First Teamspeed Drive of the 570-4 SL
Apr 6, 2010 | 02:52 PM
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Joined: Feb 2010
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First Teamspeed Drive of the 570-4 SL
Got lucky today! Was passing the dealer on my way home and stopped by to find that they had just received their SL demo car. It was just completing its PDI and they let me take it for its post PDI test drive accompanied by the sales manager.
We managed about 30 minutes with a mix of late afternoon city traffic and some open road dual carriageway. First impressions:
The most striking difference versus my current 560 Spyder is the setup and ride. The car feels much much sharper especially the steering which is very direct with no slack at all. The ride is a lot firmer but not uncomfortably so and your butt really feels what the car is doing through the bucket seats. Felt very similar to my 997.2 GT3 and blindfolded, you'd never have guessed it was AWD. In contrast, my Spyder feels a bit too soft and unless the tarmac is very smooth it can feel a little bit floaty and get slightly lost so that you don't know what its doing underneath you. The overall weight loss and lighter wheels must play a part here too.
Drivetrain-wise, couldn't feel any difference. Didn't get chance to wring it out but the engine and e-gear feel similar to my own car, albeit there is more sound. The exhaust is identical apart from the tips so think this is down to less noise insulation and the polycarbonate rear windows and decklid. The car had steel brakes which were fine so can't comment on whether they have improved the feel of the CCB's. Not sure what circuit they were using in Spain but was told it lapped it 3 seconds faster than the 560-4 Coupe.
The car looks terrific in white with all the carbon parts making a real contrast. The interior is almost 100% alcantara and carbon, there is no leather and no plastic worth speaking of apart from the switches and airvents. The buckets seats were snug and similar to the 997 GT2/GT3 folding buckets in terms of size/fit. The front scoops stick out more than the normal 560 and are not painted but covered in some sort of anti-chip poly coating. I'm told it is very tough and the Seville launch cars were all pretty much unmarked after 8 days abuse on the track. Some photos, iPhone quality only
We managed about 30 minutes with a mix of late afternoon city traffic and some open road dual carriageway. First impressions:
The most striking difference versus my current 560 Spyder is the setup and ride. The car feels much much sharper especially the steering which is very direct with no slack at all. The ride is a lot firmer but not uncomfortably so and your butt really feels what the car is doing through the bucket seats. Felt very similar to my 997.2 GT3 and blindfolded, you'd never have guessed it was AWD. In contrast, my Spyder feels a bit too soft and unless the tarmac is very smooth it can feel a little bit floaty and get slightly lost so that you don't know what its doing underneath you. The overall weight loss and lighter wheels must play a part here too.
Drivetrain-wise, couldn't feel any difference. Didn't get chance to wring it out but the engine and e-gear feel similar to my own car, albeit there is more sound. The exhaust is identical apart from the tips so think this is down to less noise insulation and the polycarbonate rear windows and decklid. The car had steel brakes which were fine so can't comment on whether they have improved the feel of the CCB's. Not sure what circuit they were using in Spain but was told it lapped it 3 seconds faster than the 560-4 Coupe.
The car looks terrific in white with all the carbon parts making a real contrast. The interior is almost 100% alcantara and carbon, there is no leather and no plastic worth speaking of apart from the switches and airvents. The buckets seats were snug and similar to the 997 GT2/GT3 folding buckets in terms of size/fit. The front scoops stick out more than the normal 560 and are not painted but covered in some sort of anti-chip poly coating. I'm told it is very tough and the Seville launch cars were all pretty much unmarked after 8 days abuse on the track. Some photos, iPhone quality only
