As long as you weren’t living under a rock growing up, its more than possible that if you were a gamer who enjoyed racing games; Need For Speed was probably a game you played at least once in your lifetime. A large and popular franchise that released numerous games beginning in 1994, with it’s most recent addition released only November 2020. The game is currently developed by Criterion, the developers who brought Burnout to us back in the 90s. The game received popularity for it’s exciting missions, which involved highly illicit speed-racing in streets. The game even hit the big screens in 2014, starring Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul.
Despite all it’s commercial success however, we often find ourselves reminiscing about the cars that we drove on these games. There was no greater feeling than reaching the “boss level” and winning their car. I still think about the Audi Le Mans Quattro that I eventually won on Need For Speed Carbon. Read through the article to take a trip down memory lane for the cars you wish you had now, for real.
Car Interior
Audi Le Mans Quattro
Okay so we have a slight obsession with this car, hence it being named twice already. It was a stunning car though. The Audi Le Mans Quattro only appears in the Carbon game of the franchise, and is an early version of the Audi R8, which was released some time after the game. Driven by the boss, Darius, it has rapid acceleration, great handling and reaches the highest speeds. It was a beauty, and with the attractive red paint job, a car we all wish we could have right now.
Mazda RX-7
The Mazda RX-7 was a rotary engine powered sports car which was actually largely successful in sales during its time. The series 6 version of the car, produced from 1992-1995, was the most successful in terms of sales, especially in countries like Germany where restrictions prevented later series of the car from being imported. The car itself appears in over ten separate Need For Speed games, making it largely popular with fans. It’s pop culture popularity surely helped it’s real-life car sales. The car was popular to use in-game due to it’s low weight, great handling and ability to reach top speeds.
Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
A track-oriented model of the fifth generation Camaro, this car was highly popular within the Need For Speed franchise. In the game titled, Need For Speed (2015) the car had the ability to go from 0-60mph in 4.03 seconds. When upgraded, this was decreased to 2.39 seconds. A speedy car to say the least! American Muscle cars have been extremely popular in the past, and this one definitely fits the rhetoric.
Aston Martin Vulcan
A high-performance track car produced by Aston Martin, the car was released in 2015 in the United Kingdom and is still being produced to this day. The car has a top speed of 224mph and has appeared thus far in three separate Need for Speed games. Named after the god of fire in Roman mythology, the Vulcan is somewhat a godly car to own, and was certainly a fun car to drive in the Need For Speed games.
SRT Viper GTS
An American car produced by SRT, the series lasted from 2012-2017, This beauty was the successor to the Dodge Viper and had a top speed of 208mph. This was helped by its lightweight feel and rear-wheel drive. Sales of the model were actually quite poor, and in 2014 altered its name back to Dodge Viper (with a few changes) in hopes of rescuing the series. Eventually it ceased production in 2017 after failing to check all the relevant boxes for approval by the US federal safety standard. The car appeared in many Need For Speed games however, including the popular Need For Speed: Most Wanted, 2012. The car was the fastest muscle car when accelerating and was more useful than its competitors, like the Ford Mustang Boss 302 due to its easier steering.
Koenigsegg Regera
A Swedish electric-hybrid car, only 80 units were built and it’s value is $1.9 million. The car can get from 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds and has a top speed of a whopping 255mph. The car is a beauty and appears in three Need For Speed games. The car is famous for being the luxury alternative to other mega-cars, for having a 5L twin-turbocharged Hybrid V8 engine, three electric motors and for it’s weight; yet ability to reach high speeds. An Amazing car.
