The British EVO Magazine gathered four machines that, despite being homologated as road cars, are closer to those used on the circuit. Except for one of the targets, we are in the presence of the most “hardcore” variants of these models, where lessons from the world of competition are applied without major restrictions and considerations for regular use.
The British call them “Road Racers”, something like competition cars for the road, and that served as justification for bringing together four very different cars, but with identical goals – reducing the distance between the road car and the competition car.
These are automobiles that, from a rational point of view, make little sense. It's when you drive them, or ride them, that it all comes together — the finesse of the driving experience is taken to extremes. Goodbye comfort gear, hello bacquet, roll-cage, handles and adhesive ground bindings. Regardless of the times achieved, all these machines offer unique and demanding driving experiences.
Let's meet them…
We start with the "elephant" in the room, the Ford GT , the only one conceived as a competition car, to succeed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, fulfilling only the “minimums” in order to be homologated for the road. It looks more like a prototype than any other present, with the wind tunnel dictating the extreme forms.It comes equipped with an EcoBoost V6 in the center rear position, delivers 656 hp, the aerodynamics is active and is the only one, in this group, that we can call super sports.
At the other end we have the Lotus Demand Cup , which in this company, seems not to have the necessary glow. It's the lightest in the group by a large margin — it weighs less than 1100 kg — it's the most compact, but it's also the least powerful. Just 430 hp, and a slower manual gearbox — all the others have dual-clutch gearboxes — don't combine for a good result.
Of course there would have to be a 911. Porsche 911 GT2 RS it is the culmination of decades of evolution and direct linkage to circuitry. It is a 911 “monster”, capable of extracting 700 hp from the eternal flat-six, and only two sprockets. In his CV he includes a cannon time in “green hell”, and it took a huge Lamborghini Aventador SVJ to get him to dethrone.
Finally, the only one in the group with a front engine. THE Mercedes-AMG GT R assumes the typical architecture of a… GT, but let's not disregard it for that. Despite being the heaviest of the bunch — 1615 kg or more than 500 kg than the Exige — the 585 hp of its “Hot V” V8 and dynamic and aerodynamic apparatus make it a feared rival.
As a final note, they are all equipped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2.
the circuit
This clash was held at the Anglesey Coastal Circuit, a small but tortuous circuit measuring 2.49 km in length. Maybe it's not the best circuit for machines like the wide Ford GT, more adept at faster and wider layouts, where its active aerodynamics play a key role in its performance; but small cars like the Lotus Exige should feel “at home”.
The video is in English and takes 20 minutes, but it is a unique opportunity to get to know each of these very special machines in more detail.
Which is the fastest? You'll have to watch the video… One clue: Lotus' featherweight was not enough to earn the nickname “Giants Tomb”.