German Car Zone

Magazine's do all the time and most people who don't know about SportAuto do as well.

They do not count as they are ignorant

But, I see your point, people who do not know better might fall for these marketing plots.

So the GT-R did a 7:50. With Horst behind the wheel on a track that was damp on places.

What a pathetic effort. They should just give back those customer deposits and can the whole thing.

Factory engineers and test drivers have always been able to extract a quicker laptime with optimum conditions and vehicle set-up.

I like the concept of using Von Saurma as a benchmark for the sake of consistency - but the problem is that it doesn't always yield a perfectly scientific comparison. Track temperatures, precipitation, ambient pressure and temperatures, tyre pressures, fuel loads, hang-overs (), driver mistakes on the day and so on mean that you're never going to get a perfectly measurable result. But it's as close as we can hope for.

So let's go with Horst's time. And if he reckons the track was damp in places then let's give the GT-R the benefit of the doubt and say that this cost it 5 seconds. So, with SportAuto, the GT-R could possibly have gotten a 7:45. What a rubbish time. Liars, them Nissan dudes are...

Remember that the GT-R is essentially a RWD vehicle and so the damp would have had a significant outcome on the laptime.

The comparison is interesting but only one-dimensional -- anybody contemplating buying a Pagani Zonda will hardly care what some mass-market Japanese street racer can do at the Nürburgring.

That may be possible. After all it was only one passage that was damp and it is not confirmed that the car used was of production specification.

I think it will do somewhere between 7,45 and 7,50 (very brave guess, I know ) if this was a production car.

For comparison with other cars, the most honest and unbaised source is Sportauto. You can use factory times if you want but do not compare it with Sportauto since its a different source and a different driver. Sportauto times is one thing and factory times is another thing and those two cant be compared. Period!

Did you guys know that M5 E60 has done the N-ring in 7.50 min but I would never use it as a comparison with other cars since we do not know if it was with a production car or a pre-production car and we also do not know the specs (R-tires etc etc etc). With sportauto we know its a production car and we have all the numbers and figures and facts on the tested car on a piece of paper.

To each his own but for me its Sportauto times for comparison with other cars. Factory times only show the how fast the car done with a factory driver and its also a markeeting stunt but for comparison its worthless.

lol the facts are the GTR is nowehere as quick as nissan have said.

The GTR weighs nearly 1800kg and only has 480 hp. The zonda weighs only slightly more than a mosquitos arse and has more power.

Just going by on paper specs any person with a brain between their ears would be doubtful about nissans claims. It just does not have the on paper specs to pull off the claims unless fitted with some super duper grippy tires.

Plus all the mag reviews have said its about the same pace as the 997TT.

I doubted Nissans claim of 7:38, and I still do. I also doubted the 7:50, considering the car weighs as much as a 599/SLR and has the power of an F430. BUT, a dyno of the car showed the car to be putting almost 480 hp to all four wheels. with 20-25 % awd loss, thats about 600 hp.

knowing THAT, the 7:50 makes perfect sense, and puts it into the catagory of other 600ish hp, 3800ish lbs car like the 599 (7:47), Murcielago (7:50) and SLR (7:52).

and it may be true to point out the fact that between tests, many conditions can change. BUT, the single most important variable that needs to be help constant (especially around the Nring), is the driver.