RE: Caterham beats Koenigsegg?
Discussion
Evo magazine show a timed comparison between a wide variety of cars every month, and guess which one is fastest? yep the caterham, All they is show the distances back down the track that all the other cars have reached by the time the Caterham crosses the finish line. Anyone with a hole in his a*rse can make a very quick car for £800.000, but to make one as quick for £40 or even £50 thousand is an achievement, even more so if the car in question is a kit kar which a punter can build at home! The Seven is the only `road' car that featured in a GP, and the only car that was banned from racing because it was `Quote' too fast to race. Many events even now, do not allow them to enter because they would embarrass the manufacturers of much more expensive, much more exotic machinery. AND they are a UK produced car, none of this foreign muck.
Aint all of you getting over excited at road v slick tyres?!?!? Just accept that the CSR has broken the record and maybe, just maybe TG and the old tw&t JC will let a Caterham have a go on the track, on the show!!!
Here is something I posted on a previous post re why TG will not let a Caterham on the show - "Oh, just for reference, the reason Top Gear has not had a Caterham on the track is that JC's wife is a great advocate of Caterhams and dearly loves them. She has had several Caterhams and recently competed in a cross country race (abroad I think but can't remember where or what it was) of some kind. She constantly asks him to let one have a go at the lap record and when he says no it really winds her up - so he keeps on saying no just to annoy her!!!!!
He has now said that they may have one on either this season or next, but with all the rumours going on about it being pulled as a show who knows."
Thanks "hunttheshunt" I bought that CSR and what a pleasure it is to drive for £26,995 so you dont have to pay £40k + for one at all.
Here is something I posted on a previous post re why TG will not let a Caterham on the show - "Oh, just for reference, the reason Top Gear has not had a Caterham on the track is that JC's wife is a great advocate of Caterhams and dearly loves them. She has had several Caterhams and recently competed in a cross country race (abroad I think but can't remember where or what it was) of some kind. She constantly asks him to let one have a go at the lap record and when he says no it really winds her up - so he keeps on saying no just to annoy her!!!!!
He has now said that they may have one on either this season or next, but with all the rumours going on about it being pulled as a show who knows."
Thanks "hunttheshunt" I bought that CSR and what a pleasure it is to drive for £26,995 so you dont have to pay £40k + for one at all.
I suspect Top Gear don't encourage many low volume / more trackday focussed stuff getting on the circuit because the fast laptime they would set will make it more difficult for them to secure the exotica.
I know of one manufacturer who showed up with three cars, had the Stig filmed doing quick laps that would have been right up the board and didn't end up in the show. The cars were road legal and road usable (could easily drive over seed bumps).
I know of one manufacturer who showed up with three cars, had the Stig filmed doing quick laps that would have been right up the board and didn't end up in the show. The cars were road legal and road usable (could easily drive over seed bumps).
If that's the case then why did TG let the Ariel Atom have a go?
Let's face it Caterham are the only British car manufacturer left, so surely they should be given the opportunity to show what they can do around the TG track!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's face it Caterham are the only British car manufacturer left, so surely they should be given the opportunity to show what they can do around the TG track!!!!!!!!!!!
Edited by Japseroony on Tuesday 24th October 20:08
Japseroony said:
If that's the case then why did TG let the Ariel Atom have a go?
Let's face it Caterham are the only British car manufacturer left, so surely they should be given the opportunity to show what they can do around the TG track!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's face it Caterham are the only British car manufacturer left, so surely they should be given the opportunity to show what they can do around the TG track!!!!!!!!!!!
Edited by Japseroony on Tuesday 24th October 20:08
Y does every 1 seem to 4get morgan??????? Or Ariel 4 that matter as well
MidnightDriver said:
Japseroony said:
If that's the case then why did TG let the Ariel Atom have a go?
Let's face it Caterham are the only British car manufacturer left, so surely they should be given the opportunity to show what they can do around the TG track!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's face it Caterham are the only British car manufacturer left, so surely they should be given the opportunity to show what they can do around the TG track!!!!!!!!!!!
Edited by Japseroony on Tuesday 24th October 20:08
Y does every 1 seem to 4get morgan??????? Or Ariel 4 that matter as well
And Radical?
sad61t said:
What amazes me is that track days are sufficiently popular that the manufacturers invest in creating specific tyres. How often are you guys going out there & doing these things?
Track day rubber usually means road legal. Quite a few race series specify road legal tyres, so I guess the market is bigger than you expect! Many of these road-legal track day tyres are a bit scary on road in reality e.g. tramlining or if it rains. But given BMW (on the CSL) and Porsche (on the GT3RS) come delivered with pretty track oriented rubber I think the CSR is a pretty fair comparison... think about what a proper superlight with a Duratec would do 
What an amazing result for caterham, really big congrats to them. I think the point is that the Ksegge has achieved the same with aircon, roof, drama and style. Which one would you prefer to arrive at Cafe Paris in Monaco in and a race track the next day - taking for granted you had both in your garage.
Caterhams are definately not cars for weeds, who need a roof and aircon and other such creature comforts before they feel they can drive, nor are they are car for poseurs, who just want to advertise to the general populace that they have a (very) large amount of cash, They are a car for people who value the driving experience above all else. The fact that they can achieve the performance levels they do using (largely) off the shelf components from main stream manufacturers, and in a package that costs sub £45.000 and can be built at home is really quite remarkable.
Japseroony said:
If that's the case then why did TG let the Ariel Atom have a go?
Let's face it Caterham are the only British car manufacturer left, so surely they should be given the opportunity to show what they can do around the TG track!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's face it Caterham are the only British car manufacturer left, so surely they should be given the opportunity to show what they can do around the TG track!!!!!!!!!!!
Edited by Japseroony on Tuesday 24th October 20:08
Noble?
Do people actually watch Top Gear or are they leaving one word replies such as Radical or Noble just to show they dont?!?! As we all know the Radical, Noble and Ariel Atom have had a go around the track and have published times on the TG Board.
With regards to the Morgan and someone mentioned a Westfield, aint they still classed as kit cars? Forgive me if they are not but I thought they were so probably would not get onto the program.
With regards to the Morgan and someone mentioned a Westfield, aint they still classed as kit cars? Forgive me if they are not but I thought they were so probably would not get onto the program.
hunttheshunt said:
Firstly that's already sold and secondly that isn't the new price - can't guarantee you can get one for that, afterall following that logic all Lotus Esprit are going for 50p (I think that was the price one was sold for) and besides then K could arrange a sale of one of theirs for £10 (ala BMW selling Rover) doesn't make them all £10! Things just get in a mess if you start quoting one-off prices, there's always someone who can get a bargain. In fact the kit car industry relies on this kind of nonsense hence the "can be on the road for £5k - bo*%£!ks, figure on double their guesses.
Steve
tony*t3 said:
Top Gear specifically test cars with 100% no modification, which includes tyres. they have to be as delivered to the customer. So no record has been broken.
Well yes, in theory, but wasn't there a thread where it was said that Mitsubishi found out that they had to supply an Evo to compete against a WR1 and 'tweaked it' to make sure it won? I'm sure I'd do that if it was my company. A few million people will see it on TV and a few hundred will see a threat saying it might have been a tweaked car.
Japseroony said:
Do people actually watch Top Gear or are they leaving one word replies such as Radical or Noble just to show they dont?!?! As we all know the Radical, Noble and Ariel Atom have had a go around the track and have published times on the TG Board.
With regards to the Morgan and someone mentioned a Westfield, aint they still classed as kit cars? Forgive me if they are not but I thought they were so probably would not get onto the program.
With regards to the Morgan and someone mentioned a Westfield, aint they still classed as kit cars? Forgive me if they are not but I thought they were so probably would not get onto the program.
I think both the other poster and myself (well I know I was) were thinking that you meant Caterham were the only British car manufacturer left ... I can now see that you meant the only one left still to have a go around the TG test track.
Confused?
Given the `event' which occured when the koeniggsegg first appeared on top gear, I find it hard to believe that the manufacturers would not make every effort to ensure that the car was the best it could be for the second go. The embarrassment of a second `off' in public I suspect could not be risked. Caterham have even been criticised for NOT preparing their cars when entered into this type of event. In any case this was not a Caterham event, but one instigated by the tyre manufacture using their driver. Just because this driver is likely to know the limits of the tyre, does not necessarily mean he was the best Caterham driver who could be put into the car (But he he must be very very good in any case). Some people here seem to have assumed the tyre was a track only special and not one capable of being used on the road, which is not the case. And as someone else here has posted, if you order your Seven with these tyres, that is what you will get, in the same way as you will get the `TG' wing if you order your koeniggsegg with this option. Incidently Caterhams can get over speed humps, which would ground a radical. As demonstated by the Top Gear Team when taking a trio of `road' supercars down south, some have trouble getting out of car parks in Paris. Koeniggsegg had two separate attempts to post the time they did including the opportunity to make `modifications' to keep it on the track for the second attempt. This makes the Caterhams performance even more meaningfull, therefore the record HAS been broken.
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