6 Iconic Arcade Cars Need For Speed: Underground

The Need for Speed ​​series hardly needs an introduction. In the quarter-century that has passed since its debut, the American corporation Electronic Arts have released more than twenty parts of the franchise.

And although each of them turned out to be unique in its own way, and Hot Pursuit was completely re-released, it was the first Underground of 2003 that many tend to consider the most memorable, iconic, and valuable game of the NFS series.

Remember the iconic McLaren F1, first introduced in Need for Speed ​​II and featured in the March 2020 update for Need for Speed ​​Heat? It is for such things that we love this series of games: if you do not have the opportunity to take Mclaren rental in Dubai, then you can drive it in the virtual world. And on your own car, not a rented one, because there are no rental services in the game.

In today’s selection, we recall the cars that have become the hallmark of the seventh part of “Need for Speed” and, in combination, a part of our youth.

Acura/Honda Integra Type R

The Integra Type R with the DC2 index opens the hit parade: this coupe was produced from 1998 to 2001. And it was behind the wheel of it that we had to make our debut race in Need for Speed: Underground (at the same time, it was possible to buy Integra only after the successful completion of the 53rd race).

Under the hood of a two-door, the Japanese “registered” a 1.8-liter high-speed aspirated engine with a proprietary variable valve timing system and a return of 190 forces and 178 Newtons. The first hundred submits to a light (1120 kg) coupe in just 6.9 seconds.

Dodge Neon

The appearance in NFS: Underground of the awkward Dodge Neon of the first generation (1994-1999) at first seems like an unsuccessful joke. But once you stick your nose into the performance table, it turns out: a two-liter 150-horsepower aspirated engine is enough to cope with a hundred in 8.2 seconds!

Unlike Integra from the previous slide, you can purchase a virtual Neon at the very beginning of your gaming career. And although it is extremely difficult to win on it without extensive modifications, it is quite possible to earn extra money to buy a faster car.

Honda Civic Si Coupe

Despite the fact that Electronic Arts is an American corporation (which is probably why we saw Dodge Neon in the game), Japanese cars form the basis of the first Underground. The heroes of this slide are the Honda Civic Si coupe in the back of the EM1 and its spinning VTEC.

Ambitious Japanese motorists, who recently shocked the public with an announcement of their retirement from Formula 1 at the end of 2021, managed to remove 160 forces and 150 Nm from a 1.6-liter displacement. Sprint to 100 km / h takes the Civic 7.2 seconds. Like Neon, the car is available from the very beginning of the story mission.

Mazda RX-7

True fans of “Need for Speed” remember this car from the very first part of the franchise (the third generation Mazda RX-7 lasted on the assembly line for more than ten years – from 1992 to 2002). And his appearance in NFS: Underground is still a sincere delight.

The assets of the “Japanese” – awesome design and non-trivial technical stuffing. The rotary engine of the 13B series develops from 255 to 280 “horses” (depending on the version and year of manufacture) and allows you to catapult from zero to hundreds in just five seconds.

However, first, you have to defeat your opponents in 73 races.

Mitsubishi Eclipse

Released in 2001, the first part of the Fast and the Furious film franchise, where Paul Walker’s acid-green Mitsubishi Eclipse played one of the main roles, made the Japanese coupe with the GSX index (1995-1999) a real personification of the era. Of course, the guys from Electronic Arts simply could not bypass it.

The two-liter “turbo-four” 4G63T with a return of 210 forces and 290 “Newtons”, coupled with a mechanical five-step, allow the Eclipse to gain 100 km / h in 6.8 seconds and reach 224 km / h. But the curb weight of the all-wheel-drive Mitsubishi, available only after the completion of the 58th race, is almost one and a half tons.

Nissan Skyline GT-R

The selection is closed by another automotive icon of the early 2000s – the Skyline GT-R on the back of the R34. An in-line “six-pot” turbo engine with a volume of 2.6 liters and a return of 280 “horses” and 393 Nm, working in tandem with six-speed Getrag mechanics, allows the all-wheel-drive “Sky” to gain a hundred faster than five seconds.

One of the fastest Underground cars becomes available closer to the end of the arcade – after the successful completion of the 78th race.