This is like the exact opposite of what people have been saying.

 

Hi all! I visit this board daily but I post only when I have something to say. The reason I'm posting is that I see this thread getting too long ,which in my opinion shouldn't.
S2000=SPORTS CAR
S4=family vehicle prepped up to behave LIKE a sports car in order to boost the image of conservative overpriced German automotive engineering.
To me end of discussion, and as far as German SPORTS CARS there is only one. 911 GT2

GT3 is going to be out next month though.

 

AutoxEX - Nurburgring - 22.8km long and 174 corners ... not sure why I wrote 12km before. I envy you for driving there - that is my dream ... which I haven't got a chance to do. I live on the other side of the earth (but I do get into Europe every few years). Though, as odd it may seem I know (almost intimately) every corner, every straight, every bump/camber change. believe it or not, I know the whole track of by heart. If you nowder how's that, it's simple, I have a computer simulation of the '67 F1 season (and I sit with a wheel behind computer like an idiot for hours when I have nothign betetr to do :-). Not only it has totaly real life physics/car dynamics implemented (cars do exacly what my real-life-track experiences have tought me), it also has the whole Nurburgring painfully recreated in every miniscule detail (I can watch vidoes of the Nurburgring track and know which part of the track/corner I'm looking at :-) I've done something like 1000 'virtual' laps there but not a sigle real one. You have one up on me here - can you write a bit more about your experience? How long did a lap take you (13 minutes?). How many laps did you do? How did it feel? Seen any other car there? etc ... anything you can write about it, I'd be glad to read.

Greece2000, what's this about Porsche GT2 being the only 'real' sports car made in Germany (though, you mean GT3 - which holds the lap record at Nurburgring ...not GT2. GT2 is lightweight RWD 911 Turbo that is about to be released. right?). Anyway, What about every other Porsche like Boxter, BoxterS, 911, 911RS (even some of the older ones like 968CS). Then what about BMWs - anything with the M ayt the front of the name like M3, M coupe, M roadster (M5 could be here but I understand why "you"'d leave it out). And then what about all the Mercs that have AMG in front of the name? Audi - I tend to agree with the TTs (though TT 4WD Turbo will do the trick - might be behind the S2000 but it's aspirations are 'sporty'). Though any Audi with the S (let alone RS) in front of it's name is a damn mean sports car in my view (no mater how many people it can sit). Also Opel should not be left out that it's released the 220 (Lotus Elise chasis with 2.2L engine and new body). I would go as far to say that the Germans make more sportscars than any other nation in the world (though, Italy probably produces more).

Still, bottom line is - anything that has got enough power and handling to swap lap times with the Boxters and S2000s is a damn fine performance vehicle and deserves to be compared to the 'true' sports cars that it might even beat on the track. I know that some of us (me included) want a 'no-compromise RWD 2 seater that has minimal weight (and looks good) and is direclty aimed at the Performance envelope of a vehicles'. Though, if a car that does other stuff as well (like carry more people and has a TV built in) manages to keep up with the S2000 (and some finsih in front), then that car is that much better at this 'performance' thing and extra credit to it. No, I might not want to swap into any of the AMG, RS, M or HSV cars, but I do wish for that kind of performance if I don't have it.

ps. Has anyone seen the short films (on the net) shoing an S2000 blasting dowen a setion of a Nurburgring (it's only about a minute long) - car is totally on the limit and is flying - very nice viewing :-) Also, if anyone hoas or knows of an S2000 doing a full lap of Nurburgring, then can you please put me onot it. I'd love to see the whole thing.

 

Have you seen a video with the S2000 at that track before? The only track video I've seen was on the www.vtec.net site under S2000 and videos or MPEGs. Maybe that's it. The track looks rather narrow and has undulations and tight curves (in the video).

 

That 'might' be it SpaceNeedle. That description could be of Nurburgring .. will go and have a look. Was it the full lap (which should take more than 8 and 1/2 minutes)?