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I visited Exotics Racing in Vegas over the weekend. They didn't have the Aventador that day, so I just decided to take out a few other cars that I'd never driven before. In ER's favour, the operation is otherwise fantastic. I was a little bit worried, based on some participant reviews, that they wouldn't let you flog the cars. But, that is easily overcome by telling each instructor (you have a different instructor for each car) about prior track experience. Then as long as your first lap is clean, they'll usually let you take more liberties with the cars (i.e. shift at higher RPM, brake deeper than their braking zone pylons indicate) since like everybody else in Vegas, they are working for tips. The one caveat is that they run all the cars in Sport mode, or equivalent, obviously to keep some level of safety net, which is understandable.
The track is a relatively short lap, but well laid out with a variety of turns and a decent straight that gets most of the cars well into 5th gear. Here are the cars I chose, in the order that I drove them:
Mercedes SLS AMG: The big Merc surprised me for a few different reasons. It was much easier to drive than I had anticipated. On the track, the long bonnet is a non-issue - in fact, I wasn't even aware of it. Forward visibility is fine and the car is very well balanced, making it easy to place anywhere on the track. It still feels like a big car, though, and while you can probably extract some very decent lap times, it is probably still too cumbersome to track regularly and really enjoy it. The engine is punchy, perhaps not quite as strong as I'd hoped, but probably held back by the relatively high weight of the car. The car seems to do everything well, but the transmission is crap. The shifts take forever and are a real let-down when you are trying to hustle the car around a lap. So, that spoiled it for me. Since I probably wouldn't track this car very often, I'd probably just rather have a manual box and why not a V12 while they're at it. I think it would be a nice collectible GT car in that case.
Porsche 911 Turbo S: Silent assassin. I loved this car. Obviously, it was going to feel nimble, stepping out of the Merc, but there is definitely much more refinement, too. It just devours the track without fuss and you don't feel the insane speed you are carrying as the engine and wind noise are minimal. It is probably just as fast as the 12C in a straight line, but the power delivery is slightly different - very constant vs. the waves of boost that catapult the 12C down the road. Definitely a driver's chassis, responsive to lifting off and trailing brake, etc. You can really finesse the car around the track and it is challenging and rewarding to get the best out of it. Feels like a RWD car, much more so than the GT-R. Absolutely impeccable steering and the suspension didn't feel as soft as I thought it would. Out of all the cars I drove, I wanted to stay in this one longer and discover it, coax faster and faster laps out of it. I'd assumed it was just a one-trick dragstrip pony, which was a dumb assumption of course as it is still a 911.
Ferrari 458 Italia: Of course, given the amount of heated debate on these forums, I was a little worried that it would be so fantastic that I would unsubscribe from McLarenLife and sell my 12C when I got home. Certainly, some journalists would have you think so. It's an excellent car, but for me not an amazing one. Jumping from the the torque monster Porsche didn't help, as the 458 didn't give the same shove in the back. Seemed geared very low, which helped keep it zingy, but the overall thrust seems more on par with a 430 Scud than the warp factor of the Turbo S or 12C. It definitely has more body roll than the 12C, but not excessive considering the conventional suspension. My biggest issue is with the steering and overall grip level. The steering ratio is overboosted to the point of being slightly erratic. As a result, you don't have the resolution to steer in minute increments and you can't place the car inch perfect through each phase of the corners. You definitely get the feeling of a lively chassis, but not the impression of utter confidence, especially on corner exit. Perhaps in their attempt to keep ratcheting up the "fun" factor, Ferrari has swung the pendulum too far. Whereas in the Porsche you feel you've been given the unadulterated tools to go as fast as possible, in the 458 I felt as if there is something else being layered over everything, a "coating" if you will that defines the car as a Ferrari. Which is strange, because the 430 Scuderia has perfect steering and is very much a lively Ferrari, so why mess with the ratio? The 458 is a step up from the base 430, no doubt, but I feel it is at best a step sideways or perhaps even backwards from the 430 Scud for pure driving dynamics.
Nissan GT-R: Amazed and disappointed at the same time. The grip is bewildering, it truly is. You feel the size and weight of the car, but the traction it finds everywhere is boggling. Easily the quickest of the cars I drove over a single lap because you just have to make sure you don't way overcook the entry and then just nail the gas. Power is great - not as smooth as the Porsche, but out-hustles the Merc and Ferrari without a problem. I just couldn't warm up to the size of the car. With all that performance potential, it just feels strange to be steering a big car around the track. If I could get the same technology in a car with smaller overall dimensions, I'd take a hard look. How could you not? Some say the GT-R isn't fun, but what isn't fun about murdering a racetrack. Even in the 12C, you better be on your A-game if one of these is behind you, because you could wad up your car trying to stay ahead of it. Nissan has some amazing technology - I just really hope they put it in a smaller, proper sports car.
The track is a relatively short lap, but well laid out with a variety of turns and a decent straight that gets most of the cars well into 5th gear. Here are the cars I chose, in the order that I drove them:
Mercedes SLS AMG: The big Merc surprised me for a few different reasons. It was much easier to drive than I had anticipated. On the track, the long bonnet is a non-issue - in fact, I wasn't even aware of it. Forward visibility is fine and the car is very well balanced, making it easy to place anywhere on the track. It still feels like a big car, though, and while you can probably extract some very decent lap times, it is probably still too cumbersome to track regularly and really enjoy it. The engine is punchy, perhaps not quite as strong as I'd hoped, but probably held back by the relatively high weight of the car. The car seems to do everything well, but the transmission is crap. The shifts take forever and are a real let-down when you are trying to hustle the car around a lap. So, that spoiled it for me. Since I probably wouldn't track this car very often, I'd probably just rather have a manual box and why not a V12 while they're at it. I think it would be a nice collectible GT car in that case.
Porsche 911 Turbo S: Silent assassin. I loved this car. Obviously, it was going to feel nimble, stepping out of the Merc, but there is definitely much more refinement, too. It just devours the track without fuss and you don't feel the insane speed you are carrying as the engine and wind noise are minimal. It is probably just as fast as the 12C in a straight line, but the power delivery is slightly different - very constant vs. the waves of boost that catapult the 12C down the road. Definitely a driver's chassis, responsive to lifting off and trailing brake, etc. You can really finesse the car around the track and it is challenging and rewarding to get the best out of it. Feels like a RWD car, much more so than the GT-R. Absolutely impeccable steering and the suspension didn't feel as soft as I thought it would. Out of all the cars I drove, I wanted to stay in this one longer and discover it, coax faster and faster laps out of it. I'd assumed it was just a one-trick dragstrip pony, which was a dumb assumption of course as it is still a 911.
Ferrari 458 Italia: Of course, given the amount of heated debate on these forums, I was a little worried that it would be so fantastic that I would unsubscribe from McLarenLife and sell my 12C when I got home. Certainly, some journalists would have you think so. It's an excellent car, but for me not an amazing one. Jumping from the the torque monster Porsche didn't help, as the 458 didn't give the same shove in the back. Seemed geared very low, which helped keep it zingy, but the overall thrust seems more on par with a 430 Scud than the warp factor of the Turbo S or 12C. It definitely has more body roll than the 12C, but not excessive considering the conventional suspension. My biggest issue is with the steering and overall grip level. The steering ratio is overboosted to the point of being slightly erratic. As a result, you don't have the resolution to steer in minute increments and you can't place the car inch perfect through each phase of the corners. You definitely get the feeling of a lively chassis, but not the impression of utter confidence, especially on corner exit. Perhaps in their attempt to keep ratcheting up the "fun" factor, Ferrari has swung the pendulum too far. Whereas in the Porsche you feel you've been given the unadulterated tools to go as fast as possible, in the 458 I felt as if there is something else being layered over everything, a "coating" if you will that defines the car as a Ferrari. Which is strange, because the 430 Scuderia has perfect steering and is very much a lively Ferrari, so why mess with the ratio? The 458 is a step up from the base 430, no doubt, but I feel it is at best a step sideways or perhaps even backwards from the 430 Scud for pure driving dynamics.
Nissan GT-R: Amazed and disappointed at the same time. The grip is bewildering, it truly is. You feel the size and weight of the car, but the traction it finds everywhere is boggling. Easily the quickest of the cars I drove over a single lap because you just have to make sure you don't way overcook the entry and then just nail the gas. Power is great - not as smooth as the Porsche, but out-hustles the Merc and Ferrari without a problem. I just couldn't warm up to the size of the car. With all that performance potential, it just feels strange to be steering a big car around the track. If I could get the same technology in a car with smaller overall dimensions, I'd take a hard look. How could you not? Some say the GT-R isn't fun, but what isn't fun about murdering a racetrack. Even in the 12C, you better be on your A-game if one of these is behind you, because you could wad up your car trying to stay ahead of it. Nissan has some amazing technology - I just really hope they put it in a smaller, proper sports car.
