^+1


Sent from my SGH-T959V using teamspeed

 

Update from Porsche:

Porsche has issued an official press release confirming that the 918 Spyder's lap time was achieved on "standard tires," and that the car began the lap from a standing start. Porsche also says the car was fitted with the optional "Weissach" package that improves driving dynamics, but didn't elaborate further.

btw who cares about the viper...it's just a kit car with semi slicks and tuned suspension for nordschleife...

918 is a masterpiece...the future of supercars!

 

Except it that non of that is true. Heck they picked a dead stock leftover ACR off a dealer lot and ran the viper in stock configuration with a young GT driver instead of a ringer and did very few laps.

On the 918, if they they say 1/5th the carbon and 15+ mpg while doing this lap I would be astonished at the engineering and the lap time. Its still wicked fast for a car with that much tech in it, and I expect it will get faster over time as they tweak the electronics.

 

Lol, mean to say same lap time.

 

So much better than the Carrera GT which to me was a let down in some ways. Yes I said it. I will say the Carrera GT is the prettier car to me.

Viper ACR for the win... the Win on EVERYTHING.

 

Official Release from Porsche:



918 Spyder prototype turns in lap time of seven minutes and 14 seconds

Stuttgart. On September 18th, in test drives on the “Nürburgring-Nordschleife”, a Porsche 918 Spyder prototype turned in a remarkable best time of just 07:14 minutes for the 20.6 km long circuit. One year before its production launch, the plug-in hybrid super sports car from Porsche AG is already proving its superlative dynamic performance potential  far surpassing all expectations placed in it. Dr. Frank Walliser, overall project leader for the 918 Spyder: “By turning in a fabulous time of 07:14 minutes, the 918 Spyder prototype has already fully confirmed the viability of its future concept after just a few months on the road.”

The lap time of the Porsche 918 Spyder prototype is one of the best ever clocked for street-legal vehicles with standard production tyres. The course was only available to the development team from Weissach for one lap, and it had to be started from a standstill. The plug-in hybrid super sports car with over 795 hp was equipped with production tyres from development partner Michelin as well as the optional “Weissach” package, which integrates modifications that boost driving performance.

 

Hi trax,

Couldnt agree more...and OK Porsche said that it was without slicks etc...but who realls knows what they did.? No - one from us..- for example - they could have also worked on special settings for camber etc.

Couple of examples from the past:
1. posted laptime for 991S: 14 seconds faster than 997.2S - Sport Auto test revealed only 6 seconds - while being 17 seconds slower in the wet

2. New Boxster 981 S quoted at 7:58 - sport Auto test: 8:04

3. Porsche 911 GT2RS quoted at 7:18 - sport Auto test at 7:24 (still the record holder for the moment)

and so on.

Conclusion for me; I dont give much about such numbers...any manufacturer can claim things..so if we take an average 6 seconds between claim and reality the 918 will land somewhere around 7:20. Keep in mind that the avantador was testes at 7.25...I doubt that the 918 can be 10 seconds faster..

And yes, the new Mclaren and enzo will probablw beat that anyway..

 

How about driver skill

 

Exactly. The factory test drivers have hundreds of laps experience driving the prototypes all out on the 'Ring, while the journalists get a couple laps practice at most. It's no surprise the manufacture claims will show the best times, however it is arguable that independent tests offer more accurate times for comparison sake due to the fact that there are less variables involved.

And lets not forget this is just the time for a development prototype. Although I suspect the 918 Spyder is very close to completion, due to the fact that a 58 page brochure including specs and equipment has been partially leaked, I'm sure there is still a lot of room for improvement upon that 7:14.

 

Hell, I'll tell you what Porsche can do. They still hold the outright lap record for the ring with a car that ran almost 30 years ago. Or if you like, they were pulling almost 1500 horsepower out of a road racing car that had to run for 200 miles, when top fuel dragsters were good for about 2000 horsepower, that about 40 years ago. I'm sure they could build a road car that could lap the ring in under 7 minutes with limited effort if that was their goal.