New Performance Benchmark Test

[mjdart]

Car & Driver has developed a new phase in thier road test criteria. They will be using Virginia International Raceway or VIR. They did a big spread in the newest issue. In the future they will incorporate a lap time into overall testing. They will use this benchmark on most performance based cars. It's common performance knowledge that if you run a sub 8 minute lap a Nurburgring you've got a great performer. This is our comparable benchmarking location in the US, as defined by C&D.

Now something good for GM which came out of the first tests. The Cobalt SS bested the Maxda MX-5 Honda Civic Si & the Volkswagen GTi (by 4-5 seconds per lap) which were in its price range. Now the suprise - the Cobalt SS also dispatched the Ford Mustang GT!

"The Cobalt was the most settled of the three, with excellent body control through the high speed esses." and also "the Cobalt SS had the strongest and most reliable binders" "The Cobalt SS's supercharged ECOTECH engine collaborated with an excellent gearbox to charge down the straights with authority." as stated by C&D. Never in all my years have I read about a compact GM car with such high praise.

Note : The mighty Z06 was bested by the $153K Ford GT to a tune of 0.4 seconds

GM is really turning the corner if this keeps up.

Edited September 27, 2006 by mjdart

[Northstar]

Wow, the Cobalt's numbers are impressive.

I'm guessing if you put on some better rubber (not run-flats) on the Z06, it could probably beat the GT.

[thegriffon]

I would have thought RoadAmerica would have been a better analog to the nurburgring.

[Cory Wolfe]

VIR, eh? Interesting. That's in... Virginia.

[ocnblu]

The Cobalt SS/SC, she's a little barnburner!

[Paolino]

What was very weird for me was yesterday I was looking at a Cobalt SS in the parking lot and I thought to myself, "I think part of me would love to have one. I'd love to have a cool little well-handling, powerful beast."

Then the Buick part of me came out and thought, "Nah, I want a Lucerne."

[Drew Dowdell]

Wait, the Cobalt SS beat a Miata!?!

Edited September 27, 2006 by Oldsmoboi

[Guest YellowJacket894]

. . .Never in all my years have I read about a compact GM car with such high praise.

Go back to 1981. Find an issue of Car & Driver that reads "GM's Front-Drive Compacts Blows Everyone Into The Weeds!" Look at the car on the cover and give us a call.

Edited September 28, 2006 by YellowJacket894

[razoredge]

And to further add to the topic

GRAND-AM CUP POINTS BATTLES TO BE DECIDED IN SIX-HOUR ENDUROS AT VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

(September 26, 2006) -- With less than two weeks until the Grand-Am Cup Series twin six-hour finales at Virginia International Raceway—October 6-8—teams, drivers and manufacturers are undoubtedly feeling the pressure as every points battle is tight heading down to the wire.

more:

http://grandamerican.com/News/Article.asp?ID=7302

On April 22, 2006 at VIR Cobalt finished 1st in ST class with BMW 330 2nd and Acura RSX S 3rd followed by two more Cobalts in 4th & 5th.

Currently the Cobalts have fallen back in standings. Georgian Bay Motorsports 5th and 7th with team Cobalt California 10th. The past 3 races they did poorly but were dominating prior, the three poor results killed their point standings. Turner Motorsports is a very skilled BMW team and has been at it for years. Scroll down to ST class for Georgian Bay and Team Cobalt for standings.

http://grandamerican.com/CONTENT/Docs/PDF/...am%20Points.pdf

4/22 VIR results, theres two classes GS & ST, dont get confused like I always do

http://grandamerican.com/Events/SessionRes...p?SessionID=658

So this 6 hour race is going to be a true test of these little cars. Im hopeing the Cobalt can pull something off and Georgian Bay get their point standings back up. For awhile I had thought they were going to win the series but its not looking good now.

Edited September 28, 2006 by razoredge

[loki]

slightly confusing since it says SS, but only once it says SS/SC they need to be more specific, if this was copied and pasted...

COOL!

[razoredge]

As for the Ford GT...........I wish Ford would put their money where their mouth is and enter the GT in Sebring/LeMans and the rest of the ALMS series. Its been very empty this year in GT1. Only cars running GT1 in the series are 2 Corvettes and 2 Aston Martins. The competition between these two cars is extreme but theres nothing else in the field. Saleen droped out this year, Viper gave up a few years ago, the Maserati that ran last year showed promise but never came back and Lambroghini got a car approved and never showed, they put some Ferraris in Sebring and LeMans but not the rest of the series. They are probably running these Italian cars in the European series but we could use some more color in the field here in the US.

Ford............bring it on ! Saleen, Maserati come back ! and wouldnt I love to see an orange Lambroghini out there too !

Its kinda interesting that these two front engined cars (C6R & DBR) seem faster than the midengined cars like Saleen.

[ketch]

NOW I know why I want one, esp. the SS supercharged one. A damn bargain too! Someone at work got one and I will try to find out who so iImay ask how they like it. It looked wicked blowing by me on the way home today!

[Chicagoland]

. . .Never in all my years have I read about a compact GM car with such high praise.

Go back to 1981. Find an issue of Car & Driver that reads "GM's Front-Drive Compacts Blows Everyone Into The Weeds!" Look at the car on the cover and give us a call.

198438[/snapback]

It was in spring of 1979, when the "First Car of the 80's" came out. The '80 Citation X11 was on the cover. [None were shown at Auto Shows of the time]

There were also details of the other 3 versions. The X cars were great on paper, but we know the rest.

[bowtie_dude]

. . .Never in all my years have I read about a compact GM car with such high praise.

Go back to 1981. Find an issue of Car & Driver that reads "GM's Front-Drive Compacts Blows Everyone Into The Weeds!" Look at the car on the cover and give us a call.

198438[/snapback]

Whats sad is that 20 years later, they were pretty much selling the same car, only it had 5 year old styling.

[razoredge]

Go back to 1981. Find an issue of Car & Driver that reads "GM's Front-Drive Compacts Blows Everyone Into The Weeds!" Look at the car on the cover and give us a call.

198438[/snapback]

Whats sad is that 20 years later, they were pretty much selling the same car, only it had 5 year old styling.

198788[/snapback]

What ?

[Mr.Krinkle]

that really is some hot sh*t. along the lines of what top gear does.

this sort of testing should have been going on all along. how else are you gonna know if a transmission works to its potential or perhaps more importantly the brakes. cars were meant to be driven.

[PurdueGuy]

So how does the Ion Redline look in this, since it's pretty much the same (minus about 45 lbs according to edmunds). Has it been driven to establish a lap time?

Edited September 29, 2006 by PurdueGuy

[guionM]

Note : The mighty Z06 was bested by the $153K Ford GT to a tune of 0.4 seconds

The Z06 and the GT are up in the stratosphere of handling. There is very little elsewhere to go without welding the axles to the chassis, so the times for all intents and purposes have hit a wall.

The only place to go is ride and feeling, which starts moving into the catagory of personal taste.

[PacerX]

The Z06 and the GT are up in the stratosphere of handling. There is very little elsewhere to go without welding the axles to the chassis, so the times for all intents and purposes have hit a wall.

The only place to go is ride and feeling, which starts moving into the catagory of personal taste.

199337[/snapback]

One caveat:

Z06 rides on runflats. I think there is still somewhere to go there if the tires are swapped over to a more standard high performance tire construction.