Week 2 for the Forza Garage goes classic

Another week and another look inside the Forza Garage, this time we get a look at the classic cars coming to Forza Motorsport 7, including pre-war racers that will challenge drivers of every skill level, post-war cruisers cars that changed the way the public thought of the automobile, and many more.

As always, the Garage spotlights three cars and this week they the 1950 Alfa Romeo 158, the 1967 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia and the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette.

1950 Alfa Romeo 158

Alfa Romeo has been building race cars since 1913. In fact, they started racing just after the company was founded. It wasn’t long after they found victory, and they went on to compete in nearly every form of motorsport with great success. The 158, or the Alfetta for “Little Alfa” as it is commonly known, has earned its way to reverence as one of the most successful race cars ever built, winning an astounding 87 percent of the grand prix races it and its subsequent model – the 159 – competed in. The 1,479 cc supercharged straight 8-cylinder engine in this model produced around 350 hp aboard its lithe tube-frame chassis. The great Juan-Manual Fangio along with Giuseppe Farina took the 158 to win every race but the Indy 500 during its post-war debut season. Fangio would of course go on to win the World Driver’s Championship five times making the 158 a storied piece of motorsport legend.

1967 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

“The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is the most economical sports car you can buy… it’s just not the most powerful,”  says the announcer in the commercial introducing the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. Although it’s true enough that it was never a powerful sports car, in the looks department the Karmann Ghia has character and style in spades. Automotive historian Jan Norbye called out its stylistic similarities to the Alfa Romeo 2500 S and the Lancia Aurelia. Those styling cues are no doubt Italian, as the Karmann Ghia was designed by Ghia, a prestigious Italian design firm. Karmann coachworks was under orders to design a sports car to build over the VW chassis. After several of their proposals were rejected, Karmann reached out to Ghia, who delivered a prototype that perfectly hit the mark. The car has seen more than 20 years of production and the only cosmetic changes were larger bumpers and head and taillights.

1953 Chevrolet Corvette

Most legends come from humble beginnings, and the story of the Corvette is no different. In an era where the only true sports cars were built in Europe, Chevy saw an opportunity. The company went about building a dream team to design a car that would appeal to a younger market, give the brand some flash and keep it ahead of Ford in sales. Harley Earl, GM’s then design chief, let fly with an idea he had been coveting for more than a year after watching European sports cars at Watkins Glen: a low to the ground, two-seat roadster. Driven by practicality, the 1953 Corvette uses mostly off-the-shelf components such as the “Blue Flame” 160hp, 235-cubic inch in-line six-cylinder engine and two-speed Powerglide transmission. The only options available were a heater (which cost $91) and an AM radio ($145). All 300 that sold in 1953 had both options. The 1953 Corvette didn’t even have roll-up windows. All the cars were hand-built, and all were Polo White with red interiors. The use of fiberglass was not only a weight-saving innovation but was a necessity due to the Korean War and a limited availability of steel. The 1953 Corvette’s dramatic and bold exterior was just what the public wanted and it forever changed the course of American car history.

However if you want to know them all, here is the complete list, which when combined with the first release of cars, helps push the number up and with over 700 cars coming, that is a lot of cars to choose from.

• 1968 Abarth 595 esseesse
• 1934 Alfa Romeo P3
• 1950 Alfa Romeo 158
• 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA Stradale
• 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2
• 1968 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale
• 1939 Auto Union Type D
• 1959 BMW 507
• 1957 BMW Isetta 300 Export
• 1953 Chevrolet Corvette
• 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
• 1960 Chevrolet Corvette
• 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport 409
• 1966 Chevrolet Nova Super Sport
• 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport 396
• 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 427
• 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport Coupe
• 1969 Chevrolet Nova Super Sport 396
• 1969 Datsun 2000 Roadster
• 1967 Dodge Coronet WO23
• 1968 Dodge Dart HEMI Super Stock
• 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona HEMI
• 1969 Dodge Charger R/T
• 1969 Fiat Dino 2.4 Coupe
• 1952 Fiat 8V Supersonic
• 1932 Ford De Luxe Five-Window Coupe
• 1940 Ford De Luxe Coupe
• 1946 Ford Super Deluxe Station Wagon
• 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt
• 1965 Ford Mustang GT Coupe
• 1967 Ford Falcon XR GT
• 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302
• 1951 Holden 50-2106 FX Ute
• 1967 Honda RA300
• 1959 Jaguar Mk II 3.8
• 1961 Jaguar E-type S1
• 1956 Jaguar D-Type
• 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE
• 1945 Jeep Willys MB
• 1968 Lancia Fulvia Coupé Rallye 1.6 HF
• 1939 Mercedes-Benz W154
• 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé
• 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR
• 1967 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL
• 1949 Mercury Coupe
• 1965 MINI Cooper S
• 1969 Nissan Fairlady Z 432
• 1966 Nissan Silvia
• 1969 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds 442
• 1968 Opel GT
• 1958 Plymouth Fury
• 1965 Pontiac GTO
• 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
• 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge
• 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C
• 1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe
• 1963 Volkswagen Beetle
• 1963 Volkswagen Type 2 De Luxe
• 1967 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
• 1967 Volvo 123GT