While racing games typically stress road-based showdowns, Playground Games greatly expands and diversifies the terrain of Forza Horizon 4, offering a slew of events, environments, and conditions to zip across. Still, it's hard to deny the sheer thrill and excitement of classic street racing, and there's plenty to be had in this UK-based installment.
Forza Horizon 4 offers an expansive list of cars to play around with, many of which are specifically designed for—or at least emphasize—road, street, and drag races. With such a huge lineup of vehicles, and the often tough nature of turn-laden street races, picking optimal cats can be tricky. Thankfully, there are many great options to choose from, which run the gamut in terms of traits and pricing.
10 Mini Cooper S
Touted as being "stout in presence and performance" despite its small build, this retro car from the UK thrives in its maneuverability, light weight, and all-around functionality. These are generally useful traits for those tight, turn-heavy street scrambles.
This economy car might not thrive in burning rubber on the roads of England, but it has it where it counts. With decent handling and acceleration, as well as an excellent launch ability, the Mini Cooper S could be a deceptive force when racing on streets. This car can be scored by way of a Barn Find in Derwent Trail.
9 BMW M1
This charming sports car from the 80s can really get the job done on the road with its potent engine and solid build. Its design gives it a smooth, even-keeled feel that can nicely handle the tight corners and other curveballs of street races.
Being specifically crafted for racing, the BMW M1 can leave opponents in the dust with its great capabilities in speed and acceleration, as well as a superb launch statistic that's north of seven—even with its more tepid B 652 build. Pick it up from the Autoshow for 585,000 CR.
8 Audi RS5 Coupe
Audi is well represented in Forza Horizon 4, and while there's no shortage of greats from this German manufacturer, the RS5 Coupe particularly stands out for those frantic street races. Its solid, economical build and technical wizardry allow it to thrive without a ton of bells and whistles — and without breaking the bank.
Packed inside this 2011 car is a 4.2L naturally-aspirated V8 with 442 brake horsepower (bhp) that can rev north of 8,000 RPM. Its ability to swiftly shift loads of power to the front or rear wheels gives it great handling that can easily deal with the sharp turns of race tracks. Of course, it also helps that the car is near the top of the pack when it comes to launch capabilities. This great ride can be purchased relatively cheaply at the Autoshow, costing just 88,000 CR.
7 Mosler MT900S
Its official description of being like a "road-going spacecraft" may sound hyperbolic. However, it's not too far off given the Mosler's 7.0L supercharged V8 and 530 bhp, not to mention blistering speeds that top 294 mph when fully upgraded. With terrific acceleration that allows for 0 to 60 in just over three seconds, the MT900S truly thrives on the race tracks of FH4.
In fact, the S2 957 build juices up this car with tremendous power and stats north of eight across the board. Its superb launch will leave racers behind in a flash, while pitch-perfect braking and handling will ensure optimal control around those tight corners. This is a hard-to-find vehicle that can't be had at the Autoshow, but look for it as a Forzathon Shop or Festival Playlist reward.
6 Volkswagen Golf Gti 16v MK2
It may not be much of a looker, but this hot hatch can really shine when hitting the streets of England with its compact build and all-around great performance.
With a twin-cam 1.8 liter EA827 engine, this is the most powerful variety of the Mk2 Golf, trailing only the supercharged G60 model. Its above-average launch and acceleration abilities — along with its light weight and good balance — make this Volkswagen subtly effective. At least for its budget price of just 20,000 CR at the Autoshow, this car can be more than sufficient for some of those early street races in FH4.
5 Maserati MC12 FE
Not to be confused with the more tepid (but still solid) default model, the Forza Edition of this Maserati truly excels as a road-laden race car. It comes equipped with a 6.0L naturally-aspirated V12 and 624 bhp, and this version has a Speed Skills boost and S2 997 preset. Players will be able to fly right out of the gate with this Italian supercar.
Its excellent launch abilities will give drivers a nice head start, while perfect braking and handling will help ensure they stay ahead of the pack without losing control. The car can be obtained by buying the MC12 FE skill, after shelling out 6,000,000 CR at the Autoshow for the Maserati 300 S.Thankfully, this pricy vehicle has also shown up in the Forzathon Shop and as a Festival Playlist reward.
4 Shelby Monaco King Cobra
While it's touted in its official description as a "remarkable piece of history," this classic car from '63 also thrives in terms of power and performance. It boasts a 4.7L naturally-aspirated V8 and 400 bhp, and a rear-wheel drive layout that gives it smooth, sharp handling.
Couple this with top-notch launching and decent speed, and the King Cobra makes for a reliable ride that can hang with flashier cars of the modern era. This car can be obtained from the Autoshow at a respectable 550,000 CR.
3 TVR Cerbera Speed 12
This appealing gem from the 90s is both a speed demon and a powerful beast. Its 7.7 naturally-aspirated V12 and 800 bhp allow it to fly from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds.
Its all-around great stats and swift speeds topping 240 mph sufficiently make up for the more tepid acceleration of this car. It should have little trouble handling those tight corners and zipping past many an unsuspecting racer as it gets rolling. This one can be nabbed as a Barn Find in Greendale Airstrip, for those lucky enough to stumble upon it.
2 Mclaren F1 GT
Often viewed as one of the best cars in the game, there's little this UK supercar can't handle, including the various street races of FH4. Featuring rear-wheel drive and a 6.1L naturally-aspirated V12 with a whopping 618 bhp, this beast is hard to beat on the streets of England.
Not only is this one of the fastest drag cars in FH4, but it also thrives in street races. It can hit 0 to 100 mph in under seven seconds, topping out at about 230 mph. Its statistics are stellar across the board, but especially when it comes to launch, speed, and handling. It costs a pretty penny at 5,200,000 CR at the Autoshow, but those who favor fast, exhilarating races will find it a worthy investment.
1 Bugatti Chiron
This beast of a hypercar from France checks most of the boxes when it comes to street racing. Its 8.0L quad-turbocharged W16, 1479 bhp engine allows this car to simply fly across the road and leave opponents in the dust.
This Bugatti can zip from 0 to 60 in merely 2.4 seconds, and tops out at a sky-high 269 mph. Not only is it one of the game's fastest cars, but it's fairly well-rounded too. Despite its weight and AWD layout, the car handles very well, even in the winter. Meanwhile, its grip, acceleration, and speed make it optimal for racing on roads.