My vote for best car review ever written ...
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04-03-2008, 09:26 AM
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My vote for best car review ever written ...
I can only imagine what it's like to drive a GT2, but this review is a fun ride all by itself:
RUMBLE SEAT
2008 Porsche GT2: Brute almighty
The 200-mph supercar, basically a Porsche Motorsport version of the 911
Turbo, is all the scarier for its effortless ways.
By Dan Neil
April 2, 2008
You may recall from your psychology classes the name Harry Harlow, a
controversial researcher known for his wire monkey-surrogate mother
experiments. One group of baby rhesus monkeys was taken away from its
mothers and given a maternal figure made of terry cloth; another group was
given a figure made of just bare wire. These experiments demonstrated the
famous Harry-Harlow-was-a-toolbag principle.
In Porsche's laboratory, the relatively luxe 911 Turbo (what with its padded
seats and all) is the terry-cloth monkey and the new GT2 -- stripped utterly
to its essentials, inhospitable, a harsh mockery of the comforts of the
automobile -- is the wire monkey. To love the GT2 is to embrace its malign
indifference to your well-being. To cuddle one is to feel the cold bite of
steel against your cheek. Mommy, why won't you hold me?
Basically a Porsche Motorsport version of the 911 Turbo (or turbocharged
version of the track-ready GT3 RS, if you like), the GT2 is the most
hard-core 911 ever to wear a license plate and the first production 911 to
exceed 200 mph. Because, obviously, the Turbo's 480 hp is too, too paltry
for real Porsche men, the boys in Weissach kicked up the output another 50
hp, with highly capacious intake manifolds and titanium exhaust plumbing on
either side of the turbochargers. Lift the engine lid and all you see are
the car's enormous lungs ducted from air intakes integrated into the
dual-foil spoiler, which looks like something Klingons would carry into
battle.
The GT2's steroid regime also includes lots of good old hot-rodding. The
Turbo's all-wheel-drive system is jettisoned in favor of a lighter and
racier rear-wheel transaxle shared with the GT3 RS. Also shared with the GT3
are the phenomenal 15-inch carbon ceramic front disc brakes and fully
adjustable suspension inspired by the paint-shaking machine at Home Depot.
The GT2's lightweighting program concludes with ditching the rear seats,
tossing out all the sound-deadening material, stripping some interior panels
to bare carbon fiber and supplanting the front seats with leather-lined
carbon shells padded with . . . well, nothing. The resulting car (3,270
pounds) is 225 pounds lighter than the 911 Turbo and is about as cozy as an
MRI machine.
And yet I find it hilarious that Porsche, having thus perverted the car's
power-to-weight ratio, chose to retain the two swing-arm cup holders. This
begs the question: What the hell is in the cups?
My guess is money: The GT2 retails for a not-insubstantial $192,560. Yes, it
offers performance at or above the best supercars in the world; yes, it
comes with the finest pedigree in all of motorsports. But 200 grand for a
911? I will talk more about the price later when I address the fewer than
200 or so trustafarians in the U.S. who might be inclined to pony up for the
GT2.
From the extraneous metaphor file: The GT2 is like lighting a cigarette on
an erupting volcano. It's like cutting a line out of a kilo of cocaine and
then snorting the kilo.
This car is quite simply insane and, frankly, kind of scary, not because of
any dynamic flaw but because of the way the stupendous forces in hand are
delivered with such seeming effortlessness. To begin with, everything is
ultra-hard: the seats, the suspension, the steering and brakes, the
monocoque chassis that feels made entirely of Higgs bosons. All the slack,
wobble and flex has been scourged from the car, leaving -- as the only
tactile source of elasticity -- the throttle.
The gestalt of the car, then, is of something enormously powerful but also
very locked down and secure, some giant in chains. Squeeze the gas and ramp
up to redline in the first three gears (you'll be well in excess of 100 mph
when you do) and the car feels totally untroubled. It feels alert, yes,
awake, certainly -- and the deep chortle and hiss of the turbocharged engine
is something out of Dante. But the GT2 gives off almost none of the clues
that provide a frame of reference, no early warning system that you're going
too fast. I mean, it has a speedometer, but who ever looks at those?
Here I will defer with thanks and praise to the boffins at Motor Trend,
whose instrumented testing of the GT2 (the same car I drove) recorded a 0-60
mph acceleration of 3.4 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 11.4 seconds.
Both of those numbers put the GT2 in the ranks of Ferrari Enzos and
Koenigsegg CCXs and Pagani Zondas and a few other cars you've never heard
of. And yet the salient figure from Motor Trend's tests is the trap speed:
At the end of the quarter-mile, the GT2 can be traveling at 127.4 miles per
hour. From there it's a short and exhilarating escalator ride to over 200
mph.
Let me unpack those numbers for you. It means that when you jump on the
GT2's throttle -- something you'll be sorely tempted to do -- it practically
explodes in a furious, jaw-slacking, gut-churning hullabaloo of
weapons-grade torque such that accelerating from 60 to 120 mph takes one
gearshift and a few scant seconds. This, to state the obvious, is kind of
fun. But it's the sort of performance you dare not access on the street.
Drivers a half-mile ahead can dutifully check their mirrors before changing
lanes, and in the time it takes to signal and turn the wheel, the GT2 can
materialize beside them like it's dropping out of hyperspace.
Unfortunately, the 405 Freeway does not connect to the Autobahn. The trouble
with the GT2 is that it feels so unfulfilled driven at regular speeds.
Indeed, this is a problem with most supercars: The suspension and brakes,
the steering and engine aren't being at all taxed by the velocities and
forces invoked by just muttering up the Angeles Crest Highway. But this
sensation is particularly acute with the GT2, which is a thoroughbred race
car. To get the GT2 to really harmonize, to come into itself dynamically,
you have to go at it really hard, and that is simply too dangerous on the
street. Not that the car is undriveable; on the contrary, it's as
complaisant and tractable as any other 911. The engine's got loads of
low-end torque; the controls aren't really race-car heavy. It's even got a
decent nav and audio system. But the overwhelming sense of the car is one of
deep, almost painful frustration.
This brings me to a truism, a Zen koan of automobility: It's more fun to go
fast in a slow car than slow in a fast car.
Whom is this car for? First, it's for extremely well-heeled club-racing
enthusiasts, who will weep with joy behind the wheel. Second, it's for
organizations like Motor Trend that have independently verified the car's
astonishing -- though kind of irrelevant -- 0-60 mph acceleration. The GT2
marks the first appearance of Porsche's launch control system that goes by
the hilarious euphemism of "Start-off Assist." The way it works is this:
Toggle through the menu on the instrument panel until the boost gauge is
displayed. Put the car in first gear, rev to about 5,000 rpm (or 14 pounds
of boost) and drop the clutch. The system automatically feathers the
throttle to maximize grip and hole-shot acceleration. For a similar
sensation, put a rodeo barrel on a train track, climb in and wait.
There's a charming note in the owners manual that says, basically, use of
Start-Off Assist will considerably shorten the life of certain driveline
components. No duh.
In any event, the GT2's 0-60 mph number is pure marketing, the glowing
numerical nimbus of incomparable performance around this, Porsche's halo
car. Nobody who owns this car is going to be flogging it at Irwindale
Speedway on test-and-tune night -- like I did (sorry, Porsche).
It ain't me, babe. I continue to love the 911 Turbo, with its all-wheel
drive and available automatic transmission, comfy seats, compliant
suspension and proper upholstery. The Turbo churns up virtually all of the
same Porsche-brand adrenaline while still being livable and lovable. So it
only goes 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds. So it only goes 190 mph. Call me a wuss.
The GT2 is too bad a monkey for me.
dan.neil@latimes.com
Price, as tested: $196,200
Powertrain: Twin turbocharged and intercooled, DOHC 3.6-liter flat six with
variable-valve timing; six-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive
Horsepower: 530 at 6,500 rpm
Torque: 505 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm
Curb weight: 3,270 pounds
0-60 mph: 3.4 seconds
Top speed: 204 mph
Wheelbase: 92.5 inches
Overall length: 176.9 inches
EPA fuel economy: 16/23 mpg, city/highway
Final thoughts: Kong, zee Eighth Vonder off Zee Welt
RUMBLE SEAT
2008 Porsche GT2: Brute almighty
The 200-mph supercar, basically a Porsche Motorsport version of the 911
Turbo, is all the scarier for its effortless ways.
By Dan Neil
April 2, 2008
You may recall from your psychology classes the name Harry Harlow, a
controversial researcher known for his wire monkey-surrogate mother
experiments. One group of baby rhesus monkeys was taken away from its
mothers and given a maternal figure made of terry cloth; another group was
given a figure made of just bare wire. These experiments demonstrated the
famous Harry-Harlow-was-a-toolbag principle.
In Porsche's laboratory, the relatively luxe 911 Turbo (what with its padded
seats and all) is the terry-cloth monkey and the new GT2 -- stripped utterly
to its essentials, inhospitable, a harsh mockery of the comforts of the
automobile -- is the wire monkey. To love the GT2 is to embrace its malign
indifference to your well-being. To cuddle one is to feel the cold bite of
steel against your cheek. Mommy, why won't you hold me?
Basically a Porsche Motorsport version of the 911 Turbo (or turbocharged
version of the track-ready GT3 RS, if you like), the GT2 is the most
hard-core 911 ever to wear a license plate and the first production 911 to
exceed 200 mph. Because, obviously, the Turbo's 480 hp is too, too paltry
for real Porsche men, the boys in Weissach kicked up the output another 50
hp, with highly capacious intake manifolds and titanium exhaust plumbing on
either side of the turbochargers. Lift the engine lid and all you see are
the car's enormous lungs ducted from air intakes integrated into the
dual-foil spoiler, which looks like something Klingons would carry into
battle.
The GT2's steroid regime also includes lots of good old hot-rodding. The
Turbo's all-wheel-drive system is jettisoned in favor of a lighter and
racier rear-wheel transaxle shared with the GT3 RS. Also shared with the GT3
are the phenomenal 15-inch carbon ceramic front disc brakes and fully
adjustable suspension inspired by the paint-shaking machine at Home Depot.
The GT2's lightweighting program concludes with ditching the rear seats,
tossing out all the sound-deadening material, stripping some interior panels
to bare carbon fiber and supplanting the front seats with leather-lined
carbon shells padded with . . . well, nothing. The resulting car (3,270
pounds) is 225 pounds lighter than the 911 Turbo and is about as cozy as an
MRI machine.
And yet I find it hilarious that Porsche, having thus perverted the car's
power-to-weight ratio, chose to retain the two swing-arm cup holders. This
begs the question: What the hell is in the cups?
My guess is money: The GT2 retails for a not-insubstantial $192,560. Yes, it
offers performance at or above the best supercars in the world; yes, it
comes with the finest pedigree in all of motorsports. But 200 grand for a
911? I will talk more about the price later when I address the fewer than
200 or so trustafarians in the U.S. who might be inclined to pony up for the
GT2.
From the extraneous metaphor file: The GT2 is like lighting a cigarette on
an erupting volcano. It's like cutting a line out of a kilo of cocaine and
then snorting the kilo.
This car is quite simply insane and, frankly, kind of scary, not because of
any dynamic flaw but because of the way the stupendous forces in hand are
delivered with such seeming effortlessness. To begin with, everything is
ultra-hard: the seats, the suspension, the steering and brakes, the
monocoque chassis that feels made entirely of Higgs bosons. All the slack,
wobble and flex has been scourged from the car, leaving -- as the only
tactile source of elasticity -- the throttle.
The gestalt of the car, then, is of something enormously powerful but also
very locked down and secure, some giant in chains. Squeeze the gas and ramp
up to redline in the first three gears (you'll be well in excess of 100 mph
when you do) and the car feels totally untroubled. It feels alert, yes,
awake, certainly -- and the deep chortle and hiss of the turbocharged engine
is something out of Dante. But the GT2 gives off almost none of the clues
that provide a frame of reference, no early warning system that you're going
too fast. I mean, it has a speedometer, but who ever looks at those?
Here I will defer with thanks and praise to the boffins at Motor Trend,
whose instrumented testing of the GT2 (the same car I drove) recorded a 0-60
mph acceleration of 3.4 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 11.4 seconds.
Both of those numbers put the GT2 in the ranks of Ferrari Enzos and
Koenigsegg CCXs and Pagani Zondas and a few other cars you've never heard
of. And yet the salient figure from Motor Trend's tests is the trap speed:
At the end of the quarter-mile, the GT2 can be traveling at 127.4 miles per
hour. From there it's a short and exhilarating escalator ride to over 200
mph.
Let me unpack those numbers for you. It means that when you jump on the
GT2's throttle -- something you'll be sorely tempted to do -- it practically
explodes in a furious, jaw-slacking, gut-churning hullabaloo of
weapons-grade torque such that accelerating from 60 to 120 mph takes one
gearshift and a few scant seconds. This, to state the obvious, is kind of
fun. But it's the sort of performance you dare not access on the street.
Drivers a half-mile ahead can dutifully check their mirrors before changing
lanes, and in the time it takes to signal and turn the wheel, the GT2 can
materialize beside them like it's dropping out of hyperspace.
Unfortunately, the 405 Freeway does not connect to the Autobahn. The trouble
with the GT2 is that it feels so unfulfilled driven at regular speeds.
Indeed, this is a problem with most supercars: The suspension and brakes,
the steering and engine aren't being at all taxed by the velocities and
forces invoked by just muttering up the Angeles Crest Highway. But this
sensation is particularly acute with the GT2, which is a thoroughbred race
car. To get the GT2 to really harmonize, to come into itself dynamically,
you have to go at it really hard, and that is simply too dangerous on the
street. Not that the car is undriveable; on the contrary, it's as
complaisant and tractable as any other 911. The engine's got loads of
low-end torque; the controls aren't really race-car heavy. It's even got a
decent nav and audio system. But the overwhelming sense of the car is one of
deep, almost painful frustration.
This brings me to a truism, a Zen koan of automobility: It's more fun to go
fast in a slow car than slow in a fast car.
Whom is this car for? First, it's for extremely well-heeled club-racing
enthusiasts, who will weep with joy behind the wheel. Second, it's for
organizations like Motor Trend that have independently verified the car's
astonishing -- though kind of irrelevant -- 0-60 mph acceleration. The GT2
marks the first appearance of Porsche's launch control system that goes by
the hilarious euphemism of "Start-off Assist." The way it works is this:
Toggle through the menu on the instrument panel until the boost gauge is
displayed. Put the car in first gear, rev to about 5,000 rpm (or 14 pounds
of boost) and drop the clutch. The system automatically feathers the
throttle to maximize grip and hole-shot acceleration. For a similar
sensation, put a rodeo barrel on a train track, climb in and wait.
There's a charming note in the owners manual that says, basically, use of
Start-Off Assist will considerably shorten the life of certain driveline
components. No duh.
In any event, the GT2's 0-60 mph number is pure marketing, the glowing
numerical nimbus of incomparable performance around this, Porsche's halo
car. Nobody who owns this car is going to be flogging it at Irwindale
Speedway on test-and-tune night -- like I did (sorry, Porsche).
It ain't me, babe. I continue to love the 911 Turbo, with its all-wheel
drive and available automatic transmission, comfy seats, compliant
suspension and proper upholstery. The Turbo churns up virtually all of the
same Porsche-brand adrenaline while still being livable and lovable. So it
only goes 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds. So it only goes 190 mph. Call me a wuss.
The GT2 is too bad a monkey for me.
dan.neil@latimes.com
Price, as tested: $196,200
Powertrain: Twin turbocharged and intercooled, DOHC 3.6-liter flat six with
variable-valve timing; six-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive
Horsepower: 530 at 6,500 rpm
Torque: 505 pound-feet at 4,500 rpm
Curb weight: 3,270 pounds
0-60 mph: 3.4 seconds
Top speed: 204 mph
Wheelbase: 92.5 inches
Overall length: 176.9 inches
EPA fuel economy: 16/23 mpg, city/highway
Final thoughts: Kong, zee Eighth Vonder off Zee Welt
#2
04-03-2008, 11:18 AM
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Great review!
The only other thing I've read that comes close came from a comment about the Lotus Elise:
"I've never driven a tesla but I am planning on getting the elise next summer. I got a chance to drive it once.
The car was impractical, cramped, and noisy.
But it was like having sex with the road."
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/c...ing-221364.php
The only other thing I've read that comes close came from a comment about the Lotus Elise:
"I've never driven a tesla but I am planning on getting the elise next summer. I got a chance to drive it once.
The car was impractical, cramped, and noisy.
But it was like having sex with the road."
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/c...ing-221364.php
#4
04-03-2008, 02:06 PM
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Thought you motor hounds would enjoy some well-written auto prose.
Check out the same author's Clubman review. Whether you have an R50, 52, 53, 55, 56 or 57, Justa, S or JCW, it hits the MINI on the head IMHO. http://www.latimes.com/classified/au...,7344945.story
One of the best comments I heard about a test drive came from a friend who'd just taken another friend's new Cayman S out for a spin. He told the owner, "Great car -- I love it, but there's one really big problem that makes the car totally undriveable." A little insulted, the owner said, " And what would that be?" The friend said, "It's just that it's impossible to drive it with a huge [Fill in the Blank]."
Check out the same author's Clubman review. Whether you have an R50, 52, 53, 55, 56 or 57, Justa, S or JCW, it hits the MINI on the head IMHO. http://www.latimes.com/classified/au...,7344945.story
One of the best comments I heard about a test drive came from a friend who'd just taken another friend's new Cayman S out for a spin. He told the owner, "Great car -- I love it, but there's one really big problem that makes the car totally undriveable." A little insulted, the owner said, " And what would that be?" The friend said, "It's just that it's impossible to drive it with a huge [Fill in the Blank]."
#5
04-03-2008, 05:23 PM
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Just read this one which I enjoyed:
http://www.topgear.com/content/featu...ries/12/1.html
Been pointed to a bunch of nice Evo reviews and such lately. Always fun reading is Jeremey Clarkson in the Times - they are funny about random stuff more then being useful as car reviews but gotta love them.
http://www.topgear.com/content/featu...ries/12/1.html
Been pointed to a bunch of nice Evo reviews and such lately. Always fun reading is Jeremey Clarkson in the Times - they are funny about random stuff more then being useful as car reviews but gotta love them.
#7
04-04-2008, 05:18 AM
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Thanks MotionMonk, That's a great little read and the comments afterward made me laugh. Thanks!
Great review!
The only other thing I've read that comes close came from a comment about the Lotus Elise:
"I've never driven a tesla but I am planning on getting the elise next summer. I got a chance to drive it once.
The car was impractical, cramped, and noisy.
But it was like having sex with the road."
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/c...ing-221364.php
The only other thing I've read that comes close came from a comment about the Lotus Elise:
"I've never driven a tesla but I am planning on getting the elise next summer. I got a chance to drive it once.
The car was impractical, cramped, and noisy.
But it was like having sex with the road."
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/c...ing-221364.php
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#8
04-04-2008, 11:27 AM
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http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/04/f...9-nissan-gt-r/
#9
04-04-2008, 12:39 PM
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Wow! Next will be comparisons to the Italians. You just have to forget the looks. Guess they'll also shortly have a lightweight version out. Yikes.
Yeah, been lots of great reviews from Europe and beyond. Just reading this one, exciting
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/04/f...9-nissan-gt-r/
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/04/f...9-nissan-gt-r/
#10
04-04-2008, 01:54 PM
In the past 4 months, I've become a big fan of Dan Neil's automobile reviews. He's got a sharp wit. I've heard rumors that he is in the running for one of the co-hosts of the USA version of Top Gear that NBC is producing. So far, I've heard that Adam Corolla has gotten approval from NBC, and they're looking for who is other 2 cohorts will be.
As much as I question the choice of Corolla, (is he a proper "car guy"?), I think Dan Neil would be great...
As much as I question the choice of Corolla, (is he a proper "car guy"?), I think Dan Neil would be great...
#13
04-11-2008, 11:04 PM
OVERDRIVE
Of course, maybe the difference is that HST didn't have to try to be cool.
#14
04-12-2008, 03:58 AM
Normally I feel the same way, but sometimes a review can cross the line into art and genius. (I'm thinking of Hunter S. Thompson's review of the Ducati 900SS in particular).
Of course, maybe the difference is that HST didn't have to try to be cool.
Of course, maybe the difference is that HST didn't have to try to be cool.
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