Gran Turismo 5: RE Amemiya Asparadrink RX-7

Amemiya…here I go again…Mazda, how could I resist you…

Right, enough singing of songs now.

By rights, I should hate the RE Amemiya RX-7 series of Super GT and JGTC cars. If you know my reputation with the fastest of some of the cars in certain specs, like the Amuse S2000 GT1 Turbo, Mine’s Skyline N1 GT-R and (previously) the Mercedes CLK-GTR, this would be among them. Because the first RE Amemiya we saw, the ’99 JGTC in GT2, was the fastest there. In GT4, the ’04 version, which this should not be confused despite being identical to this, was the fastest JGTC 300 as well (people say the Autobacs Arta Garaiya ’03, but they’re lying – a Nissan C-West Razo Silvia was faster back then). And if anything, this might well be the fastest of the Super GTs here too. Things then, do not look so good for this thing straight away.

But there are many redeeming features to the car in general. In real life Super GT, it turned out to be boss. From 1995 to 2010, when RE Amemiya was competing, this exact version – the ’06 – was the only one that ever won a championship for them (and even then, only just), but most of the time they finished very highly and got tons of good finishes. And better still, Nobuteru Taniguchi drove for them for three seasons. This is a good thing.

As it turns out though, in this game, it might be the fastest Super GT, but I can see why it might well be when driving it. Thing is…I don’t know quite how it is the fastest.

The cornering on this thing is epic. Amazingly enough, it is more grippy on Kart Space than it is on Spa-Francorchamps – which given that it isn’t 4WD, is rather amazing, really. Of course, as a rotary, it has bad high end torque, and depending on where you’re racing, it kinda shows. But it somehow accelerates remarkably quickly. I don’t know how, but it just does. This defies your average rotary belief completely, and all the better for it.

In terms of looks, I will say the ’04 has a slightly better looking livery despite having the same type of livery – but there’s just something about it that makes it look better. The shape on the ’04 looks more aggressive too, and while they are similar from the rear, I just think again the ’04 edges it. This is unfortunate for the ’06, as it makes it look rather bad, actually. If you’re doing it for the looks, get the ’04. There’s no difference in their stats, either, so really, you’d be better off with the ’04 in general unless you use cockpit, want a more historic thing or can’t be arsed to find it.

None of the looks still take away from the drive of it though, thankfully. And nor do they take away from the great sound this gets – the screaming rotary engine that will cause ear damage if you aren’t careful. The startup sound is also epic. This thing is a damn screamer however you look at it, and it just adds to the driving experience further. It’s just a wonder. :’)

I really wish RE Amemiya were still racing in Super GT. Having been able to go from 1995 to 2010 is damn amazing really, and it’s a shame that they had to kill the project. Their cars were always damn fast, screamy, and they will go down in Super GT history for years to come. To be fair, if Taniguchi hadn’t moved from RE Amemiya…he wouldn’t have won the 2011 title…

Thanks for your time, RE Amemiya. It was good. And your car, in this game, is a great one. Though, if I didn’t have to put up with the outside difficulties of it, I’d have the ’04, not this one.