370Z at Nurburgring

The HACK

M3 CSL also comes standard with race rubbers (Michelin Pilot Sport Cups).

Let's get a couple of things straight about the 'Ring. First, power trumps all. Nurburgring has several very long straights where top speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour can be reached in a car with enough HP. Those sections can be as long as several MILES. The difference between a car that can reach, say, sustain 180mph and a car that's limited to say, 130mph, can be up to a full minute. And vehicle top-speed is a function of it's available HP and aerodynamic drag. Therefore cars with a clear HP advantage will have an easier path to a faster lap time at the 'Ring.

Not saying that a car that handles well won't be faster than a car that doesn't handle well, but the very nature of the beast that is the "ring" rewards cars with HP more than it does reward cars with grip.

But let's get back to the tangent, for a moment, of the BMW E46 M3 CSL vs. E90 M3. On a typical 2 mile long road course, the difference between a car equipped with R-comps and car equipped with run of the mill street tires can be as much as 5 seconds. On a 14 mile long course? It's simple to see why the CSL should be faster despite having 60 less horses.

Namir

Eh..... I don't buy it.
The radical SRT8 smokes everything with more HP. The Veyron with all its HP can't beat the viper ACR, porsche turbo/GT2, R35 GTR, or ZR1.

I do agree that the back straight means that a lot of time can be made up if you have enough hp but the only place where HP is enough to give you a win is on a drag strip.

Now if the 370z was delimited, it might be able to do something quick (8:15ish) but I don't see it being under 8 minutes.

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The HACK

370Z besting Cayman S's 8:11, it's not likely. There are multiple factors involved here that would work against the 370Z. The Cayman S has a significantly better drag coefficient and a smaller frontal area, therefore it has the potential to achieve higher top speed for less HP. The Cayman S is also significantly lighter than the 370Z.

Obviously, for all our discussion here, it is merely all speculation until someone actually takes the 370Z out to the mighty 'Ring and actually sets a time. But logic tells me to expect anything between 8:16-8:18.