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There’s never a shortage of wickedly fast cars that indulge the Motor Trend staff in any given year, even if the cars are in our care for less than a day. And there’s never been a better time to be a lover of speed, as the technological wonders that are today’s cars continue to raise the performance bar to impressive heights.
We test a lot of cars here, but the ones that inevitably stick out are the ones with the gaudy numbers. Because let’s face it: Internet denizens love flaunting these things as if their “street cred” depended on it. Straight-line acceleration is great and all, but those who really love driving know our figure eight is how we swiftly evaluate a vehicle’s handling potential, and it usually takes less than 30 seconds. So without further ado, here are the best (and record-breaking) handling cars we got our hands on in 2011.
10. 2010 Stasis Audi R8 5.2 Challenge Extreme Edition
Figure Eight: 24.2 seconds @ 0.89 g (avg)
Skidpad: 0.99 g (avg)
The 710 horsepower from the supercharged 5.2-liter V-10 means it pulls on the figure eight’s short straights. But despite its numerous suspension modifications, this highly modified R8 5.2 from Stasis Engineering isn’t as quick around our course as a stock R8 5.2 we flogged in 2010. Not that it’s slow by any means – the Stasis car’s 24.2-second run is in the company of Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
9. 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG/2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S
Figure Eight: 24.1 seconds @ 0.85 g (avg)/24.1 seconds @ 0.82 g (avg)
Skidpad: 0.99 g (avg)/1.03 g (avg)
Tied for ninth place are two German icons: one is the modern-day continuation of the classic Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, the other is the newest player in the hallowed arena where engines are mounted the “wrong way”. This particular SLS AMG that lit up the figure eight in 24.1 seconds was painted a luscious Designo Magno Monza Grey, while the 991-series Porsche 911 Carrera S is simply the beginning of an all-new wave of 911s. Expect more in 2012.
8. 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder
Figure Eight: 24.0 seconds @ 0.82 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.04 g (avg)
Lightweight? Yes. Fun to drive? Double yes. A driver’s car by any stretch of the imagination and reason, the Porsche Boxster Spyder doesn’t have a hardtop, air conditioning (though it’s a free option), or actual door handles. But you do experience one of the most intuitive, 24.0-second runs around the figure eight you could ever hope for.
7. 2012 Audi R8 GT
Figure Eight: 23.9 seconds @ 0.95 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.00 g (avg)
Our 2011 Best Driver’s Car extravaganza gave us a week with the hottest handling machines around, some of which show up on this list. This includes the Audi R8 GT. With 35 more horsepower than a conventional R8 5.2 and a raft of upgrades intended to boost performance, it’s the second-fastest R8 we’ve ever tested around the figure eight. Which means it’s pretty bloody fast.
6. 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport/2012 Lexus LFA
Figure Eight: 23.7 seconds @ 0.82 g (avg)/23.7 seconds @ 0.89 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.09 g (avg)/1.07 g (avg)
The Lexus LFA that survived Best Driver’s Car circled the figure eight in the same time as a mint Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, which will undoubtedly kick-start many conversations about value, performance, and some combination thereof. We’ve explored the much-hyped, exotic Lexus in great detail during its long development. The tested Corvette Grand Sport is a hardened version of the base, 430-horsepower ‘Vette with Magnetic Selective Ride Control, and it has certainly done well for itself.
5. 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia
Figure Eight: 23.6 seconds @ 0.90 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.06 g (avg)
After lapping Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and savoring the company of the bright yellow Italian stallion in the real world, we named the Ferrari 458 Italia the best driver’s car you can get today. Race ace Randy Pobst loved it, we loved it, and aspiring Ferrari owners surely love it even more. It’s pretty good around the figure eight too, needing 23.6 seconds of all-around pleasurable driving to make it around.
4. 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Figure Eight: 23.4 seconds @ 0.92 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.08 g (avg)
RS stands for rennsport, which is German for motorsport/racing, also roughly translating to “more hardcore than you.” Enter the Porsche 911 GT3 RS from Best Driver’s Car, which took the bronze medal for its race car antics and old-school feel. You can feel the illustrious marque’s racing heritage baked into the GT3 RS as it completes the figure eight in 23.4 seconds.
3. 2012 Nissan GT-R
Figure Eight: 23.3 seconds @ 0.89 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.05 g (avg)
The Nissan GT-R that took down the Corvette Z06 and Shelby GT500 in our budget supercar comparison earlier this year is the quickest all-wheel-drive car to conquer the figure eight, out-pacing the mighty 911 Turbo by 0.2 second. Just to illustrate how volatile the vehicle testing game can be, the GT-R that finished runner-up in the 2011 Best Driver’s Car story needed 23.7 seconds around the same course.
2. 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS
Figure Eight: 23.2 seconds @ 0.90 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.05 g (avg)
The star of our Science of Speed story/informational Web video is the most brutal 911 ever offered, and Porsche buffs will be quick to tell you the rear-engine sports car is supposed to be tough to handle and master. If Hurley Haywood, a respected 911 racer/driving instructor, says you have to be patient with the GT2 RS at the limit, you’d be best off heeding his advice. Respecting the GT2 RS’ 620 horsepower yields a figure-eight time of 23.2 seconds.
1. 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Figure Eight: 22.8 seconds @ 0.98 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.13 g (avg)
This Corvette Z06 not only went for the murdered-out look but it murdered the figure-eight rankings too. The sixth-place finisher from the 2011 Best Driver’s Car feature is the current king of the figure eight, and one of only three cars ever (out of thousands of vehicles MT has tested) to break into 22-second territory. One of those three cars was a full-on race car. The C7 has big shoes to fill.
Honorable mention: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Figure Eight: 23.1 seconds @ 0.90 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.08 g (avg)
The Z06 from the aforementioned budget supercars shootout was viciously fast around the Streets of Willow race course, and just as quick around the figure eight with a 23.1-second lap time. Have we already mentioned the C7 has big shoes to fill?
We test a lot of cars here, but the ones that inevitably stick out are the ones with the gaudy numbers. Because let’s face it: Internet denizens love flaunting these things as if their “street cred” depended on it. Straight-line acceleration is great and all, but those who really love driving know our figure eight is how we swiftly evaluate a vehicle’s handling potential, and it usually takes less than 30 seconds. So without further ado, here are the best (and record-breaking) handling cars we got our hands on in 2011.
10. 2010 Stasis Audi R8 5.2 Challenge Extreme Edition
Figure Eight: 24.2 seconds @ 0.89 g (avg)
Skidpad: 0.99 g (avg)
The 710 horsepower from the supercharged 5.2-liter V-10 means it pulls on the figure eight’s short straights. But despite its numerous suspension modifications, this highly modified R8 5.2 from Stasis Engineering isn’t as quick around our course as a stock R8 5.2 we flogged in 2010. Not that it’s slow by any means – the Stasis car’s 24.2-second run is in the company of Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
9. 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG/2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S
Figure Eight: 24.1 seconds @ 0.85 g (avg)/24.1 seconds @ 0.82 g (avg)
Skidpad: 0.99 g (avg)/1.03 g (avg)
Tied for ninth place are two German icons: one is the modern-day continuation of the classic Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, the other is the newest player in the hallowed arena where engines are mounted the “wrong way”. This particular SLS AMG that lit up the figure eight in 24.1 seconds was painted a luscious Designo Magno Monza Grey, while the 991-series Porsche 911 Carrera S is simply the beginning of an all-new wave of 911s. Expect more in 2012.
8. 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder
Figure Eight: 24.0 seconds @ 0.82 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.04 g (avg)
Lightweight? Yes. Fun to drive? Double yes. A driver’s car by any stretch of the imagination and reason, the Porsche Boxster Spyder doesn’t have a hardtop, air conditioning (though it’s a free option), or actual door handles. But you do experience one of the most intuitive, 24.0-second runs around the figure eight you could ever hope for.
7. 2012 Audi R8 GT
Figure Eight: 23.9 seconds @ 0.95 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.00 g (avg)
Our 2011 Best Driver’s Car extravaganza gave us a week with the hottest handling machines around, some of which show up on this list. This includes the Audi R8 GT. With 35 more horsepower than a conventional R8 5.2 and a raft of upgrades intended to boost performance, it’s the second-fastest R8 we’ve ever tested around the figure eight. Which means it’s pretty bloody fast.
6. 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport/2012 Lexus LFA
Figure Eight: 23.7 seconds @ 0.82 g (avg)/23.7 seconds @ 0.89 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.09 g (avg)/1.07 g (avg)
The Lexus LFA that survived Best Driver’s Car circled the figure eight in the same time as a mint Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, which will undoubtedly kick-start many conversations about value, performance, and some combination thereof. We’ve explored the much-hyped, exotic Lexus in great detail during its long development. The tested Corvette Grand Sport is a hardened version of the base, 430-horsepower ‘Vette with Magnetic Selective Ride Control, and it has certainly done well for itself.
5. 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia
Figure Eight: 23.6 seconds @ 0.90 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.06 g (avg)
After lapping Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and savoring the company of the bright yellow Italian stallion in the real world, we named the Ferrari 458 Italia the best driver’s car you can get today. Race ace Randy Pobst loved it, we loved it, and aspiring Ferrari owners surely love it even more. It’s pretty good around the figure eight too, needing 23.6 seconds of all-around pleasurable driving to make it around.
4. 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Figure Eight: 23.4 seconds @ 0.92 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.08 g (avg)
RS stands for rennsport, which is German for motorsport/racing, also roughly translating to “more hardcore than you.” Enter the Porsche 911 GT3 RS from Best Driver’s Car, which took the bronze medal for its race car antics and old-school feel. You can feel the illustrious marque’s racing heritage baked into the GT3 RS as it completes the figure eight in 23.4 seconds.
3. 2012 Nissan GT-R
Figure Eight: 23.3 seconds @ 0.89 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.05 g (avg)
The Nissan GT-R that took down the Corvette Z06 and Shelby GT500 in our budget supercar comparison earlier this year is the quickest all-wheel-drive car to conquer the figure eight, out-pacing the mighty 911 Turbo by 0.2 second. Just to illustrate how volatile the vehicle testing game can be, the GT-R that finished runner-up in the 2011 Best Driver’s Car story needed 23.7 seconds around the same course.
2. 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS
Figure Eight: 23.2 seconds @ 0.90 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.05 g (avg)
The star of our Science of Speed story/informational Web video is the most brutal 911 ever offered, and Porsche buffs will be quick to tell you the rear-engine sports car is supposed to be tough to handle and master. If Hurley Haywood, a respected 911 racer/driving instructor, says you have to be patient with the GT2 RS at the limit, you’d be best off heeding his advice. Respecting the GT2 RS’ 620 horsepower yields a figure-eight time of 23.2 seconds.
1. 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Figure Eight: 22.8 seconds @ 0.98 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.13 g (avg)
This Corvette Z06 not only went for the murdered-out look but it murdered the figure-eight rankings too. The sixth-place finisher from the 2011 Best Driver’s Car feature is the current king of the figure eight, and one of only three cars ever (out of thousands of vehicles MT has tested) to break into 22-second territory. One of those three cars was a full-on race car. The C7 has big shoes to fill.
Honorable mention: 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Figure Eight: 23.1 seconds @ 0.90 g (avg)
Skidpad: 1.08 g (avg)
The Z06 from the aforementioned budget supercars shootout was viciously fast around the Streets of Willow race course, and just as quick around the figure eight with a 23.1-second lap time. Have we already mentioned the C7 has big shoes to fill?
