vetteship

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJj8a...layer_embedded

Scratch

Nice, for a race car

599XXX

Leonie

Right, it´s a race car, slicks, aero etc. and still shy of the 6 min 11 sec. record from Stefan Bellow (r.i.p. ) with his Porsche 956 on his qualifiying lap in - get this - 1983!!

Much more impressive for me: the new Porsche GT3 RS in the sportauto supertest with (consider - it has a 3.8 liter N/A engine!) a 7 min 33!!!

Making it 5 seconds faster than either the Corvette ZR1 (6.2 liter supercharged) and the Nissan GT-R (3.8 liter twin turbo), both achieving a 7 min 38 in that same test, factory "ringer" times sorted out...

The coolest thing about that car: sportauto will take one to compete in the 24hr race at the ´Ring, and one of the drivers named Walter Roehrl (you might know him) said about it "on any other car on this planet, you have to change about 70% of the parts to get a suitable race car, on the new GT3 RS, it´s about 30%"...

Best, Bernd

Dave68

Wow - 6:58'16

It looks like the Viper ACR took a pummeling - ouch!
Of course that Ferarri costs far more than either the Viper or ZR1 but you have to give it credit for breaking the record. When will the Germans do the same on their own course?

Notch

I think that if they were really concerned about it, they could do it anytime they wanted.

Dave68

That's what they they want you to believe, anyway.......

Notch

I hope no one thinks any of the world's top sports car manufacturers field what is currently their "best effort" in terms of performance cars.

In terms of the 599 at the Ring, it was a specifically prepped race car with technology that isn't available on the production model. Porsche, Lamborghini, GM, et al could easily do the same thing if they wanted.

Ring "records" by manufacturers are solely the domain of their marketing departments...used for nothing more than to sell cars.

Dave68

That kind of statement is easy to say but much harder to prove. How many times did GM run the ZR1 on the Ring? Did their driver throw up his hands afterward and say "Ah, we could've beat the record if we REALLY wanted to."

I think not. They did their best with what they had. Ferrari just happens to have something better than all the others. And with Volkswagen calling the shots for Porsche, there may not be a different "King" for some time.

Notch

Not hard to prove at all. For example, Porsche could easily have modified the Carrera GT to be the "record holder" until the next manufacturer decided they wanted the "title". Porsche could also modify a GT2 to be a record holder. You don't think the GT2's current power output is the best Porsche can do with that engine...do you? And the GT2's OEM suspension? You don't think that's the best Porsche can do with it...do you?

Manufacturers do not field their very best technology because there would be no where to go (upward) until new technology comes along. Manufacturers are in business to make money, and consistantly selling their cars year after year is the way they do this. Relying on new or improved technology to produce better performing cars every year is a great way to shoot yourself in the foot.

As for the ZR1 at the Ring. Was it the production car, or a race prepped car like the 599?

Dave68

"Production" doesn't have to mean that the car has amenities or is practical for day-to-day driving. It just means that the car is sold to the public "as-equipped". Ferrari's "production" 599 is a faster, better handling car than Porsche's GT2. That's the bottom line.

Notch

Big deal. But that isn't the topic we were discussing. We were discussing Ring records, and manufacturer's "best" efforts (at the record and otherwise).

Dave68

...and you are implying that almost any car company can break a record. Given unlimited funding and time, this may be true, but there is a big difference between doing it and just saying that you could do it.

...kinda like watching your neighbor win a marathon and then yelling out "Ah, that's nuthin; I could do that if I really wanted to!"

He did and you didn't. Give credit where credit is due. Jealousy gets you nowhere.

Guibo

I think the Zakspeed Viper and VLN Lambos are faster than this car.

Notch

I implied nothing. I specifically identified the companies as..."the world's top sports car manufacturers".

I have not given or taken away credit from any manufacturer. My doing either is a waste of time, since it would have zero impact on them.

And I also have zero jealousy for any car, car owner, or car manufacturer. Jealousy is a waste of time and a very poor character trait. I have learned to avoid it.

PerKr

race-prepped cars don't count. If that's what you need to set a production car record, why bother? I wonder what a race-prepped ZR-1 could do?

Notch

Is the record lap time claimed to be for a "production car? According to the article, the record is for a "production-derived" car.

PerKr

oh, alright, didn't bother to watch the vid or read the article :o

but I still wonder what could be done with a prepped ZR-1 (I'm assuming the ZR-1 they ran was pretty much standard). And what a standard 599 would manage.

Notch

Good questions.

Guibo

Race-prepped ZR1 or C6.R as they race in FIA GT3 class would likely be similar to the 6:44 that a Lambo Gallardo did in a Sport Auto magazine test. I seem to recall that was with the racing team's driver and not the usual mag test editor, Horst von Saurma.

The standard 599, driven by HvS, lapped in 7:47, which is 9 seconds slower than he acheived in the ZR1. Maybe with Schumacher driving and full commitment, it might be mid- to low-7:30's, but probably not as fast as what Magnussen said he can do in the ZR1 (7:1x's).