Subaru has released this photo of the new WRX STi, in this case ready to take on the Nürburgring 24 hour race for the seventh year in a row. Except it’s not a photo at all, just a crudely cobbled together p-chop. I can tell by the pixels.
Oh well, we’ll have the real thing before our eyes very soon when Detroit kicks off.
Following the video we brought you late last week McLaren has given us their official word about the P1 recording a sub-seven minute Nürburgring lap. Although, there’s still no definitive time given.
McLaren says the XP2R P1 prototype was driven from Woking to the Ring before posting its lap time, which works out to be an average speed in excess of 178km/h over the 20.8km circuit. Notably, when in the Race mode used to break the seven-minute barrier the car was lowered by a total of 50mm.
The footage of the P1 rocketing down in Fuchsröhre is some of the most dramatic Nürburgring film we’ve ever seen. Test driver Chris Goodwin explains the sensation: “I have only experienced acceleration like this before in a Formula 1 car. This downhill snaking section of the track is taken flat, using DRS, shifting gear all the way down to the base of the valley, and the compression that follows applies the maximum vertical g-forces to the car. The forces really load the tyres, chassis and wing, but it is taken with only a slight lift of the throttle.”
Goodwin rounds out his commentary by claiming: “Driving the McLaren P1 at this pace, on this circuit, is the most impressive driving experience I’ve ever had in any road or race McLaren, on any road or track in the world.”
When you consider Goodwin has full access to McLaren’s back catalogue of road and F1 cars he’s just being a show-off!
We all love the new BMW M235i, right. Well, BMW has now given us more reason to love it with the announcement they will be making an M235i Racing customer racecar. Designed initially for use in the Nürburgring 24 hour race and its associated VLN endurance series it is priced from €59,500 (excluding taxes). That’s only around AU$89,000!
We like this bit from the BMW Motorsport text: “The car also comes with mechanical limited-slip differential, which is also available for the BMW M235i Coupé in the original BMW Parts range.”
The M235i Racing has had its electronic driver aids tuned for motorsport and the car also comes fitted with a roll cage and racing fuel tank. Power is up slightly from the production model—from 240kW to 245kW—and the pumped up body kit shown in the rendering above makes an already good looking car look even more aggressive. We can’t think of any good reason why these won’t sell like hot cakes.
Bravo BMW, bravo!
[Source: BMW Motorsport]
Maybe Nissan didn’t fool around with the engine in the MY14 GT-R because they knew they’d have this extreme Nismo version to attract headlines. In fact we’re sure that’s what happened.
And this GT-R Nismo is fast, too! How fast? Alcantara steering wheel and bright red rev counter fast, that’s how fast! Black wheels and white paint, plus a massive rear wing also tell you this is going to be one quick weapon. Those visual cues don’t lie, you know. They don’t.
Actually, what doesn’t lie are numbers. Raw numbers tell the truth. And how about this for some truth: thanks to a pair of competition-spec GT3 turbos the road-going GT-R Nismo pumps out 441kW (591hp) and in the hands of racing driver Michael Krumm it lapped the Nürburgring in 7:08.679 (see video below).
We told you numbers don’t lie. Nissan has got themselves a couple of seriously impressive key performance stats there.
Also involved in the development of the GT-R Nismo was former F1 driver Sebastien Buemi. Clearly, Nissan wasn’t messing about when it decided to make production version of its GT3 racecar.
Dunlop has come on board with specially developed tyres, Bilstein has handled suspension duties while Nismo’s aerodynamic package ensures this car has the serious downforce it requires.
The GT-R Nismo goes on sale in Japan in February 2014, with Europe and the US coming on line later next year. We’re not sure if Australians will be able to get their hands on the Nismo, but we’ll do what we can to find out. Pricing details will be announced closer to launch.
Remember last month when we reported a rumour the McLaren P1 had lapped the Nürburgring in 6 minutes 47 seconds? Well, it’s true. We promise. And here’s the video and press statement from McLaren to prove it:
Ahh, you can’t see it either? Well that’s because after two highly visible appearances at the Ring with the P1 hypercar in full view of spy photographers and McLaren’s own film crew on site they’re giving us… nothing.
Evo magazine thought they were getting the scoop. Editor Nick Trott was invited along to the Nürburgring during McLaren’s last visit and was hoping to emblazon the cover of his latest issue with a beautiful set of numbers, sure to boost sales and egos alike. But that didn’t happen.
Now, of all times, McLaren has stepped on its high horse and is preaching that chasing new records at the Ring is dangerous. In his editorial for Evo, Nick Trott explains:
When we began negotiations with McLaren about joining the P1 test team at the Ring, it was expected that the ultimate lap time would be achieved and revealed in time for this issue. At the last minute, I got a text from McLaren that read: ‘I have a conclusion on the Ring question. And not sure if you’re going to like it.’ A few minutes later, I was on the phone to Woking.
During the conversation that followed, it was explained that (spoiler alert!) the P1’s lap time would never be revealed and that the official line was that McLaren ‘had achieved its objective of a sub-seven minute lap of the Nordschleife’. My first feeling was disappointment because I’m sure many of you will be expecting the time, and we can’t give it, but my second feeling was relief. Here’s why…
I couldn’t give a monkey’s about the cult of the Nordschleife lap time. Never have. The chase for a notable lap time has become a form of motorsport in itself, but a motorsport without a governing body, without appropriate safety measures, without independent adjudicators, and a motorsport that is governed by the ‘competitors’ themselves. The result is a pissing contest, a trivialising of the Ring’s history and a chase for lap times that puts lives at risk.
And for what? A marketing message? Well, this week you’re able to find out what two prominent supercar customers think of the ‘allure’ of the Nürburgring lap time and the (lack of) effect it has when signing a cheque for the best part of £1million.
Aww, isn’t that cute, McLaren’s gone all shy, despite all those alluring smiles and incessant teasing it turns out they don’t want really want to measure up and get their dick out with Porsche after all.
So, after Ron Dennis’ bold claim in Geneva this year that the P1 would break the 7-minute barrier around the Nordschleife and take all records with it, the only evidence we have are a few hollow words. Not bold, confident actions, just a few meek words. Even Porsche, who rarely posts videos to support its claimed lap times, felt we deserved to see the 918 tackle the Ring from go to woah.
Yep, we’re disappointed in McLaren too.
[Sources: Jalopnik, Pistonheads, Bridge to Gantry, McLaren life]
As you know the McLaren P1 has been sighted at the Nürburgring recently. And earlier this week performance figures for the hybrid hypercar were confirmed, with one notable omission: it’s Nordschleife lap time.
A new spy video (see below) alleges the P1 has lapped the Nürburgring in 6 minutes 47 seconds. We’re not taking that as gospel until McLaren themselves make an official statement, but we do concede such a time from the 908hp petrol-electric weapon is feasible.
A 6:47 lap time would undercut the road-ready Porsche 918 by 10 seconds and matches the track-only Pagani Zonda R.
Watching the tail end of this video also gives some idea as to what an annoyance amateur spy photographers must be at times for manufacturers going about their daily work.
In case you missed it over the weekend, Alfa Romeo is claiming a new Nürburgring lap record for its mid-engined 4C sportscar. No it hasn’t broken the 7-minute barrier; it hasn’t even broken the 8-minute barrier.
The 4C set a lap time of 8 minutes 4 seconds and according to Alfa, that’s the fastest time set at the Green Hell by a car with less than 250hp (186kW). To be fair it’s a pretty handy time, mixing it with the likes of the Audi R8 V8, BMW M3 (E92) and the Porsche Cayman S.
You can watch the full lap at AUSringers and Alfa Romeo’s press release championing their record claim can be read below.
McLaren is chasing lap record glory at the Nürburgring, with this P1 hypercar seen in full attack mode on the Nordschleife on Wednesday.
In early September a rumoured lap time of 7:04 was posted by the hybrid McLaren. Even if true, for two reasons, it’s not fast enough. Firstly, Ron Dennis has said the P1 will break the 7-minute barrier at the famous track. And secondly, Porsche has since published video of its 918 lapping the Ring in 6:57.
Officially, a McLaren spokesman said the ‘XP2R’ P1 was at the Green Hell, “for final damper tuning and calibration—our engineers and technicians are never happy, despite what they’ve achieved”.
However, those trackside during the week reported the presence of a sizeable pit crew with representatives from Pirelli on site as well. The P1 rides on specially developed Pirelli tyres tailored to suit the car’s performance and handling characteristics.
One thing is sure, the dick waving we’re going to see from Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari over who has the fastest hybrid hypercar on the planet is going to be fun to watch. So, strap yourself in and enjoy the show.
[Source: Car]
The Americans are again keen to prove they have discovered corners by continuing to test their automotive products at the Nürburgring. And it turns out they’re getting quite good at making cars handle well, as this video from Chevrolet shows.
The 2014 Camaro Z28 has lapped the Nordshcleife in 7:37.47 and we have the visual evidence to prove it. There’s one or two loose moments and with rain beginning to fall late in the lap driver, Adam Dean, took a very ginger approach through Galgenkopf, leading onto the Döttinger Höhe straight. Indeed, Chevrolet is keen to highlight their claim that Dean cold have gone as much as six seconds faster if the conditions were dry for the full lap.
Powered by a 376kW 7.0 litre LS7 V8 the Z28 sounds fantastic, of course, although the audio in this video is sounds a little artificial to our ears. Have a look and see what you think.
Earlier this year the memory of Stefan Bellof was honoured with the renaming of Pflantzgarten II to the Stefan-Bellof-S at the Nürburgring. During qualifying for the 1983 1000km race Bellof clocked a lap time of 6:11.13. More than 30 years later, it’s still the fastest ever lap recorded on the Nordschleife and the only lap to average over 200km/h.
To mark the naming of the Stefan-Bellof-S, Porsche wheeled out its 956.007, the very car Bellof drove in the 1983 1000km race at the Ring. On hand for driving duties was Porsche legend and all round nice guy Derek Bell.
After the break you can ride with Bell on a bridge to gantry lap of the Ring. It’s a comparatively sedate ride, although Bell still gets around at a pretty respectable pace. Your day will be better for watching this!
The 708kW LaFerrari is the latest in the triumverate of hybrid hypercars to attack the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
It joins the brief video we’ve seen of the McLaren P1, with a rumoured 7:04 lap time, and the apparently all-conquering Porsche 918 Spyder. Of course, the 918 grabbed headlines recently when Porsche announced it had broken the 7-minute barrier with a 6:57 lap time.
We shall have to wait and see what the Ferrari marketing department deems worthy of publishing in future to see if the 918’s time in the sun is about to be over.
After the break you can see onboard video of Marc Lieb’s full 6:57 lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife set in a Porsche 918 Spyder ‘Weissach Package’.