Slide of
Autocar takes its roadtesting very seriously.
As part of this, we’ve has been timing the fastest production cars in the world on the dry handling circuit at MIRA in central England for more than 15 years.
Here are the quickest and most memorable:
- Slide of
Tied 50th - Zenos E10 S
Lap time: 1min 12.6sec
Road test date: 7.10.15 Test number: 5237 Peak power: 250bhp at 7000rpm Kerb weight: 900kg Tyres: Avon ZZR 0-60mph: 4.3sec 0-100mph: 11.2sec Quarter mile: 13.0sec at 107.0mph
- Slide of
Tied 50th - Renault Megane RS Trophy-R
Lap time: 1min 12.6sec
Road test date: 23.10.19 Test number: 5445 Peak power: 296bhp at 6000rpm Kerb weight: 1280kg Tyres: Bridgestone Potenza S007 RS 0-60mph: 5.6sec 0-100mph: 12.8sec Quarter mile: 14.1sec at 105.9mph
- Slide of
Tied 50th - Lotus Elise Cup 250
Lap time: 1min 12.6sec
Road test date: 29.6.16 Test number: 5275 Peak power: 243bhp at 7200rpm Kerb weight: 930kg Tyres: Yokohama Advan AO48 0-60mph: 4.7sec 0-100mph: 11.9sec Quarter mile: 13.4sec at 105.5mph
- Slide of
Tied 48th - BMW M4 Coupe
Lap time: 1min 12.5sec
Road test date: 9.7.14 Test number: 5173 Peak power: 425bhp at 5500-7300rpm Kerb weight: 1610kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport 0-60mph: 4.1sec 0-100mph: 8.8sec Quarter mile: 12.3sec at 120.9mph
- Slide of
Tied 48th - Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
Lap time: 1min 12.5sec
Road test date: 7.2.07 Test number: 4792 Peak power: 409bhp at 7600rpm Kerb weight: 1443kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 0-60mph: 4.2sec 0-100mph: 9.2sec Quarter mile: 12.8sec at 116.2mph
- Slide of
47th - Mercedes-AMG GT S
Lap time: 1min 11.9sec
Road test date: 29.7.15 Test number: 5227 Peak power: 503bhp at 6250rpm Kerb weight: 1695kg Tyres: Continental Sport Contact 5P 0-60mph: 3.6sec 0-100mph: 7.8sec Quarter mile: 11.7sec at 123.8mph
- Slide of
46th - Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Lap time: 1min 11.8sec
Road test date: 21.11.18 Test number: 5398 Peak power: 715bhp at 6500rpm Kerb weight: 1910kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero 0-60mph: 3.7sec 0-100mph: 7.4sec Quarter mile: 11.6sec at 130.8mph
- Slide of
Tied 44th - Audi R8 V10 Plus Coupe
Lap time: 1min 11.7sec
Road test date: 30.12.15 Test number: 5249 Peak power: 602bhp at 8250rpm Kerb weight: 1730kg Tyres: Continental Sport Contact 6 0-60mph: 3.1sec 0-100mph: 6.7sec Quarter mile: 11.1sec at 129.9mph
- Slide of
Tied 44th - Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-door Coupe
Lap time: 1min 11.7sec
Road test date: 13.3.19 Test number: 5413 Peak power: 577bhp at 5500-6500rpm Kerb weight: 2135kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 0-60mph: 3.3sec 0-100mph: 7.7sec Quarter mile: 11.5sec at 123.6mph
- Slide of
Tied 42nd - Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7)
Lap time: 1min 11.6sec
Road test date: 8.10.14 Test number: 5186 Peak power: 460bhp at 6000rpm Kerb weight: 1570kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Super Sport 5P 0-60mph: 4.4sec 0-100mph: 9.4sec Quarter mile: 12.6sec at 116.6mph
America’s great blue-collar sports car has now gone mid-engined, but it therefore leaping up the order isn’t a given. Because when the final front-engined Corvette lapped our track, it did so in a way that spoke of quite a lot of incremental development of a known-quantity platform. With the C8, Chevrolet has started over.
On a power-to-weight basis, the C7 must be in the bottom 10% of all the cars in this list, but that didn’t slow it down much. Its lap time was built on strong, well-balanced grip, strong brakes and really sophisticated traction control.
Turn that off and you start to see why this car needs such an effective safety net. Stay within the bounds of that grip, though, looked after by those first-rate electronics, and this car has pretty serious track pace.
- Slide of
Tied 42nd - Lexus LFA
Lap time: 1min 11.6sec
Road test date: 8.9.10 Test number: 4976 Peak power: 552bhp at 8700rpm Kerb weight: 1615kg Tyres: Bridgestone Potenza 0-60mph: 4.2sec 0-100mph: 8.2sec Quarter mile: 12.2sec at 124.5mph
- Slide of
41st - Aston Martin Vantage
Lap time: 1min 11.4sec
Road test date: 23.5.18 Test number: 5372 Peak power: 503bhp at 6000rpm Kerb weight: 1720kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero 0-60mph: 3.7sec 0-100mph: 8.3sec Quarter mile: 12.1sec at 120.5mph
- Slide of
40th - Porsche Cayman GT4 (981)
Lap time: 1min 11.3sec
Road test date: 23.9.15 Test number: 5235 Peak power: 380bhp at 7400rpm Kerb weight: 1425kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 0-60mph: 4.6sec 0-100mph: 10.0sec Quarter mile: 12.9sec at 113.9mph
- Slide of
39th - Lotus Exige S
Lap time: 1min 11.2sec
Road test date: 3.4.13 Test number: 5108 Peak power: 345bhp at 7000rpm Kerb weight: 1200kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 0-60mph: 4.1sec 0-100mph: 9.6sec Quarter mile: 13.0sec at 87.6mph
- Slide of
38th - Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
Lap time: 1min 11.1sec
Road test date: 30.6.10 Test number: 4966 Peak power: 563bhp at 6800rpm Kerb weight: 1710kg Tyres: Continental Sport Contact SP5 0-60mph: 3.9sec 0-100mph: 8.0sec Quarter mile: 11.9sec at 124.8mph
- Slide of
37th - Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4
Lap time: 1min 11.0sec
Road test date: 17.10.08 Test number: 4879 Peak power: 553bhp at 8000rpm Kerb weight: 1580kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 0-60mph: 3.7sec 0-100mph: 7.7sec Quarter mile: 11.7sec at 125.7mph
- Slide of
36th - Lamborghini Urus
Lap time: 1min 10.8sec
Road test date: 3.7.19 Test number: 5429 Peak power: 641bhp at 6000rpm Kerb weight: 2285kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 0-60mph: 3.3sec 0-100mph: 7.8sec Quarter mile: 11.6sec at 120.8mph
We tested the monstrous Urus on the same day as the same firm’s Aventador SVJ. If that hadn’t made practical sense, we might have just taken it to the Millbrook test track, where we test our ‘normal’ metal. But that’s not the right word in this case.
How worthwhile it worked out to be. You might not believe this, but it was probably easier getting a sports-car-level lap time out of the Urus on the day than to make the Aventador SVJ lap faster than the lesser Huracán Performante had.
Just look at all the cars this 2.3-tonne SUV beat; it’s staggering to contemplate. It handles in such a flat, immediate way that on track you can easily forget it’s so heavy, and it accelerates like a missile. It’s pretty hard on tyres and brakes, though, so maintaining top-level pace for more than five laps without a break would be tough.
- Slide of
35th - Honda NSX
Lap time: 1min 10.7sec
Road test date: 5.10.16 Test number: 5289 Peak power: 573bhp Kerb weight: 1770kg Tyres: Continental Sport Contact 5P 0-60mph: 3.3sec 0-100mph: 7.3sec Quarter mile: 11.4sec at 125.7mph
- Slide of
Tied 33th - Noble M600
Lap time: 1min 10.5sec
Road test date: 14.10.09 Test number: 4930 Peak power: 650bhp at 6800rpm Kerb weight: 1305kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport 0-60mph: 3.5sec 0-100mph: 6.8sec Quarter mile: 11.0sec at 131.1mph
- Slide of
Tied 33th - Porsche Taycan Turbo S
Lap time: 1min 10.5sec
Road test date: 29.7.20 Test number: 5484 Peak power: 751bhp Kerb weight: 2355kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero NFO Elect 0-60mph: 2.8sec 0-100mph: 6.5sec Quarter mile: 10.9sec at 128.8mph
- Slide of
32nd - Porsche 911 Carrera S (992)
Lap time: 1min 10.4sec
Road test date: 29.5.19 Test number: 5424 Peak power: 444bhp at 6500rpm Kerb weight: 1525kg Tyres: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 0-60mph: 3.4sec 0-100mph: 7.7sec Quarter mile: 12.0sec at 125.3mph
- Slide of
31st - Nissan GT-R
Lap time: 1min 10.1sec
Road test date: 6.5.09 Test number: 4907 Peak power: 480bhp at 6400rpm Kerb weight: 1775kg Tyres: Dunlop SP Sport 600 DST 0-60mph: 3.8sec 0-100mph: 8.5sec Quarter mile: 12.1sec at 120.4mph
That so many of the cars ahead of the GT-R on this list came out much later goes to show how astonishing the big Nissan was. And make no mistake, the R35 is big. Technical. Complex. You’d also say sophisticated if so many of its attributes didn’t feel industrial and cumbersome compared with today’s supercars. If a roadster feels like a speedboat, the GT-R feels like a ship.
What’s doubly impressive is that Nissan didn’t bring a team to get the best out of the GT-R’s tyres or brakes, even though its weight puts extreme strain on them. It was driven to a time it could maintain. I recall how it wanted to put its power down, but it’s the heat coming from it after getting out that I remember the most, rather than the drama I felt inside it.
- Slide of
30th - Ferrari F430 F1
Lap time: 1min 10.0sec
Road test date: 21.6.05 Test number: 4709 Peak power: 483bhp at 7500rpm Kerb weight: 1528kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Rosso 0-60mph: 4.4sec 0-100mph: 9.3sec Quarter mile: 11.7sec at 125.0mph
- Slide of
Tied 28th - Porsche 718 Spyder
Lap time: 1min 9.9sec
Road test date: 1.4.20 Test number: 5467 Peak power: 414bhp at 7600rpm Kerb weight: 1350kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 0-60mph: 4.3sec 0-100mph: 9.7sec Quarter mile: 13.0sec at 115.3mph
- Slide of
Tied 28th - Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991)
Lap time: 1min 9.9sec
Road test date: 19.8.15 Test number: 5230 Peak power: 493bhp at 8250rpm Kerb weight: 1490kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 0-60mph: 3.4sec 0-100mph: 7.8sec Quarter mile: 11.6sec at 123.3mph
- Slide of
27th - Porsche 911 GT2 (997)
Lap time: 1min 9.7sec
Road test date: na (road test rival) Test number: na Peak power: 523bhp at 6500rpm Kerb weight: Not weighed Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 0-60mph: 3.8sec 0-100mph: 8.0sec Quarter mile: 12.0sec at 123.9mph
- Slide of
Tied 25th - Porsche 911 Turbo S (991)
Lap time: 1min 9.6sec
Road test date: 8.1.14 Test number: 5147 Peak power: 552bhp at 6500rpm Kerb weight: 1610kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero 0-60mph: 3.0sec 0-100mph: 7.1sec Quarter mile: 11.4sec at 126.3mph
- Slide of
Tied 25th - Porsche 911 GT3 RS 3.8 (997)
Lap time: 1min 9.6sec
Road test date: 12.5.10 Test number: 4959 Peak power: 444bhp at 7900rpm Kerb weight: 1415kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 0-60mph: 3.9sec 0-100mph: 8.4sec Quarter mile: 12.2sec at 120.0mph
- Slide of
24th - Ferrari 430 Scuderia
Lap time: 1min 9.5sec
Road test date: 23.7.08 Test number: 4867 Peak power: 503bhp at 8500rpm Kerb weight: 1405kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Rosso 0-60mph: 3.4sec 0-100mph: 7.4sec Quarter mile: 11.5sec at 127.0mph
- Slide of
23rd - Ferrari 812 Superfast
Lap time: 1min 9.3sec
Road test date: 25.7.18 Test number: 5381 Peak power: 789bhp at 8500rpm Kerb weight: 1725kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero F 0-60mph: 3.1sec 0-100mph: 6.2sec Quarter mile: 10.9sec at 137.9mph
You may be surprised to find the most potent front-engined Ferrari yet sitting so far down this list, but there’s a simple explanation. When you try to send 789bhp through Pirelli P Zero tyres for a sustained period, you may manage to preserve the rears for longer than expected but will very quickly obliterate the fronts, whose job it is to direct and partially contain such huge force.
Thus what I remember from our 812 Superfast road test is a mixture of frustration and fun: mid-corner understeer, then lashings of easy-access yaw as the tail went wide and the agile steering let you gather it all up intuitively. On more serious tyres, it would have been no surprise to see it break into the top 10.
- Slide of
Tied 20th - Ariel Atom 4
Lap time: 1min 8.9sec
Road test date: 9.10.19 Test number: 5443 Peak power: 316bhp at 6500rpm Kerb weight: 680kg Tyres: Yokohama Advan A052 0-60mph: 3.2sec 0-100mph: 6.9sec Quarter mile: 11.3sec at 123.4mph
- Slide of
Tied 20th - Ferrari 458 Italia
Lap time: 1min 8.9sec
Road test date: 18.8.10 Test number: 4973 Peak power: 562bhp at 9000rpm Kerb weight: 1535kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport K1 0-60mph: 3.2sec 0-100mph: 7.0sec Quarter mile: 11.3sec at 128.7mph
- Slide of
Tied 20th - McLaren 12C Spider
Lap time: 1min 8.9sec
Road test date: 8.5.13 Test number: 5113 Peak power: 616bhp at 7500rpm Kerb weight: 1520kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero 0-60mph: 3.4sec 0-100mph: 7.2sec Quarter mile: 11.6sec at 129.5mph
- Slide of
19th - McLaren 570S
Lap time: 1min 8.7sec
Road test date: 30.3.16 Test number: 5262 Peak power: 562bhp at 7400rpm Kerb weight: 1445kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 0-60mph: 3.1sec 0-100mph: 6.4sec Quarter mile: 11.0sec at 133.5mph
- Slide of
Tied 17th - Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
Lap time: 1min 8.6sec
Road test date: 6.11.13 Test number: 5139 Peak power: 731bhp at 8250rpm Kerb weight: 1715kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 0-60mph: 3.0sec 0-100mph: 6.5sec Quarter mile: 11.0sec at 133.6mph
- Slide of
Tied 17th - McLaren MP4-12C
Lap time: 1min 8.6sec (damp)
Road test date: 29.6.11 Test number: 5018 Peak power: 592bhp at 7000rpm Kerb weight: 1470kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 0-60mph: 3.3sec 0-100mph: 6.7sec Quarter mile: 11.1sec at 131.5mph
- Slide of
16th - Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
Lap time: 1min 8.5sec
Road test date: 2.3.11 Test number: 5000 Peak power: 1183bhp at 6400rpm Kerb weight: 1995kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport PAX 0-60mph: 2.6sec 0-100mph: 5.0sec Quarter mile: 10.1sec at 147.9mph
- Slide of
15th - Ariel Atom V8
Lap time: 1min 8.4sec
Road test date: 10.8.11 Test number: 5024 Peak power: 475bhp at 10,500rpm Kerb weight: 650kg Tyres Toyo Proxes R888 0-60mph: 3.0sec 0-100mph: 5.7sec Quarter mile: 11.2sec at 134.2mph
- Slide of
Tied 12th - Ferrari 458 Speciale
Lap time: 1min 8.3sec
Road test date: 20.8.14 Test number: 5179 Peak power: 597bhp at 9000rpm Kerb weight: 1445kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 0-60mph: 3.6sec 0-100mph: 6.8sec Quarter mile: 11.1sec at 130.1mph
- Slide of
Tied 12th - McLaren 650S Spider
Lap time: 1min 8.3sec
Road test date: 30.7.14 Test number: 5176 Peak power: 641bhp at 7250rpm Kerb weight: 1490kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 0-60mph: 3.2sec 0-100mph: 6.3sec Quarter mile: 11.0sec at 135.2mph
McLarens like it best if you trail their brakes right to the apex, because this quells the understeer that they all to an extent suffer from. But the circuit layout we chose deliberately doesn’t always allow the same cornering style – particularly the really long, really fast left-hander, which shows up high-speed stability issues.
Even so, the 650S Spider was exceptionally fast, even on slightly worn tyres. (One last set went unused because we don’t get the circuit all day and the car turned up late.) Still, with the McLaren techs thinking there was a little more left in the bag, our track time was up, but this drop-top would match the more track-focused Ferrari 458 Speciale coupé.
- Slide of
Tied 12th - Mercedes-AMG GT R
Lap time: 1min 8.3sec
Road test date: 10.5.17 Test number: 5319 Peak power: 577bhp at 6250rpm Kerb weight: 1665kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 0-60mph: 3.6sec 0-100mph: 7.3sec Quarter mile: 11.5sec at 128.6mph
- Slide of
11th - Radical RS3 SL
Lap time: 1min 8.0sec
Road test date: 20.11.11 Test number: 5040 Peak power: 245bhp at 6000rpm Kerb weight: 765kg Tyres: Kumho Ecsta V700 0-60mph: 3.4sec 0-100mph: 8.4sec Quarter mile: 12.3sec at 115.8mph
- Slide of
10th - Dallara Stradale
Lap time: 1min 7.9sec
Road test date: 16.10.19 Test number: 5444 Peak power: 395bhp at 6200rpm Kerb weight: 987kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R 0-60mph: 3.7sec 0-100mph: 9.2sec Quarter mile: 12.4sec at 116.6mph
- Slide of
9th - Porsche 911 GT2 RS (991)
Lap time: 1min 7.8sec
Road test date: 18.7.18 Test number: 5380 Peak power: 691bhp at 7000rpm Kerb weight: 1520kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 0-60mph: 3.0sec 0-100mph: 6.1sec Quarter mile: 10.8sec at 136.3mph
- Slide of
8th - McLaren 600LT Spider
Lap time: 1min 6.9sec
Road test date: 22.5.19 Test number: 5423 Peak power: 592bhp at 7500rpm Kerb weight: 1465kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R 0-60mph: 2.9sec 0-100mph: 6.1sec Quarter mile: 10.7sec at 133mph
- Slide of
7th - McLaren P1
Lap time: 1min 6.8sec
Road test date: 7.5.14 Test number: 5164 Peak power: 903bhp at 7300rpm Kerb weight: Not weighed Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 0-60mph: 2.8sec 0-100mph: 5.2sec Quarter mile: 10.2sec at 147.5mph
- Slide of
6th - McLaren 720S
Lap time: 1min 6.1sec
Road test date: 24.5.17 Test number: 5321 Peak power: 710bhp at 7500rpm Kerb weight: 1419kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Corsa 0-60mph: 2.9sec 0-100mph: 5.6sec Quarter mile: 10.4sec at 143.5mph
- Slide of
5th - Porsche 918 Spyder
Lap time: 1min 5.7sec
Road test date: 22.10.14 Test number: 5188 Peak power: 874bhp at 8700rpm Kerb weight: 1740kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 0-60mph: 2.6sec 0-100mph: 5.3sec Quarter mile: 10.2sec at 144.9mph
- Slide of
Tied 3rd - Lamborghini Huracan Performante
Lap time: 1min 5.3sec
Road test date: 11.10.17 Test number: 5341 Peak power: 630bhp at 8000rpm Kerb weight: 1590kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R 0-60mph: 2.9sec 0-100mph: 5.9sec Quarter mile: 10.6sec at 136.7mph
Meeting the Lamborghini crew on a grey, mizzling morning made me feel guilty from the off. I always do when conditions make it hard to test a car fairly; usually we have a day to do it so just have to get on with our work.
I remember heading onto the track with the rain only just stopped and an hour booked in which to try to warm the car and tyres, dry out a line and see what was possible. We had already scrubbed a fresh set of tyres and the asphalt was still drying, so we extended our session.
With literally a minute left, on our last tyre set and at temperature just in time, the Porsche 918 Spyder’s three-year-old record went. When the VBox timing app pinged in the way it does to indicate you’ve just improved your best time, I felt as if I’d just ‘done a Hamilton’ in Q3.
- Slide of
Tied 3rd - Ferrari 488 Pista
Lap time: 1min 5.3sec
Road test date: 7.8.19 Test number: 5435 Peak power: 710bhp at 6750rpm Kerb weight: 1465kg Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R 0-60mph: 2.8sec 0-100mph: 5.6sec Quarter mile: 10.5sec at 141.0mph
- Slide of
2nd - Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Lap time: 1min 5.2sec
Road test date: 19.6.19 Test number: 5427 Peak power: 759bhp at 8500rpm Kerb weight: 1770kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R 0-60mph: 2.9sec 0-100mph: 6.1sec Quarter mile: 10.7sec at 135.9mph
- Slide of
1st - McLaren Senna
Lap time: 1min 3.8sec
Road test date: 10.10.18 Test number: 5392 Peak power: 789bhp at 7250rpm Kerb weight: 1345kg Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R 0-60mph: 3.1sec 0-100mph: 5.5sec Quarter mile: 10.4sec at 148.2mph
Our current record holder set a time that might easily remain the best for years to come. That was always the point of the McLaren Senna. For all its power and downforce, its genius is in making driving preposterously fast amazingly simple, and not just for those with a WEC racer’s skillset.
Not that we just hopped in and smashed it on the out lap. The car’s Trofeo R tyres certainly needed some warming. Otherwise, as one tester found out, if you select Race mode and dial back the electronics, it’s easy to end up embarrassed, stationary and looking at an apex you’d swear you’d already passed.
Once enough heat was in those tyres, the Senna just flew. It posted its time according to the script, just as its fresh rubber had been fitted and set for optimal pressure – no chasing or adjusting was needed.
The feeling of sheer stability, downforce and speed it produced, of flying through Turn Four with hardly a hint of a lift and challenging myself to brake later and harder, turn by turn, will stay with me for as long as I can recall MIRA at all.
Close
