Help me choose what supercars to drive!
January 3, 2017 1:53 PM Subscribe
I'm being invited to a team-building event where we're driving supercars. Help me pick my two cars!
I get to do 5-lap runs in one car from each of these two lists.
Session 1
Audi R8
Porsche Turbo S
Corvette Z06 or Aston Martin Vantage
Nissan GT-R
Mercedes AMG GTS
Lamborghini LP550-2
Session 2
Audi R8 V10 Plus
Porsche GT3
Ferrari Scuderia (2 cars)
Lamborghini LP570-4
Lamborghini LP610-4
I have no "fast driving experience". I can drive a stick. This will be at Dream Racing in Las Vegas
I get to do 5-lap runs in one car from each of these two lists.
Session 1
Audi R8
Porsche Turbo S
Corvette Z06 or Aston Martin Vantage
Nissan GT-R
Mercedes AMG GTS
Lamborghini LP550-2
Session 2
Audi R8 V10 Plus
Porsche GT3
Ferrari Scuderia (2 cars)
Lamborghini LP570-4
Lamborghini LP610-4
I have no "fast driving experience". I can drive a stick. This will be at Dream Racing in Las Vegas
I assume these are very controlled environments so it may not matter, but do you want a scalpel or a hammer?
Personally I'd go with the Merk, then the Ferrari, but you're going to get a million answers here.
posted by selfnoise at 2:11 PM on January 3, 2017
Personally I'd go with the Merk, then the Ferrari, but you're going to get a million answers here.
posted by selfnoise at 2:11 PM on January 3, 2017
Caveat: I base the following mostly on what I've gleaned from having watched the entire Top Gear (UK) series over the years...
The Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Audi are all supposed to be pretty wonderful, as are probably the Ferrari and Nissan.
I personally would be cautious about picking a Porsche unless I had some established driving ability/confidence, though I hear recent models are less tail-happy.
Lambos look cool but are kind of a bear to drive.
Corvette is kind of a dog compared to the rest of the cars you mentioned.
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:15 PM on January 3, 2017
The Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Audi are all supposed to be pretty wonderful, as are probably the Ferrari and Nissan.
I personally would be cautious about picking a Porsche unless I had some established driving ability/confidence, though I hear recent models are less tail-happy.
Lambos look cool but are kind of a bear to drive.
Corvette is kind of a dog compared to the rest of the cars you mentioned.
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:15 PM on January 3, 2017
If it were me, I would definitely go with the Aston Martin in the 1st round, but then again James Bond is my alter ego. And I would be asking myself, "OMG, it's a fucking Aston Martin??!!!"
Proceed as you wish with round 2, but I would probably go with one of the Lamborghinis.
Have fun! Wish I was on your team.
posted by strelitzia at 2:18 PM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Proceed as you wish with round 2, but I would probably go with one of the Lamborghinis.
Have fun! Wish I was on your team.
posted by strelitzia at 2:18 PM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Nissan and Lamborghini. I would just want to say I'd driven a Lamborghini.
posted by fshgrl at 2:26 PM on January 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by fshgrl at 2:26 PM on January 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
The Nissan GT-R is an absolute screamer, loud as eff, and big and heavy. This will tend to make it more stable and probably more fun to drive.
Aston is the prestige brand that gives me the most feels, for the same reasons as strelitzia, but the Vantage is pretty sedate compared to the other options.
I knew a guy who drove an R8 around DC, so I assume it's not too challenging, probably has lots of stability controls to keep you from getting the contact patch somewhere you can't recover from. German engineering etc.
Ferrari and Lamborghini have a reputation for being very finicky but rewarding...if you are a racecar enthusiast. You won't be able to just stomp the gas on them without flailing all over the place.
Car and Driver loves the Corvette platform, and they are pretty reliable judges of "this car does not savagely punish you for pushing its limits." 650hp is 650hp, dog or no dog.
IIRC you only get two laps at this place, so you will have very little time to get to and stay at what feels, to your butt dyno/gyro, like limits driving. I would prioritize stability unless you are an Assetto Corsa hobbyist.
posted by radicalawyer at 2:27 PM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Aston is the prestige brand that gives me the most feels, for the same reasons as strelitzia, but the Vantage is pretty sedate compared to the other options.
I knew a guy who drove an R8 around DC, so I assume it's not too challenging, probably has lots of stability controls to keep you from getting the contact patch somewhere you can't recover from. German engineering etc.
Ferrari and Lamborghini have a reputation for being very finicky but rewarding...if you are a racecar enthusiast. You won't be able to just stomp the gas on them without flailing all over the place.
Car and Driver loves the Corvette platform, and they are pretty reliable judges of "this car does not savagely punish you for pushing its limits." 650hp is 650hp, dog or no dog.
IIRC you only get two laps at this place, so you will have very little time to get to and stay at what feels, to your butt dyno/gyro, like limits driving. I would prioritize stability unless you are an Assetto Corsa hobbyist.
posted by radicalawyer at 2:27 PM on January 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
The good doctor, who is also an automotive journalist, recommends the Corvette ("One of the few cars I drove last year that I thought didn't need more power") and the Scuderia. The cars will be automatics or paddle-shifters, so knowing how to drive a manual won't be necessary.
posted by evoque at 2:38 PM on January 3, 2017
posted by evoque at 2:38 PM on January 3, 2017
I don't want to be uncomfortable, embarrassed, or in any kind of real danger. I'd pick the Turbo S and the R8 V10.
posted by box at 2:53 PM on January 3, 2017
posted by box at 2:53 PM on January 3, 2017
A dear friend was, a few years ago, in the happy position of being able to use such an outing (literally at that facility) as research for his next car purchase. He drove a bunch of them, but loved the R8 best. It is an amazing car.
posted by uberchet at 3:06 PM on January 3, 2017
posted by uberchet at 3:06 PM on January 3, 2017
Too bad they didn't include a Maserati for good measure.
posted by strelitzia at 3:33 PM on January 3, 2017
posted by strelitzia at 3:33 PM on January 3, 2017
"Luigi follow only the Ferraris."
(I'd drive the Aston from Session 1, unless maybe you want to warm up in a less-bonkers car, in which case the Audi or the Vette.)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 4:54 PM on January 3, 2017
(I'd drive the Aston from Session 1, unless maybe you want to warm up in a less-bonkers car, in which case the Audi or the Vette.)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 4:54 PM on January 3, 2017
I'd definitely go for the GT-R first (or the AMG GT if the GT-R isn't available). Then the Huracàn (LP-610), the GT3 or the Audi in that order. The Huracàn is supposedly not a difficult drive compared to older Lamborghinis (and is more comfortable) but is still quite exciting.
The Aston is exciting because it's an Aston, not because it is a particularly great car. I'd go for the R8 over it, even if it meant I'd be driving R8s both times.
Doug DeMuro has videos of several of those cars on his YouTube channel if you want to learn a bit more. He's always good for a chuckle at least.
posted by wierdo at 2:43 AM on January 4, 2017
The Aston is exciting because it's an Aston, not because it is a particularly great car. I'd go for the R8 over it, even if it meant I'd be driving R8s both times.
Doug DeMuro has videos of several of those cars on his YouTube channel if you want to learn a bit more. He's always good for a chuckle at least.
posted by wierdo at 2:43 AM on January 4, 2017
Z06 first, Audi R8 V10 second. Have fun, sounds great.
posted by fixedgear at 3:32 AM on January 4, 2017
posted by fixedgear at 3:32 AM on January 4, 2017
Response by poster: Hey everybody: I ended up driving the Audi R8, Lamborghini Huracan, and as a bonus the Lamborghini Superleggera. My best time and fastest speed was in the Huracan. Video of that run
posted by achrise at 12:55 PM on February 3, 2017
posted by achrise at 12:55 PM on February 3, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by terretu at 2:07 PM on January 3, 2017 [2 favorites]