Nurburgring 7:59.32

[JEM]

Originally Posted by thebigjimsho

Even if you have the knowledge to do all that, what kind of alcohol are you drinking to put that together at 1:30AM?

Actually, the idea started kicking around a few months back when I found a listing for an old Packard frame on eBay that eventually sold for a couple hundred bucks. I think it'd be worth the time and expense to do something from scratch, though; I'd be willing to sacrifice a little period-correctness (on the assumption that it'd be fully-clothed anyway) to get a stiffer and more maintainable design with the frame set lower between/under the axles. This is kind of a "spend a year collecting pictures and drawings of old racers" research project at this point and may never go any further.

I've got the skills, or access to people with the skills, to do the mechanical work and most of the chassis layout and fab work, the body design and construction is beyond me and possibly beyond my budget unless I can find someone who just falls in love with the project (or someone who wants to throw some money at it.)

As for 130AM - the toddler went to sleep around 10, I ducked out to the garage to clean up a bit, ended up pulling the electronics out of the left rear of the M5 to reseat some connectors and try to fix an intermittent front-speaker cutout, buttoned it all up and decided to check email one more time before bed...

[phantasms]

The thing looks incredible. This may have to be my next car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky8ZiO6ebn0&fmt=18

[crankedupforit]

Originally Posted by figgie

does not neccesarily? You are kidding?

It either does or it doesn't. No inbetween. So which is it? (just be aware that this is a setup question).

as for comparo,

weight are about the same
power about the same (no SAE number for CTS-V so we will see).
priced about the same

One has two doors less. And because of that it is classified as a sport car instead of something else.

you guys are funny!

Add two more doors (more weight) lengthen the wheelbase (more weight) make it a practical 4 person sedan (more weight) and see what it does. That car is an absolute hog for it's class and needs every pony it can muster. Besides imagine the repair costs on that ringer engine. When that thing breaks you'll need a second mortgage to get it fixed. Not exactly main stream. Get over it dude they're not the same.

[JEM]

Originally Posted by crankedupforit

Add two more doors (more weight) lengthen the wheelbase (more weight) make it a practical 4 person sedan (more weight) and see what it does. That car is an absolute hog for it's class and needs every pony it can muster. Besides imagine the repair costs on that ringer engine. When that thing breaks you'll need a second mortgage to get it fixed. Not exactly main stream. Get over it dude they're not the same.

Are we talking GT-R again?

Like I said earlier, the early-adopters who buy the latest toy as a toy and flips it for the next one in a year might consider both, but I can't imagine that most would-be CTS-V shoppers would ever consider one.

E63, C63, really any V8 E-class. I'm inclined to think anyone who buys that useless Benz CLS probably cares more that it's a Benz than anything else. M5, yeah, but it's not really aging well and you've got to like the SMG to like the car. 550i, sure. The new M3 is a direct competitor as are the Audi S4 and RS4. Audi S6 and RS6, maybe; the RS6 will be high on the toy-car-shoppers' lists so you'll see a lot of 'em back on the market in eighteen months, and with Audi it's always a crapshoot whether a new sports model will feel like a rocketship or a lead zeppelin. And I think some of the 300C SRT8 guys will probably be ready for Whatever's Next.

I'd always figured the STS-V's natural target was the Jag XJR market, but the car wasn't quite good enough to pull it off. Jag had a really nice moneybags demographic but Tata's gonna have a hard time pulling that mess back together. I dunno, I like the old S-type better than the new XF, but the one thing about Jag is that compared to the frantic 'net community you find for BMW, or even GM products, there just ain't nothin' for late Jags.