Tag Archives: Nürburgring

Nürburgring Wars, Part 2?

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Dodge Viper ACRTwo years ago Porsche and Nissan were at it when Porsche questioned the veracity of the 2009 Nissan GT-R’s lap time of 7’29.03″ around the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, a time the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 could not match! This time around it’s the Dodge Viper ACR taking on the Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package. The Dodge Viper ACR had previously held the production car lap record with a lap time of 7’22″ but unlike Porsche, Dodge decided to let the Viper do the talking by reclaiming the record with a time of 7’12.13″!

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When is a production car not a production car?

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LexusL FA at NürburgringLexus has recently set the fastest lap time around the famous Nürburgring for a production car in a limited edition of the Lexus LFA, stopping the clock at 7’14.64″, beating the 7’18.00″ set by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, the 7’19.63″ set by the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and the 7’24.22″ set by the Nissan GT-R.

But there’s a teeny weeny little bit of controversy; you see only 50 units of the special, track tuned, limited edition, V10 powered Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package will be built, while a total of only 500 LFAs will be built! This has prompted some people to question the LFA’s qualification as a “production” car, especially as there are faster street-legal cars around the Nürburgring.

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Nürburgring Wars, 2009

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2009 Nissan GT-RPorsche and Nissan are at it again, trading (unofficial) lap times at the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit. Nissan claimed a time of 7:29.03 for the Nissan GT-R in April last year, which Porsche subsequently disputed when they could only achieve a lap time only 7:54 with a U.S.-spec GT-R! Porsche were testing the 911 Turbo, which achieved a lap time of 7:38, and the 911 GT2, which achieved a lap time of 7:34. Nissan of course offered Porsche some driving tips.

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Ode to the Nissan Skyline GT-R (Part 2)

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1980 Nissan Skyline GT-EX TurboIn the 16 years after the C110 series Skyline GT-R, the Skyline went through three more generations; the C211 series, which appeared in 1977, the R30 series, which appeared in 1981, and the R31 series, which appeared in 1985. The C211 series saw the release of the turbocharged Skyline 2000 GT-EX (KGC221) in 1980. The Skyline 2000 GT-EX was seen as the replacement for the PGC110 Skyline GT-R that featured a turbocharged, SOHC 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder L20ET engine that produced 145 bhp and met emissions restrictions! The R31 series Skyline saw the introduction of Nissan’s 4-wheel steering system, the High Capacity Active Steering (HICAS) system, and the RB-series of six-cylinder engines. Both would become key features of future Skyline GT-R models.

Then, in 1987, with Nissan moving back to motorsport, the R31 series Skyline saw the introduction of the Skyline GTS-R coupe, which was built to meet the homologation requirements for Group A Touring Car racing. The Skyline GTS-R coupe was powered by a turbocharged, DOHC 2.0-liter, 6-cylinder RB20DET engine that produced 210 bhp. Nissan was moving back towards the Skyline GT-R but after the demise of the PGC110 Skyline GT-R, the Skyline had become a bigger and heavier vehicle and lost much of its sporting heritage. All of this was to change in 1989 with the release of the eighth generation R32 series Skyline!

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