Gumpert Coming Out of Nowhere!

[henk4]

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 ?

I would not be surprised if the number of SR8's produced so far exceeds the number of Apollos...

[Kitdy]

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

I thought he was referring to the Apollo and Viper, not the SR8 and Apollo.

I also dug the part where they said the drove it - very clever of them to say that.

[culver]

Both the Apollo and SR8 are closer to race car than mass produced automobile. The Viper may be low volume compared to most Chryslers but it is still a full volume production car. It gets no special low volume exceptions from any regulatory body and has to meet all of the normal safety guidelines like airbags and the like.

I think it's great that road legal cars like the Apollo and SR8 can go so fast yet I still look at them as basically race cars that can be made road legal rather than production cars setup as a racing car. I recall someone made a UK legal F3000 car a while back. I wouldn't call that a "production" car even though it was likely produced in larger numbers than the Apollo ever will be.
[ame=http://forums.streetfire.net/showthread.php?t=26510]StreetFire.net - street legal Formel 3 open wheeler race car[/ame]

Incidentally this road legal Lotus looks interesting:
http://www.xanthos.com/grandprix/ima...ide-medium.jpg

[clutch-monkey]

Both the Apollo and SR8 are closer to race car than mass produced automobile. The Viper may be low volume compared to most Chryslers but it is still a full volume production car. It gets no special low volume exceptions from any regulatory body and has to meet all of the normal safety guidelines like airbags and the like.

i agree with this
guidelines for production car should be a bit tighter, although we can all see them for what they actually are i suppose

[Ferrer]

i agree with this
guidelines for production car should be a bit tighter, although we can all see them for what they actually are i suppose

Maybe these should be labelled as the lap record for cars with number plates...

[clutch-monkey]

haha yeah, even if those rego plates are club rego or special allowance rego..

[NicFromLA]

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)

"Yes" as in "Yes, WR, you're the only person who likes the looks of the Gumpert."

[wwgkd]

I'm a little late to the party, but as has been said, it's still slower than the SR8 and comparing it to the Viper isn't real fair since the viper is road legal in the US, and the gumpert isn't.

I always figured that comparing ring times to find the best car is kind of like jello wrestling to find the hottest woman. It may not be the most scientific method but it is fun and rather widely accepted.

[Guibo]

I'm a little late to the party, but as has been said, it's still slower than the SR8 and comparing it to the Viper isn't real fair since the viper is road legal in the US, and the gumpert isn't.

The Viper that ran the 'Ring wasn't in its US road-legal configuration. Not so sure legality-in-the-US is a prerequisite for fairness. The track isn't in the US, after all. Is it fair to compare a car like the Viper, with its adjustable aero and suspension, unforgiving spring rates, MPSC's, and obvious concessions to comfort, against other cars that are far less hardcore and more like other everday cars?

[G35COUPE]

At the end of the day, many real race cars aren't there to look pretty. The Gumpert Apollo has sacrificed some beauty for real race functionality. I beleive the Nissan GTR has this same issue as well. Only God can bring true beauty with true performance. My thinking is that the Gumpert Apollo has done well. So, they have my two-thumbs up. Well done Gumpert.

[P4g4nite]

At the end of the day, many real race cars aren't there to look pretty.

But sometimes when form follows function the results can be fantastic.

Only God can bring true beauty with true performance.

I totally agree..

[wwgkd]

The Viper that ran the 'Ring wasn't in its US road-legal configuration. Not so sure legality-in-the-US is a prerequisite for fairness. The track isn't in the US, after all. Is it fair to compare a car like the Viper, with its adjustable aero and suspension, unforgiving spring rates, MPSC's, and obvious concessions to comfort, against other cars that are far less hardcore and more like other everday cars?

That adjustable aero and suspension is from the factory and 100% US street legal. The version they ran is in fact the version sold here that you can drive on the street, despite what fanbois on teh internets are saying (not meaning you, there's a lot of that going around and it's easy to get confused.)

[Badsight]

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.

that doesnt matter

the ring is a real test of your roadcars performance , woreso than tighter , smoother racetracks

a good ring time holds real weight in saying which is best

[clutch-monkey]

that doesnt matter

the ring is a real test of your roadcars performance , woreso than tighter , smoother racetracks

a good ring time holds real weight in saying which is best

not really
with a track that long it's impossible to differentiate which car is better when the times are within seconds of each other
too many variables.

[pimento]

not really
with a track that long it's impossible to differentiate which car is better when the times are within seconds of each other
too many variables.

Basically you need them all there with the same driver on the same day.. and the driver has to have had the same esperience with them all.. and the day has to be consistant with weather.. and etc, etc, etc. So yea.. only good for general comparo.

Or, get real scientific and run each car 20 (or so) times on different days and take an average.