Do Nurburgring Lap Times Matter To Anyone Other Than The Automakers?

It does when considering the capabilities of the vehicle. If you're shopping for a commuter vehicle it clearly doesn't matter at all, but if you're in the high performance market it's a useful parameter and says much more about the vehicle than simpler measures like 0-60 time, skidpad g's, or 70-0 braking distance

There is no better way to measure overall performance of an automobile. Any car can be good in one area (e.g. 0-60). But the ring tests all aspects of performance in the most brutal way. It's not called the Green Hell for nothing.

THe first problem is - many of the cars tested have been specifically modified to be driven on a race course.

The second problem is - MOST of these "tests" have a real Race car driver at the helm - something unlikely to happen in the real world in YOUR car.


In a lot of cases - the idea that a Hundredth of a second ight make a difference in driving a car - ignores that the temperature of the track varies year round - and could be producing this slight changes.

Virtually all of these super/exotic monster motor cars today go far faster than most people who might have the money to buy one can drive. THe differences are largely trophies - for cars most of which will spend the rest of their lives as Museum pieces.

on the margins, this is purely a bragging rights exercise in nearly all cases, just like advertising that one car has 15 more horsepower than another

Of course they matter! Most auto fan boys and girls will never own an exotic so they get their kicks from reading about them. Learning how fast these cars can really go is fuel for fantasies.

These days the real challenge is to go a good or great lap time at the Ring but still be very viable on a day to day basis. Advancements in suspension technology and more sophisticated transmissions and engine management software make it possible.