RE: Caparo Lays Claim To Top Gear Power Lap
Tuesday 20th November 2007
But could Ultima be quicker?Caparo, maker of the outlandish T1, has asked Top Gear for another crack at the programme’s Power Lap leader board.
Caparo Lays Claim To Top Gear Power Lap
Company says production car's adjustable suspension will clear speed bumps
But could Ultima be quicker?
The T1 set a lap time of 1:10.6 - seven seconds quicker than the Koenigsegg CCX which held the previous record.
However the rules state a car is only allowed on the leader board if it can drive over a speed bump.
Top Gear’s makers decided the Caparo T1 would be unable to do this and removed it from the top of the leader board.
Caparo now claims the production car will be fitted with an adjustable suspension and will therefore be eligible for the Power Lap.
Angad Paul, chief executive officer of Caparo, said: 'We certainly hope that the Caparo T1 is given another chance by Top Gear to take its rightful place at the top of the leader board; even if they put a speed bump on the track we are confident of our success.
The vehicle’s designer, Ben Scott-Geddes added: 'The model we supplied to Top Gear was one of our final engineering vehicles without adjustable ride height and electronic active driver control systems which are standard on our production models.
'When driver’s select the "road" setting, the car is more tractable in slower speed conditions and the ride height is fully adjustable to bring the car up to 90mm clearance, making it more than capable of driving over speed bumps.'
But the Caparo could face stiff opposition if another car, the Ultima GTR720, gets a chance at the Power Lap leader board.
British supercar manufacturer Ultima recently celebrated its 15th anniversary by smashing the lap record on the Top Gear test track.
The Ultima used was fully road legal, with standard tyres, and was even driven to the test track.
Ultima’s director, Richard Marlow, said the company has approached Top Gear on a number of occasions to let the Stig take the wheel of the GTR but has been repeatedly turned down.
They used their own benchmark driver to get the independent figure of 1:12.8, two seconds off the Caparo.
But Mr Marlow wouldn’t rule out further attempts at an even quicker lap with their more powerful and faster GTR800 variant.
Discussion
AlexKP said:
Neither of these are really "road" cars by any sensible definition of the word IMHO. They are track cars that are just about road legal. So to be honest, I am much more interested in the times put up by a Ferrari or Porsche or Lambo than I am in these cars.
By that measure, do you want to remove the Atom? After all, that doesn't even have doors!I'm actually more interested in the Caparo and the Ultima than I am in the latest Ferrari/Porsche/Lamborghini, because I like the idea of things made in sheds by men in brown overjackets with woodbines behind their ears.
If it's road legal, it's a road car and should be given a chance at the lap.
900T-R said:
CommanderJameson said:
I'm actually more interested in the Caparo and the Ultima than I am in the latest Ferrari/Porsche/Lamborghini, because I like the idea of things made in sheds by men in brown overjackets with woodbines behind their ears.
heck, caterham beat the record too with the CSR260 lapping in 1:17.2
Does anyone know why Top Gear/Clarkson has such a thing against the Ultima? Usually they'd jump at the chance to show off British achievments. I thought maybe it was the 'kit car' stigma, even though the factory makes production cars, but they had that feature where they built a Caterham and talked about how great it was to build a car from a kit.
And I would say the Ultima was more of a road car than any of the Radicals/Caterhams/Atoms/Caparos that hav been on in the past. More on par with the Enzo, Koenigsegg, Lambos etc.
And I would say the Ultima was more of a road car than any of the Radicals/Caterhams/Atoms/Caparos that hav been on in the past. More on par with the Enzo, Koenigsegg, Lambos etc.
CommanderJameson said:
AlexKP said:
Neither of these are really "road" cars by any sensible definition of the word IMHO. They are track cars that are just about road legal. So to be honest, I am much more interested in the times put up by a Ferrari or Porsche or Lambo than I am in these cars.
By that measure, do you want to remove the Atom? After all, that doesn't even have doors!I'm actually more interested in the Caparo and the Ultima than I am in the latest Ferrari/Porsche/Lamborghini, because I like the idea of things made in sheds by men in brown overjackets with woodbines behind their ears.
If it's road legal, it's a road car and should be given a chance at the lap.
The T1 is like the Radical, I believe not to be a road car in any sense of the words. They are purely track machines with a few extra lights. Did they put the DB9R around the track? How about that mad racing Aston V8 Vantage that James took to Italy/Alps?
They are just as much track orientated as those other two, I believe them to be unsuitable to be compared with cars designed to handle normal roads.
Edited by The Hitman on Tuesday 20th November 08:19
The Hitman said:
CommanderJameson said:
AlexKP said:
Neither of these are really "road" cars by any sensible definition of the word IMHO. They are track cars that are just about road legal. So to be honest, I am much more interested in the times put up by a Ferrari or Porsche or Lambo than I am in these cars.
By that measure, do you want to remove the Atom? After all, that doesn't even have doors!I'm actually more interested in the Caparo and the Ultima than I am in the latest Ferrari/Porsche/Lamborghini, because I like the idea of things made in sheds by men in brown overjackets with woodbines behind their ears.
If it's road legal, it's a road car and should be given a chance at the lap.
The T1 is like the Radical, I believe not to be a road car in any sense of the words. They are purely track machines. Did they pout the DB9R around the track? How about that mad racing Aston V8 Vantage that James took to Italy/Alps?
They are just as much track orientated as those other two, I believe them to be unsuitable to be compared with cars designed to handle normal roads.
It's a road car.
CommanderJameson said:
Point is this: it's road legal. Whether or not you consider it sensible or practical is of no consequence - that's just your opinion. There are mad people out there who would cheerfully drive these cars every day.
It's a road car.
OK, lets run with your train of thought on this one. As long as I can make the adequate changes necessary to make a car road legal and put it around the track, it should be put of the board?It's a road car.
So, lets just say it was possible to make an F1 car road legal without changing very much. You think its fair to put next to it the likes of an Atom or a Hot Hatch? Should TG bring on that american abomination that managed to beat the Veyrons max speed? No, they won't, because it would be a shit car. The T1 maybe fast, doesn't mean you should put it on a pedestal.
TG should stick by their guns on this one.
uriel said:
Does anyone know why Top Gear/Clarkson has such a thing against the Ultima? Usually they'd jump at the chance to show off British achievments. I thought maybe it was the 'kit car' stigma, even though the factory makes production cars, but they had that feature where they built a Caterham and talked about how great it was to build a car from a kit.
And I would say the Ultima was more of a road car than any of the Radicals/Caterhams/Atoms/Caparos that hav been on in the past. More on par with the Enzo, Koenigsegg, Lambos etc.
The car is British which JC generally usually likes and has a Chevy engine which JC has also spoken well of in the past, so perhaps it's not the car itself but maybe to do with the people behind Ultima and Top Gear, and some dark secret hidden in the past?? A personality clash if you like!And I would say the Ultima was more of a road car than any of the Radicals/Caterhams/Atoms/Caparos that hav been on in the past. More on par with the Enzo, Koenigsegg, Lambos etc.
Edited by SteveRod on Tuesday 20th November 08:34
The Hitman said:
CommanderJameson said:
Point is this: it's road legal. Whether or not you consider it sensible or practical is of no consequence - that's just your opinion. There are mad people out there who would cheerfully drive these cars every day.
It's a road car.
OK, lets run with your train of thought on this one. As long as I can make the adequate changes necessary to make a car road legal and put it around the track, it should be put of the board?It's a road car.
So, lets just say it was possible to make an F1 car road legal without changing very much. You think its fair to put next to it the likes of an Atom or a Hot Hatch? Should TG bring on that american abomination that managed to beat the Veyrons max speed? No, they won't, because it would be a shit car. The T1 maybe fast, doesn't mean you should put it on a pedestal.
TG should stick by their guns on this one.
I don't think one-offs should be put on the board, but at the moment we've got a situation where there's £300,000 cars versus £30,000 cars (CCX versus Atom) and no-one seems to see anything wrong with that, so why exclude hardcore cars like the T1? It's exactly as practical as, say, an Atom.
Edited by CommanderJameson on Tuesday 20th November 08:35
CommanderJameson said:
The Hitman said:
CommanderJameson said:
Point is this: it's road legal. Whether or not you consider it sensible or practical is of no consequence - that's just your opinion. There are mad people out there who would cheerfully drive these cars every day.
It's a road car.
OK, lets run with your train of thought on this one. As long as I can make the adequate changes necessary to make a car road legal and put it around the track, it should be put of the board?It's a road car.
So, lets just say it was possible to make an F1 car road legal without changing very much. You think its fair to put next to it the likes of an Atom or a Hot Hatch? Should TG bring on that american abomination that managed to beat the Veyrons max speed? No, they won't, because it would be a shit car. The T1 maybe fast, doesn't mean you should put it on a pedestal.
TG should stick by their guns on this one.
I don't think one-offs should be put on the board, but at the moment we've got a situation where there's £300,000 cars versus £30,000 cars (CCX versus Atom).
It isn't suitable to go on the board, there is no-way you can convince me that the T1 was designed with normal roads in mind, because it obviously wasn't. All the rest of those cars are designed to be enjoyed at the very least on the roads, and some others on the track aswell (the Atom fits here BTW).
Edited by The Hitman on Tuesday 20th November 08:45
900T-R said:
CommanderJameson said:
I'm actually more interested in the Caparo and the Ultima than I am in the latest Ferrari/Porsche/Lamborghini, because I like the idea of things made in sheds by men in brown overjackets with woodbines behind their ears.
Also. It's not beyond the realms of possibility for a normal proffesional to spend £40k on a second hand ultima (fi not less) whereas a Ferrari FXX or something is off-limits even to most millionaires.
Surely the point of the board (at TG's discretion) is to have interesting cars that the audience would want to see. Of course they have vague rules that permit them to exclude cars, but I reckon they should allow anything of interest.
Noone really needs to see the F1 cars, as we all know that they're damn fast round a track! The Ultima on the other hand may be a sort of track car, but there are plenty driven on the roads...
Noone really needs to see the F1 cars, as we all know that they're damn fast round a track! The Ultima on the other hand may be a sort of track car, but there are plenty driven on the roads...
morebeanz said:
Noone really needs to see the F1 cars, as we all know that they're damn fast round a track! The Ultima on the other hand may be a sort of track car, but there are plenty driven on the roads...
Yes, Plenty of Ultimas with Air-Con and heaters, Hi-Fi, Leather trim, and some useful luggage space,...'focussed, Yes! but hardly just 'Trackday toys'Unlike, Caparo, Atom, Radical, Caterfields Etc, Etc
Edited by SteveRod on Tuesday 20th November 09:01
Re: Ultima, I thought it was more to do with 'image' - they're happy to let a £300k high-tech carbon-fibre F3000-esque car have a crack at the lap-time, because it's clearly 'exotica' (sic).
But a £50k refugee from a 60's Le Mans race with a drop-in yank V8? Built near Leicester? That topping the board doesn't have quite the right ring to it, does it?!?
...and they knew from the start it would top the board (until the Caparo came along...)
But a £50k refugee from a 60's Le Mans race with a drop-in yank V8? Built near Leicester? That topping the board doesn't have quite the right ring to it, does it?!?
...and they knew from the start it would top the board (until the Caparo came along...)
article said:
The vehicle’s designer, Ben Scott-Geddes added: 'The model we supplied to Top Gear was one of our final engineering vehicles without adjustable ride height and electronic active driver control systems which are standard on our production models.
Caparo in "not supplying right car" shocker.SteveRod said:
morebeanz said:
Noone really needs to see the F1 cars, as we all know that they're damn fast round a track! The Ultima on the other hand may be a sort of track car, but there are plenty driven on the roads...
Yes, Plenty of Ultimas with Air-Con and heaters, Hi-Fi, Leather trim, and some useful luggage space,...'focussed, Yes! but hardly just 'Trackday toys'Unlike, Caparo, Atom, Radical, Caterfields Etc, Etc
Edited by SteveRod on Tuesday 20th November 09:01
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