This weeks Autocar Magazine...

[jameswithington]

This week's Autocar magazine (released today) is a special issue focused around a 25 page "Britain's Best Driver's Car" feature. It involved them taking their 20 best driver's cars available in Britain today and pasting them around the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit and giving them a brief road test on the surrounding road. The cars were ranked in order of which they found the most entertaining and exploitable on both road and track (so no Radicals or other such track only cars were included) but they didn't really take into account cost or practicality, only how much fun they were!

To answer some of those perennial 'Which is fastest round a track?' questions they set lap times for each car with BTCC driver Anthony Reid at the wheel. It all makes for some interesting comparison. Here are the lap times in reverse order:

Peugeot 407 SE 2.2 - 64.00 secs
Mazda MX5 1.8i - 62.05 secs
Megane RS 225 - 61.00 secs
MG ZS 180 - 61.00 secs
Honda Civic TypeR - 60.00 secs
Clio RS 182 - 60.00 secs
Merc SLK 350 - 59.00 secs
MG SV-R - 58.40 secs
Vauxhall Monaro VXR- 58.20 secs
Lotus Elise 111R - 57.40 secs
Aston Martin DB9 - 56.60 secs
EVO VIII FQ 340 - 56.40 secs
Lotus Exige - 56.20 secs
Lambo Gallardo - 55.70 secs
Impreza Type 25 - 55.50 sec
BMW M3 CSL - 54.75 secs
Vauxhall VXR220 - 54.70 secs
911 GT3 RS - 54.20 secs
Noble M400 - 52.60 secs
Caterham SR500 Evo - 51.55 secs

I simply cannot believe the Noble was a whole 1.6 seconds faster around the lap than the GT3 RS over such a tiny little circuit!!! Also, nearly as amazing is the performance of the Subaru Impreza Type 25; a four door saloon faster than a V10 Lambo supercar?!?!?!

The overall results for the best driver's car were also quite interesting, here's the top 10:

1st - Noble M400 (simply stunning for track times yet remakably user freindly on the road - a fairly unanimous victory it seems!)

2nd - Subaru Type 25 (best bang-for-yer buck around)

3rd - Lambo Gallardo (thunderous yet forgiving on bothroad & track)

4th - Elise 111R (near perfect balance between road and track usability)

5th - Evo FQ - 340

6th - Porsche 911 GT3 RS (let down by on-road ultra firm suspension)

7th - Lotus Exige (beaten by little sister Elise because of poor ride on road)

8th -Caterham R500 Evo (insanely fast!)

9th - BMW M3 CSL

10th - Vauxhall VXR220 (beaten by it's Lotus stablemates because of numb steering)

[Matra et Alpine]

I simply cannot believe the Noble was a whole 1.6 seconds faster around the lap than the GT3 RS over such a tiny little circuit!!! Also, nearly as amazing is the performance of the Subaru Impreza Type 25; a four door saloon faster than a V10 Lambo supercar?!?!?!

Surtees and into McLaren is a very technical set of corners where good handling wil pay big dividends in keeping speed up through into Clarke Curve and main straight. Likewise Paddock Hill Bend can make 10mph difference with better handling.
With only the main straight and the climb to Druids going to make a BIG difference for the power/speed cars it's no great surprise they dont' come out so well.

[jameswithington]

Surtees and into McLaren is a very technical set of corners where good handling wil pay big dividends in keeping speed up through into Clarke Curve and main straight. Likewise Paddock Hill Bend can make 10mph difference with better handling.
With only the main straight and the climb to Druids going to make a BIG difference for the power/speed cars it's no great surprise they dont' come out so well.

It all goes to show how much difference a bumpy, cambered and undulating track can make. In Evo's Track car of the year competition the Noble was only 0.3 secs ahead of the Porker on what is a longer lap. Bedford Autodrome is a flat, smooth and relatively simple track to drive and the Porsche fared much better without all the lumps and bumps, compressions and cambers that Brands is famous for. I wonder how the Noble will fare on Top Gear on what is a similar sort of track to Bedford, could be a close call with the GT3RS and 360CS.

I guess it should also be noted that that particular Subaru had adjustable damping and had been set-up specifically for track work which obviously helps the stunning lap time. Cheats!

[Coventrysucks]

Clio RS 182 - 60.00 secs
Lotus Elise 111R - 57.40 secs
Lotus Exige - 56.20 secs
Vauxhall VXR220 - 54.70 secs
911 GT3 RS - 54.20 secs
Noble M400 - 52.60 secs
Caterham SR500 Evo - 51.55 secs

I simply cannot believe the Noble was a whole 1.6 seconds faster around the lap than the GT3 RS over such a tiny little circuit!!!

Neither can I.

Doesn't sound right at all.

[Matra et Alpine]

Neither can I.

Doesn't sound right at all.

The Noble is 600 pounds LIGHTER than the 911 !!
So not only is that useful in changin diretion at the technical corners on the Indy circuit, but it will help the Noble in the drag up Hailwood Hill.

[SPN:DOC]

wow the Clio 182 is faster then a Megane’ RS 225... I m disappointed... what the use of having a Megane’ RS Turbo Charged and paying more when a Clio 182 will bet it...

[henk4]

obviously everybody is concentrating on the top places, but I was more surprised by the new Peugeot 407. A comfy, 4 door limousine, being only 3 sec slower than a spartan racy Megane, you might ask the question what the use is of such hot hatches.

[Coventrysucks]

wow the Clio 182 is faster then a Megane’ RS 225... I m disappointed... what the use of having a Megane’ RS Turbo Charged and paying more when a Clio 182 will bet it...

The Clio 182 is a very sharp car.
Light, powerful and with a great chassis.
The Cup pack adds better suspension, and bespoke Michelin tyres.

The Megane is big and heavy, the turbo can't make up for that.

[SPN:DOC]

The Clio 182 is a very sharp car.
Light, powerful and with a great chassis.
The Cup pack adds better suspension, and bespoke Michelin tyres.

The Megane is big and heavy, the turbo can't make up for that.

ohh ye its the RS.. we only get the 172 or 182 here in Aus.. the RS is 100kg lighter and it has tuned suspension.. got it thanks..

jameswithington, was the track the full Indy circuit? A fast track like that kinda explains why the big horsepower cars had the advantage.

[GrimaH]

I never expected the Lamborghini stable to be so lousy. First the Gallardo proved faster than the Murcielago(very ironic), then it gets beaten by cars like the M3 CSL and a Scooby(!!!). Looks like the Lambos won't be getting as many customers after this humiliation.

[Matra et Alpine]

ohh ye its the RS.. we only get the 172 or 182 here in Aus.. the RS is 100kg lighter and it has tuned suspension.. got it thanks..

jameswithington, was the track the full Indy circuit? A fast track like that kinda explains why the big horsepower cars had the advantage.

ah confusion reigns.

The Brands Hatch "Indy" circuit is NOT an America oval.
It's the shorter circuit of the full GP track and is often used for lower formula and club racing.

The "Indy" circuit uses the McLaren curve to cut out the larger loop ( and unfortunately what was one of THE best corners in the UK - Dingle Dell - now sadly removed to conform to FIA requirements

[Coventrysucks]

The "Indy" circuit uses the McLaren curve to cut out the larger loop ( and unfortunately what was one of THE best corners in the UK - Dingle Dell - now sadly removed to conform to FIA requirements

The FIA can go F itself for all I care.
Two memorable "incidents" happened on the "old" circuit.
A Honda Accord touring car had a front brake disc explode, taking out quite a lot of the front of the car.

An single seater (F3000 I think, although it might have been Formula Palmer Audi) managed to take off, prevented from leaving the confines of the circuit by a rather large advertisement hoarding about 10ft from the ground.

[Coventrysucks]

I decided to purchase aforementioned magazine.

It is one of the worst articles I have read in a long time.
They take the time to get all the cars together, get the track booked, a range of professional drivers, then waste the copy on pointless drivel in which, quite frankly, I am not interested.

The "On track" review of the MG SV-R is mostly commenting on the poor quaility of the interior.

Here's an idea: Write about how the car handles round the circuit.

It doesn't really get much better.