Excellent read, I was quite surprised at the outcome!

http://www.speedsportlife.com/

 

lol...Ford Loyalist anyone?

 

Thanks.
I liked their choice of cars.
Close to what I might have wanted to test (except for the Dodge).

 

Maybe but this is a similar situation to when a Mustang GT was put up against an Integra R-Type a bunch of years ago, conventional wisdom would have the R-Type slaughtering the GT, unfortunately for the import crowd, the track allowed the GT to take advantage of its power and it beat the R-Type.

 

I love how the GT500 could run with and out run the Elise. It reminds of the video clip I once saw where that fat windbag Clarkson was gloating about how he could out brake and out corner a Mustang while he was testing a Lotus against a Mustang on some test track. Only this time, the test wasn't being put on by the "All American cars are rubbish" crowd.

This is the quote of the YEAR....

 

Well, Clarkson was probably right, an Elise would outcorner and outbrake a Mustang, especially as the road got more challenging. On the other hand, the GT500 corners and brakes well enough so that on a road or track that has a lot of straights, its prodigious motor will more than make up for that, as the Speed Sport Life comparison shows. But even with close to triple the horsepower, the little Lotus was still nipping at the GT500's heels with Jack Russel tenacity at the finish line.

Now if Ford would only dust off that Control Blade IRS I know they've been keeping on ice...

Or if Lotus would shop its motors at the Audi/VW DSG DI 2.0 counter...or imagine a Mitsu EVO motor in that thing!

But this was really an apples and oranges comparison of course, which, while informative in many ways -- broadening one's perceptions and all that -- they were all fairly different cars aimed at quite different buyers of which only the most open minded would cross shop.

 

Great article. Using the base Elise gave the others a gift IMO. I also agree about the name issue with regards to the Mustang. Too much of a nod to marketing IMO. The car stands on it's own. It's just a shame that as usual, probably 90% or more of these cars will never be called on to show a tenth of what they've got. Typical I guess, but nevertheless a shame.

 

Mmmmm.... F430.....

Good on the GT500 for proving itself, especially against the Ferrari and Lotus!

 

" we could change anything about the GT500, it would probably be the badge. No disrespect intended to Carroll Shelby, but the core excellence of this car is really due to the folks at SVT, a fact of which the driver is subtly reminded every time the programmable shift light on the dashboard flicks on – it’s in the shape of the SVT logo."

My sentiments exactly.

 

Nice article. I was surprised to say the least.

I also just bought a Caliber SRT4 for my daily driver. so that was a good read also. It's not the track car that the NSRT4 was, but what a fun car for a guy likeme looking for something fun, roomy and economical. It's a hoot to drive!

 

he he...love it...stick THAT up your craw, you Euro blow-hards!