Click above to view videos after the jump
You may remember last week we showed you a split-screen video of the Dodge Viper ACR and Corvette ZR-1 lapping the famed Nurburgring in Germany. As you already know, the Dodge Viper ACR now holds the fastest lap record with a blistering time of 7:22.1. What you may not know is that the record lap was set by SRT engineer Tom Coronel on just his fifth lap ever around the 'Ring. His team arrived in Germany just the day before, none of them ever having run Germany's most famous track before. Coronel actually broke the record on his third lap with a time 7:24.1, but then proceeded to break his own record two laps later.
What we have for you after the jump is some of the official video of that record lap from two different angles. The first you saw a bit of in the split screen video with the ZR1, but this is the full-screen version with G force data and track location data on the screen. The second comes courtesy of the Viper Club of America, who put together an exclusive video of the same lap using an outboard camera on the passenger side. Both are amazing to watch, if only to understand just a bit more how terribly fast the Viper ACR is.
[Source: Streetfire.net, ViperClubofAmerica.org, Allpar.com]
In-car view
Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR Sets Nurburgring Record
Outboard passenger side view
2010 Nissan Cube breaks cover in Japan
Officially Official: 2010 Ford Mustang!
2010 Ford Mustang revealed early on Ford's own website!
2009 Nissan 370Z rolls out early in So. Cal
VIDEO: 2009 Nissan 370Z revealed early in So. Cal.
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 HUMMER H3T Alpha
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Hyundai Genesis
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse LT
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Sam @ Sep 5th 2008 7:10PM
Looks as if all the people commenting on how the ACR could be driven around the Ring faster were correct. It is one of the longest, most technically advanced and varied race courses in the world, and a "Ring rookie" won't be able to get as low of a time as someone with a lot of experience there.
Still a hell of a drive, but it would be interesting to see what someone who has done 100s of laps there could do.
Russell @ Sep 5th 2008 9:52PM
Tough choice.
Engine Stand on wheels > Viper
or
Precision, Handling, Civility > Corvette
I know what Neanderthals would pick.
Chase @ Sep 6th 2008 2:12AM
It takes a lot more than an engine stand on wheels to make a car that fast on a race track. Point being, this Viper has less power than the ZR1. If you check the side-by-side footage of the ACR versus the ZR1, the ACR certainly wasn't making its time in the straights.
Now that that is out of the way, the ACR is designed for the track, where the ZR1 is designed for the road. They're different cars. I personally like the ZR1 better, but its simply uncalled for to bash the Viper like that.
knifetramp @ Sep 6th 2008 9:41AM
"It takes a lot more than an engine stand on wheels to make a car that fast on a race track."
Yes indeed, it takes R-rated tires! I guess risk of lawsuits doesn't phase a company going out of business?
sfcb @ Sep 5th 2008 7:38PM
Tom Coronel is a racing driver that competes in WTCC.
Carlos @ Sep 5th 2008 7:41PM
Does anyone else notice how insanely long those gear shifts sound?
Tony @ Sep 6th 2008 12:17PM
Or how insanely long he kept it in the rev limiter for?
Maybe thats why he didn't shift, it would of taken too long.
Domestic 6.0 @ Sep 5th 2008 7:52PM
Yeah boy the number one spot held by an American .... Dodge baby .... I love how the haters are feeling right now ..... haha .... USA all Day ////
brent @ Sep 5th 2008 8:06PM
USA all day is right, dawg!!!!
I gotta say, it's a good day indeed when the MOPAR BOYS spank the Japanese and Germans.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if GM and Dodge worked as allies, tricking Nissan into benchmarking the ZR1 -- instead of the ACR -- for its V-spec.
AHAHAHAHAH!!!!
BTW...where's Proud Japanese? I say, WHERE IS HE?!?!?!?!?
What? He's crying? So sad, so sad...
Itsuru @ Sep 5th 2008 8:54PM
Why bring the country into it? It's not like you all put it together as a team, it was a group of very smart men who inhabit the same land mass as you, unfortunatly for them.
Leave the patronage out.
Itsuru @ Sep 5th 2008 8:55PM
By men I just meant people, before you go down that road.
ambientFLIER @ Sep 6th 2008 3:04PM
Good job, Redneck 6.0.
I don't think the haters really care all that much, considering the ACR is pretty much a race car with barely street legal tires. Nobody is going to drive it on the street, and it's not a big surprise that it performs well.
To be fair, you'd need to compare it to a race-stripped GTR V-Spec or a stripped ZR1, in which case the viper might be spanked.
pio!pio! @ Sep 5th 2008 7:59PM
Actually, Tom Coronel has plenty of laps on the ring
He drove the Zakspeed Viper at the 24H Nurburgring endurance race.
And he's not an SRT engineer either but a pro race driver that SRT hired for this Ring attempt. (Actually I think they hired Zakspeed who then sourced Coronel)
So the only ones who've never been to the ring before are prolly the SRT engineers, not the driver anyone affiliated with Zakspeed
cye @ Sep 5th 2008 8:01PM
where is that Proud Japan? lol
Bryan @ Sep 5th 2008 8:05PM
...and they want to get rid of this car, blows my mind!
Tourian @ Sep 6th 2008 12:04PM
They probably don't WANT to get rid of it, they just have to to raise capital and cut expenses. Besides, what better way to attract top dollar and a buyer then to give the car a big PR boost by setting a record with it.
wasabisuicide @ Sep 5th 2008 8:17PM
mad props. this could attract investors and buyers.
Quan @ Sep 5th 2008 8:37PM
Doubtful, at best. Investors and buyers will be attracted when Chrysler manages to build decent mainstream cars that aren't years behind the competition. A car that costs $100,000 and can lap the Nurburgring really fast won't achieve that. Putting more time into the cars that actually make money for a company, will.
Josh @ Sep 5th 2008 8:48PM
If the gears were better optimized this car could shave another couple seconds off that time. I lost count of how many times and how long the car spent bouncing off the limiter!
0mega @ Sep 5th 2008 9:11PM
If the driver were a bit quicker at shifting and missed less shifts that would shave a good bit off ;) Although there are a few where he made the right call on not shifting (Right before a turn where he would have had to shift back down anyway. )