Gojirra99
07-17-06, 07:51 PM
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Autocar took over London's City Airport on Saturday afternoon - and all in the name of setting a new top speed for the capital.
Editor-at-large Steve Sutcliffe got behind the wheel of 10 of the hottest road cars on the planet to set a London Land Speed record, using the airport's mile-long runway - and remembering to brake early enough to avoid ending up in the water at either end of it.
The cars used were a Ford GT, a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, a Shelby Daytona, a BMW M6, an Alpina B5, a Bentley Continental Flying Spur, a Porsche 911 Turbo, a Corvette Z06, an Aston Martin DB9 and a Vauxhall Maloo VXR.
Which car was quickest, then? The Merc just nicked it with a speed of 175mph - but it only had 1mph in hand over its nearest rival at the close of play.
The £317,500 Mercedes SLR McLaren supercar hit the top speed in a one mile speed challenge at London City Airport, a stone’s throw from ExCel, the venue for the British International Motor Show which was cleared of aircraft for the event.
"It was absolutely breathtaking and a fantastic feeling to set the record in a British-built car," said Autocar’s magazine’s editor at large, which organized the attempt.
The speed, officially timed, will be put forward as an official Guinness Book of Records entry for the London Land Speed Record.
The Mercedes SLR McLaren was part of the cavalcade of performance cars that shot down the runway at the airport in London’s Docklands. Also on the tarmac was a Ford GT which achieved 174.3 mph and a Corvette Z06 which reached a top speed of 167 mph.
"The McLaren has the power, the technology and the stability to hit those high speeds with incredible control," added Sutcliffe. "This is the fastest any production car has ever been driven legally in London".
Away from any speed cameras, Autocar put another British supercar through its paces, the Bentley Flying Spur. Flying the flag for Germany were a Porsche 911 Turbo, BMW M6 and an Alpina B5, while America was represented by the Ford GT, Corvette Z06 and the Shelby Daytona Cobra.
The Autocar London Speed record attempt is in association with the British International Motorshow and has been sponsored by Pirelli.
The winning Mercedes SLR McLaren is the product of a partnership between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren and is built in Woking, in Surrey. Only limited numbers are for sale and it’s priced at £317,500, making it the most expensive car in the £1.2million line-up Autocar assembled for the speed record.
Richard Gooding, Managing Director, London City Airport said "It was certainly an interesting transformation from runway to racetrack. The cars certainly reached maximum speed and looked as if they were going to take off, it was great to see".
Here are the final trap speeds of the other contestants.
Mercedes McLaren SLR - 175.7 mph
Ford GT - 174.3 mph
Corvette Z06 - 167.0 mph
Porsche Turbo - 162.6 mph
BMW M6 - 162.5 mph
Shelby Daytona Cobra - 159.7 mph
Alpina B5 - 155.4 mph
Bentley Flying Spur - 157.4 mph
Vauxhall Maloo - 160.8 mph
* Each vehicle was given a rolling start and the length of the City Airport’s one-mile runway in which to set the fastest time, 3 runs per vehicle. Cars entered the main runway via a slip road at 70-80 mph.
source : autocar.co.uk, autoblog
Autocar took over London's City Airport on Saturday afternoon - and all in the name of setting a new top speed for the capital.
Editor-at-large Steve Sutcliffe got behind the wheel of 10 of the hottest road cars on the planet to set a London Land Speed record, using the airport's mile-long runway - and remembering to brake early enough to avoid ending up in the water at either end of it.
The cars used were a Ford GT, a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, a Shelby Daytona, a BMW M6, an Alpina B5, a Bentley Continental Flying Spur, a Porsche 911 Turbo, a Corvette Z06, an Aston Martin DB9 and a Vauxhall Maloo VXR.
Which car was quickest, then? The Merc just nicked it with a speed of 175mph - but it only had 1mph in hand over its nearest rival at the close of play.
The £317,500 Mercedes SLR McLaren supercar hit the top speed in a one mile speed challenge at London City Airport, a stone’s throw from ExCel, the venue for the British International Motor Show which was cleared of aircraft for the event.
"It was absolutely breathtaking and a fantastic feeling to set the record in a British-built car," said Autocar’s magazine’s editor at large, which organized the attempt.
The speed, officially timed, will be put forward as an official Guinness Book of Records entry for the London Land Speed Record.
The Mercedes SLR McLaren was part of the cavalcade of performance cars that shot down the runway at the airport in London’s Docklands. Also on the tarmac was a Ford GT which achieved 174.3 mph and a Corvette Z06 which reached a top speed of 167 mph.
"The McLaren has the power, the technology and the stability to hit those high speeds with incredible control," added Sutcliffe. "This is the fastest any production car has ever been driven legally in London".
Away from any speed cameras, Autocar put another British supercar through its paces, the Bentley Flying Spur. Flying the flag for Germany were a Porsche 911 Turbo, BMW M6 and an Alpina B5, while America was represented by the Ford GT, Corvette Z06 and the Shelby Daytona Cobra.
The Autocar London Speed record attempt is in association with the British International Motorshow and has been sponsored by Pirelli.
The winning Mercedes SLR McLaren is the product of a partnership between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren and is built in Woking, in Surrey. Only limited numbers are for sale and it’s priced at £317,500, making it the most expensive car in the £1.2million line-up Autocar assembled for the speed record.
Richard Gooding, Managing Director, London City Airport said "It was certainly an interesting transformation from runway to racetrack. The cars certainly reached maximum speed and looked as if they were going to take off, it was great to see".
Here are the final trap speeds of the other contestants.
Mercedes McLaren SLR - 175.7 mph
Ford GT - 174.3 mph
Corvette Z06 - 167.0 mph
Porsche Turbo - 162.6 mph
BMW M6 - 162.5 mph
Shelby Daytona Cobra - 159.7 mph
Alpina B5 - 155.4 mph
Bentley Flying Spur - 157.4 mph
Vauxhall Maloo - 160.8 mph
* Each vehicle was given a rolling start and the length of the City Airport’s one-mile runway in which to set the fastest time, 3 runs per vehicle. Cars entered the main runway via a slip road at 70-80 mph.
source : autocar.co.uk, autoblog