Gumpert Coming Out of Nowhere!

[PRC777]

Gumpert Apollo Speed sets new Ring record (7:11) - Confirmed! - FastestLaps.com

Alright! One of my favorite cars (I might not ever own...damn college; this better pay off.) making the best 'ring time of 7:11! I guess this trumps the Viper ACR's 'ring time? Sorry, I don't really have to google it, but I keep hearing from other gearheads that the Viper ACR still has the best track time overall. However, with the upcoming debut of the of the McLaren P11, I'm pretty sure Gumpert's record time will be blown out of the water.

Also, I'm kinda dissappointed that the P11's driver seat isn't centered like the F1. Oh well, maybe McLaren's next supercar will.

[Kitdy]

A few things, first off, I already said this in another thread but the actual production car record is held by the Radical SR8 - it's apparently not street legal in Germany but is in the UK and thus by some accounts people say it's the fastest production car around the 'ring with a time of 6'55" - many outlets seemingly just ignore this fact.

Secondly, the according to what I've read (initial reports) the McLaren P11 is meant to be more of a competitor with the Ferrari RMR V8 series which would probably put it at a bit of a disadvantage when compared to the Apollo's 690 hp (so I read on Wiki - I think I recall a different figure elsewhere). Also, the Apollo only weighs about 2500 lbs so the P11 would need to be an absolute welterweight to undercut the mass of the Apollo and that probably would defeat it's purpose as a 458 challenger. Even if the P11 is exceedingly fast and does manage to beat the Apollo's time (which I highly doubt based on the given information) I don't think it will be blown out of the water.

There are probably a few other cars that actually could blow the Apollo out of the water, for example, the most powerful Ultima GTR, the Caparo T1, and if they are made, the Caterham Levante and Ariel Atom 500. Other than those, I can't think of any other cars that would be able to best this time.

People may complain that were discussing largely meaningless lap times here but I personally find the ongoing 'ring wars/dickwaging contest rather amusing.

[CaesarLeo]

I have to agree. Because of the increasing focus on "Ring" times I can see how these things could become mundane. However, considering that "The Ring" has become widely accepted as the performance benchmark for cars, I feel it's hard not to get caught up in the whole ordeal.

[Roentgen]

It maybe a good car, it maybe a fast car, but it's too ugly to behold, so nobody cares :P

[Lotec_Sirius]

The time of 7:11.5 is 10.6 seconds better than the Viper ACR. Keep in mind the Apollo also holds the Top Gear track record by .2 seconds over the Ascari A10.

The Apollo is one of my favorite cars too BTW.

[NicFromLA]

It maybe a good car, it maybe a fast car, but it's too ugly to behold, so nobody cares :P

Agreed. And it's called a "Gumpert"!

[digitalcraft]

I do find 'ring times basically meaningless when you're considering a car to own and drive, but people care about things like that when they're buying the type of car that boasts their 'ring times.

Besides, it's more meaningful than a horsepower or 0-60 war.

[W.R.]

Am I the only one who likes the purposeful looks of the Gumpert? And thank goodness it's done that lap, it'll shut Nissan up for a few minutes while they fit even stickier tyres to the V-spec. 6:55 is still the record in my eyes (for a road car). Porsche 956 is the ultimate Nurburgod

[clutch-monkey]

it's ugly and has a stupid name and companies really need to stop sending in their own laptimes
as someone said; laptimes are set by real race cars, in real certified events, with official observers and timing equipment/rules.

[Black Edition]

i'm not surprised, gumpert is pretty much a road legal race car in my opinion

[switters78]

The funny thing about "ring lap times" and 0-60 times, etc is that a lot of the people that own these cars probably don't have the skill to reproduce them.

[culver]

So a race car thinly dequised as a road car beats the lap time of a road car with race upgrades and produced by the thousands. What's the point?

[NicFromLA]

Am I the only one who likes the purposeful looks of the Gumpert?

Yes.

I dragged my girlfriend to the LA Autoshow and when she saw the Gumpert she said it was the ugliest thing she's ever seen and that she wouldn't be caught dead in the passenger seat. Then she saw a 430 Scuderia and said, "I love you, but I'd love you more if you drove this car."

[Matra et Alpine]

So a race car thinly dequised as a road car beats the lap time of a road car with race upgrades and produced by the thousands. What's the point?

It IS road legal and I think smart marketing by Radical to DRIVE it from the UK through France and Germany to the 'Ring Nobody can say it's not road legel anymore otherwise they'd have been stopped. Nice way to close that line of objection down

For all manufacturers the 'Ring times are all about bragging rights and "proving" the underlying capability of the platform they've produced.

If you were buying a car that was equal in ALL aspects to your decision making EXCEPT one was 30 secs faster at the 'Ring, what woudl you do ?

[henk4]

Yes.

I dragged my girlfriend to the LA Autoshow and when she saw the Gumpert she said it was the ugliest thing she's ever seen and that she wouldn't be caught dead in the passenger seat. Then she saw a 430 Scuderia and said, "I love you, but I'd love you more if you drove this car."

the reply "yes" to the question asked, rather conflicts with the second part of your post. (Unless you are a bit cynical about your gf's car taste of course)