Sport Auto Puts 7 Best Handling On Track For The Ultimate Test
It’s a Friendly Rivalry: Italians versus Germans versus Americans versus Japanese.
One of the defining characteristics of a high performance car is the way things interact with your hands. That big round thing in front of you, arguably, has more to do with a car’s overall enjoyment than the object under your right foot.
Sport Auto introduces the cars from slowest to fastest in terms of lap time. Honda’s NSX may very well be packed with the most amount of tech, but that tech is only there to help it overcome heft. As the heaviest car in the test, it pays the price in speed. Audi’s R8 is next in line and it too, is a bit on the heavy side, but with the power of its big V10, it makes up for some of that.
One big surprise, especially to Porsche fans, is that the GT3 placed so low in this test. It is one of the more lively cars of this test, which is especially odd compared to the McLaren 720S, which wore tires with far less grip. McLaren’s enormous horsepower advantage meant the course was dispatched in a quicker time than the GT3. Sorry, Porsche fans.
ALSO SEE: Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Thrashed Around Mugello
Up next were two of the most similar cars, reluctantly sticking to the tried and true format of front engine, rear-wheel drive. However the approach to speed by Germany and America come from an ethos not at all related. The Corvette Z06 has a big V8, a big supercharger, and a manual transmission. The Mercedes-AMG GT R has a smaller V8, turbos nestled in the V, and a quick shifting dual-clutch automatic. But in this test, simplicity has the advantage. The Z06’s semi-slick tires, along with enormous power helps it manage to edge out the AMG. Additionally, the Corvette can hail its accomplishment of 2nd place while being the least expensive car in the test.
And the fastest? That’ll go to the Italians. Lamborghini’s Huracan Performante model combines enormous power and enormous grip and beats out the Corvette by a significant margin.
Of course, handling has little to do with overall lap times, as was seen with the McLaren. It’s less than ideal tires were dealt with by an overwhelming amount of power. Put some good tires on it and it would obviously dominate. Then take for instance the Porsche, which was more than a handful in turns. So we might have to take with a grain of salt that this was actually a speed test, rather than a handling test.
