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"Van Man, rocks the Man Van" (jacoboconnell) 09/05/2015 at 16:34 • Filed to: Lightning Lap, Car and Driver

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(If you didn’t read Lightning Lap yet, SPOILER ALERT!)

I finally got my copy of Car and Driver’s annual Lightning Lap competition! It was an awesome read, and LL is by far my favorite issue of the year.

A couple things I noticed:

- Holy crap the Z06 is fast. Like, 1.5 seconds off a Porsche 918 fast.

- The new Mustang was a bit disappointing. The 2.3EB was 3 seconds slower than a previous gen Mustang V6 and the GT was 3 seconds slower than an SS 1LE.

- A lot of cars came with a stick. The Z06, GTI, both Mustangs, and the Miata all came with an optional manual transmission.

- I bet a P1 would beat the 918 around VIR. The 650S was only 2.7 seconds off the Porsche with much less power, more weight, and worse handling.

- Econonoboxes aren’t as slow as you think. Car and Driver decided to lap a Honda Fit, and it actually ended up being relatively quick for why it is. It was the slowest car ever at Lightning Lap, but only by a few seconds.

Also, Aaron Robinson bought his wife an I-MiEV.

pjhusa > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 16:39

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So I should expect this when I check my real mailbox later. Woo hoo

djmt1 > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 16:44

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A few things.

That seems slow for the Hurracan.

Why did McLaren send a 650S Spider and not a 675LT?

Why are people still surprised about the new Vette. They made it terrible in a straight line to make insanely brilliant everywhere else.

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > djmt1 09/05/2015 at 16:47

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1) I thought it was pretty quick. I don’t think anyone expected it to beat the McLaren.

2) Probably because it’s limited edition or something. My question is why not a lighter coupe? Also, C/D said they asked for a P1 and McLaren said they couldn’t get one.

3) Because a) it's American and b) it only costs $80,000.

dogisbadob > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 16:53

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People still read magazines? :p

djmt1 > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 16:53

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Really, I would of expected it to beat the Mac. After all they did benchmark it against it.

That’s a good point & question. Problem with the P1 is they only have one press car unlike Porsche who have a dozen 918 press cars.

It still has a 650HP, barely weighs a thing and has enough aero to snap a Tornado in two.

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > dogisbadob 09/05/2015 at 16:56

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Good ones, yes.

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > djmt1 09/05/2015 at 16:59

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My guess for the Vette, based on other lap times and the Z06’s individual characteristics, was about 2:46. I was pretty surprised by 2:44.6

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 17:06

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If they all race in a series I guess it is good to know, even then they run race cars and not street cars, it’s not important for a consumer who can’t touch these drivers. The experience of each car is really down to individual taste and really the only thing I care about when I buy a car.

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 09/05/2015 at 17:12

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I know, but it's still cool to know their lap times around a track. The new Miata was the slowest car there, but it's still my favorite.

ly2v8-Brian > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 17:36

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You didn't know the new Mustang was that far off of the old Camaro?

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > ly2v8-Brian 09/05/2015 at 17:39

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I guess I didn't realize it was that much. My hopes for the new GT350R are much lower now. I bet it'll be slower than the Z/28.

Hot Takes Salesman > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 19:07

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Well Randy Pobst was able to bring the 918 faster around Laguna Seca than the P1, however VIR may be a different story. AWD, yo!

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > Hot Takes Salesman 09/05/2015 at 19:14

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Different tracks will favor different cars, and I feel like the P1 would be better at VIR because there are more straights.

bryan40oop > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 20:12

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That’s what happens when you use

Put these tires on the other competitors and the vette would be demolished.

Don’t get me wrong, the z06 is an incredible machine. But GM and car and driver are just padding it’s capabilities over cars it simply doesn’t have if they’re put on equal footing.

uofime-2 > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 21:17

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If they were on equal tires the battle would have been a lot closer.

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > bryan40oop 09/05/2015 at 21:20

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If those are the tires the Vette comes with from the factory and the other cars don’t, I say it’s fair game. If McLaren doesn’t offer them from the factory, why should C/D use them? Swapping Pilot Sport Cups onto other cars would basically be modifying them, which would nullify the results of the test. The purpose of Lightning Lap is to test cars on even ground in their stock form.

bryan40oop > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 21:33

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I agree, but people seem to forget how far tire technology comes year after year. There is no more important component to a car really. I really wish someone would do lap times with cars like the carrera GT and 1st gen ford GT with current tires. To see how far cars themselves have come.

ly2v8-Brian > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 09/05/2015 at 23:19

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Maybe, maybe not. They probably got one to benchmark against, or at the very least a ZL1. We will have to wait and see. Personally I would've preferred them using the new Alpha based Camaro to see how it stacks up to the competition.