Every year for the past six years, Car & Driver rents out Virginia International Raceway and has highly skilled/experienced drivers, some of them who race professionally or have raced professionally, take production street cars around the track's 4.2 mile Grand East course to see how fast they are. Funny how VIR calls the same course the Grand West Course They use advanced data acquisition systems that record data every 0.1 seconds for the entire lap for multiple laps. Then they publish the results. This year they added a truck category called LLT.
Its really worth picking up the issue to read the descriptions of each car or truck and the experience of driving them on the track. For example, the Charger SRT8 was described as the dancing hippo from Fantasia. The Boss 302 LS had the same corner and sector speeds as the Corvette Grand Sport, but weighs more, so its lap times were a little slower. They asked the question, is the Audi TT the ultimate version of the VW Golf? Also the Boss 302 is only 2 seconds per lap slower than the Ford GT supercar! You can see how the GT500 got faster over the years and how the fastest time form the aluminum block 2011 model is significantly faster than the iron block model. Also, I can't wait to see how the 2013 GT500 does compared to the Corvettes.
Here are the results from the latest issue:
LLT
BMW X5 M 3:11.1
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 3:17.4
LL1
Honda Civic Si Coupe 3:24.1
Volkswagen Jetta GLI 3:27.3
LL2
Audi TT RS 3:4.8
BMW 1 Series M 3:6.6
BMW 335is 3:13.8
Dodge Challenger SRT-8 3:9.4
Dodge Charger SRT8 3:10.1
Ford Boss 302 Laguna Seca 3:2.8
Mini Cooper JCW Coupe 3:18.4
Volkswagen Golf R 3:14.0
LL3
BMW Z4 sDrive35is 3:10.4
Chevy Corvette ZR1 2:50.7 Other year was 2:49.8 on different tires
Lotus Evora S 3:5.9
Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Coupe 3:6.3
Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG 3:4.9
Nissan GT-R 2:53.2
Porsche Cayman R 3:3.9
LL4
Porsche Panamera Turbo S 3:0.7
The 1 Series M costs about the same as a BOSS 302 LS, well more is you include the as tested price, and the question has been asked int he past, which is faster on a road course. This issue answered that. The BOSS 302 was faster by 3.8 seconds. The 1 series M is also a little over 1 second slower than the M3 around the same track.
Lightning Lap Overall Results:*
Make Model Min: Sec
Mosler MT900S 2 : 45.9
Dodge Viper SRT 10 ACR 2 : 48.6
Mosler Photon 2 : 49.8
Chevy Corvette ZR1 2 : 49.8
Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera 2 : 51.8
KTM X-Bow 2 : 52.3
Nissan GT-R 2 : 53.2
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2 : 53.5
Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV 2 : 53.9
Ferrari F430 Scuderia 2 : 54.6
Nissan GT-R 2 : 55.6
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 2 : 55.9
Porsche 911 Turbo S 2 : 57.5
Ariel Atom 2 : 57.6
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 2 : 58.0
Chevy Corvette Z06 2 : 58.2
Chevy Corvette Grand Sport 2 : 58.8
Audi R8 5.2 FSI 2 : 59.5
Ford GT 3 : 0.7
Porsche Panamera Turbo S 3 : 0.7
Chevy Corvette Z06 3 : 1.1
Chevy Corvette Z51 3 : 1.2
Dodge Viper SRT 10 3 : 1.6
Porsche 911 GT3 3 : 1.8
Ford Boss 302 Laguna Seca 3 : 2.8
Chevy Corvette Z51 3 : 3.6
Porsche Boxster Spyder 3 : 3.8
Porsche Cayman R 3 : 3.9
Cadillac CTS-V 3 : 4.0
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 3 : 4.0
Cadillac CTS-V Coupe 3 : 4.2
Lotus Exige S 3 : 4.5
Audi R8 3 : 4.6
Audi TT RS 3 : 4.8
Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG 3 : 4.9
Lotus Exige S 260 Sport 3 : 5.0
BMW M3 3 : 5.4
Lexus IS-F 3 : 5.4
BMW M3 3 : 5.6
Porsche Cayman S 3 : 5.8
Porsche 911 Carrera S 3 : 5.8
Porsche 911 Turbo 3 : 5.8
Ford Shelby GT500 3 : 5.9
Lotus Evora S 3 : 5.9
Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Coupe 3 : 6.3
Jaguar XKR 3 : 6.4
Mercedes C63 AMG 3 : 6.5
BMW 1 Series M 3 : 6.6
Mercedes Benz E63 AMG 3 : 6.9
Ford Shelby GT500 3 : 7.4
Lotus Evora S 3 : 8.3
Audi TTS 3 : 8.4
Ford Mustang GT 5.0 3 : 8.6
Jaguar XFR 3 : 8.9
Lotus Elise 3 : 9.2
Chevy Corvette 3 : 9.3
Dodge Challenger SRT-8 3 : 9.4
Porsche Cayman S 3 : 9.5
Chevy Camaro SS 3 : 9.5
BMW M6 3 : 10.0
Dodge Charger SRT8 3 : 10.1
BMW Z4 sDrive35is 3 : 10.4
BMW 335i Coupe 3 : 10.5
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo SE 3 : 10.6
Audi S4 3 : 10.8
Ford Shelby GT500 3 : 11.0
BMW X5 M 3 : 11.1
Audi RS4 3 : 11.2
BMW Z4 M Coupe 3 : 11.7
Nissan NIZMO 370Z 3 : 12.0
Nissan 350Z Track 3 : 12.5
Ford Mustang V6 3 : 12.5
Chevy Colbat SS 3 : 13.0
Ford Mustang GT 3 : 13.3
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo MR 3 : 13.3
Mitsubishi EVO MR 3 : 13.5
BMW 135i 3 : 13.7
Hyundai Genesis Coupe R Spec 3.8 3 : 13.8
BMW 335is 3 : 13.8
Subaru Impreza WRX STI 3 : 13.8
Lexus IS F 3 : 14.0
Volkswagen Golf R 3 : 14.0
Audi S5 3 : 14.6
Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 3 : 14.8
Honda S2000 CR 3 : 15.0
Pontiac Solstace GXP 3 : 15.5
Mazda Mazdaspeed3 3 : 16.0
Mazda Mazdaspeed3 3 : 16.2
Dodge Challenger SRT-8 3 : 16.3
Subaru Impreza WRX 3 : 16.5
Subaru WRX 3 : 16.6
Lotus Elise SC 3 : 16.6
Mazda RX-8 R3 3 : 16.7
Mini JCW 3 : 17.1
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 3 : 17.4
Infiniti G37 Sport 3 : 17.5
Dodge Charger SRT8 3 : 18.2
Mini Cooper JCW Coupe 3 : 18.4
Mazda RX-8 3 : 19.0
Subaru WRX STI 3 : 19.0
Volkswagen GTI 3 : 19.3
Chevy Cobalt SS 3 : 20.6
Dodge Caliber SRT-4 3 : 20.8
Ford Mustang GT 3 : 20.9
Volkswagen R32 3 : 21.8
Mini Cooper S 3 : 22.9
Honda Civic Si 3 : 24.1
Honda Civic Mugen Si 3 : 24.8
Volkswagen GTI 3 : 25.1
Honda Civic Si 3 : 26.5
Volvo C30 T5 2.0 3 : 26.6
Volkswagen Jetta GLI 3 : 27.3
Mazda MX-5 3 : 29.3
*There may be a couple typos in there, but I copied and pasted these from C&D's web page and other threads about the current and past issues. If you see one car listed multiple times, its different model years.
Its really worth picking up the issue to read the descriptions of each car or truck and the experience of driving them on the track. For example, the Charger SRT8 was described as the dancing hippo from Fantasia. The Boss 302 LS had the same corner and sector speeds as the Corvette Grand Sport, but weighs more, so its lap times were a little slower. They asked the question, is the Audi TT the ultimate version of the VW Golf? Also the Boss 302 is only 2 seconds per lap slower than the Ford GT supercar! You can see how the GT500 got faster over the years and how the fastest time form the aluminum block 2011 model is significantly faster than the iron block model. Also, I can't wait to see how the 2013 GT500 does compared to the Corvettes.
Here are the results from the latest issue:
LLT
BMW X5 M 3:11.1
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 3:17.4
LL1
Honda Civic Si Coupe 3:24.1
Volkswagen Jetta GLI 3:27.3
LL2
Audi TT RS 3:4.8
BMW 1 Series M 3:6.6
BMW 335is 3:13.8
Dodge Challenger SRT-8 3:9.4
Dodge Charger SRT8 3:10.1
Ford Boss 302 Laguna Seca 3:2.8
Mini Cooper JCW Coupe 3:18.4
Volkswagen Golf R 3:14.0
LL3
BMW Z4 sDrive35is 3:10.4
Chevy Corvette ZR1 2:50.7 Other year was 2:49.8 on different tires
Lotus Evora S 3:5.9
Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Coupe 3:6.3
Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG 3:4.9
Nissan GT-R 2:53.2
Porsche Cayman R 3:3.9
LL4
Porsche Panamera Turbo S 3:0.7
The 1 Series M costs about the same as a BOSS 302 LS, well more is you include the as tested price, and the question has been asked int he past, which is faster on a road course. This issue answered that. The BOSS 302 was faster by 3.8 seconds. The 1 series M is also a little over 1 second slower than the M3 around the same track.
Lightning Lap Overall Results:*
Make Model Min: Sec
Mosler MT900S 2 : 45.9
Dodge Viper SRT 10 ACR 2 : 48.6
Mosler Photon 2 : 49.8
Chevy Corvette ZR1 2 : 49.8
Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera 2 : 51.8
KTM X-Bow 2 : 52.3
Nissan GT-R 2 : 53.2
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2 : 53.5
Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV 2 : 53.9
Ferrari F430 Scuderia 2 : 54.6
Nissan GT-R 2 : 55.6
Porsche 911 GT3 RS 2 : 55.9
Porsche 911 Turbo S 2 : 57.5
Ariel Atom 2 : 57.6
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 2 : 58.0
Chevy Corvette Z06 2 : 58.2
Chevy Corvette Grand Sport 2 : 58.8
Audi R8 5.2 FSI 2 : 59.5
Ford GT 3 : 0.7
Porsche Panamera Turbo S 3 : 0.7
Chevy Corvette Z06 3 : 1.1
Chevy Corvette Z51 3 : 1.2
Dodge Viper SRT 10 3 : 1.6
Porsche 911 GT3 3 : 1.8
Ford Boss 302 Laguna Seca 3 : 2.8
Chevy Corvette Z51 3 : 3.6
Porsche Boxster Spyder 3 : 3.8
Porsche Cayman R 3 : 3.9
Cadillac CTS-V 3 : 4.0
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 3 : 4.0
Cadillac CTS-V Coupe 3 : 4.2
Lotus Exige S 3 : 4.5
Audi R8 3 : 4.6
Audi TT RS 3 : 4.8
Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG 3 : 4.9
Lotus Exige S 260 Sport 3 : 5.0
BMW M3 3 : 5.4
Lexus IS-F 3 : 5.4
BMW M3 3 : 5.6
Porsche Cayman S 3 : 5.8
Porsche 911 Carrera S 3 : 5.8
Porsche 911 Turbo 3 : 5.8
Ford Shelby GT500 3 : 5.9
Lotus Evora S 3 : 5.9
Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Coupe 3 : 6.3
Jaguar XKR 3 : 6.4
Mercedes C63 AMG 3 : 6.5
BMW 1 Series M 3 : 6.6
Mercedes Benz E63 AMG 3 : 6.9
Ford Shelby GT500 3 : 7.4
Lotus Evora S 3 : 8.3
Audi TTS 3 : 8.4
Ford Mustang GT 5.0 3 : 8.6
Jaguar XFR 3 : 8.9
Lotus Elise 3 : 9.2
Chevy Corvette 3 : 9.3
Dodge Challenger SRT-8 3 : 9.4
Porsche Cayman S 3 : 9.5
Chevy Camaro SS 3 : 9.5
BMW M6 3 : 10.0
Dodge Charger SRT8 3 : 10.1
BMW Z4 sDrive35is 3 : 10.4
BMW 335i Coupe 3 : 10.5
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo SE 3 : 10.6
Audi S4 3 : 10.8
Ford Shelby GT500 3 : 11.0
BMW X5 M 3 : 11.1
Audi RS4 3 : 11.2
BMW Z4 M Coupe 3 : 11.7
Nissan NIZMO 370Z 3 : 12.0
Nissan 350Z Track 3 : 12.5
Ford Mustang V6 3 : 12.5
Chevy Colbat SS 3 : 13.0
Ford Mustang GT 3 : 13.3
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo MR 3 : 13.3
Mitsubishi EVO MR 3 : 13.5
BMW 135i 3 : 13.7
Hyundai Genesis Coupe R Spec 3.8 3 : 13.8
BMW 335is 3 : 13.8
Subaru Impreza WRX STI 3 : 13.8
Lexus IS F 3 : 14.0
Volkswagen Golf R 3 : 14.0
Audi S5 3 : 14.6
Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 3 : 14.8
Honda S2000 CR 3 : 15.0
Pontiac Solstace GXP 3 : 15.5
Mazda Mazdaspeed3 3 : 16.0
Mazda Mazdaspeed3 3 : 16.2
Dodge Challenger SRT-8 3 : 16.3
Subaru Impreza WRX 3 : 16.5
Subaru WRX 3 : 16.6
Lotus Elise SC 3 : 16.6
Mazda RX-8 R3 3 : 16.7
Mini JCW 3 : 17.1
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 3 : 17.4
Infiniti G37 Sport 3 : 17.5
Dodge Charger SRT8 3 : 18.2
Mini Cooper JCW Coupe 3 : 18.4
Mazda RX-8 3 : 19.0
Subaru WRX STI 3 : 19.0
Volkswagen GTI 3 : 19.3
Chevy Cobalt SS 3 : 20.6
Dodge Caliber SRT-4 3 : 20.8
Ford Mustang GT 3 : 20.9
Volkswagen R32 3 : 21.8
Mini Cooper S 3 : 22.9
Honda Civic Si 3 : 24.1
Honda Civic Mugen Si 3 : 24.8
Volkswagen GTI 3 : 25.1
Honda Civic Si 3 : 26.5
Volvo C30 T5 2.0 3 : 26.6
Volkswagen Jetta GLI 3 : 27.3
Mazda MX-5 3 : 29.3
*There may be a couple typos in there, but I copied and pasted these from C&D's web page and other threads about the current and past issues. If you see one car listed multiple times, its different model years.
