe... they probably just FELT solid with the suspensions used. >I wonder if they will include the swastikas? >I cannot wait for this sim!!! >-- >// rrevved posts from mindspring dot com

They do have an Auto Union and a Mercedes of that era. I had a go on it at E3, and it felt pretty good, though people should not expect the exact simulation of a particular year that GPL is. I was talking to the developer and he said they were really going for the "feel" of racing in the 1930's rather than any particular year. Also the cars are evened up more so that you don't always have to be in either an Auto Union or a Mercedes to win. The track they demoed it on was a made up "American Oval" track. Tracks he mentioned were Donington (old), Brooklands, Montlehry, and others but definitely no Nurburgring:-( Apparently licensing too difficult, and work to model it too much. Drivers will not be names from the era as getting permission from families was found too difficult/expensive. I'm still looking forward to it though, as its one of my favourite time periods for racing. - Michael

Aha Brooklands..... At last people will be able to stop whining about not being able to ride the banking at Monza in GPL <G> Only thing that worries me here is the fact that they said that the Ring would be too difficult to model. Hmmm I wonder how the balls will roll If they cannot get rid of the moles on the bowling green! Mark Mark