Wednesday, October 28, 2015

2015 Lightning Lap: LL5 Class Spotlight

-Every year, we take the hottest performance cars to Virginia International Raceway for our Lightning Lap competition, where our editors turn lap after lap on the 4.1-mile Grand West Course in pursuit of each model's single quickest time. The contenders are grouped into classes based on price; here, take a brief look at this year's very, very green LL2 class, which includes cars with prices above $245,000.-Lamborghini's replacement for its chiseled Gallardo was the third-fastest car we had ever tested at Lightning Lap, behind only the Porsche 918 Spyder and Mosler MT900S. Well, that was on Day One anyway.-As the days passed, however, other cars got quicker while the Huracán stayed right in its slot, eventually only picking up a second or so to land at 2:47.5, still the quickest time for any Lamborghini we've ever lapped. Lesson? This is a car that doesn't keep you at arm's length or make you nervous; you're wringing out its best very soon after making first introductions.-It is loud, lyrical, and just a bit animal-like compared with the other cars here. It is, after all, a Lamborghini, and in this test by far the most powerful car lacking forced induction. Lord, what a heavenly bawl that V-10 makes at 8000 rpm. But the car welcomes you into its den of frenzy, which, despite all the drama, is actually a very comfortable, safe place to be. The controls are well placed, natural, and alive, and the fixed buckets—tight-fitting $7210 Alcantara-over-concrete jobs—lock you smartly into the workstation. You're not trying to steer while also bench-pressing yourself against 1.13 g's of cornering force in Horse Shoe, for example. READ MORE ››-The McLaren 650S Spider is this rodeo's unbroken bronc, fighting its rider for the prize with every explosive move. It takes time to learn its behavior and nuances, but eventually the horse and rider come together for a spectacular show.-Totally fine with us; only an idiot would complain about too much time in this British heartthrob so at home on a track. A carbon-fiber tub and other composite pieces keep the curb weight under 3300 pounds. The one-piece seat swaddles your body, eliminating the need for any secondary bracing. Controlling the systems are buttons for the gearbox and a pair of dials for the powertrain and supple hydropneumatic suspension. Set the dials to -Thanks to a 641-hp, twin-turbo V-8 wailing to 8500 rpm, finding speed on straights isn't a problem, though we struggled with understeer and braking during warm-up laps. An odd soft spot in the brake pedal's travel indicated, to us at least, that the ABS was past its optimal operating pressure. It was only after talking with the McLaren techs—one Italian by heritage, the other by birth—that we learned that the brakes had more to give. READ MORE ››--

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