According to my friends at WeLiveInOurParentsBasementAndTalkAboutRacingOnTheInternet.com, the Viper ACR is currently the ‘Ring record holder, having beaten the Lexus LF-A’s 7:14 mark.
It seemed suspicious that nobody had wasted a perfectly decent trip to Europe attacked the North Shu-Life-Uh lately, and our suspicions were confirmed when “DriveSRT” released the above video…
That’s right, the Viper ACR-X now has the record, at 7:03. But wait! The Viper ACR-X isn’t a street car. Or is it? There are several states where it would be no problem to register an ACR-X for street use. So maybe it does have the record, assuming you exclude various Radicals and whatnot. This car ran a 6m11s wayyyy back in the day, and we know it is a street car, because it says “Racing” on it. Or something like that. Seriously though, the Dauer 962 was street-legal, and there probably wasn’t that much difference between this 956 and a Dauer. It’s all very confusing.
What’s important, from a promotional perspective, is that you watch this video and then run out to buy a brand-new Viper. Did you know that you can buy a brand-new Viper? Now you do.
Here at TTAC, we didn’t actually make it all the way through the video, but we did notice that the ACR-X is simply too fast to take Fuchsrohre flat out. Scary, impressive, fun, and irrelevant all at the same time. Now, if you excuse us, we are off to find $106,000, starting by looking in the cushions of the couch we’ve been using to sit on while we argue about ‘Ring times on the Internet.
What’s the point of a Nurburgring record with a car that isn’t even 100% street legal? Geez, this is getting ridiculous. Next we’ll hear about someone breaking the long jump record with a JATO rocket attached to his back. Maybe Peugeot can try to beat this with their Le-Mans winning race car…
Needless to say all this Nurburgring hoopla has jumped the shark however I still think a ride on the ‘Ring Taxi’ was a worth while experience.
I’d say a car can be called “street legal” in Norschleife-Comparisons if it can be registered in Germany / the EU. Not some US-states. I have no idea if that is the case for the VIper though.
I could care less about pretend “records”–but I usually do look forward to these in-car ‘Ring videos for the entertainment value. THIS one, however is disappointing due to the poor choice in camera angles. The Luge viewing perspective is terrible.
The Nürburgring has jumped the shark.
I’m with James May on this topic.
Who amongst us isn’t getting Nürburgring fatigue?
I actually think the ring is a much more interesting modern sports car metric than 0-60 time, but it’s just a metric. It’s a means of comparison. As an absolute record for “street legal car” the ‘ring is pretty silly. But then, most records are pretty silly.
Regardless, I do think you do give the ACR some credit for kicking the crap out of way more exotic machinery.
Agreed Deadweight. Having a car specifically tuned for the ‘Ring is just another “I’ve got a bigger/faster/shinier X than you” to brag to your mates about. Real world importance? Nil. Importance to people with an inferiority complex because of their really small willy? Lots.
That’s not totally true. If one wants to buy a street car that is fast at track days, the ‘ring time is a pretty good metric. It’s not like tuning for the ring ruins it for most other tracks.
And I don’t know about you, but if I’m buying any extreme performance car, it’s going on the track. There isn’t a sports car over $35K today that can be fully exploited on the street.
It is good to remember a special case, the Lotus Elise. He’s terrible at the Nurb (not enough weight/power/grip) and still a beast at almost any other racetrack around the world. The Nurburgring is without a doubt a good reference point, but lately there is way too much focus on it. I agree with May’s theory even being a racing and time-attack enthusiast like you seems to be, but we gotta remember that great cars like the NSX, Mclaren F1 (12C indeed), Ferrari F40 and others had its development very far away from Nurburgring, we actually “don’t need” the Green Hell at all.
“It’s not like tuning for the ring ruins it for most other tracks.”
Except it *is* like that. The spring rates and shock valving you would use at the Ring are far softer than what you’d use on a standard American track. Having driven most American tracks plus the Ring, I would guess that spring rates for best North Loop times are about halfway between street and Autobahn CC.
@Julio – I don’t think we *need* the ‘ring to develop good sports cars. But ALL metrics are imperfect.
Sports cars should not be developed solely around 0-60, quarter mile, skidpad grip, and top speed either. If you asked if I would prefer to orient a car toward any of the above metrics versus just about any road course, I would go for the road course metric every time. In fact, the NSX is a car that did very poorly on the standard metrics, but which shines on a road course.
In the end, it is all about enjoyment. That’s why I think it’s kind of cool that the FR-S is on Prius tires rather than ultra-sticky rubber. But in my mind, if you are complaining about the ‘ring as a metric, then you have to first throw out all the rest.
@Baruth – In a way, you just made a point in favor of the ‘ring as the ultimate street/track car setup. If cars were optimized around Road America, everyone would complain that they rode like buckboards, and were actually slower on real mountain roads. The ‘ring is a good compromise between real-world pavement conditions and on-track use. It’s not perfect, I still think it’s way better than quarter mile time.
@Baruth: Perhaps TTAC should do a poll: If you were to choose a single racetrack to measure a car, which track should it be?
Of course, it all depends upon how *you* want to drive it. That is going to differ for every person, which is why cars have adjustable suspension. It’s also going to vary based upon the importance you give to horsepower over handling. There is no right answer. My point is that, if you want metrics, ANY road course lap time is at least as good as the metrics we had in the old days.
In what states and using what loopholes could you get a US plate on a Viper ACR-X?
Also, I don’t think the Dauer 962 could match the original Porsche lap time, as part of the change was that the Porsche’s high downforce body work was replaced by a low drag low downforce setup on the Dauer, which put a good damper on cornering speeds. Still, would love to have seen it’s time. I’m sure it would beat the Viper. The other car I’d love to see a time for is the Saleen S7, especially the turbo version, since that’s probably the last pure GT1 homologation special in the sense of all-out race car first and minimal modifications for road use second.
The German car companies don’t use the Ring correct?
If correct, this is all you need to know.
It seems more of a tourist attraction.
Any combination of a German manufacturer, “spied” and “ring” will return a metric (So euro!) tonne (also euro, I think?) of spy photo hits on Ze Googlez. BMW M models, Audi S models, Volkswagen R models–they’re all there.
So you don’t really know.
If I was testing a car “in secret” in Germany, the last place I would go is the Ring.
There is not a single US State where you could register an ACR-X. No emissions controls, no air bags, and most importantly – no VIN number.
You could register it as a self-build in Ohio. Buy it without the engine, assemble it yourself, present documentation that you bought everything legally, and register in a non-emissions test county. As a former Superformance owner, I’ve done the whole thing myself to bring a South African crapwagon over, and I’m aware of it being done in perhaps twenty other states.
Factory built car + self-installed engine = homebuild.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say the only ACR-X you’ll find without a motor is one that’s been destroyed.
Not that you’d want to street drive one anyways. Standard SRT-10s are already terrible enough for daily driving, ACRs get tiring for anything longer then 30 minutes of street driving. Don’t even want to mention the ACR-X.
Ah, the beauty of TopGear. As soon as they complain about the Nurburgring, suddenly every car enthusiast is “over it”, and finds it has “jumped the shark”. Even though TopGear played a part in making it that famous in the first place…
The fact is that the Nordschleife is a pretty amazing place to test a new car. It is a very long track, very rich in variety, has corners of every kind, high speed straights, etc. And a lot of cars have laptimes for comparison. That is the reason why it has been used for german (and european) car makers as a test track for decades. And since those cars are being driven around there, and there are very respectable laptimes by SportAuto etc. for basically every fast car – of course someone makes a table out of it for comparison. This also has been done for decades.
What is ridiculous is the idea of tuning “everyday” cars specifically for the Ring. A GT2 specifically tested and tuned for the ring is a clever idea – because it is a car made for race tracks and therefore why not use a very good race track as a testing/developing ground. A Corsa specifically made for the Ring is stupid. As is the idea of a Cadillac developed there. Sure, test it there when it is done and compare the number with the rest of them. But why develop it at a track that maybe a dozen of the cars will ever see in their lives?
However that mostly is a problem in the marketing departments of some car companies. Has nothing to do with the Ring itself – which has been (and still is) an amazing race track, that offers itself to be used in testing and tuning cars. If it makes sense…
Well, many of us have known from even before the current lap time craze that lap times are relatively meaningless, all the more so because all these “production car” record holders can’t hold a candle to a motorized trellis built in a shed.
It’s probably just taken this long for it to sink into the public consciousness how futile it all is.
you know what? screw you ‘ring haters
until someone ponies up with a track longer and more varied than the 20km+ ‘ring, this is the mt. everest for car fans
i know the relevance to the real world is limited and it truely is a 4 pony horse race (corvette vs. viper vs. 911 turbo vs. r35 skyline) but the reality is people want to pay their 20 euros and give it a drive
i live on the other side of the world and its a dream to drive it at least once in a fast-ish car
i drive it on nothing more exciting than Forza 4 on xbox and it i can see why its so famous
Screw us?
SCREW YOU BUDDY!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get into my Ariel Atom (with slicks) and make the 7 mile journey back to work on icy, frost heaved pavement, as lunch is over.
Good day to you, sir…
…I said GOOD DAY, to you, sir.
….”Scary, fun and irrelevant”…..couldn’t agree more, and frankly I can’t watch enough of it, although the camera position and lack of tach/speedo spoil the video of this otherwise awesome run. What troubles me is your comment on a detour to Schloss Nurburg ruining a European vacation…….hope you’re not getting jaded, JB……when a man tires of the ‘ring, he’s tired of life (or was that champagne?).
At any rate, that lap time is going to be tough to beat for anything remotely streetable/production, although this particular Viper may be neither. And contenders better hurry, as I understand the circuit operators are having serious financial problems, and there could soon be no track to blog about.
“WeLiveInOurParentsBasementAndTalkAboutRacingOnTheInternet.com” – classic Baruth…
Disagree with May over the ‘ring as the ride around has become iconic and almost regardless of time posted is exciting. For those who appreciate the symphony of machinery, the sounds of the wonderful variety of current engines are simply intoxicating when pressed for ‘ring duty. Love James May, but think he’s jumped the shark on this one.