Here's a link to the article:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...p-2014-feature

Click on the link above and do not read below if you want to find out the results on your own!

Here's the IS350's class results:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...-class-feature

Here are the competitors and their times (from first to worst).

   Porsche 918 Spyder 2:43.1
   Nissan GT-R NISMO 2:49.4
   SRT Viper TA 2:49.9
   Ferrari F12berlinetta 2:50.8
   Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 2:50.9
   Porsche 911 Turbo S 2:51.2
   Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2:53.8
   Audi R8 V-10 Plus 2:57.5
   Jaguar XKR-S GT 2:59.1
   Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG 2:59.1
   Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model 3:00.1
   BMW M4 3:00.7
   Jaguar F-type R Coupe 3:01.0
   Porsche Cayman S 3:02.6
   Audi RS7 3:03.0
   Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG 3:05.9
   Jaguar XFR-S 3:06.7
   Cadillac CTS Vsport 3:06.8
   BMW M235i 3:07.2
   Subaru WRX STI 3:10.5
   Lexus IS350 F Sport 3:13.4
   Subaru WRX 3:15.5
   Ford Focus ST 3:17.6
   Volkswagen GTI 3:19.3
   Ford Fiesta ST 3:20.4

Overall I am pretty happy with the cars they selected. Would have rather seen the McLaren P1 over the F12.

The IS350 did pretty decently. The reviews raved the suspension, as expected. The only fault they listed was the power. It's amazing the IS350's time beat the '08 IS-F by a noticeable margin. It posted about the same time as the 335i sedan (only .2 sec behind the F30). Very impressive.

I was most impressed by the Z28's time. It is nothing short of phenomenal on the track. Crazy the R8 got spanked by nearly 4 seconds at the hands of the Vette.

Thoughts?

 

E 63 AMG S. It is faster than M4, which is a fast car if not to get a true sport scar / supercar.

And then the SL 63 AMG. It is so fast for being a GT. Too bad it looks really ugly, because all the rest of the car is perfect, qualitatively better than 911 Turbo S IMO.

New C 63 AMG might be a serious threat to both Lexus F and BMW M.

 

The car that amazes me the most is the Z28. Sure it is a pretty radical track car, not much of a street car anymore, however Chevrolet has reduced the Camaro's abilities for years to prevent it from stepping on the Corvette's toes. With the Z28, it simply crushed the Corvette. Sure it may be due partly to the grippier tires. But still impress me. And also wow at that CLA, crushing the STI's time by more than 4 seconds, shows that the STI needs more power after all these years.

 

One note on this since it isn't quite an apples to apples comparison... VIR was repaved and some of the curbing changed to be FIA compliant between previous year tests and this one (last winter). For example, my wife's lap times there with no changes to her car setup improved about 2 seconds. Somebody mentioned this was noted in the writeup but I didn't read it myself yet.

Great praise on the writeup for the IS350 F-sport chassis!

 

some of the cars were driven by different drivers I think, and some of the drivers werent the most consistent.

 

Many variables yes, but that Z/28 time is something else. Look how close the times are for the 3 above it also, why no Mustang??

 

E63 wagon beat the M also

 

that's because at $75K it now cost MORE than the Corvette! LOL

 

Thanks for the info. I missed that completely. :thumb up:

My thoughts indeed. I am so impressed by the CLA AMG. They are VERY sought after and respected here in Germany. Tuners flock all over those, almost as much as on the new M3/4s. I will seriously consider that when it is time to buy a new car, even though it is completely impractical for space. Pretty cool that AWD is standard.

 

The 918 is on another level. Love love love that car

 

They need a single skilled race driver to pilot these cars. Too many variables with multiple drivers. Even a single driver has variables! The Nismo gtr was quick. I think it and the Viper could go faster honestly.

 

Notice how the 3IS was very close to the 08 ISF laptime. Shows how dramatic the chassis and suspension has improved the driving despite a much weaker engine. Now remember the 2011 ISF had similar times to last gen M3 sedan and coupe which was around 3:05. Now look at the new M's laptime which is only 5 sec faster than that despite the new track resurfacing. So the new M doesnt appear to be that much faster around a track than the old one, despite a massive torque advantage. But there also is different driver ability at play here. I think the RCF should defeat the 2011 ISF's time easily.