Top Gear: GTR's time

Minor spoiler - The GT-R is so fast it almost snapped JC's head from his body midcorner. That part was hilarious. By the way the Stig drove that car around the circuit, you can imagine he could probably push it even harder. The car looked like it was in complete control the whole time. Incredible car.

 

I guess Im not a numbers guy as IMO , unless Im actually racing for cash , anything within 4 seconds of each other is close enough for me. All these armchair racers squealing over 2/10ths of a second crack me up.

GT-R is certainly impressive and Ferrari should be more than a tad embarassed.

 

ORLY?

1:19.7 – Ferrari 430 Scuderia

1:22.9 – Ferrari F430 F1
1:23.2 – Ferrari F430 Spider F1

Close enough for you?

 

Maybe without the engine, gearbox, and front suspension it might, but on their U.S. distributor's web page (http://www.arielatom.com/specs/atom-3-specs) claimed weight is 1,400 lbs. Still impressively light weight, but c'mon man, the company itself claims it weighs 40% more than you claimed (and past history tells us that some companies have been known to underestimate figures like these on their own anyway). Nothing personal, but when you're that far off, the record has to be set straight.

The GTR is a marvel of modern engineering with amazing performance. I still don't want one.
Nissan did have a very impressive and cool cut-away GTR at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show back in November of 2007 though: http://web.mac.com/kyokopop/Tokyo_Motor/40thTMS-2.html#27

 

Still on top of the list : Another GTR, ULTIMA GTR
**** 1:12.8 !!!!!!!! ****
http://www.ultimasports.co.uk/records/part8.html

 

I barely consider the Ultima GTR a production car, its essentially a race-car made road legal, might as well throw the M3 GTR, Caparo T1 etc in there also. Heck the Caparo T1 did it in under 1:10 iirc

 

I just saw the TG episode, first, very impressed with Jezza's review. Stig's lap looked sloppier than most, but the time was shocking. I think this echo's Millen's comment that the car responds best when it's being flogged beyond the limit.

All in all I'm shocked and impressed.

I would still take a Scud over the GT-R if given the chance though ;-)

 

After seing an Ultima GTR in person I have to agree with your assessment. It wouldn't cross a "sleeping policeman" either, which is whyClarkson threw out the Ultima's time.

 

As a consumer thats close enough for me if I was considering purchasing.

However if I were the manufacturer and some fat ass GT from Japan just matched my lightweight Scud id be pretty ashamed.

 

Flogged beyond the limit..... basicly drive the car over human capability and let the computer take care of the rest. Sounds like something from the Terminator prequal.

 

At this point there is enough evidence that the GTR is seriously quick. AWD and paddleshifts make up for a lot of other things like weight. We can surmise that after a few laps the tires on this car tires may be melting off the wheels.

The difference between a scud,gt3 and GTR is not so much in the lap times. I would be willing to wager though that the Scud and GT3 can do these types of laps all day without wiliting brakes and tires too badly, although they too are street cars so i could be wrong. For a ultra high speed car it ultimatly needs to be trackable to really enjoy other than to pose, can a gtr be flogged all day at the track like the other two? Also how about pure tactile driving enjoyment.

Realisticaly a M3 has more than enough go to deploy on the street, once you go byond a certain performance level and you enjoy the car for more than mere bragging rights trackability is where it is at. A Gt car comfortable to drive, tactile FUN and fast at the track is the ulktimate, that is why a 250 swb is so revered. Have Nissan built the 250 swb of the early 21st century. Or have they built an heavy powerful open road bragging rights car. My guess is that the weight indicates more of the latter, although so far the GTR has dispelled a number of myths.

We know it can do the time aroud a track. Will the tires wilt from weight, will the turbo motor lose power every lap due to heat buildup, is it fun at the track. Let us also bear in mind that this car will be fairly easily chipped to produce much more power. There is more to this than one lap numbers.

I have an M3 great car on the road supposedly well regarded for some track work, ultimatly though it is a mushy street car on the track, it does the numbers but is divorced like a rubber band. The boxer is on the other hand fully connected and a great drive street or track whatever the numbers, but it is not really drivable for fun uless it is the right road on the right day, a race car for the street then.

Can the Nissan do both, if so it might be the ultimate drive to the track have fun on the track and drive home car short of a gt3 or scud. If it just does the numbers but feels like a big heavy street car on the track, then it is nowhere close to the ferrari and porche. Hey a Z06 is also superfast, which of the 4 would be more fun on the track? If Nissan have cracked the fun factor tactile as previous skylines did then look out.

 

I'm actually more suprised how some of the "older" cars on that list have held up to the competition(Carrera GT, Enzo). Really shows just how fast they were for their day and what kind of ground was being broken then.

 

Wow I must be getting old...or time is going too fast.... I still feel like these cars are new to the scene.

 

Perhaps, but there is more performance left in the GT-R by moving off the stock Run-Flat tires and putting on some proper R-Compound Rubber.

Clarkson was very positive about the driver's feel.....and oddly more forgiving of the GT-R's driving aids than the Scuderia's...guess he holds Ferrari to a different standard.

I drive an M3 as well. The M3's forte is not that is does any one thing great, its' that it does absolutely everything well.

That's a "time will tell" thing. That said Nissan has a 4 generations of track tuning under the GT-R, adn all have been heavy AWD turbo cars, so I am sure they know what they are doing. Perhaps heat soak is why the motor produces such little HP? They increased the displacement from 2.6L to 3.8L, and really could have gone a lot farther with the power and didn't.

In the M3's defense it's not a ground up Sports Car either. Take one look at the MacPherson front suspension and you quickly realize it's a Multi-Platform compact car that has been tuned for performance. As much as I love my M3, Your Average Z51 Vette handles better and is more compliant, but then the Average Z51 Vette can't carry 4 people and park with ease. (see earlier comment about doing no one thing "great" but all things "well").

Anyhow you have a good point about how on the street most performance numbers are academic. I agree.

 

They are and that is why I put older in quotes. It was a bit tongue in cheek.

 

GT-R vs Ferrari:
Both can dance very well,even with larger weight of Nissan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RajNvJ3bCU

 

That's also the ostensible reason why they won't test a Caterham, which would embarrass almost everything else out their short of an Ultima. But I suppose if a tiny car from a company nobodies heard of beat a 430 or a GT-3 it might possibly mean topGear wouldn't get another Ferrari or Porsche to test.

 

No, the car has to be daily driveable which means it has do go over speed bumps with eaze.

That's why all those furious kit cars won't get a chance at their track. And besides, they come in new versions all the time so what's the point...


PS: Radical > Ultima

Yet to see a car as ugly as a Ultima...

 

Where are all the haters now? Anyone want to call us all fanbois now? Anyone want to say this car is just a grand conspiracy?

If I had the time I would list the guys with egg on their face here.

 

I've always wondered why they have not tested the Caterham, it's not much different than the Atom in terms of daily driving ability, even more so since you can spec it with a windscreen and weather gear.

My Caterham easily goes over speed bumps, actually far easier than some other sportscars I've driven

I believe an independently tested Caterham did 1:17.4 around the track though

 

which caterham?


they probably dont test them cause theyre kit cars. doenst the atom come complete?

 

lol, GT-R haters are at the Denial Festival.

 

I Googled and assumed the weight was correct. Came from Wikipedia. Figured something as basic as that would be correct *shrug*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Atom