Project Motor Racing V8 Power Pack: Cars, Track & Handling

The V8 Power Pack for Straight4 Studios and GIANTS Software's Project Motor Racing introduces nine V8 race cars, three vehicle categories, and the laser-scanned Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Released as part of the Version 2.2.1.0 update cycle, this DLC focuses entirely on naturally aspirated, high-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive motorsport without electronic driving aids like traction control or ABS.

Here is a full breakdown of the pack's content, car specifications, tracks, pricing, and handling characteristics based on official data and community testing.

V8 Power Pack Overview and Pricing

The DLC is available as a standalone purchase or included as part of the Project Motor Racing: Year 1 Season Pass (and Year 1 Bundle).

Complete Car Roster by Class

The nine cars in the expansion are grouped into three distinct racing eras and motorsport disciplines.

1. Historic USV8 (Classic Trans-Am Era)

This class recreates late-1960s and early-1970s American road racing, showcasing mechanical grip, live rear axles, noticeable body roll, and four-speed H-pattern manual gearboxes.

• 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28: Modeled after the Roger Penske and Mark Donohue championship era, reflecting the lightweight chassis techniques developed for SCCA competition.
• 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302: Driven in period by Parnelli Jones and George Follmer for Bud Moore Engineering, powered by Ford's 302 cubic-inch V8.
• 1970 Plymouth Barracuda: Dan Gurney’s All American Racers (AAR) creation, featuring a de-stroked 340-derived V8 engine.
• 1971 American Motors Corporation (AMC) Javelin: The homologated championship design developed with Penske and Donohue featuring custom rear suspension and aero homologation.

2. USV8 (Modern Tube-Frame Muscle)

Reflecting modern American silhouette spec-series road racing (such as TA2), these cars share a standardized rulebook:

• 2022 Chevrolet Camaro
• 2022 Dodge Challenger
• 2022 Ford Mustang
• Class Technical Specs: Purpose-built tube-frame chassis, naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 engine restricted to approximately 500 horsepower and 657 lb-ft of torque, mated to a four-speed H-pattern transmission and a quick-change rear differential.

3. AUS V8 EVO (Gen3 Supercars)

Representing modern Australian touring car racing introduced in 2023, these vehicles rely on reduced aerodynamic downforce and technical parity between pushrod and quad-cam architectures.

• 2023 Chevrolet Camaro AU: Powered by a 5.7-liter naturally aspirated pushrod GM V8 developed by KRE Race Engines (2 valves per cylinder, single camshaft), producing around 600 hp with a 7,500 rpm limit. Uses a 6-speed transmission.
• 2023 Ford Mustang AU: Powered by a 5.4-liter quad-cam, 32-valve Coyote V8, producing around 600 hp with a 7,500 rpm redline. Uses a 6-speed transmission.

Track Addition: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta

The expansion adds the laser-scanned Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, located in Braselton, Georgia. The circuit spans 2.54 miles with dramatic elevation shifts, fast sweeping esses, blind crests, heavy downhill braking into the Turn 10A/10B chicane, and high-speed curbs.

The DLC includes two playable layouts:

1. Grand Prix Circuit: The full 2.54-mile layout used for major endurance events such as Petit Le Mans.
2. Short Course: A truncated club layout.

Driving Mechanics and Handling Impressions

Community testers and reviewers evaluating the pack on direct-drive wheelbases (such as Simucube 2 and Moza R3) as well as gamepads noted several distinct handling traits:

• Historic USV8 Dynamics: Drivers report that despite expectations of excessive wallow, the historic cars exhibit manageable body roll. Tire warm-up is crucial—on cold tires, the rear slides aggressively out of slow corners. Once warm, car rotation is heavily modulated on the throttle rather than trail braking. In player tests on default setups, the Mustang Boss 302 and Plymouth Barracuda demonstrated longer rev ranges, with the Mustang widely cited as having the most stable front-end authority.
• Modern USV8 Performance: Despite only utilizing four forward gears, these tube-frame cars hit significantly higher top speeds than their historic ancestors (surpassing 230 km/h on Road Atlanta's back straight). Reviewers noted the Dodge Challenger offered a planted, heavy steering weight straight out of the box, whereas the Camaro was more eager to oversteer on corner exit under full throttle.
• AUS V8 EVO Feedback: The Gen3 Australian touring cars provide immediate turn-in precision and quick sequential-style gear shifts. Drivers found the Ford Mustang AU slightly more stable under power application, while the Camaro AU required lighter throttle discipline in lower gears to avoid snap-oversteer.
• Braking and Electronics: Because none of the cars run ABS or traction control, several players noted they lowered in-game brake pressure (down to 85–90%) to prevent lockups on default pedals.
• Feedback Variations: Reception on the underlying physics engine remains divided among testers. While sim-focused creators praised the detail of tire bite, bump response, and weight transfer over Road Atlanta's curbs, others felt the grip transition felt disconnected or overly arcade-forgiving during extreme counter-steering angles. Additionally, players testing on Moza hardware noted weak initial force feedback on historic cars, which developers acknowledged for investigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the V8 Power Pack include traction control or ABS?

No. All nine cars across the Historic USV8, modern USV8, and AUS V8 EVO categories are completely free of electronic driving aids, operating strictly on mechanical grip and driver throttle modulation.

Can these cars be used in the single-player career?

Yes. Update 2.2.1.0 introduced dedicated Career Mode events specifically configured for the three V8 Power Pack classes.

What layouts of Road Atlanta are included?

The DLC provides two scanned configurations: the full Grand Prix layout (2.54 miles) and the Short Course layout.