The all new Nakamura Rai-Jin Turbo is a Boost-free, back to basics reinvention of the GT sports car. High mechanical grip makes it quick and nimble through traffic, but the rear engine/rear wheel drive configuration means that when the back end does step out, it steps out with conviction!
The Rai-Jin Turbo is an online car that was released in the Cagney update. Like the Hunter Olympus, it is a Boostless vehicle and both vehicles can perform in Showtime. Once players start a Showtime event, a white bar appears with the same size of a normal Stunt boost bar. Its handling is a little unstable, and drifting may cause it to spin out because of its weight in the rear. The Rai-Jin's top speed rivals an Extreme Hot Rod's, and is also capable of outrunning the PCPD Special and GT Nighthawk at full speed. Its strength rating of 4 makes it unsuitable to battle tougher vehicles like the Inferno Van or the Takedown 4x4, but it can take on lighter vehicles of equal strength, such as the Touge Sport & Hawker, with ease.
When trying to make this vehicle drift, initiating the drift is the hardest part, for most of the weight sits beyond the rear wheels. The player must hold on to the brakes for about a second longer on average compared to other vehicles. it is also best suggested to start the drift entry a tad closer to the corner, because the car will naturally understeer. When the back end does kick out, the e-brake becomes more effective in making the car slip in and out of traffic. It is exactly like trying to initiate a drift on a Takedown 4x4. Though quite similar to the Thunder Custom and Thunder Shadow, there is a bit of patience needed on coming out of drifts as the engine acts as an overcompensating counterbalance. In low-speed driving, the car is very difficult to get to slide out compared to mid to high speed driving.
If the player is brave or patient enough to use this car in a stunt run, it is a very capable stunt car. Flat spins are quick, barrel rolls are fast enough to get doubles in at high speeds, and rodeos are still a great thing to do in this vehicle. Its only downside is the fact there is no boost. Therefore, it is suggested the player initiates a feint, a slight drift, to keep the combo going. Handling of the car is neutral with a slight preference to understeer in higher speeds. On the other end of the spectrum, a player can corner too hard from using the e-brake drift in tight corners, or making too big of a drift from the sheer amount of speed this vehicle possesses, or from understeer.
This isn't a car a player can choose and expect to work. This is a car that requires a bit of practice to master all the quirks and tricks it has up its sleeve. When mastered, it can keep up with Nighthawks and the Extreme Hot Rod, whether it is through the streets of Downtown or the winding mountain roads.
How to Unlock[]
This car is available to any player who is in an Online Freeburn game under "Online Cars" within the Junkyard.
Resemblance[]
The overall shape of the Rai-Jin Turbo is a fusion of both the Porsche 996 and Audi R8.
The bonnet/hood of the Rai-Jin bears some resemblance to the Bugatti Veyron while the wheels appear to be similar the Lamborghini Gallardo's Cassiopea rim kit. The taillights are similar to those found on the Aston Martin DBS. The front grille resembles the Nissan GT-R. Its front lights, however, bear striking resemblance to the Gumpert Apollo. The front somewhat resembles the Audi R8.
Notes[]
- At first, this vehicle was a "gift" to Elite members of the Criterion Games forums, of whom were chosen by Criterion themselves. Matt Webster of Criterion stated that the car would be made available to everyone as soon as the closed beta was over.
- Criterion Games made the Rai-Jin Turbo available for all players to drive on Thursday July 17th, 2008, but only during Freeburn Online play.
- Players can hear the Rai-Jin Turbo's engine from the front of the car even though it is a rear-engined vehicle. The engine becomes visible when enough damage is inflicted to the car's rear.
- When exposed, the engine is not transversely mounted like in a typical Rear Engined vehicle. It is also observed that the engine appears to have eight cylinders, one for each header. Another note is that the engine looks exactly like the one used in the Hunter 4x4 Takedown.
- The Rai-Jin Turbo is the only vehicle not to have its statistics changed after the release of the Free February Update.
- This vehicle can't be used in an Online Cops and Robbers game.
- The option to change the Rai-Jin's paint finish and type became available to all players after the Burnout Bikes update.
- The Rai-Jin Turbo is the only Online Car not to have an "offline" version released with DLC.
- The Rai-Jin can't be selected during an online race if Host Lock is enabled. This was added after the release of the 1.9 update.
- "Rai-Jin" is a reference to the god of thunder & lightning in Japanese mythology.
- The Rai-Jin does not have a rear license plate.
- The Rai-Jin travels backwards as fast as it can go forward. It is the only car in the game with this trait.
- The Rai-Jin was originally planned to be a Krieger-manufactured vehicle.
- In the textures for said original plans, the name of the manufacturer says "Kriger" instead of "Krieger".
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