These performance figures are a couple of years out of date, but to set this comparison test up took some doing then, and probably too difficult to organize now, but the results are interesting.
Zero to 100 kays is not the yardstick you need when dealing with supercars. It is zero to 200 miles per hour (320 kays) to sort the men from the boys. Yes, only in America could a magazine come up with such a comparison test, but Road and Track rose to the challenge. They took over the 15,550 foot runway of a US Navy air station in California and brought together six of the world’s fastest and rarest supercars to see how quickly they could get from a standing start to 200 mph. And the results were startling.
Ultimate Corvette.
The first startle came with the Lamborghini Murcielago and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Their zero to 200 mph times were unrecordable! They couldn’t get there. Scratch two, only four left.
Next up was the Ruf 12, basically a Porsche Turbo on steroids. This rocketship took 35.5 seconds to reach 200 mph and according to the tester, it was a very comfortable drive. If you are not au fait with the Ruf name, Alois Ruf has been modifying Porsches for 33 years in the quaintly named Bavarian town of Pfaffenhausen. I have raced a Porsche Carrera against a Ruf Porsche and can only tell you what the rear end looks like. I didn’t get to see any more of the car.
Faster than the Ruf 12 was the Lingenfelter C6 Corvette. Similar to Alois Ruf, but on the left hand side of the Atlantic, John Lingenfelter has been taking US muscle cars and giving them even more muscle for 24 years. The Lingenfelter C6 Corvette has a 7.0 liter 650 kW V8 in the business end of the car and only took 26.5 seconds to get to 200 mph.
The Bugatti Veyron was next, and with 740 kW under the bonnet did zero to 200 mph in 24.2 seconds, which is around the time my Daihatsu Mira takes to 100 kph (downhill with a tail wind).
The big winner had 814 kW and a V10 up front, showing there’s no substitute for cubic inches. This was the John Hennesy prepared V10 Dodge Viper which did the 0-200 mph in 20.3 seconds. Apparently, according to R&T, it will sit on 400 kph, and costs $300,000 ex-factory in Houston.
However, if you are looking at doing the ‘double ton’ on a budget, the Lingenfelter C6 Corvette will only set you back around $160,000. So, what will it be, Sir? One Viper or a pair of Corvettes?
