When Microsoft announced that the next game in its street-racing Forza Horizon series would take place in Australia, it did so with recognisable sights like the Great Ocean Road and sun-bleached picket fences. Now we're getting a look at some of the very Australian vehicles that will be tearing those landscapes up come September.
On Thursday morning Microsoft and the game's developers will announce a new batch of cars to drive in Horizon 3 (Update: find the announcement here). Fairfax Media can reveal these include a trio of iconic Holdens, chosen to provide "a true connection with the game's Down Under setting".
As any good Aussie could probably have guessed, that means utes. The 1951 Holden 50-2106 FX is Holden's original ute — the load-hauling version of General Motors' first Australian car — and will bring the full force of its 60 horsepower to bear on the beaches, roads and rainforests in the game.
Also included is what is likely to be Holden's final Australian-made ute, the 2016 GTS Maloo.
But perhaps most iconic of the three is not really a ute at all: the 1974 'Sandman' HQ panel van. Popular at its height with campers and handymen alike, it combines some of the familiar lines of its Kingswood and Monaro brothers with a touch of utility and a very seventies 'shaggin' wagon' beach vibe. Expect the online community to come up with some very interesting custom airbrush designs for this one.
The Forza games are overseen by America's Turn 10 studios and Britain's Playground Games, with a particular focus on nailing the look, sound and feel of cars from all over the world. While some vehicles are easier to source and study than others, Playground's creative director Ralph Fulton said authenticity was a must when it comes to recreating Australia's classic cars.
"When we choose a location for a Horizon game, it's not just to provide a backdrop for the player," he said.
"We want you to feel immersed in the location, like you're actually there on a dream holiday.
"So while we've gone to great lengths to authentically recreate the locations featured in the game, we also want to reflect Australia's unique car scene."
Australians will also recognise important aspects of our car culture, including "the rivalry between Holden and Ford, the long tradition of utes, and the national obsession with V8," said Fulton.
The three newly announced cars join two Holdens previously confirmed for the game: the 1977 Torana A9X and the 2014 HSV GTS.
Australian Ford fans shouldn't feel left out either, as also confirmed for the game are the 1973 XB Falcon GT, 2014 FPV Limited Edition Pursuit Ute and 2015 Falcon XR8.
Unlike the more technical Forza Motorsport series, Horizon is all about the fantasy of taking famous and iconic cars off the race track and through the countryside. Players can build a garage of their favourite vehicles, engage in races and bombastic challenge events or just explore. One of the staples of the series — searching the landscape for secret abandoned cars you can fix up — is returning this time with "a strong Australian flavour".
"When we choose our 'barn find' cars, we do a lot of research and design work to create backstories for each one. We need to know what led that specific car to be abandoned in that specific barn or outhouse, and it's important to us that it makes sense," Fulton said.
"There are a good selection of Australian cars to be found hidden across the vast environment we've created. However, rest assured that even if the car isn't domestic there's a really good backstory which explains how it got there."
Other cars to be revealed in Thursday's second round of announcements include the 1978 Ford Mustang II King Kobra, 2013 Mazda MX-5 and 1970 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
Below is the full list of cars to be revealed for the game on Thursday. These join the long list of confirmed cars announced last week, with the final game to feature more than 350.
WEEK 2 FORZA HORIZON 3 ANNOUNCEMENT LIST
2007 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
1970 AMC Rebel "The Machine"
1998 Aston Martin V8 Vantage V600
2011 Audi RS 5 Coupé
2011 BMW X5 M
1981 BMW M1
1992 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport
1970 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
1966 Chevrolet Nova Super Sport
2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR
1969 Ferrari Dino 246 GT
1968 Ferrari 365 GTB/4
2011 Ferrari FF
1978 Ford Mustang II King Cobra
1956 Ford F-100
1991 GMC Syclone
2016 Holden Special Vehicles GTS Maloo
1951 Holden 50-2106 FX Ute
1974 Holden Sandman HQ panel van
2012 Infiniti IPL G Coupe
2015 Jaguar XFR-S
1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV
2014 Lamborghini Urus
2014 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged
2005 Lotus Elise 111S
2013 Mazda MX-5
1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II
2013 Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG
1999 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR
2000 Nissan Silvia Spec-R
1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
2010 Renault Megane RS 250
2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
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