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    USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    I just had a delightful conversation with a writer for an American car magazine who had been testing the Carrera GT in Italy. This was apparently a USA media event held at a small, tight race track in Italy. The writer said that it was not conducive to high speeds and was "about as tight as a kart track" (maybe some hyperbole here).

    At least one other writer with whom I am very familiar was in attendance from a competing magazine.

    There were two test cars; a red one and a silver one. They were prototypes with sequence number "0000" on the dashboard. This sounds like the same two cars used in the European tests with which we are already familiar.

    The following quick numbers were recited:

    0-60 MPH = 3.5 seconds

    0-100 MPH = 6.8 seconds

    0-130 MPH = 10.8 seconds

    1/4 mile = 12.2 seconds @ 132 MPH

    70-0 MPH Braking = 145 feet - this result was the shortest braking distance that the editor could remember ever recording.

    Max Lateral g = 1.1 g measured in average mode with VBOX GPS vehicle dynamics measurement system. (unknown averaging period)

    The other writer measured 1.25 g using the instantaneous mode on the VBOX and looking for local data peaks.

    The Enzo was tested some time ago using the average mode on the VBOX and came out at 1.03 g.

    Tidbits:

    As to fluid leak on Tim Allen's CGT; there are no external oil lines that connect the engine to the oil tank that is housed in the transmission casting. There are cast, or machined, oil passages in the two castings that are joined by gaskets at the mating surfaces where the engine and transmission castings are joined.

    The carbon fiber body and chassis supplier is the same as for the Enzo (we already knew that). The CGT carbon fiber parts are produced at a rate of 2 per day until the Enzo production is completed. After that, the rate goes up to 2.7 per day. This starts in the Fall.

    The 1/4 mile times are "conservative', and limited by available traction. All accelleration runs were conducted with the traction control "ON". Without TC engaged, the launches were described as "buck, smoke 'em, or stall". The difficulty comes from the very light rotating inertia of the engine. It is super quick to rev, but there is very little rotary inertia stored in the engine/flywheel/clutch to "dump" into the tires on launch. Makes it tough to perfect quick times.

    The clutch doesn't really slip any appreciable amount. The take up distance in the clutch pedal is only about one inch. Motoring away from rest is easy on the flat by letting out the clutch pedal at idle, and then gently adding some gas. The editor said it was comfortable, but he might be nervous if he had to pull out of a parking spot going up-hill. He allowed that more practice time would certainly help.

    The ceramic clutch seemed extraordiarily durable -- "took a sh** load of abuse". The writer for the competing magazine (known for abusing clutches to obtain stellar 0-60 times) asked the Porsche techs if they planned to replace the clutch after the testing. They replied, "No. ... Why?"

    The lower control arms of the suspension on the CGT are made of steel because alloy isn't strong enough due to their unusual length. The "longness" contributes to better (lower) camber changes during jounce or rebound of the suspension. The control arms have been given an air-foil shape to help them intrude less on the aerodynamics of the rear under-body diffusers through which they pass.

    The review is scheduled to print in May with a June, 2004 cover date.

    That's about all I can remember from the conversation.

    Cheers,

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    Thanks for the info its the sort of thing you don't get in the magazine tests

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    Did you ask which US magazine they represent?

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    Great info, Mike! Thanks for passing it on.
    --Pierre

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    Quote:
    baron said:
    Did you ask which US magazine they represent?



    I know them both

    And, ... curiosity killed the cat

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    I'm just curious ... What will Porsche do with these cars after the press events are all over?

    For that matter ... what does Porsche do with any car that is loaned out to the press for testing? Are these cars eventually sold as a discount?

    --Gavin.

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    Thanks very much. Very interesting read

    One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Quote:
    W8MM said:
    That's about all I can remember from the conversation.




    OK, I just remembered a bit more.

    When the writer made some extemely superlative comments about the how the CGT was "pretty much the top sports car in the world" (re: my order, He kept saying how lucky I was, how fortunate I was, and how envious he was ), I was naturally curious if that judgment included the Enzo.

    That is how the Enzo's 1.03 g in average mode on the VBOX came up.

    I asked him to compare the CGT and Enzo. He said that he really couldn't do any fine comparisons of the differences in driving dynamics because it had been way too long since he drove the Enzo. He considered the dynamic performance of both cars to be roughly comparable.

    He did say that he liked the manual gear change in the CGT better than the F1 shifter in the Enzo, but that was just his personal taste. The CGT shifter is not a cable shifter like the 996, but uses rods and he says feels terrific.

    His overall feeling about the two cars came down to where each company had drawn the line between street car and race car. He thought Porsche had done the better job of finding the more perfect place to draw it. He said the fact that it was a convertible really pushed the CGT ahead.

    ---------------------

    More remembering:

    The writer really liked the view forward in the Carrera GT. In fact, he said the outward visibility, in general, was first rate. The door mirrors are quite large (maybe 11" wide X 5" tall) and made blind spots a thing of the past. The only caveat he had about the mirrors were that they somewhat obstructed his 10:00 and 14:00 vision. I asked if jay-walking pedestrians should fear the CGT and we shared a good laugh over it


    Apparently, carbon fiber doesn't like to cooperate with making a beautiful painted surface. The body has something on the order of 30 kg of surface filler applied to cover up the "grain" or "mesh" effect that would otherwise result by painting the carbon panels directly.

    Speaking of carbon fiber, when Porsche decided to make the engine cradle out of CF (instead of the already-been-done aluminum frame), some careful planning for engine cooling was part of the design. Since CFRP is plastic with carbon stiffeners, it doesn't have the same temperature-vs-strength performance as metals. It is stronger and lighter than metals at reasonable temperatures, but its mechanical properties fall off as temperature increases much more quickly than metals. As a result, there is quite a bit of exotic planning and engineering devoted to heat extraction from the major heat sources in the car. The writer marveled at the different coolers, radiators, and fans placed in just the right spots with careful attention to air flow that makes the heat management result so effective.

    I mentioned the pictures on the web of Tim Allen's car, partially disassembled, that showed a front-mounted radiator that appeared to me to be the size of a small card table. He agreed that it was , in fact, a whopper of a radiator and might be as large as one square meter. I asked how the heated air was exhausted after passing through it, was it dumped underneath the car? He said, no, the airflow was split into two half-streams and directed into the wheel wells, where it could flow out the huge vents on the aft side of the front fenders -- just in front of the doors. I mentioned that when I had looked over the show car in Geneva, it looked to me like the front of the car was shaped like an F1 or Indy car with some fenders draped over the aerodynamics. He agreed that it appeared the same way to him.

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Very cool, Mike!

    My only disappointment is that there isn't an option to forego the the heavy body filler. I would opt for bare carbon (or alternatively the woven texture peeking through the paint). My 73RS replica has some of each - I love the look of the bare carbon and that's a considerable weight savings...

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Im guessing you mean 11.2 for the quarter and not 12.2

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    Thank you very much for the excellent info!

    It really isn't that important, but I'm slightly disappointed w/the ET for the 1/4mi. run even given its traction issues from a standstill.

    I know--different day, different conditions, different tracks--but from an unscientific comparison, that run would put it less than 1mph faster and 1.5sec slower than Tyson's former protomotive 996tt in the 1/4mi.

    Yes, none of this really matters in regard to where the CGT was designed to be used, but it is still interesting to at least me. I look forward to seeing a CGT on track at a PCA event in the near future.

    Greg A

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Quote:
    H2OTT said:
    Im guessing you mean 11.2 for the quarter and not 12.2



    Nope. I mean 12.2!

    The writer said it had launch traction issues

    The 132 trap speed says as much, No??

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Quote:
    Grant said:
    I love the look of the bare carbon and that's a considerable weight savings...



    That's a GREAT pic of your car, Grant

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Thanks, Mike! I'm really looking forward to hearing about your CGT when it comes!!!!

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    nice post!

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    "I mentioned the pictures on the web of Tim Allen's car, partially disassembled, that showed a front-mounted radiator that appeared to me to be the size of a small card table. He agreed that it was , in fact, a whopper of a radiator and might be as large as one square meter."

    the car actually has 5 radiators - 4 small ones and the one to which you are referring which is as large as the entire trunk bottom. it's huge.

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Quote:
    W8MM said:
    Apparently, carbon fiber doesn't like to cooperate with making a beautiful painted surface. The body has something on the order of 30 kg of surface filler applied to cover up the "grain" or "mesh" effect that would otherwise result by painting the carbon panels directly.




    Last weekend we took a tour of a local car club that has an old Packard dealer as its "clubhouse" and among the many wonderful cars (a beautiful 959, 1955 300SL, a dozen classic Ferraris including a Formula 1 car, etc.) was a McLaren F1, and you could see the mesh texture through the paint on the rear spoiler.

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Here's a sampling of the beauties at the car club--my son with his 40th anniversary 911 shirt on!

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Quote:
    Grant said:
    Very cool, Mike!

    My only disappointment is that there isn't an option to forego the the heavy body filler. I would opt for bare carbon (or alternatively the woven texture peeking through the paint). My 73RS replica has some of each - I love the look of the bare carbon and that's a considerable weight savings...



    I completely agree Grant. By the way, your car is beautiful. I have a CF rear bumper on my 930 and I like the weave. It's how I know that it is CF. I think it defeats the point if you use filler to smooth it out.

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    check this out, particularly at the end at how fast it just leaves the audi which is already flying:

    http://www.audipassion.com/services/videotheque/videos/amateurs/club_des_amateurs_audi/amateur_porsche_carrera_gt_en_liberte_hd_fr.mpg

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Great writeup Mike! Thanks!

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Poursha,
    Where is this club and can civilians visit?

    Great picture of your son with the 300!

    Dain

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    Mike,
    Thanks for posting this conversation! Very interesting.

    Dain

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Quote:
    carrageous said:
    Poursha,
    Where is this club and can civilians visit?

    Great picture of your son with the 300!

    Dain



    The Candy Store in Burlingame, CA. You need to be invited by a member to get a tour.
    www.candystoreclub.com

    The local Mercedes club had a tour last week.

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    What codec does this .mpeg use?

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    Its a MPEG-2 SVCD, so any DVD viewing software will do, window's WMP 9 can also if you have an mpeg-2 codec installed.

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    OT: Xenorate offer a good free mpeg2 codec if you don't have any commercial DVD playing software installed.

    Xenorate

    (Grab the Mpeg2 Pack for use with Windows Media Player)

    Re: USA enthusiast media test Carrera GT in Italy

    I was talking to a friend of mine a few months ago who owns a 288 GTO, F40, F50 and Enzo.

    We were specifically speaking about the paint, and he said that in the F50 you can very distinctly see the Carbon Fiber weave through the paint. He said that at that time Ferrari was not aware that paint on Carbon Fiber would exhibit that side effect, but that they have noticeably fixed that with the Enzo.

    Re: One writer's take on Carrera GT vs. Enzo

    Poursha,
    Thanks for the note, I'll try to find someone to get me in there!

    And since that was out, and I was in SF for the weekend, I went to the Ferrari Challenge at Infineon on Saturday and got a very serious car fix. Some amazing cars I'd never seen in the flesh before.

    Dain

     
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