America attempts to end Bugatti Veyron's 15 minutes of fame

America attempts to end Bugatti Veyron's 15 minutes of fame


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Looked at an S-class lately? That has more kit than any American car. Likewise the 5, 6 and 7 series from BMW. iDrive? Komand?

I'd say that "more kit = more luxury" appears to be a *European* or at least *German* thing at this point.
I hate the current S-class. But Americans normally take a chassis, put the drawings for the body on a copier, enlarges by 115%, changes it a bit, puts loads of kit inside it, and call it something fancy.

At least Cadillac is trying to work out their own style and image, therefore I like them for that.
 
I hate the current S-class. But Americans normally take a chassis, put the drawings for the body on a copier, enlarges by 115%, changes it a bit, puts loads of kit inside it, and call it something fancy.

Sorry, no. We haven't done that in a production model for almost 20 years now, whereas Mercedes, BMW, and the rest of the Eurocrowd have been doing exactly what you describe.

Compared to even the last generation S-class, the most "traditional" of our remaining luxo-barges, the Lincoln Town Car, is sparsely equipped and lacking in kit. And it hasn't had a serious refresh in 12-plus years.
 
:lol:
So you've been round the ring have you, or are you just another ignorant american pretending your country is the best in the world.:p
/flame

I've driven the 'Ring in a couple of different BMW saloons and more recently in a CLS63 Merc, and I've driven Laguna Seca as recently as December in a Viper.

While the 'Ring has its challenges -- especially due to length and not really remembering every single inch -- the Corkscrew remains a significantly more challenging corner, IMVHO. It is a wicked, wicked corner to get into and out of quickly, and it's possible to get Turn 9 galactically crossed up.

Steve
 
AhhhhMeeehhhRiKa is the best Country in the world..all others fail to impress





:lol:
 
I've driven the 'Ring in a couple of different BMW saloons and more recently in a CLS63 Merc, and I've driven Laguna Seca as recently as December in a Viper.

While the 'Ring has its challenges -- especially due to length and not really remembering every single inch -- the Corkscrew remains a significantly more challenging corner, IMVHO. It is a wicked, wicked corner to get into and out of quickly, and it's possible to get Turn 9 galactically crossed up.

Steve


Amen - the last time I was out at Laguna Seca, some twit put his 911 (with Deutchland plates and German "I ran the Ring" stickers) on its roof in turn 9.

The Corkscrew will also show you any flaws in your suspension setup in terms of quick transition capability. Any number of so-called "suspension experts" have discovered the gravel trap at the bottom - the hard way.
 
I've driven the 'Ring in a couple of different BMW saloons and more recently in a CLS63 Merc, and I've driven Laguna Seca as recently as December in a Viper.

While the 'Ring has its challenges -- especially due to length and not really remembering every single inch -- the Corkscrew remains a significantly more challenging corner, IMVHO. It is a wicked, wicked corner to get into and out of quickly, and it's possible to get Turn 9 galactically crossed up.

Steve

I will admit the corkscrew is a very demanding corner (I?ve never driven it for real, but I have gone round it in GTR2 with a G25 racing wheel. as close to going round for real as I?m ever going to get.) However I don?t think the track as a whole (minus the corkscrew) is anymore spectacular or challenging as any other racing circuit in the world, but I guess that?s just a matter of opinion
 
However I don?t think the track as a whole (minus the corkscrew) is anymore spectacular or challenging as any other racing circuit in the world, but I guess that?s just a matter of opinion

yeah, dont listen to the people that have actually driven on it or anything.
 
yeah, dont listen to the people that have actually driven on it or anything.

Exactly.

The corkscrew generates positive, then negative G's, then more positive G's. To say nothing about lateral. You don't get that in the video games.

Turns 1 and 2 are no slouch either, and the turn right before the corkscrew is deceptive. If you think Laguna Seca is easy from doing a video game, you need to watch Clarkson's TG ep where he did it in GT4, then tried to do it for real. GT4 omits quite a bit, and it's the most accurate rendition of the track to date.
 
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I like this Christopher Titus bit. I don't remember it exactly, but it goes something like this.

"Before we invade anyone we need to set them up with satellite TV and make them watch ESPN 2 for 48 hours straight. We are a nation that builds Monster Trucks in our spare time. We make top fuel drag racers that go from zero to three hundred in less than five seconds because we were bored. Go ahead, attack us. See what we build."
 
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I like this Christopher Titus bit. I don't remember it exactly, but it goes something like this.

"Before we invade anyone we need to set them up with satellite TV and make them watch ESPN 2 for 48 hours straight. We are a nation that builds Monster Trucks in our spare time. We make top fuel drag racers that go from zero to three hundred in less than five seconds because we were bored. Go ahead, attack us. See what we build."

I kind of like his other saying "While the rest of the world was trying to figure out how to put 5 valves per cylinder in an engine, we were busy figuring out how to cover the 1/4 mile in 4 seconds with 2!"

His show was awesome, his stand up bit "Normal Rockwell is Bleeding" is a riot (and the basis for his show).
 
Story Update from the folks over at www.autoblog.com

http://img393.imageshack.**/img393/3624/1ssc01fi9.jpg

A few days ago we reported about Shelby Super Car's (SSC) attempt at the worlds fastest car title and now we have an unofficial update. We just got word from a trackside observer that the record was NOT broken. After getting snowed out on day 1, the cast and crew reconvened on Highway 93 in Nevada and had another go at the record books today. Test pilot (and veteran Silver State Challenge 200 mph club member) Rick Doria reported wheelspin at 190 shifting into 6th on one pass that yielded about 221 mph, but felt confident enough to try again. A couple more passes and the 1,183-hp Ultimate Aero TT posted a top speed around 230 mph at 50% throttle in 6th. At that point the car had traveled the 2 miles deemed appropriate for the test runs. The driver reported that he was sure the car could easily break the 253 mph Veyron speed, let alone the "official" 242 of the Koenigsegg CCR. The group will head back to the shop for now and try a second set of runs in a couple of weeks if all goes as planned. We'll post updates as more information becomes available.

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/22/ssc-confident-ultimate-aero-tt-will-be-will-be-worlds-fastest-so/

So they failed, no surprise here.
 
A couple more passes and the 1,183-hp Ultimate Aero TT posted a top speed around 230 mph at 50% throttle in 6th.
Maybe the question is stupid, but why didn't they give it the beans in this run?
 
it says the car broke traction at 190 mph while shifting into 6th gear, so i'm guessing they didn't want to push it past 50% throttle for fear of wrecking.
 
Are there any plans to fit it with a traction control system? The article sounds like the car desperately needs one.
 
it says the car broke traction at 190 mph while shifting into 6th gear, so i'm guessing they didn't want to push it past 50% throttle for fear of wrecking.
Well, I thought if you accelerate slowly and carefully, wheelspin shouldn't occur.
 
Well, I thought if you accelerate slowly and carefully, wheelspin shouldn't occur.

Ever done a top speed run in a 1,000+HP supercar? No? Neither have I. Henceforth, I'm going to assume the experts (ie the people who actually have) know what they're talking about. If they feel that adjustments need to be made, then adjustments need to be made.
 
Exactly. Remember, when the Veyron was under development, they had several track sessions where they stopped well short of the thing's top speed and took it back to the shop to make changes. This car is *still* relatively early in its development cycle, so they're going to have more testing sessions like this. I suspect it'll be at least two more test runs before they crack 253. I'm betting the new top speed marker will probably end up around 265-270 with the SSC.


I think the Europeans are getting a bit nervous that the Americans might actually produce a better car that doesn't require all the gimmickry to go that fast. And unlike other challengers, this car isn't vaporware.
 
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We can all debate this until those pesky cows come home, but until the product exists in the flesh, and has been tested independently, the speculation amounts to nothing.
 
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