GM's V-series challenge

[whiteballz]

HSV R8?

IIRC the ISF is just about as quick as the M3 sedan around the top gear test track?

[LeonOfTheDead]

Without even considering if GM tuned the car specifically for that "track" or even if the car was developed on the same "track", I'd go there with a Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT-S.
I wouldn't really care to beat the lap time, I'd be very happy to own the QP instead of the CTS-V.

Realistically, the QP proved to be very quick on tracks, despite being very heavy and not is powerful, so I don't think it would be completely out of the game.
I'd pick an Alpina otherwise, which aren't tuned cars as Alpina is registered as an automaker, but the 5 Series is getting old, and the 7 Series is a boat.

Why Mercedes isn't allowing journalists to use a C63?

[Ferrer]

Why Mercedes isn't allowing journalists to use a C63?

For fear of getting destroyed.

[G35COUPE]

Well, in case you haven't heard, GM is holding a "V-series" challenge. This is where Bob Lutz will drive laps around Laguna Seca in a Cadillac CTS-V, and any challenger can come with a competitive car and try to beat his lap time. Some car blogs have been accepted, such as The Truth About Cars and Jalopnik, and some private competitors will come as well.

So, if you were in the contest, what car would you choose to try to defeat Maximum Bob and the CTS-V around Laguna Seca?

An M-3, a Nismo 370z, a 911 GT2, or may be a well set up E55 AMG sedan.

I refused to introduce a GTR on this list because depending on the driver and conditions, the GTR could really embarrass the CTS-V. My choices are based on weight and suspension set up and not on horsepower, which the CTS-V has plenty of.

[G35COUPE]

I think maybe an EVO FQ-400 could give it a run for its money. I'd like to see the Caddy win, though.

I agree completely. Trust me, i know. I have run with an EVO that was pushing 400 horses and it was the first time i saw a car move like a bullet at high RPMS.

I consider the Evo a very dark car. It is very subtle, looks harmless, most evo owners I know tend to have questionable characters, their singular aim on the road is to disgrace and destroy the myth surrounding far more expensive cars with such a little car.

[cmcpokey]

An M-3, a Nismo 370z, a 911 GT2, or may be a well set up E55 AMG sedan.

I refused to introduce a GTR on this list because depending on the driver and conditions, the GTR could really embarrass the CTS-V. My choices are based on weight and suspension set up and not on horsepower, which the CTS-V has plenty of.

the problem is, this challenge is restricted to 4 door saloon cars only. so you are down to the M3 (no hyphen) and E55. MB has already said they aren't playing, and the M5 is supposed to be there anyway.

[henk4]

the problem is, this challenge is restricted to 4 door saloon cars only. so you are down to the M3 (no hyphen) and E55. MB has already said they aren't playing, and the M5 is supposed to be there anyway.

put Andy Priaulx behind the wheel and we are done with this farce....

[ThisBlood147]

I foresee Lutz spending the 2 to 3 weeks prior to the event at the track practicing like his life depends on it. Everyone else will probably be expected to show up and run a single lap.

Marketing BS at its finest. All the performance in the world couldn't overturn the fact that it's an ugly, unappealing car..........IMO.

[Ferrer]

I consider the Evo a very dark car. It is very subtle, looks harmless, most evo owners I know tend to have questionable characters, their singular aim on the road is to disgrace and destroy the myth surrounding far more expensive cars with such a little car.

Big wing, flared wheel arches and scoops all over the body? It's not a subtle car.

A Leon Cupra R is subtle.

[LeonOfTheDead]

Big wing, flared wheel arches and scoops all over the body? It's not a subtle car.

A Leon Cupra R is subtle.

previous gen XJR is subtle.

[Ferrer]

previous gen XJR is subtle.

New XJ Supercharged even more.

[LeonOfTheDead]

New XJ Supercharged even more.

I picked the older as the new one seems to be more of a looker even in the base trim, while the previous gen has subtler style.

[Ferrer]

I picked the older as the new one seems to be more of a looker even in the base trim, while the previous gen has subtler style.

Then I think there was a Super V8 version without the R treatment for even more Q-car kudos.

[LeonOfTheDead]

Then I think there was a Super V8 version without the R treatment for even more Q-car kudos.

Yep, I remember that, but after all the R just had the metal grille and possibly 18" tires instead of 17", everything else was pretty stock.

[Guibo]

I think maybe an EVO FQ-400 could give it a run for its money.

Think you're right. If Car Magazine's recent comparo at the Rockingham road circuit is anything to go by, the Evo has an excellent shot.

1:36.22 - Mercedes E63 AMG
1:36.64 - Mitsu Evo FQ400
1:36.83 - Porsche Panamera Turbo
1:38.85 - Cadillac CTS-V
1:39.07 - Audi S4
1:39.37 - Jaguar XFR

E90 M3 should be pretty close too. Randy Pobst's time at Laguna Seca in the E92 M3 coupe w/dual clutch transmission last year was 1:43.0, and his time this year with the CTS-V was a 1:43.9. The E90 sedan isn't that much slower than the coupe. C&D's editors lapped Laguna in 1:44.10 in an E90 M3 with the 6-speed manual, which is 0.2s slower than their time in the E92 M3 w/DKG on a different day.

I would love to see the following matchups:
Ulrich Bez in Rapide vs Lutz in CTS-V
Hans Stuck in M3 vs Heinricy
W. Rohrl in Panamera vs Heinricy