Back in 2008, a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 driven by General Motors development engineer, Jim Mero, ran its way around the Nürburgring in a time of 7:26.4. Now, a 2012 ZR1 equipped with new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Zero Pressure tires has tackled that same run, eclipsing the time set in 2008 by more than six seconds. The ZR1’s new time of 7:19.63 gets that much closer to the record holding 7:18 run of the Porsche GT2 RS, but more importantly, provides the Corvette with ammo against the Dodge Viper ACR (7.19 seconds), the Nissan GTR (7:26.7), Ferrari Enzo (7:25.21), and the Pagani Zonda F Clubsport (7:24.44).
For 2012, the Corvette ZR1 is powered by a 6.2 Liter LS9 aluminum block V8 engine with a total of 638 hp at 6500 rpm and 604 lb.- ft. of torque at 3800 rpm. With this output the ZR1 can hit an impressive top speed of 205 mph.
A week ago, word spread around that the new and reinvented 2012 Nissan GT-R managed to post the fastest Nurburgring lap time among all of the Godzillas that have run a fast lap in the world-famous race circuit. It actually slashed off 2.48 seconds off of the previous best – 7:26.00 seconds - for a GT-R, posting a time of 7:24.22 seconds.
Impressive as the numbers are, the question that a lot of people have been asking is how the 2012 GT-R can compete with the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. While the numbers should be close, we found a ‘top-bottom’ comparison video that should put all the debates to rest.
It runs the full-length of a Nurburgring lap so it’s over seven minutes long. But if you really want to know which sports car holds bragging rights over the other, then the video is a must-see for you.
We’re gonna give you a little spoiler, though. This lap-time showdown between the GT-R and the ZR1 is a lot closer than you think. Check out the video and find out who can lap the Nurburgring faster than the other.
One BMW M3 GTS looks amazing and two of these babies are even more impressive. Now get three of them at the same place at the same and it’s like your wildest dreams have come true, and this is exactly what happened the other day on the famous Nurburgring race track.
Three beautiful and sparkling BMW M3 GTS models were on the Nurburgring taking a few laps together solely for the amusement of the people watching them because, let’s face it, other than driver technique, the competition is pretty dead on.
As a reminder, the BMW M3 GTS is powered by a 4,400 cc V8 engine that delivers a total of 450 HP. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph is made in 4.4 seconds and top speed goes up to 189 mph. Lots of the interior parts have been removed which allows for a reduction in weight to 3284 lbs.
The Nurburgring is the unquestioned king of all race tracks in the world, home to not just the most prestigious races in the racing circuit, but also commercial cars looking to test their wares against the competition. You know all that talk about the ‘Nurburgring Lap’?
That’s a very critical piece of information for automakers far and wide to determine how their sports cars measure up against the competition. Over the years, there have been numerous claims to the lap record for a street-legal production vehicle through whatever loophole you can think of. While some cars are considered street-legal anywhere in the world, other models like the Pagani Zonda R, the Gumpert Apollo, the Ferrari 599XX, and the Ultima GTR don’t have that all-encompassing breadth of legality. They’re legal in some parts of the world and illegal in other parts and thus aren’t counted in the standings. As such, a lot of people have trouble putting those cars in the same league as the ‘street-legal-worldwide’ category – and rightfully so.
So to sort out all the information and determine which street-legal car can truly stake claim for being the fastest of the lot in the ‘Ring, the Nurburgring track blog Bridge to Gantry decided to dig up the lap times and found that the real ‘King of the Ring’ is none other than the 2008 Dodge Viper ACR.
The list is classified as the “Fastest Production Car Lap of the Nurburgring” with the Viper ACR actually ranking seventh with the four aforementioned supercars higher on the list together with the Donkervoort D8 270 RS and the Porsche 911 GT2 RS.
Of all the cars ahead of the Viper ACR, only the Porsche GT2 RS could have a possible stake to the title, but according to the guys at BTG, the lack of video evidence is the only thing that’s keeping it from wrestling the crown of ‘King of the Ring’ from the Viper ACR.
Over the past few months, James Glickenhaus’ Ferrari P4/5 Competizione has been gearing up for its 24 Hours of Nurburgring participation by testing its chops in a number of racetracks all over Europe. But we all know that nothing beats out taking a swing at the site itself.
So the whole team trooped to the world’s most famous race circuit and brought the whole traveling circus of curious bees – us included – with it. From the looks of things, the car looks to be in in-race form months leading up to the official race.
Of all the test drivers that were given some burn, former Formula One driver Mika Salo got the most time with the P4/5 Competizione. Fellow test driver Luca Cappellari wasn’t as lucky though as his time was limited to just one lap after his session was red flagged.
Either way, the months-long anticipation for this one-off super Ferrari is slowly coming to a head as the days to the 24 Hours of Nurburgring approach. No official lap times were given, but by the way it was being tested, the car looks to be in strong contention for the championship.
Videos of the car’s test runs at the Nurburgring after the jump.
It’s a typical scenario. A business is in trouble and a few suits come in and promise the world only to deliver a patch of dead grass and some dog poop for fertilizer. It happens all of the time and, unfortunately, there is little anyone can do to stop it. The only problem we have with this - other than the obvious distress of it all - is the fact that these suits in question are messing with the famous Nurburgring.
That’s right, apparently the most talked about track in the world is in trouble - approximately 400 Million Euros in trouble - and the only thing being done about it is a bit of a renovation by a couple of privateers who have rented out the track and park with a promise of private financing. This renovation brings a new roller coaster, extra hotel capacity, a new event arena, and, of course, a shopping mall, all of which are facilitating the demise of the beloved track. And to think, all it really needed was extra parking and a good handyman.
Now, in an effort to Save the ’Ring, Sabine Schmitz, driver of the BMW "Ring taxi," is campaigning for the Nurburgring’s triumph over their financial woes. Check out the video and "stay informed."
Remember the days when the Caparo T1 was in the news just about every day? And not for good reasons either. This was a machine that caught fire and burned a presenter from Fifth Gear and then gave Jeremy Clarkson all sorts of fits when he attempted to test it. Well, it was EVO magazine’s turn and everything seemed to go fairly well as they took the T1 around the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
The British car magazine was given a once in a lifetime chance to be able to take out this amazing machine. It might not seem fast when there is little traffic present, but just watch how quickly it blows by the other drivers in their brilliantly fast machines. It really makes you wonder what it’s like to drive such a wonderful piece of automotive engineering.
Also, be sure to check out the Jaguar XFR’s drift midway through the video, as it must have had the EVO’s Phil Bennett making a mess of his pants.
Some high performance vehicles can be costly, but that hasn’t stopped many people from running out and purchasing these speed demons for the sake of trying their hand in the racing circuit. So let’s say you’ve purchased one of these high performance vehicles - say maybe a Porsche 911 - what is the first place you would want to go to test out your new ride? That’s right, the Nürburgring Nordschleife and now, there is the perfect watch to time those laps.
It’s called the Nordschleife Chronograph and it features the time-of-day hands along with the split-second timing dials in a jumbo 43-millimeter stainless steel case with mineral crystal lens, black dial, and leather strap. Normally, we would advise you stay away from mineral crystal, as it scratches as easy as the paint on that 911, but in this case, we’ll let it slide.
On top of that watch, you can also get a 24-hour timepiece that displays the time over the full day, not just 12 hours. This is perfect for those endurance races that you’re bound to enter.
Now, most of the time, automotive related timepieces are costly, but not in this case. The movements are quartz, so not something we would usually recommend, but for only 129 Euros for the chronograph and 85 Euros for the 24-hour, it’s hard to pass it up. Just like you’ll be on the track with that 911.
If the Ferrari Virtual Academy isn’t awesome enough by itself, Ferrari has decided to give it a few upgrades, notching up its cool factor by a couple more levels.
Among the new additions for the second round of the online racing simulator includes a new race track in Mugello to join the existing Fiorano race track in the simulator. Ferrari also outfitted the simulator with new control settings including eight new setups for differential lockup under braking, eight setups for lockup under acceleration, and four setups for the engine braking.
Check out the video preview of the new Mugello race track for the Ferrari Virtual Academy, which you can buy for 19.90 euros or if you’re in the US, around $27.75. There’s also word that the third race track of Ferrari’s online simulator will be out in November. Care to venture a guess what track it is?
If you guessed the Nurburgring, then consider yourself prophetic.
The car was raced by Thomas Jäger (33) and Christopher Haase (23) as part of private team Black Falcon. The duo began in seventh place on the grid with both drivers showing tremendous driving skills that led them to their eventual victory. Thomas Jäger started the race off by speeding past three other cars and reaching fourth place in the very first lap with their SLS AMG GT3, start number 738. After that, the gull-wing racer made its way past several other cars to take the first place position in the 10th out of 20 laps. Christopher Haase then took over and was able to keep his position by attaining the fastest lap time of the race (9:24.565 minutes) on the 13th circuit.
The second place position would have been taken by the GT3’s sister car driven by Christian Mamerow, but, unfortunately, that car collided with the leading Audi R8 LMS piloted by Frank Stippler/Marc Basseng on lap five. The car was then taken out of the race due to a damaged wheel suspension.
