FAUEE

Set by a front engine, rwd car... But Corvette had to switch to midengine because they had reached the limit of what could be done... But aren't the fastest ring time...

Hell, it's set by a MERCEDES AMG of all things, not exactly a company known for making stripped out track specials. They're known for making huge luxo barges with gobs of power.

EVRGRN

You make a good point. With the c8 and rear engine layout, I believe the move was largely about traction and acceleration from a standing start, with improved handling being a secondary concern.

The AMG is slower to 60 than the c8, but it capitalizes on superior aero and suspension tuning (along with more HP) to make it a vastly superior track car - despite using the 'archaic' front, mid-engine layout.

919cw313

Awesome. And it's only $400k.

Telepierre

If you want we can talk about on how the AMG GT Black series is not really a GT...BUT to their credit at least this car does not require filling a gallon of water to inject into the turbos every 20 minutes of track time or highway....

I do ear the car get's steamy in the cabin though...

That Bad Man

Five years from now you can get it for $35k.

64drvr

That’s pretty petty to try and disqualify the Black as not being an actual GT. How is it any different than the ZR1 is to the Corvette or the GT350R is to the Mustang, Pista is to 488, Speciale is to 458, ZL1 1LE is to Camaro, ACR is to Viper, etc., etc., etc.? It has a full interior and uses many of the GT parts. It’s awesome. The end.

pappy.72

They make the most technological race cars in the world. They just won the F1 world title which is the top racing series in the world (there is more than NSACAR out there, Ha) so they know a thing or two about race cars. Their racing history is one of the oldest and most extensive around.

Les

That car is a total badass! I've always liked it anyway but after watching the video at the Ring I've now asked my son to get one for me for Christmas. I'm not overly optimistic......

Telepierre

I think you misunderstood my post. Of all records at the ring this one by Mercedes I actually "trust" more as unlike other vendors they fully disclosed the OEM deletes and tires used for it and has it has been stated there is a credible racing name behind it. The car is something really to behold on the track and if you followed the development of it as close as I did you'll realize the radical engineering applied to it to post this time at the ring.

I suggest you take a grand touring ride on a C7 ZR1 and then a AMG GT Black Series with NHV sensors and then plug the same on a C8.R and tell me the difference between the three. The C7ZR1 is a 5 hours highway grand tourer the AMG GT Black Series in comparison is a one hour "grand tourer" which is better than other 30 minutes grand tourers..
Sitting in both without even starting the engine will give you hints right out of the bat.

That said, the new ring record holder is a awesome car! but now you know why nobody is talking about it...

FAUEE

I lost all respect for F1 many years ago. Once they switched to the turbo engines it became much less of a racing series and more of a "work around the rules" series. It hasn't been worth paying attention to for 10+ years. That said, it's not that I don't think Mercedes can't build fast cars, it's that their niche is usually big *** heavy boat cars, you'd expect them to be setting a top speed record over a ring lap time record.

BluegrassMotorsport

The most expensive C7 was still 1/3 the price of the Merc. Still an incredible car, no doubt.

MVR 155

Mercedes has a very long, very rich racing heritage........ just because the bulk of their cars are "heavy" doesn't mean they don't know their way around the race track. While you clearly expressed your dislike for F1, they have done quite well...... it's the pinnacle of the car racing world. The currently available C8 Corvette is the base model with considerably less HP than most of it's rivals/competition so I don't think anyone is expecting it to beat every single competitor out there at this time. I'm curious to see what the Z06/ZR1 variants will do once released. Be patient and I think you'll see the C8 putting down some serious numbers to rival the competition.

PCMusicGuy

I really think that the C8 only moved the engine to the rear because it was the only economical way they could introduce an updated model flexible enough to be gas, hybrid, or all electric.

FAUEE

Well, whatever the reason is it clearly wasn't because front engine had been maxed out. Mercedes found plenty of neat on the bone.

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I think they went midengine because some overpaid "branding expert" got them convinced if they aped upmarket cars they'd elevate the brand. Caddy has been failing at this for like 2 decades now. GM seems to not get their position in the hierarchy and desperately wants to cha ge it, but lacks the vision to do it. They need to watch what Hyundai and genesis have done, more so than try to force people to think that chevys and caddys are more than they're seen as. They have far too long a history to erase.

z06inVB

Or is that the cost of 60 month service 😈

EVRGRN

Drivetrain flexibility is a good point as well.