Car and Driver’s Latest Lightining Lap Event — Ford GT competes and...


ENZO BTR

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Sep 11, 2005
1,048
Southern California
...loses the number one slot it earned last year.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/lightning-lap-times-historical-data

One of the staffers was on my press trip this week (AMG GT 4-Door Coupe) and offered some backstory.

Basically, it was really hot and the GT was down on power as a result. It couldn’t even pull the same time it pulled last year (245.5 versus last year’s 243.0). It was the exact same press car, so that wasn’t a variable. I do wonder how beat up that car is by now given press car duty. My rule is press car miles are like dog years. Multiply them by 7 to get an accurate sense of how many miles the car really has.

At the same time, the McLaren 720S, Porsche 911 GT2 RS and Corvette ZR1 showed up and pulled 239s or better. That Porsche is a monster.

Oh well, the GT held the top spot for several months and is still among the top 4 cars ever tested.

And before anyone says it: Yes, I agree, the GT is about more than lap times. Like winning a famous race and having a pedigree few cars will ever match,.

And anyone who buys a car purely for the best performance stats/lap times is clearly not a student of history. Things change, and no car holds a record forever.

Would still like to see another GT run on a cooler day. Also, didn’t know this, but the cars aren’t all run by the same driver. Probably would take too long for one guy to learn the track in all those cars. However, that means each editor only learns the track with around 5 cars, which obviously adds some variables. If the person driving the GT isn’t quite as good in the car as another editor might be, and a better guy drives the 720S or GT2...

I actually like that C and D doesn’t hire professional hot shoes, because the lap times and driving descriptions probably represent something much closer to what real owners would do and experience if they went to VIR.

BUT — I would love to see all the top cars driven by one driver who everyone agrees is highly talented. Then I’d have more faith in the comparative numbers.
 
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CJ428

Farm GT
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
May 21, 2008
1,473
NJ
doesn't sound right to me
 

unotaz

GT Owner
May 24, 2018
85
Los Angeles
Honestly, the data on NFGT track performance is quite limited. I don't know if that's a deliberate attempt from Ford or just the lack of Ford press cars. I would love to see Motor Trend run the NFGT at Laguna Seca, I think that is one test where everybody feels comfortable as a fair benchmark.
 

jr66

GT Owner
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Sep 22, 2017
272
scottsdale
The GT would perform better on a longer track with higher speeds.
 

Stef

GT Owner
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Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Apr 5, 2009
1,082
Southern California
doesn't sound right to me

+1
Especially when you consider the NFGT is not only a racecar with a license plate, but more like a LMP2 with a license plate.
 
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Cobrar

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jun 24, 2006
4,017
Metro Detroit
I believe that Karl is being kind to his peers/industry.

(Ford GT) Homologation car vs. ??

In ‘fairness’ to Ford (and I don’t know why) GM has a LONG history of being sensitive to providing their best cars/effort with regard to preparation for a given marketing related press event/test. Ford on the other hand, seems to be satisfied with providing a ‘test car’ that is closer to a representation of what is roughly a used performance vehicle. In this case, part of that would be the cost differential, but hey, if it’s your halo vehicle.....
 

JOETWINT

FORD GT OWNER
Mark IV Lifetime
Jan 22, 2008
431
Brooklyn N.Y.
BUT — I would love to see all the top cars driven by one driver who everyone agrees is highly talented. Then I’d have more faith in the comparative numbers.
Agreed,i would rather see every manufacturer bring their own driver who is familiar with the car.I watched all the laps of the top 5 and it is obvious the drivers felt more comfortable in certain cars .Hell the editor driving the Performante sat on the limiter quite a few times in that pass.It also appeared the GT could be pushed harder in certain areas .The Porsche lap looked effortless.
 

ENZO BTR

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Sep 11, 2005
1,048
Southern California
This is true. The article talks about how the ZR1 development engineer was on site, offering pointers. Let’s take a wild guess at how well prepped that particular Corvette was. I’m guessing Ford gave the GT keys to the editors and said, “Don’t wreck it.” No fresh-from-Multimatic test vehicle and Billy Johnson standing by with guidance.

But again, all this is pretty pointless. If the numbers were reversed the Corvette and Porsche guys would be listing the reasons their car was unfairly handicapped.

The NFGT is a more specialized vehicle than any other street car to ever run at VIR. Lap times are one dimension to measure a vehicle. There are many others.

I believe that Karl is being kind to his peers/industry.

(Ford GT) Homologation car vs. ??

In ‘fairness’ to Ford (and I don’t know why) GM has a LONG history of being sensitive to providing their best cars/effort with regard to preparation for a given marketing related press event/test. Ford on the other hand, seems to be satisfied with providing a ‘test car’ that is closer to a representation of what is roughly a used performance vehicle. In this case, part of that would be the cost differential, but hey, if it’s your halo vehicle.....
 

Sinovac

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 18, 2006
5,832
Largo, Florida
This car was conceived, designed and made for one purpose, and that wasn’t to win magazine comparisons. I love this car and what it represents. The fact that it didn’t win this or some other comparison is meaningless to me and doesn’t diminish my enthusiasm for it one bit. In fact, it’s cool the poseurs don’t get it.

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STORMCAT

GT
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
May 25, 2006
7,549
Ft. Lauderdale
This car was conceived, designed and made for one purpose, and that wasn’t to win magazine comparisons. I love this car and what it represents. The fact that it didn’t win this or some other comparison is meaningless to me and doesn’t diminish my enthusiasm for it one bit. In fact, it’s cool the poseurs don’t get it.

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Yep...!!.. and way cooler! Just ask the judges at the Quail
 
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Stef

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Apr 5, 2009
1,082
Southern California
Yep...!!.. and way cooler! Just ask the judges at the quail

+1:thumbsup
 

FlagstaffGT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Yep...!!.. and way cooler! Just ask the judges at the quail

What the hell do bird judges know about cars?
 

BtwoG

GT Owner
Dec 8, 2013
1,039
Atlanta, GA
They said the GT was down 7mph on the front straight from its run last year. Thats either a lot of heat soak or the press car is getting tired.

Also, maybe it's the camera angle, but from what I could tell the driver wasnt using nearly as much of the track with the NFGT than with the GT2.

Also, its worth noting that both times a Ford GT participated in the LL, it set a record. The 2006 had the record in LL1 and the 2017 had the record in LL11.5.
 
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