Porsche 911 GT2 vs. Zilla @ the ring: new Automobile Mag article for March

[G-WannaBe]

I am on the road so I cannot get scans into this thread just yet, but Automobilemag just issued March, and they have a multi page spread by Chris Harris who took a friend's GT-R and put it up against a factory supplied GT2.

Its a well written piece, but while the track was wet for most of his laps he claims to have beaten Zilla by 6.9 seconds. He did not get too close to either published fastest times, (7:49 and 7:56)- but said he was not a factory pro and the track was wet.

He also said "There is no doubt in my mind that the GT2 will go substantially faster, given a drier track and some time to build confidence on the really hairy parts of the circut"

After praising the GT-R in the very next paragraph, he adds "it's hard to see where Nissan could have shaved an extra 25 seconds."

Not sure who he is, but the article says he is a 911 Cup Car racer and has raced @ Nurburgring in a series called the VLN. This 1 day side by side was performed the day after the final round of the VLN 2008 championship, but he does not say when that was.

He gives both cars a lot of credit for their abilities, and praised each for the different way they approached their respective speeds, but also said the AWD actually hurt the GT-R on the wet pavement in his opinion pushing the car out of the faster line in some curves. "on the treacherous slippery sections that had GT2 instanttaneously slithering a car width to the outside of a turn, the GT-R's greater mass forces it out even farther"

He was able to beat the speeds of the GT2 in a few corners, but said again and again the GT2 would beat out the GT-R in the straights and could not keep up with the faster speeds set by the laps of the Porsche.

I would be very interested to see what you guys think of the article, as well as how Nissan responds to it.

[VstyLe09]

I think the driver never drove a GTR before or maybe he's driving it too slow lol.

[gt_performah]

Isnt this the second review by a independant party who tested the Porsche and GTR on the ring? They also concluded they could not figure out how Nissan managed the lower times. Hmmmmmmmm.

I don't think it's tires. That's too much time. We are talking 20+ seconds.

[Klubbheads]

wet numbers are stupid and pointless. I never understood about magasines testing a car in wet and spend that much time and money getting results.

[dec55]

Originally Posted by G-WannaBe

I am on the road so I cannot get scans into this thread just yet, but Automobilemag just issued March, and they have a multi page spread by Chris Harris who took a friend's GT-R and put it up against a factory supplied GT2.

Its a well written piece, but while the track was wet for most of his laps he claims to have beaten Zilla by 6.9 seconds. He did not get too close to either published fastest times, (7:49 and 7:56)- but said he was not a factory pro and the track was wet.

He also said "There is no doubt in my mind that the GT2 will go substantially faster, given a drier track and some time to build confidence on the really hairy parts of the circut"

After praising the GT-R in the very next paragraph, he adds "it's hard to see where Nissan could have shaved an extra 25 seconds."

Not sure who he is, but the article says he is a 911 Cup Car racer and has raced @ Nurburgring in a series called the VLN. This 1 day side by side was performed the day after the final round of the VLN 2008 championship, but he does not say when that was.

He gives both cars a lot of credit for their abilities, and praised each for the different way they approached their respective speeds, but also said the AWD actually hurt the GT-R on the wet pavement in his opinion pushing the car out of the faster line in some curves. "on the treacherous slippery sections that had GT2 instanttaneously slithering a car width to the outside of a turn, the GT-R's greater mass forces it out even farther"

He was able to beat the speeds of the GT2 in a few corners, but said again and again the GT2 would beat out the GT-R in the straights and could not keep up with the faster speeds set by the laps of the Porsche.

I would be very interested to see what you guys think of the article, as well as how Nissan responds to it.

The Nissan folks should repeat the feat with this guy in the back seat.

Or at least in a control room watching the video live. But if he is a Porsche

fan boy then it might be pointless.



BTW anyone see this vid of a modded GTR vs a modded 997?

Enjoy..

[gt_performah]

Originally Posted by dec55

BTW anyone see this vid of a modded GTR vs a modded 997?

I can't see the video because it's blocked but if it's the video where the Porsche owner is confident and cocky in the beginning but gets his a$$ handed to him by the GTR then yes we have seen it. However if it isn't then add it to the growing list of videos where Porsche gets its a$$ handed to it by the GTR.

[teamspink20]

all i can say about that video is wow

[G U LATER]

Yea the 997 had no chance.

[5150DS]

Give them both to the Stig to test.

[G-WannaBe]

Originally Posted by Klubbheads

wet numbers are stupid and pointless. I never understood about magasines testing a car in wet and spend that much time and money getting results.

I did not say it was a mag sponsored or set up test, if this guy works for the magazine that is another thing, but I am not even sure who he is or what relationship he has with Automobile.

The article indicates he had 1 day to do this, and it happenned to rain overnight all night, so the track was very wet and very slick with oil from an M3 that took a leak on the track (incontinent as he put it) during the previous day's racing events.

(Go figure, the Bimmer spoiled the test, must have been jealous!)

All kidding aside, just from reading the article I would say the guy knows the track well enough, and he must know 911's to be a cup car racer, but it seems a little odd if this was not a good credible driver that this magazine would print the story. I expect less from say C&D magazine, but not Automobile. I know the only way to RE-prove Nissan's numbers is to let Nissan run the car, and let a 3rd party inspect it so no one can say it was a rigged set up, but why if there was not something here publish the write up at all, just to sell copies? Its hard to say, that is why i posted this to ask others to read or look into his credientials maybe and tell us why they thought this worthy of publishing if he was somewhat respected in the community.

[r0csfinest]

Originally Posted by Klubbheads

wet numbers are stupid and pointless. I never understood about magasines testing a car in wet and spend that much time and money getting results.

same here

Originally Posted by dec55

daaaaaaaaaaaaaayuuum!

[Klubbheads]

Originally Posted by G-WannaBe

I did not say it was a mag sponsored or set up test, if this guy works for the magazine that is another thing, but I am not even sure who he is or what relationship he has with Automobile.

The article indicates he had 1 day to do this, and it happenned to rain overnight all night, so the track was very wet and very slick with oil from an M3 that took a leak on the track (incontinent as he put it) during the previous day's racing events.

(Go figure, the Bimmer spoiled the test, must have been jealous!)

All kidding aside, just from reading the article I would say the guy knows the track well enough, and he must know 911's to be a cup car racer, but it seems a little odd if this was not a good credible driver that this magazine would print the story. I expect less from say C&D magazine, but not Automobile. I know the only way to RE-prove Nissan's numbers is to let Nissan run the car, and let a 3rd party inspect it so no one can say it was a rigged set up, but why if there was not something here publish the write up at all, just to sell copies? Its hard to say, that is why i posted this to ask others to read or look into his credientials maybe and tell us why they thought this worthy of publishing if he was somewhat respected in the community.

I was speaking in general terms and not this particular article.

[SDGeneralCounsel]

this is really old news, and frankly the times are really off.

[jaspergtr]

i thought the car pushed to the outside a little as well, but with some practice in it, i found that trailing throttle oversteer really works. it pushes the car right back into shape.

and if this is the same article i recall seeing a long time ago, it was supplied with video, and on that video he did not engage the suspension setting on 'r'. this car is completely transformed in r-r-r mode. (my wife found that out her first hpde)

[GZire]

Originally Posted by G-WannaBe

......Not sure who he is, but the article says he is a 911 Cup Car racer and has raced @ Nurburgring in a series called the VLN. This 1 day side by side was performed the day after the final round of the VLN 2008 championship, but he does not say when that was...............

I would be very interested to see what you guys think of the article, as well as how Nissan responds to it.

I would say as a cup racer he's got a lot of time in a Porsche and none in a GT-R. I'd be interested to see what his times are like after spending some time with the GT-R development team and seeing how they tell him to drive the car.