I did alot of research when I was getting my car insured and this seems to be the norm now. I asked my agent this and she told specifically if I have any modifications done to my car I will not be covered in the event of a collision. There is no way in hell in today's world an insurance company would be willing to pay you if your car was modded. A good omen.Ĭontrol arms, pushrod-actuated concentric coil springs and elec adj dampers, anti-roll bar control arms, pushrod-actuated concentric coil springs and elec adj dampers, anti-roll barĬontrol arms, concentric coil springs and dampers, anti-roll bar control arms, concentric coil springs and dampers, anti-roll barĬontrol arms, pushrod-actuated concentric coil springs and dampers, anti-roll bar control concentric coil springs and dampers, anti-roll bar arms, pushrod-actuatedġ5.0-in vented composite disc 15.0-in vented composite disc, ABSġ4.0-in vented cast iron disc 13.2-in vented cast iron disc, ABSġ9 x 9.0 19 x 13.0 forged-aluminum alloyġ8 x 9.0 19 x 11.5 forged-aluminum alloyġ9 x 9.5 20 x 12.Nfsryder wrote: ↑Well I can assure you times have changed, you got super lucky I guess. Ironically, it was Herta who, in 1994, recorded the 2000th 200-mph qualifying lap at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Driving his XM Satellite Radio Dallara- Honda, Herta also posted a fourth-place finish in this year's Indy 500.
So, for our max-speed laps, we turned the keys over to a pro who makes a living at such velocities: Indy Racing League ace Bryan Herta (One of four stars currently driving in the IRL for Andretti Green Racing, Herta, 34, is a seasoned veteran with a stellar racing resume that includes two CART victories and one IRL win (at Kansas last year) plus a lot of clock time in big-bore sports racers. Translation: The surgeon general has determined that gunning for 200 mph anywhere outside a controlled test track is only for idiots.Although we push sports cars to their limits on test tracks week in and week out, even we don't have much seat time near 200. There's an exponential difference in perils between 100 mph and twice that speed. Not to mention the risks: At 200 mph, at which speed a car is traveling the length of a football field every second, seemingly little things (an engine glitch, a gust of wind, a rabbit crossing the track) can have potentially disastrous consequences.
That such fabled supercars should struggle to reach the magic 200-mph mark-even on a huge, high-banked closed course-should give some indication of the challenges involved. Dearborn deserves to be proud.Why no Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren? The new carbon-fiber-bodied, 617-horsepower uebercar certainly has the qualifications-and Mercedes' Le Mans heritage-to deserve a spot in this test, but the German maker declined to provide a test car, citing ongoing high-speed-stability development. Brawn like that unquestionably puts the GT in the same performance league as the European entries, yet at $150,525 it's barely a third as expensive as the Porsche and less than a quarter the sticker price of the Enzo.
The aluminum-bodied 2005 GT is no mere skin job: Under its rear clamshell lurks a supercharged, 32-valve, 5.4-liter V-8 good for 550 horsepower (well up from the 500-horsepower figure Ford released during our drive of a GT prototype last year), and a group-high 500 pound-feet of torque. If the body looks like it belongs on the starting grid, that's because the seemingly identical Ford GT40s were there, winning the event four years in a row beginning in 1966. Probably no other car in the world says "Le Mans" like Ford's gorgeous 2005 GT. It's time to steer onto the 32-degree banking of APG's five-mile oval, hold right foot to the floor, and find out for certain if the Le Mans swagger on display is for real-whether these road monsters really possess the clout to reach the elusive double-century barrier, and perhaps even beyond.
No more manufacturer claims, no estimated numbers, no more loud conjecture at the bar. Motor Trend is the first magazine to gather all three together for a fully instrumented, flat-out test. Each car bears a nameplate renowned on the Le Mans winner's podium, too.But no, these are road machines-three street-legal production supercars from Ferrari, Ford, and Porsche, each claiming a top speed north of 200 mph. The spec sheets in our hands imply the same: racebred twin-cam engines (a V-8, a V-10, and a V-12), towering horsepower ratings (from 550 to 651), lightweight bodies (one of aluminum and two of carbon fiber), brakes the size of trash-can lids, and massive performance tires to match. By looks alone, the machines scream "race car": wide, mid-engined, so low they seem to have melted down to the ground, festooned with gaping air scoops and arrogant flares.