It was my turn at GTA Exotics yesterday with a few changes to the fleet since last reported on this thread.
6 cars on our tour yesterday listed here in ascending order (saving the best for last).
6. Dodge Viper (Red, manual)
5. Porsche 911 4S (White, manual)
4. Ferrari F360 Spyder/Cabrio (Red, F1 flappy manumatic)
3. Lamborghini Gallardo (Orange, manual)
2. Nissan GTR (Red / Black Hood, manumatic)
1. Audi R8 (White, manumatic)
Not really a scientific method used to evaluate these, unlike those very objective reviewers from Motor Trend
, and seat time was limited to about 25 - 30 mins in each.
(semi) Quick impressions:
The Viper's interior was so ugly, weather beaten and uncomfortable that it was really hard to like. Add the heat baking my legs and umm, lap, as well as the tire pressure chime beeping for an hour, it had few redeeming qualities. Clutch feel was actually ok, but moving that big tractor gearshift around required something like 200x the arm movement that a modern car should. My S2000 is worlds better (unfair comparison), as is my old A4 with a short shifter. The engine sounded like a diesel semi and may have been sucking in bunnies and squirrels too close to the side of the road. Not as powerful as expected either, which would have made up (some) for the general lack of sophistication.
The 911 was also pretty beat up. One of the projector high beams failed during our outing, and a side indicator lamp was hanging out of place. The interior was well worn also. Most disappointing on this car was the synchros on the lower gears had been completely destroyed. Getting into first, or god forbid, reverse, required so much effort that you'd swear you would snap off the gear lever before it popped in. It felt like a tank driving it (and from the passenger's seat), which is neither a criticism or compliment - heavy steering partly due to the super wide tires, and didn't hustle like some of the top rated cars. Didn't really get a chance to drive this one anywhere interesting, except the parking lot of the lunch stop, where I met reverse on the way out. Exhaust note was the best part of it - pretty low and growly.
The Ferrari's interior had also seen better days, although the paint condition was quite good. The gearbox was a little reluctant, and gave my driving partner, and some others a bit of trouble. It behaved for me, and worked pretty well, with fast downshifts. Full throttle upshifts were VERY abrupt, not on the "clutch-in", but on the re-engagement into the next gear. It was a real head snapper. It did consistently have trouble from a standing start, stuttering to gain traction I suppose, even with relatively gentle starts. The steering was lighter and more fluid than any of the other cars and it did stay perfectly flat through all the winding roads. The engine & exhaust notes were great, even in the sub-6000 rpm territory, and it still pulled pretty hard from 3 - 6000 rpm.
Lambo was beautiful in orange paint and black leather & suede interior - although all the cars' seats had been covered in fabric seat covers
. The gated shifter is beautiful to look at, and I'm sure its study as a brick, but it wasn't a pleasure to shift - at least not quickly. Maybe with more practice the feel becomes more intuitive, but its still some long real estate to cover from the top of the gate to the bottom. The exhaust note as also great on this car - deeper than the Ferrari and it seemed to be a bit more powerful when you mashed the throttle. This was the first car I drove and I liked it a lot, but there was better yet to come...
The GTR is a techno-delight and certifiable hooligan. Whatever these cost, if you can afford one - buy it. They are very cool. Super simple to get in and drive fast. The dash is modern and driver friendly, the seats hug you just like they should and the seat position was perfect without any adjustments. Flappy paddles worked great and very responsive. The engine is superlative. So strong, it just pulls like there's no tomorrow. It also feels like a tank, but moves out like a jet. I dialled up the custom display screen to show turbo boost, lateral g's, steering angle and a few other numbers. Didn't know how to, or need to bother with the adjustable settings for shocks, esp, etc. This was the last car I was in, so heading back into the city. Would have loved to have it on the twisties - and if I had it might have been number 1. But...
The R8 was beautiful in just about every way. Brilliant white with carbon fibre blades and roof. Interior was beautiful also and more modern feeling than the Lambo with it's slightly odd switchgear. Etron gearbox was flawless. Power was plenty and came on smooth and without drama - just lots of it (the GTR was more violent in its delivery). It felt lighter and more nimble than the GTR, a bit more feedback and connected to the road, with the steering striking a nice balance between the slightly too light Ferrari and the slightly too heavy Lambo. Again, I didn't drive the GTR on the twisties, but it (GTR) seemed a bit heavier and less fluid than the R8. I drove the R8 second, after the Gallardo and immediately liked it better in every way.
I wasn't crazy about lining up at the gas station at the end of the day to fill up the cars with the two guides (on motorcycles), especially since I was sitting in the GTR and wanted to drive it more.
Sorry no pics. Too lazy to upload and they're not great quality anyway.
