bmer
Tire Trailblazer
Here's a little treat for you all. The ultimate dream test. Make sure you're in a comfortable sitting position and enjoy! 
The greatest supercar of the 20th century, the McLaren F1, takes on the best from the 21st.
by IAN KUAH
The term supercar was coined in the mid-1960s to describe the Lamborghini Miura, the first high-performance road car to adopt the race-car configuration of a mid-mounted engine. The Miura also helped establish the mold for supercars being dramatically styled, priced beyond the means of most enthusiasts and extremely fast. As the decades passed, successive models pushed the boundaries on these three fronts.
In 1974, the Lamborghini Countach upstaged its predecessor in terms of design. Fast forward to 1984, and the 288 GTO was the fastest road car Ferrari had ever offered; it also ushered in an era of high-tech hyper-exotics that competed for top-speed, as well as top-price, laurels. These included cars such as the Porsche 959, Cizetta Moroder, Bugatti EB110 and Jaguar XJ220, as well as Ferraris F40 and F50. If the close of the 20th century is used as a cutoff point, the clear winner of these stakes was the 243-mph, $1 million McLaren F1, a machine that is considered by many to be the greatest supercar of all time.
The 21st century has produced its own heady crop of supercars that compete with, and in some cases surpass, the mighty McLaren on the horsepower, price tag and even top-speed fronts. Those at the top of the list include the Pagani Zonda, the Koenigsegg CCX, the Porsche Carrera GT, the Ferrari Enzo and the Bugatti Veyron. The question is, how do these five stars of this century compare to the king of the last?
McLaren F1
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Before we address that point, lets refresh our memories of the McLaren F1something we did during a recent visit to BMWs Mobile Tradition center in Munich, where the German carmaker, which supplied the McLarens V12 engine, keeps an F1 in its collection.
The brainchild of McLaren design guru Gordon Murray, the three-seater F1 broke new ground in so many ways that it made contemporary supercars like the Ferrari F40 and Lamborghini Diablo look positively antediluvian.
Though he aimed to make the greatest road car ever, Murray instinctively incorporated many motorsport-based ideas in the F1. This led to the use of exotic materials like carbon fiber for its monocoque chassis, magnesium for its wheels and gold plating for the heat shielding of its engine bay, as well as the deletion of such items as power assist for the steering and brakes. Though Murray says he overran the target weight by 304 pounds, the McLaren still weighs in at a svelte 2,509 pounds. Fitted with an enormously powerful (627 hp) and glorious-sounding 6.1-liter BMW V12 motor designed by the legendary Paul Roche, the McLaren stood at the absolute pinnacle of sports-car engineering for its day.
The F1 also stood above all the rest in terms of performance. It accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and had a claimed a top speed of 231 mph. As it turned out, it was the engines rev limiter that prevented the F1 from going any faster. This was removed for a record run at VWs Ehra Lessien test track, where Le Mans winner Andy Wallace hit 243 mph down the facilitys long, 5.6-mile straight.
Yet for all that speed, the McLaren was just as impressive in terms of design and packaging. It has a small footprint, yet within those relatively compact dimensions it packs three occupants and a reasonable amount of their possessions; fitted cases slot neatly into the side stowage bays. The F1 was, and still is, the most space-efficient supercar ever.
From the center seat, the wonderful, complex wail of the big BMW V12 comes through clear as a bell, but not to the point where it irritates. At parking-lot speeds, the lack of power steering makes the F1 hard to maneuver, but once on the move, the steering feel is wondrously uncorrupted and communicative. The tires relatively tall sidewalls make the F1 far less susceptible to tramlining than most of todays supercars.
The BMW engine is a sheer joy to use. The responsiveness of this single-throttle-per-cylinder big-displacement V12 is simply unmatched; throttle inputs are met with instantaneous and explosive power. This combined with the low curb weight means the F1 absolutely inhales straightaways.
Plain and simple, the McLaren carries no flab and feels alive in every fiber of its being. It defines the essence of the elemental supercar.
Koenigsegg CCX
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The car that finally toppled the F1 from its top-speed mantle was the Koenigsegg CCR, which achieved 243 mph at Nardo in February 2005. Yes, the absolute speed was the same, but since Nardo is a banked circuit, and tire scrub accounts for around 5 mph at that speed, the Koenigsegg is capable of nearly 250 mph.
Like the McLaren, as well as the Pagani, the Koenigsegg is the vision of one person: Christian Koenigsegg. I first met him back in 1997, when I drove the prototype Koenigsegg CC. The current CCX looks very much like that car, as well as the later production CC8S and CCR. They are wide, stubby and very aggressive, thuggish even and feature unique rotating doors and a removable roof panel. Underbody venturi tunnels and slippery bodywork combine to create downforce and reduce drag. The tub is made from carbon fiber, with front and rear alloy subframes mounting the engine, transaxle and double-wishbone suspension. Every item in the cockpit, aside from the Stacks readout and the radio, is bespoke.
Looks aside, the CCX is much evolved from its predecessors. More than 60 percent of the components changed from CCR to CCX, ranging from the tweaks to the chassis and various carbon-fiber parts to optional items such as 15-inch carbon-ceramic brakes and 19-and 20-inch magnesium/carbon-fiber wheels. However, the most noticeable changes are to the engine, which is the first truly great supercharged powerplant we have ever experienced.
Unlike the good but not entirely satisfactory blown motors from the likes of Jaguar and Mercedes, the bespoke Koenigsegg V8, with its twin Rotrex blowers, has no discernible lag, no nasty supercharger whine and no backlash when you come off the throttle suddenly and then go back into it.
With a bore and stroke of 90.4 x 90.7 mm, the 4,712-cc mill is almost exactly square, and it revs hard and fast. Not surprisingly, its also extremely powerful: 806 hp at 6,900 rpm and 678 lb-ft of torque at 5,700 rpm, enough to rocket the $540,000 U.S.-specification CCX from zero to 62 mph in just 3.2 seconds. The lunge between 6,000 rpm and the 7,600-rpm redline must be experienced to be believed. While the Koenigsegg's aerodynamic stability prevents unnecessary drama at high speeds, the engine's rolling-thunder soundtrack adds an epic quality to the driving experience and the 6-speed stick-shift transmission keeps the driver-involvement quotient high.
The CCX turns-in very quickly, thanks in part to its pin-sharp steering and its low 2,600-pound curb weight. Koenigsegg claims 1.3 g of lateral acceleration, but for a car with such high roadholding limits, the CCX rides surprisingly well. An extended road drive did not have us longing for a hot bath and a soft mattress.
This is a seriously fast car with no major flaws and quirky styling all its own. It was an impressive feat for a small company like Koenigsegg to set a top-speed record, but equally if not even more impressive is that it could deliver a supercar with such high build quality, exquisite detailing and clever design solutions.
Pagani Zonda F
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When I visited the Pagani factory in Modena, Italy to drive the first Zonda in 1999, one of my first impressions was of its superb outward visibility, so important when driving a wide supercar around town. It reminded me of sitting under a fighter planes canopy.
Horacio Pagani is the person behind the car. In the early 90s, Pagani founded Modena Design, a company specializing in composite construction. He parlayed his expertise in this field into the creation of the Zondas stiff carbon-fiber central tub and lightweight bodywork.
Everything in the Zonda's cabin is bespoke, each switch and knob turned from aluminum. The exterior styling might be a bit too Buck Rogers futuristic for some, the circular arrangement of the quad exhaust tips is particularly rocketship-like but the Zonda looks like every little boy imagines a supercar should.
Without the money to develop his own engine from scratch, Pagani chose to fit a 6.0-liter Mercedes-Benz V12 from the S-Class, resulting in the 400-hp Zonda C12. For the C12S, this engine was upgraded to an AMG-tuned 7.3-liter mill putting out 555 horsepower. In the $750,000 Zonda F, which is not available in the U.S., the engine has been further tuned to 602 horsepower. Though this is the lowest output of any of the cars here, the Zonda F weighs in third lightest, at a modest 2,712 pounds.
The Zonda F's 3.5-second 0-60 mph time and 215-mph top speed are eclipsed by other 21st-century supercars. However, in Clubsport trim, a Zonda was driven around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:27.8. That's record time for a production car, and a good 4.0 seconds faster than the Porsche Carrera GT or Koenigsegg CCX, both of which posted 7:32 laps.
But the Zonda is not a race car for the road; driving it is both easy and rewarding. That great visibility takes the guesswork out of placing it in bends. The weighting of the power steering is just right, not too light, not too heavy. The same is true of the throttle and brake pedals, though the shift action of the 6-speed manual gearbox is a bit heavy. The suspension is compliant, yet you can swing the Zondas helm quickly from side to side and it responds instantly. As Koenigsegg did with the CCX, Pagani nailed the Zondas ride/handling balance which makes sense, because the same test driver, Loris Bicocchi, developed both.
The Zondas traction control works well, but turn it off and the driver has to be very gentle with the throttle in order to not to overwhelm the rear rubber, so instantaneous and potent is the V12's torque delivery. Once the wide tires have keyed into the tarmac, the Zonda's forward thrust is intoxicating. So is the sound it makes; amazing from the inside, but truly awesome outside. The scream of the V12 is the most lasting impression I have of the Pagani.
Porsche Carrera GT
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The Carrera GT is a bit of an enigma. Its styling is Porsche, but the driving experience is quite unlike any Porsche that has gone before. This should come as no surprise, because the Carrera GT is built differently than Porsches previous two supercars. Unlike the 959, which was constructed upon a standard 911 steel unibody, and the 911 GT1, which mated the front structure of a 911 with a steel spaceframe in the rear, the Carrera GT has a carbon-fiber monocoque.
And instead of being powered by a heavily modified 911 Turbo engine, the Carrera GT was treated to a unique normally aspirated V10. This mid-mounted 5.7-liter mill churns out 612 horsepower at a lofty 8,000 rpm, and 435 lb-ft of torque at 5,750 rpm. Driving the rear wheels, it enabled the 3,042-pound machine to sprint to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, 100 mph in 6.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 205 mph. The price for all this performance when this car was in still in production was $440,000.
The Carrera GT has no pretentious separate start buttons or aircraft-style flick switches to light up the ignition; just turn the key and the V10 fires up with a high-pitched yelp. The revs rise and fall instantly when the throttle is blipped, reminding us of the advantages of natural aspiration versus forced induction.
If the car has one foible it is the super-lightweight ceramic clutch. To avoid stalling, the driver has to let the clutch out very slowly and gingerly apply the throttle, quick starts from stoplights are tricky. The gearbox, however, is fantastic. Shift action is light and positive. The slots are fairly close together so you do have to be deliberate, but you can literally use just a couple of fingers to swap cogs.
Once under way, the Carrera GT is very easy to drive. Its power steering is highly descriptive of the road surface yet does not kick back unnecessarily. The handling is so fluid and well balanced that the Porsche quickly becomes an extension of the drivers will. Rather than driving the car, you begin to think it through the bends.
The acceleration is explosive, and the soundtrack that accompanies the V10s leap for the redline in each gear redefines the description of the term spine-tingling. Yet even driving the Carrera GT at more normal speeds on public roads is a tremendous treat; you will always come back with a big grin on your face.
Ferrari Enzo
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Ferrari has made some great cars, some mediocre ones and occasionally a real lemon. The Enzo is what happens when all the stars in Maranello are aligned.
This Ferraris 651-hp 6.0-liter V12 bursts to life with a loud bark, and make you feel like youre in the pits at an endurance race. Its radical styling has the same effect; the Enzo simply oozes speed. Even just limbering up, it more than hints at what's to come. Though lightly weighted, the power-assisted steering is full of feedback. The carbon-fiber construction of its monocoque and bodywork results in a modest curb weight of 3,009 pounds despite its large physical size; the Enzo always feels light and responsive.
Relatively low mass coupled with a big, torquey, normally aspirated engine is a recipe for hair-trigger acceleration, and not surprisingly, the Enzo moves out with a rabid urgency that is both mind-blowing and addictive. The paddle-shift transmission makes launches and changing gears effortless, though in Race mode the upshifts are far from smooth. On downshifts, the electronics automatically blip the throttle, making you sound like a hero to bystanders. The complex noises emanating from behind your head are simply amazing, a rhapsody of intake, exhaust and sheer mechanical complexity that constantly changes pitch and intensity based on engine speed.
It may look brutal, but the Enzo is far from being a blunt instrument when it comes to handling. A sensitive and communicative partner, it responds best to gentle inputs and clearly dislikes being prodded. It tells you through the steering wheel and the seat of your pants when you are approaching the limit. Listen closely to this Ferrari's signals and the rewards can be immense. But you need to take your time to learn it and uncover more layers of its personality. There is a practically nil chance of anyone ever getting bored with Enzo ownership.
Bugatti Veyron
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As an engineering tour de force, the Veyron captures the spirit of the 21st century just as the McLaren F1 did in the 20th, but it does so with a very different ethos. Where McLaren wanted to make the ultimate driver's car, one that rewarded the keenest of pilots and just happened to set a top-speed record, the VW Group was focused from day one on creating the fastest road car the world had ever seen, yet one that didn't demand an FIA license to fully exploit. Gordon Murray took a minimalist approach to achieving his goal, while the VW Group engineers charged after their aim with all their heavy technological guns firing. As result of the later, and despite its carbon-fiber chassis and a similar footprint, the Bugatti weighs 4,300 pounds, a shocking 1,800 pounds more than the McLaren.
The Veyrons massive, and massively complex, quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 engine generates a staggering 1,001 horsepower and a prodigious 925 lb-ft of torque. Harnessed by all-wheel drive, a semi-automatic 7-speed gearbox and Launch Control, the Veyron can storm from rest to 62 mph in 2.5 seconds. When placed in its low-drag top speed setting, it can attain a terminal velocity of 253 mph.
For 1.1 million euros plus tax, you expect perfection in build quality and the Veyron delivers. At Chateau St. Jean in Molsheim, Germany, eight specialists lovingly assemble each car over a period of nearly three weeks. At this level, art is just as important as engineering, and the Veyron is blessed with some of the most exquisite detailing ever applied to a motor car. The fittings in the cosy cabin delight both the eyes and the fingertips. Gazing upon the exposed engine is a delight in itself; no pretentious glass cover with cooling slats here.
The defining moment in my Veyron drive came when Bugatti test driver Olivier Thevenin suggested that I do a full-bore standing start to around 70 mph and then hit the brakes as hard as I could. With my left foot firmly on the brake pedal, I increased engine revs progressively with the right until I felt the car bursting to be uncaged. Just before I released the brake pedal and planted the throttle to the carpet, I heard Thevenin say that I would feel my stomach wrench under the g-forces.
His words were drowned out by a hearty roar from the big motor and the screech of four tortured tires desperately trying to transmit 501 newly unbridled horses. (The Bugatti makes do with just 500 horsepower unless switched into its full-power mode.) I have never encountered such explosive acceleration this side of the Benetton F1 car I drove some years ago. The acceleration is especially hard to fathom when you consider that two tons of inertia must be overcome at launch. The experience left me short of both words and breath.
As the tach needle arced into the red, I flipped the right paddle-shifter and the Veyrons warp-speed charge continued seamlessly, with the speedo arcing round the dial as if on fast forward. Then I hit the brakes as hard as I could. Bugatti claims that the car will stop from 62 mph in 2.3 seconds, thanks to its gargantuan 15.8-inch carbon brake rotors, but it seemed even more abrupt than that. While my stomach was fine, my eyeballs felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets.
The Veyrons awesome performance is more than enough to humble all comers. But the counterpoint to its towering acceleration and effortless high-speed potential is that whether tooling around town or cruising on the highway, the Bugatti is easy to drive, comfortable and sumptuously luxurious.
Five on One
The five 21st-century supercars definitely revealed some chinks in the McLarens armor. The F1 has no power steering, which makes it harder to maneuver at low speeds, and even with its relatively soft suspension and high-profile tires, its ride quality is far from limousine-like. Plus, it rolls more than any of the others here when pushed hard in bends. It would be interesting to see just how much better the F1 would be on modern low-profile rubber with taller wheels.
Unlike the latest crop of supercars, the McLaren is also aerodynamically challenged at very high speeds. Some owners have asked the factory to install the rear wing from the race version, which neatly cures this problem. Finally, the F1 is the only car here without traction control, which means you have to be delicate with the throttle exiting bends. However, even by the ultimate standard of this group, the BMW V12 is a sheer joy to use. What an engine note, and what instantaneous and explosive power! And above 30 mph, the steering is a revelation in terms of feel.
Like race cars built to a class formula, the Carrera GT and Enzo have quite a lot in common, both in the way they were built and in the way they drive. Each has a large-displacement normally aspirated engine with terrific throttle response and high revving capability. They both sound like race cars for the road, which isn't far from the truth. Most importantly, they represent Porsche and the Ferrari at their best.
The Carrera GT and Enzo give the impression of being totally connected to the road without feeling nervous. However, they can become tricky to handle when you try to put down too much power in a corner. Traction control does not provide the driver with immunity from the laws of physics, as owners have discovered to their own peril. To drive either of these cars at the limit demands a lot of skill; because of its standard transmission, the Porsche demands even more. To that end, the Carrera GT is more closely akin to the McLaren F1.
Bugatti, Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren. These names are deeply engraved in sports-car and racing history. On that basis, Pagani and Koenigsegg are the new kids on the block, but both carmakers use this fact to their advantage.
If a buyer is looking for a supercar thats utterly unique, it would be hard to do better than the CCX. Yet the Koenigsegg is no fragile showpiece. Its been over-engineered to survive the heat of places like Dubai. The CCX's engine is more powerful than all but the Bugatti; this combined with the fact that it is the lightest of the 21st-century supercars makes it blindingly fast. But in the final analysis, the Koenigsegg's supercharged V8 just isn't as seductive as the normally aspirated V10 and V12 engines, nor as mind-scramblingly propulsive as the quad-turbo W16 in the Veyron.
The Zonda has huge character in the way it looks, sounds and moves down the road. Its a thoroughly Italian supercar aimed at buyers who have grown tired of other supercar offerings and demand the utmost in flair from their automobile. On that score, it has all the others beat. As with the CCX, the Zonda Fs handling is less edgy than the Carrera GT's or Enzo's. Both new kids have better ride quality than the Porsche or Ferrari, and the Pagani's excellent outward visibility make it exceedingly drivable.
The Bugatti Veyron leaves every other car here behind quite literally. In one comparison test, an F1 was driven past a static Veyron at nearly 100 mph; the Bugatti caught and passed the McLaren before the latter had reached 186 mph.
In addition to being the fastest by a country mile, the Veyron emerges as the most complete supercar of all time, and is also arguably the easiest to drive. What is most amazing, however, is the performance Bugatti managed to extract from a car with the curb weight of a Mercedes S-Class; it simply should not be nearly as fast or accelerative as it is. In the final analysis, the Bugatti does not have the most enthralling engine note (that honor goes to the Ferrari), the best steering feel (the McLaren), the most telepathic handling (the Porsche) or the prettiest shape (the Pagani), but it nevertheless leaves us in awe of the breadth of its abilities. It is the only one of the group in which you could drive 500 miles in a day and still be relaxed at the other end.
So where does all this leave the McLaren F1? When you consider that the areas where it loses out to newer rivals such as aerodynamics, electronics and tires are simply examples of where specific technologies have moved on, you realize just what an achievement this car represents. Moreover, as a pure driver's car, the F1 plays second fiddle to no other car here; its rewards are commensurate with its demands. On that score, it remains in a class of its own.
From: SCI Magazine
Battle for Supercar Supremacy
The greatest supercar of the 20th century, the McLaren F1, takes on the best from the 21st.
by IAN KUAH
The term supercar was coined in the mid-1960s to describe the Lamborghini Miura, the first high-performance road car to adopt the race-car configuration of a mid-mounted engine. The Miura also helped establish the mold for supercars being dramatically styled, priced beyond the means of most enthusiasts and extremely fast. As the decades passed, successive models pushed the boundaries on these three fronts.
In 1974, the Lamborghini Countach upstaged its predecessor in terms of design. Fast forward to 1984, and the 288 GTO was the fastest road car Ferrari had ever offered; it also ushered in an era of high-tech hyper-exotics that competed for top-speed, as well as top-price, laurels. These included cars such as the Porsche 959, Cizetta Moroder, Bugatti EB110 and Jaguar XJ220, as well as Ferraris F40 and F50. If the close of the 20th century is used as a cutoff point, the clear winner of these stakes was the 243-mph, $1 million McLaren F1, a machine that is considered by many to be the greatest supercar of all time.
The 21st century has produced its own heady crop of supercars that compete with, and in some cases surpass, the mighty McLaren on the horsepower, price tag and even top-speed fronts. Those at the top of the list include the Pagani Zonda, the Koenigsegg CCX, the Porsche Carrera GT, the Ferrari Enzo and the Bugatti Veyron. The question is, how do these five stars of this century compare to the king of the last?
McLaren F1
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Before we address that point, lets refresh our memories of the McLaren F1something we did during a recent visit to BMWs Mobile Tradition center in Munich, where the German carmaker, which supplied the McLarens V12 engine, keeps an F1 in its collection.
The brainchild of McLaren design guru Gordon Murray, the three-seater F1 broke new ground in so many ways that it made contemporary supercars like the Ferrari F40 and Lamborghini Diablo look positively antediluvian.
Though he aimed to make the greatest road car ever, Murray instinctively incorporated many motorsport-based ideas in the F1. This led to the use of exotic materials like carbon fiber for its monocoque chassis, magnesium for its wheels and gold plating for the heat shielding of its engine bay, as well as the deletion of such items as power assist for the steering and brakes. Though Murray says he overran the target weight by 304 pounds, the McLaren still weighs in at a svelte 2,509 pounds. Fitted with an enormously powerful (627 hp) and glorious-sounding 6.1-liter BMW V12 motor designed by the legendary Paul Roche, the McLaren stood at the absolute pinnacle of sports-car engineering for its day.
The F1 also stood above all the rest in terms of performance. It accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and had a claimed a top speed of 231 mph. As it turned out, it was the engines rev limiter that prevented the F1 from going any faster. This was removed for a record run at VWs Ehra Lessien test track, where Le Mans winner Andy Wallace hit 243 mph down the facilitys long, 5.6-mile straight.
Yet for all that speed, the McLaren was just as impressive in terms of design and packaging. It has a small footprint, yet within those relatively compact dimensions it packs three occupants and a reasonable amount of their possessions; fitted cases slot neatly into the side stowage bays. The F1 was, and still is, the most space-efficient supercar ever.
From the center seat, the wonderful, complex wail of the big BMW V12 comes through clear as a bell, but not to the point where it irritates. At parking-lot speeds, the lack of power steering makes the F1 hard to maneuver, but once on the move, the steering feel is wondrously uncorrupted and communicative. The tires relatively tall sidewalls make the F1 far less susceptible to tramlining than most of todays supercars.
The BMW engine is a sheer joy to use. The responsiveness of this single-throttle-per-cylinder big-displacement V12 is simply unmatched; throttle inputs are met with instantaneous and explosive power. This combined with the low curb weight means the F1 absolutely inhales straightaways.
Plain and simple, the McLaren carries no flab and feels alive in every fiber of its being. It defines the essence of the elemental supercar.
Koenigsegg CCX
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The car that finally toppled the F1 from its top-speed mantle was the Koenigsegg CCR, which achieved 243 mph at Nardo in February 2005. Yes, the absolute speed was the same, but since Nardo is a banked circuit, and tire scrub accounts for around 5 mph at that speed, the Koenigsegg is capable of nearly 250 mph.
Like the McLaren, as well as the Pagani, the Koenigsegg is the vision of one person: Christian Koenigsegg. I first met him back in 1997, when I drove the prototype Koenigsegg CC. The current CCX looks very much like that car, as well as the later production CC8S and CCR. They are wide, stubby and very aggressive, thuggish even and feature unique rotating doors and a removable roof panel. Underbody venturi tunnels and slippery bodywork combine to create downforce and reduce drag. The tub is made from carbon fiber, with front and rear alloy subframes mounting the engine, transaxle and double-wishbone suspension. Every item in the cockpit, aside from the Stacks readout and the radio, is bespoke.
Looks aside, the CCX is much evolved from its predecessors. More than 60 percent of the components changed from CCR to CCX, ranging from the tweaks to the chassis and various carbon-fiber parts to optional items such as 15-inch carbon-ceramic brakes and 19-and 20-inch magnesium/carbon-fiber wheels. However, the most noticeable changes are to the engine, which is the first truly great supercharged powerplant we have ever experienced.
Unlike the good but not entirely satisfactory blown motors from the likes of Jaguar and Mercedes, the bespoke Koenigsegg V8, with its twin Rotrex blowers, has no discernible lag, no nasty supercharger whine and no backlash when you come off the throttle suddenly and then go back into it.
With a bore and stroke of 90.4 x 90.7 mm, the 4,712-cc mill is almost exactly square, and it revs hard and fast. Not surprisingly, its also extremely powerful: 806 hp at 6,900 rpm and 678 lb-ft of torque at 5,700 rpm, enough to rocket the $540,000 U.S.-specification CCX from zero to 62 mph in just 3.2 seconds. The lunge between 6,000 rpm and the 7,600-rpm redline must be experienced to be believed. While the Koenigsegg's aerodynamic stability prevents unnecessary drama at high speeds, the engine's rolling-thunder soundtrack adds an epic quality to the driving experience and the 6-speed stick-shift transmission keeps the driver-involvement quotient high.
The CCX turns-in very quickly, thanks in part to its pin-sharp steering and its low 2,600-pound curb weight. Koenigsegg claims 1.3 g of lateral acceleration, but for a car with such high roadholding limits, the CCX rides surprisingly well. An extended road drive did not have us longing for a hot bath and a soft mattress.
This is a seriously fast car with no major flaws and quirky styling all its own. It was an impressive feat for a small company like Koenigsegg to set a top-speed record, but equally if not even more impressive is that it could deliver a supercar with such high build quality, exquisite detailing and clever design solutions.
Pagani Zonda F
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http://img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=art1p4dxx6.jpgWhen I visited the Pagani factory in Modena, Italy to drive the first Zonda in 1999, one of my first impressions was of its superb outward visibility, so important when driving a wide supercar around town. It reminded me of sitting under a fighter planes canopy.
Horacio Pagani is the person behind the car. In the early 90s, Pagani founded Modena Design, a company specializing in composite construction. He parlayed his expertise in this field into the creation of the Zondas stiff carbon-fiber central tub and lightweight bodywork.
Everything in the Zonda's cabin is bespoke, each switch and knob turned from aluminum. The exterior styling might be a bit too Buck Rogers futuristic for some, the circular arrangement of the quad exhaust tips is particularly rocketship-like but the Zonda looks like every little boy imagines a supercar should.
Without the money to develop his own engine from scratch, Pagani chose to fit a 6.0-liter Mercedes-Benz V12 from the S-Class, resulting in the 400-hp Zonda C12. For the C12S, this engine was upgraded to an AMG-tuned 7.3-liter mill putting out 555 horsepower. In the $750,000 Zonda F, which is not available in the U.S., the engine has been further tuned to 602 horsepower. Though this is the lowest output of any of the cars here, the Zonda F weighs in third lightest, at a modest 2,712 pounds.
The Zonda F's 3.5-second 0-60 mph time and 215-mph top speed are eclipsed by other 21st-century supercars. However, in Clubsport trim, a Zonda was driven around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:27.8. That's record time for a production car, and a good 4.0 seconds faster than the Porsche Carrera GT or Koenigsegg CCX, both of which posted 7:32 laps.
But the Zonda is not a race car for the road; driving it is both easy and rewarding. That great visibility takes the guesswork out of placing it in bends. The weighting of the power steering is just right, not too light, not too heavy. The same is true of the throttle and brake pedals, though the shift action of the 6-speed manual gearbox is a bit heavy. The suspension is compliant, yet you can swing the Zondas helm quickly from side to side and it responds instantly. As Koenigsegg did with the CCX, Pagani nailed the Zondas ride/handling balance which makes sense, because the same test driver, Loris Bicocchi, developed both.
The Zondas traction control works well, but turn it off and the driver has to be very gentle with the throttle in order to not to overwhelm the rear rubber, so instantaneous and potent is the V12's torque delivery. Once the wide tires have keyed into the tarmac, the Zonda's forward thrust is intoxicating. So is the sound it makes; amazing from the inside, but truly awesome outside. The scream of the V12 is the most lasting impression I have of the Pagani.
Porsche Carrera GT
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The Carrera GT is a bit of an enigma. Its styling is Porsche, but the driving experience is quite unlike any Porsche that has gone before. This should come as no surprise, because the Carrera GT is built differently than Porsches previous two supercars. Unlike the 959, which was constructed upon a standard 911 steel unibody, and the 911 GT1, which mated the front structure of a 911 with a steel spaceframe in the rear, the Carrera GT has a carbon-fiber monocoque.
And instead of being powered by a heavily modified 911 Turbo engine, the Carrera GT was treated to a unique normally aspirated V10. This mid-mounted 5.7-liter mill churns out 612 horsepower at a lofty 8,000 rpm, and 435 lb-ft of torque at 5,750 rpm. Driving the rear wheels, it enabled the 3,042-pound machine to sprint to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, 100 mph in 6.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 205 mph. The price for all this performance when this car was in still in production was $440,000.
The Carrera GT has no pretentious separate start buttons or aircraft-style flick switches to light up the ignition; just turn the key and the V10 fires up with a high-pitched yelp. The revs rise and fall instantly when the throttle is blipped, reminding us of the advantages of natural aspiration versus forced induction.
If the car has one foible it is the super-lightweight ceramic clutch. To avoid stalling, the driver has to let the clutch out very slowly and gingerly apply the throttle, quick starts from stoplights are tricky. The gearbox, however, is fantastic. Shift action is light and positive. The slots are fairly close together so you do have to be deliberate, but you can literally use just a couple of fingers to swap cogs.
Once under way, the Carrera GT is very easy to drive. Its power steering is highly descriptive of the road surface yet does not kick back unnecessarily. The handling is so fluid and well balanced that the Porsche quickly becomes an extension of the drivers will. Rather than driving the car, you begin to think it through the bends.
The acceleration is explosive, and the soundtrack that accompanies the V10s leap for the redline in each gear redefines the description of the term spine-tingling. Yet even driving the Carrera GT at more normal speeds on public roads is a tremendous treat; you will always come back with a big grin on your face.
Ferrari Enzo
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Ferrari has made some great cars, some mediocre ones and occasionally a real lemon. The Enzo is what happens when all the stars in Maranello are aligned.
This Ferraris 651-hp 6.0-liter V12 bursts to life with a loud bark, and make you feel like youre in the pits at an endurance race. Its radical styling has the same effect; the Enzo simply oozes speed. Even just limbering up, it more than hints at what's to come. Though lightly weighted, the power-assisted steering is full of feedback. The carbon-fiber construction of its monocoque and bodywork results in a modest curb weight of 3,009 pounds despite its large physical size; the Enzo always feels light and responsive.
Relatively low mass coupled with a big, torquey, normally aspirated engine is a recipe for hair-trigger acceleration, and not surprisingly, the Enzo moves out with a rabid urgency that is both mind-blowing and addictive. The paddle-shift transmission makes launches and changing gears effortless, though in Race mode the upshifts are far from smooth. On downshifts, the electronics automatically blip the throttle, making you sound like a hero to bystanders. The complex noises emanating from behind your head are simply amazing, a rhapsody of intake, exhaust and sheer mechanical complexity that constantly changes pitch and intensity based on engine speed.
It may look brutal, but the Enzo is far from being a blunt instrument when it comes to handling. A sensitive and communicative partner, it responds best to gentle inputs and clearly dislikes being prodded. It tells you through the steering wheel and the seat of your pants when you are approaching the limit. Listen closely to this Ferrari's signals and the rewards can be immense. But you need to take your time to learn it and uncover more layers of its personality. There is a practically nil chance of anyone ever getting bored with Enzo ownership.
Bugatti Veyron
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As an engineering tour de force, the Veyron captures the spirit of the 21st century just as the McLaren F1 did in the 20th, but it does so with a very different ethos. Where McLaren wanted to make the ultimate driver's car, one that rewarded the keenest of pilots and just happened to set a top-speed record, the VW Group was focused from day one on creating the fastest road car the world had ever seen, yet one that didn't demand an FIA license to fully exploit. Gordon Murray took a minimalist approach to achieving his goal, while the VW Group engineers charged after their aim with all their heavy technological guns firing. As result of the later, and despite its carbon-fiber chassis and a similar footprint, the Bugatti weighs 4,300 pounds, a shocking 1,800 pounds more than the McLaren.
The Veyrons massive, and massively complex, quad-turbo 8.0-liter W16 engine generates a staggering 1,001 horsepower and a prodigious 925 lb-ft of torque. Harnessed by all-wheel drive, a semi-automatic 7-speed gearbox and Launch Control, the Veyron can storm from rest to 62 mph in 2.5 seconds. When placed in its low-drag top speed setting, it can attain a terminal velocity of 253 mph.
For 1.1 million euros plus tax, you expect perfection in build quality and the Veyron delivers. At Chateau St. Jean in Molsheim, Germany, eight specialists lovingly assemble each car over a period of nearly three weeks. At this level, art is just as important as engineering, and the Veyron is blessed with some of the most exquisite detailing ever applied to a motor car. The fittings in the cosy cabin delight both the eyes and the fingertips. Gazing upon the exposed engine is a delight in itself; no pretentious glass cover with cooling slats here.
The defining moment in my Veyron drive came when Bugatti test driver Olivier Thevenin suggested that I do a full-bore standing start to around 70 mph and then hit the brakes as hard as I could. With my left foot firmly on the brake pedal, I increased engine revs progressively with the right until I felt the car bursting to be uncaged. Just before I released the brake pedal and planted the throttle to the carpet, I heard Thevenin say that I would feel my stomach wrench under the g-forces.
His words were drowned out by a hearty roar from the big motor and the screech of four tortured tires desperately trying to transmit 501 newly unbridled horses. (The Bugatti makes do with just 500 horsepower unless switched into its full-power mode.) I have never encountered such explosive acceleration this side of the Benetton F1 car I drove some years ago. The acceleration is especially hard to fathom when you consider that two tons of inertia must be overcome at launch. The experience left me short of both words and breath.
As the tach needle arced into the red, I flipped the right paddle-shifter and the Veyrons warp-speed charge continued seamlessly, with the speedo arcing round the dial as if on fast forward. Then I hit the brakes as hard as I could. Bugatti claims that the car will stop from 62 mph in 2.3 seconds, thanks to its gargantuan 15.8-inch carbon brake rotors, but it seemed even more abrupt than that. While my stomach was fine, my eyeballs felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets.
The Veyrons awesome performance is more than enough to humble all comers. But the counterpoint to its towering acceleration and effortless high-speed potential is that whether tooling around town or cruising on the highway, the Bugatti is easy to drive, comfortable and sumptuously luxurious.
Five on One
The five 21st-century supercars definitely revealed some chinks in the McLarens armor. The F1 has no power steering, which makes it harder to maneuver at low speeds, and even with its relatively soft suspension and high-profile tires, its ride quality is far from limousine-like. Plus, it rolls more than any of the others here when pushed hard in bends. It would be interesting to see just how much better the F1 would be on modern low-profile rubber with taller wheels.
Unlike the latest crop of supercars, the McLaren is also aerodynamically challenged at very high speeds. Some owners have asked the factory to install the rear wing from the race version, which neatly cures this problem. Finally, the F1 is the only car here without traction control, which means you have to be delicate with the throttle exiting bends. However, even by the ultimate standard of this group, the BMW V12 is a sheer joy to use. What an engine note, and what instantaneous and explosive power! And above 30 mph, the steering is a revelation in terms of feel.
Like race cars built to a class formula, the Carrera GT and Enzo have quite a lot in common, both in the way they were built and in the way they drive. Each has a large-displacement normally aspirated engine with terrific throttle response and high revving capability. They both sound like race cars for the road, which isn't far from the truth. Most importantly, they represent Porsche and the Ferrari at their best.
The Carrera GT and Enzo give the impression of being totally connected to the road without feeling nervous. However, they can become tricky to handle when you try to put down too much power in a corner. Traction control does not provide the driver with immunity from the laws of physics, as owners have discovered to their own peril. To drive either of these cars at the limit demands a lot of skill; because of its standard transmission, the Porsche demands even more. To that end, the Carrera GT is more closely akin to the McLaren F1.
Bugatti, Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren. These names are deeply engraved in sports-car and racing history. On that basis, Pagani and Koenigsegg are the new kids on the block, but both carmakers use this fact to their advantage.
If a buyer is looking for a supercar thats utterly unique, it would be hard to do better than the CCX. Yet the Koenigsegg is no fragile showpiece. Its been over-engineered to survive the heat of places like Dubai. The CCX's engine is more powerful than all but the Bugatti; this combined with the fact that it is the lightest of the 21st-century supercars makes it blindingly fast. But in the final analysis, the Koenigsegg's supercharged V8 just isn't as seductive as the normally aspirated V10 and V12 engines, nor as mind-scramblingly propulsive as the quad-turbo W16 in the Veyron.
The Zonda has huge character in the way it looks, sounds and moves down the road. Its a thoroughly Italian supercar aimed at buyers who have grown tired of other supercar offerings and demand the utmost in flair from their automobile. On that score, it has all the others beat. As with the CCX, the Zonda Fs handling is less edgy than the Carrera GT's or Enzo's. Both new kids have better ride quality than the Porsche or Ferrari, and the Pagani's excellent outward visibility make it exceedingly drivable.
The Bugatti Veyron leaves every other car here behind quite literally. In one comparison test, an F1 was driven past a static Veyron at nearly 100 mph; the Bugatti caught and passed the McLaren before the latter had reached 186 mph.
In addition to being the fastest by a country mile, the Veyron emerges as the most complete supercar of all time, and is also arguably the easiest to drive. What is most amazing, however, is the performance Bugatti managed to extract from a car with the curb weight of a Mercedes S-Class; it simply should not be nearly as fast or accelerative as it is. In the final analysis, the Bugatti does not have the most enthralling engine note (that honor goes to the Ferrari), the best steering feel (the McLaren), the most telepathic handling (the Porsche) or the prettiest shape (the Pagani), but it nevertheless leaves us in awe of the breadth of its abilities. It is the only one of the group in which you could drive 500 miles in a day and still be relaxed at the other end.
So where does all this leave the McLaren F1? When you consider that the areas where it loses out to newer rivals such as aerodynamics, electronics and tires are simply examples of where specific technologies have moved on, you realize just what an achievement this car represents. Moreover, as a pure driver's car, the F1 plays second fiddle to no other car here; its rewards are commensurate with its demands. On that score, it remains in a class of its own.
From: SCI Magazine
