The Nurburgring is the most famous race track in the world. While you may have never heard of it, it famous and is the focus of most high end car engineers. The Nurburgring is used as the place where car companies test out their latest cars built for speed. The track is used because it has straight aways that test a cars high end speeds as well as the handling and suspension in those cars. Car companies put a lot of effort into the race technology that they will use so that they can get quick times when their car is tested on "The Ring." This video shows various parts of the Nurburgring as well as great cinematography. You can get the gist of the Nurburgring and all that happens there through the video.
A car is simply just a compilation of data and tests before it has something to compare it to. Horsepower may seem good, but in a big car, the horsepower may have less effect since it is moving a car. Its 0-60 time may tell you how fast the car is in a straight line, but when a turn comes, what happens? The Nurburgring is phenomenal in that it tests many aspects of a car. As each part is tested, the final score of the car is the time that the car takes to complete one lap. A question that is always asked is what a car's time was on the Nurburgring because there are thresholds based on the times and if your car goes as fast or faster than a car famous for its speed, then you get a lot of respect as a car company. One of the best examples of this was the Corvette ZR1. Everyone knew that it was a fast car but when it posted one of the fastest times for a production car, the ZR1 became a lot more prestigious. It was faster than any Porsche ever built and was almost as fast as the Ferrari Enzo which costs about $1.3 million. The ZR1 only costed about $100,000. The ZR1 got its fame through exemplifying how great the car was built when it was all put together. This is the type of fame that a single lap on the Nurburgring can bring and is a must know place in the car world.
Very cool. I enjoy reading your posts each week because not only are the videos entertaining, they provide me with some insight into what goes on in the "car world". I had never heard of the Nurburgring, and I was happy to learn a little about it.
ReplyDeleteI always wondered why it was necessary to make cars so fast when the speed limit holds them back for the consumer (unless of course you take a drive on the autobohn). It makes sense that prestige is a factor, and you have to believe that the manufacturers pride themselves on crafting a car with speed and beauty. I love the videos, but this was a worthwhile read!
ReplyDeleteLike Lauren, I, too, enjoy reading your posts because they give me a glimpse of the "car world" that I have no previous knowledge of.
ReplyDeleteYour description of the Nurburgring is pretty cool. I would love to see it one day and watch the cars getting their limits tested!