Slightly over shadowed by all the drama surrounding the Vanishing Point Dodge Challenger, Car and Driver competed in the 2008 One Lap of America event behind the wheel of a stock Nissan GT-R. Typically a magazine editor going for an extended joy ride in a pre-production sports car isn't expected to severely push the vehicle's limits, which is why Tony Swan cruised to a decent 11th place overall finish in the event. Not a bad placement, but also apparently not good enough for some, as interested internet anti-fanboys have taken the opportunity to criticize the car based on its performance in the vent. However, the negative commentators neglected to take into account the seriousness of the top vehicles and their veteran drivers.
After spending one-on-one quality time with the GT-R, Mr. Swan also sings a slightly different song than some. He agrees that it is blistering quick, but maybe not as easy to drive as some have lead you to believe. The wide open track at Road America let Nissan's lovechild stretch its legs, but scaling down the venue did not directly translate. The Bridgestone run flat tires and inherent low speed understeer were a handful in wet and tight corner conditions. Perhaps it might have behaved the same way at the autocross venue, but lack of cone dodging experience (or more likely the lack of cones to dodge) led to a DNF for the car in the parking lot event. The drag strip also unveiled the GT-R electrical system's lack of launch control intuitiveness, as quarter mile staging methods interfered with the system's engagement. Despite a few difficulties, in the end the car was praised for its comfort level and ample luggage capacity for the week long journey. Thanks for the tip, Rexhavoc!
In case you missed our update on the original post: mere days after rolling out a neoclassic Challenger done up like the lead character in Vanishing Point, Erich Heuschele stuffed it into a tire wall at Road America. Hey, things happen. At least only his ego was bruised; the damaged car was driven 200 miles without incident, proving that the scarring was little more than a flesh wound.
The nice thing about being in an automaker's inner circle is that you can make a phone call and get a car dropped off like a cup of coffee from an intern. Breaking the early morning stillness of a Sunday sunrise, an orange Challenger SRT-8 sporting black stripes rode into the pits at Iowa's Mid America Motorplex. One Lap rules preclude running for points after a vehicle replacement, so co-drivers Heuschele and Gillies are competing for giggles and exposure at this point. Never fear, though, the white-dunked Challenger is currently undergoing repairs, and should resurface for the Targa Newfoundland.
Click above to see what the Vanishing Point Challenger looked like before
The Chrysler employees who entered the prototype Dodge Challenger in this year's One Lap of America may have taken the car's Vanishing Point theme a bit too seriously. Just like in the classic film, the stark white Challenger came face to face with a solid object. The car met its demise in Round 2's time trial event at Road America after getting loose through turn 1. It then left the track and came to a stop perched atop a tire-wall. This course of events departs slightly from the original movie plot, where the Challenger did not meet its destructive fate until the final frames. The film version also somehow managed to survive its own slew of off road adventures without much harm, proving that Hollywood doesn't necessarily mimic real life. Fortunately the Challenger driver, Erich Heuschele, came away from his off track excursion unscathed. The crew has reported that the car will be out for the remainder of events, though it was spotted leaving the track under its own power so a return might be a slim possibility. Check out the source link below for more images of the carnage.
Gallery: Dodge "Vanishing Point" Challenger
5/4/08 - 2:40 PM EST - UPDATE: The team came back today with a second, orange Challenger, but since One Lap rules forbid changing cars mid-campaign, they're out of the running for points. On a related side note: one of the Chrysler employees drove the wrecked Challenger some 200 miles with no mechanical issues. The vehicle is current at a friend's shop, being repaired and prepped for the upcoming Targa Newfoundland Rally.
Click above for high-res gallery of the Dodge "Vanishing Point" Challenger
It's good to know that there are folks at Chrysler who are still having a good time despite the rubbish state of auto sales in the U.S. The best evidence of this is the automakers's entry this year's One Lap of America "cross-country" race. Chrysler's Vice President Ralph Gilles and Erich Heuschele, Vehicle Dynamics Supervisor for SRT, are entering a blank white Challenger inspired by the 1970 Dodge Challenger that stars in the cult film Vanishing Point from 1971. The plot of the original movie revolves around a guy named Kowalski who has to deliver a white 1970 Challenger from Denver to San Francisco. He's aided by a blind DJ named Super Soul who listens to the police band and delivers helpful if not clairvoyant info to the protagonist over the radio. It's fitting then that Gilles and Heuschele have entered the One Lap race this year under the names of Kowalski and Super Soul, and the car they'll be driving is the very first preproduction Challenger prototype that was ever driven on public roads. It's been rescued from the crusher and slightly modified with a fresh coat of white paint (the first ever seen on a new Challenger) and new wheels to more resemble the original. Check out our gallery of the "Return to Vanishing Point" Challenger below, and glimpse the fun film Chrysler produced after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Michelle!
Click above to view Hennessey's Viper ACR upon delivery
Gearheads across the country are crossing off days on the calendar until May 2 when One Lap of America returns. The annual event, for those unfamiliar, takes participants across the country on a Cannonball-style rally competing on racetracks and road courses scattered along the way. Dodge always makes a strong showing at One Lap, and the team at the company's SRT workshop planned on entering two vehicles this year: a Challenger and a Viper. Time and resources being limited however, Dodge SRT turned to noted Viper tuner John Hennessey to help prepare a brand spankin' new Viper ACR – unveiled just this past November in LA – for the event. To that end, Dodge sent the first Viper ACR off the assembly line to Hennessey, who is now undertaking the task of preparing the car for the race next week. With SRT chief Erich Heuschle driving the Challenger, multiple SCCA national champion and SRT engineer Chris Winkler will be piloting the Viper. Considering that, as John H. points out, Hennessey Vipers came in second place the past two years running, the new ACR promises to put up a good snake fight for the honors this time around.
This past Saturday marked the closing of the 2007 One Lap of America and after the scores were totaled, the duo of Mark DaVia and Drew Wikstrom walked away with the trophy for the fourth consecutive year. Manning their championship Porsche 996 Turbo, they beat out the second place contenders Brian Smith and Nick Arevalo in the #3 Hennessey Viper, while the Mk. IV Supra came home with third place piloted by the team of Greg Caloudas and Leh Keen.
Winding Road has pics and a breakdown of each winner in the individual classes, and we'd be remiss not to say that we're totally making plans to at least cover next year's event. Maybe more.
Between our periodic bouts of rage and disappointment for not making it to this year's One Lap, we've been able to keep tabs on the event by checking in with our friends at Winding Road and also with the power-obsessed folks at GSC Motorsports. They've been making consistent posts on their blog, while campaigning a 580 WHP Mk. IV Supra in the event.
Most of the posts are your typical sleep-deprived, stream of consciousness blatherings that provide an authentic insight into the stages, the travel, the antics and the competitors that make up this great event. What's even better, their Supra has been consistently running with some of the heavy hitters of past events, including the Davias 996 Turbo, the Hennessy Viper and an assortment of other high-powered, high-maintenance iron.
In addition to their progress, the site also gives readers a glimpse into what technical hurdles await competitors, be it removing the sway bars and softening the shocks to make things stick on the skid pad, or watching a competing team's engine eat itself mid-stage. It's entertaining and educational. Plus, they've got pretty pictures too.
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions and our own little slice of the seventh layer is being forced to sit on the sidelines as this year's One Lap of America begins... without us. Thankfully, Chris Paukert, our colleague from Winding Road, will be reporting back on the happenings of the 2007 event, so at least we can live vicariously through WR's site, here.
For the uninitiated, the One Lap of America began as a legitimate way of paying homage to the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash that took place back in the 70s. Instead of making like Dom DeLuise and Burt Reynolds (or Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, for that matter), One Lap participants are lead around the country to a variety of racetracks, where the two-person team (sometimes three) then tries to set the best lap in their class. Modifications are allowed, but the competitors have to run on the same set of tires during the entire event. That not only includes the track time, but the rally stages in between that can sometimes last up to 24 hours.
Winding Road has the full breakdown of what's allowed, vehicle classes, rules, regs and the rest here and be sure to follow One Lap's progress here and here. Brock Yates insists.
Even if you hate drifting, you 've got to admit that when the slides are executed with flair, it's pretty entertaining to watch. That's how we felt when we first saw the the video above. In it, Team Panther's 600+ horsepower Ford Police Interceptor puts on a great little show during last year's One Lap of America competition. The announcer's a bit intrusive, and we wish we could hear more of the sounds coming from the car, but it's really fun to watch when the white cop car gets into a groove, lights ablaze.
We're back from a short hiatus and Chris is all rested up from his week+ long trip across the country working on this year's One Lap of America. He and I talk about the event and some interesting autos that showed up to compete in Brock's baby. We also reveal the deal on Jason Vines taking issue with us (i.e. me) questioning his moves as a PR man in a post that went live yesterday. You can check out that post here for some background. Finally, we give our take on a proposal in Texas to up the speed limit to 80 mph in some areas, and say our piece on the soon-to-be-departed Hummer H1 that General Motors has announced will be cancelled next month.
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