German Car Zone

So many Carrera GTs, Zondas, CCXs, Corvette ZR1s, Viper ACR, Nissan GTRs have you driven Luw'?

So the Carrera GT is a daily drive huh? No wonder Lewis Hamilton's dad crashed it in 10 seconds...

That Viper was produced well before Dodge decided to respond to the 'Vette's Ring time. Unlike the European supercars which are developed from start to finish on the 'Ring, this Viper was created, and then a few years later it's now been tailored to the 'Rings rigorous demands... and bingo, it's showed up the competition.


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Some people... have next to no appreciation due to the most trivial matters...

Even if you guys don't want to recognise and accept that this Viper has lapped the Ring faster than any of your beloved cars... just the fact that they've been able to produce a car which can lap the track at such an impressive time should be reason enough to at least give a thumbs up (even if having a genuine appreciation well beyond most of you for anything that is American or Japanese).


Ah well...some people...

Factory times are as worthful as my old underwear. I wait for independent tests before I start cheering.

Exactly, there are so many examples of when a manufacturer have said this and that and in the end when someone else gives it a try they end up getting a far worse result. Hence, there is little enthusiasm for factory times. That goes for all manufacturers, not just the ones from Japan or the US.

BMW claim that the M5 did N-ring in 7.52 min , even as a BMW fan I wont use the factory time as a comparison.
My trust is in Sportauto. Same driver, testing only factory cars. Also we got to know what equipment been used ( R-tires, ceramic brakes etc etc)
Factory time is a nice thing but for comparison with other cars I put my trust in an independent test and were they use the same driver everytime.

The Germans have used the ring as a professional test bed since ages for putting a prototype through stress. Ever since the end of the last year the Japanese and American manufacturer's have turned it into dick measuring contest over how's fastest around the ring.

No doubt the GT-R is a dead quick and capable car, I have no hate towards it. But this ACR on the other hand was merely conceived just for the sake for being super fast around the track. Factory times account for nothing since laps are often done with a team from the manufacturer present and who knows what they do. They probably change engine mapping, make suspension adjustment, install special tires and do various tweaks that makes the car different from what will hit the show room. Just look at the rear wing of that car, it's the size of 6 seater dinner table.

Porsche and other companies can beat the time if they really want to but in the end their cars have a much better purpose than just be fast around the ring.

So people don't like it because it's a track special? No wonder why the 997 GT3 has a sunroof and stuff like that while in the past cars like the 964 RS had a wire as a door handle....

Don't get us wrong, the car type is the best. That is not the issue here.

Let's not forget that the road-legal Radical SR8 lapped the 'Ring in 6:55. I think that should be the benchmark for "track specials".

I wish I drove my Viper to work today since my GT3 is parked out front and won't start.

If anyone read the Motor Trend article fully they'll see the car was not modified. It was set up just like we can set our GT3's for the track. That's why they come with adjustable set-ups. Besides "Sports cars" are useless in today's world- traffic jams, speed limits, police everywhere, an intersection/redlight every 100 yards. I couldn't give a damn whether I am driving a mercedes, toyota or a pick up truck on the street- they all just serve to get me from A to B with the least hassle. The viper ACR comes with a "hardcore package"- this is the real sports car of the 21st cventury- a car more at home on racetrack than the streets. This is the kind of car my friends and I want. People like me who drive more miles on a racetrack than streets. A car I can set up for my home racetrack and have a lot more enjoyment than I could ever get driving on the street.

For those of us that have not read the article - does it tell us that the manufacturer had nothing to do with the test and did not partisipate in any way? If the article says only that the manufacturer told them that nothing fishy was going on then it is worth nothing...

Manufacturer claims = lies, until proven otherwise.