Ford RV Spotted Digitally Drifting in Japan, Sounds Like It Has a Rotary Engine Inside

You're probably already aware of the fact that we are also celebrating RV Month here on Autoevolution. So I thought of a wacky idea. A while ago famous sim racer and Youtuber Jimmy Broadbent built a Toyota GT86 with a Formula 1 engine inside.

So I thought to myself, why not mix an RV with a rotary engine for 7's day? Upon a quick search on Google, I came across what is probably the only RV mod for Assetto Corsa online. I quickly downloaded it, but before I get into the whole process, let me give you some tips.

If you plan on expanding your Assetto Corsa horizons, be sure to get your hands on the dedicated Content Manager. You can find it quite easily, in communities dedicated to the game. Next up, get yourself a Custom Shaders Patch, it will do wonders for your visual experience.

And it's also crucial if you want to see the downloaded RV, instead of a transparent mass on wheels. And the last step you'll need to follow before you can start fiddling around is to get the Assetto Corsa tuner. This will allow you to further modify the cars as you see fit.

Now, I must note that this is my first time doing something as crazy in this game. So far I've been happy to do hundreds of laps around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Mugello, and Spa. Right off the bat, I wanted to see the specs of this RV. And they weren't too promising.

According to the vehicle's file, it weighs a massive 13,338 lbs (6,050 kg). Performance figures are set at 305 horsepower and 403 lb-ft (547 Nm) of torque. In this base set-up, it's going to accelerate from a standstill to 62 mph in 21 seconds. And the top speed is set at 87 mph (140 kph).

You can't have fun on the track with that kind of setup. As I planned to turn this RV into a sideways machine, I knew that some things would have to be adjusted. Using the Tuner module, it was time to ditch the base engine and get a Mazda 787B one instead.

The four-rotor naturally-aspirated unit would provide enough power, torque, and excellent throttle response for the job. The Ford RV also had to go on a serious diet, and in the virtual world, you don't have to start tossing out furniture and amenities from inside of it.

A few clicks later the figure went down to just 3,306 lbs (1,500 kg). The existing 225/65/R16 tires were replaced with some RX-7 Spirit One-sourced models, with 235/30/R17 up front and 255/30/R17 on the rear axle. After trying out the setup on Ebisu Minami, I decided to move on to an equally representative racetrack in Japan: Tsukuba Circuit!

Driving this around the tight, 1.271 miles (2.045 km) long layout was going to need a, less than traditional, approach. Drifting around the corners would prove to be quite effective, and the long wheelbase would provide some much-needed sideways stability.

Now, a fast car will be able to clock Tsukuba Circuit in less than one minute. One of the fastest rotary-powered cars to hit the track is the Car Shop Dream with Voltex FD RX-7, reigning at 53.489 seconds. But there was no chance of getting that kind of result in the big RV.

I went out for a short, six-minute session and strangely enough, my fastest lap was the first one. It was just under one minute and twenty seconds. I'll tell you this, keeping the 787B-powered RV on track at all times, while going sideways, wasn't the easiest job in the world.

But it was still pretty exciting. Most corners required using first and second gear and going hard at it at all times. Initiating with the hand brake will be the easiest way to do it if you aren't using a clutch. By the way, in case it's not obvious from the video I've put together, I am using a keyboard for this game.

One strange aspect that occurred to me while driving the car was that it would top out in fourth gear, struggling to go past 99 mph (160 kph). But that's only going to affect you on the main straight before the last corner. Speaking of which, you attack this one in third gear. If you pull through, it will look spectacular on the replay.

That being said, how would you like to see more content of RVs with insane engine swaps taking on various race tracks? Also, happy 7's day to all you rotor heads around the world!