Quote Originally Posted by marylebone View Post
BTW, no offence but we have to be honest here. A N'ring lap time of 8:38 is slower than Focus RS, Astra VXR, Subaru Impreza (04, vanilla), Audi TTS, Nissan 350Z, BMW 335i, Audi S5, Jag XKR, Lotus Exige S, Lexus IS-F, Merc C63AMG (nevermind Black Series), and almost every BMW M (even a Z3M roadster from 98), Porsche (even a vanilla Boxster S) and Evo (even an evo VI from 1999, nevermind X), a full 1'12'' slower than the GT-R, etc etc etc. It's practically slower than any decent modern car today. The 13-mile Nordschleife is plenty for any car to show what it's really made of.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCrburgring_lap_times

This is not a nice surprise as it really seems to struggle with modern cars (and some others that are 10+ years old, see times for Z3M, evo VI or Porsche 993), I just didn't think the NSX would be so far down the list. Sorry chaps, but unless someone has a coherent explanation, I think I'd prefer not to own a truly beautiful car but which is slower than a factory-tuned Vauxhall Astra or Ford Focus or any Porsche built since the late 90s (993, 986 onwards).

What about the C6 'vette, even the "basic" non-Z06 is way up there. Yet another surprise...

There should be a rule about NR lap times. They do not belong on these kinds of threads, or on this forum full stop. This isn't a dig at anyone. My point is, perhaps a surprising one for a performance car forum is that for 99.9% of performance car owners, lap time shouldn't matter at all.
Most of us do most of our driving on A and B roads, perhaps a tiny bit on track and some will take our cars abroad and do some touring.
Now, what I can never understand is why people keep buying cars based on how they compare on paper.
It's a weak guide at best. Personally, I'm much more concerned about; ride, sound, ocassion, dynamics, build etc etc. whether a Vauxhall astra is faster around a German toll road has never mattered to me, and when I'm out driving, it's never been the nagging thought that's screwed up my enjoyment.
If you've ever done a track day, I guarantee you there's a mk1 mini that's out lapping 95% of the new exotica out on track. Or a DC2 being held up through the bends by a resonably well driven 911, RS4, M3 etc.
The NSX is a superbly built work of art. It ticks most of the boxes for people who really appreciate cars. Sound, dynamics, build, performance, etc etc.
you can go out and buy a VXR, an Exige, a Z3 or even an imprezza. But they aren't and will never be special. they're disposable modern sports expresses with little or no character and average build quality. They will vent money from your wallet and will provide no sense of ocassion whilst they're doing it.

The final point about the 993 is wrong. The NSX was always a more capable vehicle. If you read any review from the 90's that becomes pretty clear. The 996 incarnation was barely faster and suffered lots of engine issues.

The bottom line however is that the NSX is much greater than the sum of it's parts and it's impossible to give a proper appraisal unless you've driven one.

I had NSX's for the best part of five years, fancied a change so bought a 997S. Initial feelings are that it's a backward step. It's faster in a straight line, but the balance isn't there. However, it's early days so hopefully I'll bond with it. I imagine it'll be better at some stuff and not so good at others.

I guess it just comes down to what's important in your world. I could never own a Z06 because it's badly built and that's important to me.

Cheers,


James.