2013 Lightening Lap results Car and Driver

[Minnis]

Lightning Lap 2013: Hot Cars, Hot Track, Hot Laps – Feature – Car and Driver

Its always interesting to compare these results every year as well as the historical results to past cars such as the Lotus line up. These are probably not pro-drivers and it would be cool if the manufacturers would provide their own drivers to really see what the cars can obtain. They stated there was a mis-shift with the 1LE SS Camaro and that its best time might have been better than the GT500.
What really catches my eye is the power to weight stats of the latest cars. Putting a value ($) on the power to weight really is off putting when thinking about the almost $90k Boxster. Its a gorgeous car but $90K?

[Minnis]

Personal gripe: Buyers of the LFA must be borderline insane. Sure it has a nifty V10 but so does the previous M5/M6 with similar output. $250k for a car that could have easily sold for $100k in bulk. Also from the same company that produces the Yaris and Corolla. Most companies that specialize in daily beaters and trucks don't have the nerve to charge Ferrari money for their supercars...but people actually bought these things.

[KCZ]

Originally Posted by Minnis

What really catches my eye is the power to weight stats of the latest cars. Putting a value ($) on the power to weight really is off putting when thinking about the almost $90k Boxster. Its a gorgeous car but $90K?

The base price on that Boxster S is $60,900. They offer about $10K in options that anyone would want, like adaptive suspension and LSD, and the rest is just fluff, like coordinating paint on the mirrors and leather doodads in the interior, etc. So it's a $70K car priced upwards by buyers who want special Porsche crests on their wheels and armrests. And those doodads also add to the weight.

[Minnis]

I understand and I mis-spoke, I should have said an "as tested $90k!?"

[KCZ]

Well it wasn't exactly brilliant of Porsche to supply a car with $30K and 300 pounds of options when it was already underpowered for its class.

[WhatsADSM]

They sure make a good case for the new Camaro. The zl1 is really impressive!

[Minnis]

Somewhat irrelevant but I noticed the factory GM driver was able to get a 2:58 on VIR in the 1LE, or 2 seconds faster than what these guys got in the '13 GT500. That's with 240 less horsepower and they both weigh 3900lbs. For $37k brand new the 1LE set a better lap time than any previous Lotus, Boxster, Cayman, M, Boss, RS, ..etc in this test. It really sounds like a track bargain, too bad it's not too appealing otherwise.

Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE takes to Virginia International Raceway - Autoweek

[kverges]

A track condition also varies with time; a track on a sunny, 60-degree day after a bunch of slick-shod race cars have been driving on it is a lot different than after non-use and perhaps an intervening rainstorm and really hot or cold temperatures. So even different days at the same track is not a perfect apples-apples comparison.

[Korntera]

From 2007 the Exige S did it in 3:04.5
Evora was 3:05.3
Lotus Elise SC 3:16.6

However so you know what kind of differences can come up they show a WRX at 3:16.6 yet the STi version shows as a 3:19 one year and a 3:13 another year and from personal experience of owning both ere is way more than a 3 second difference between the two on much smaller tracks and longer tracks typically favor more HP over cornering and the STi has a lot more power than a WRX so the tests seem fairly inaccurate to me.

http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...erformance.pdf