LAPTIMES - AS TESTED BY EVO

Driving a production automobile as quickly as possible around a racetrack may seem pointless. Driving a production automobile as quickly as possible around a racetrack definitely seems fun. Allowing evo magazine to drive production automobiles around the Bedford Autodrome's West Circuit can teach us plenty, if we analyze the data.

evo is an English mag. Their subtitle is 'The Thrill of Driving". The editors hanker after a particular kind of automobile. Not simply fast, or expensive, or grippy or goodlooking. They want cars that are fun-to-drive, and if you don't supply them with a fun car, the number of stars that car can potentially earn drops significantly - regardless of value, 0-60 stats, or exterior appearance.

The magazine tests each car on the 1.8 mile West Circuit whenever possible. Bedford Autodrome is owned by ex-F1 driver Jonathan Palmer. Two short straights are separated by one big right-hand sweeper. Two significant chicanes, named Club Chicane and Pif-Paf present a challenge, along with a couple high-speed sequences and the Bank Complex, which appears as a sickening half-circle. The most significant face borne out of the lap times at this track is simply this: handling trumps horsepower. Handling may even trump horsepower+light weight.

Granted, the fastest time by a series production car was achieved in a 600+ bhp Porsche Carrera GT. But Porsche's previous 911 GT3 RS - a true lightweight - tops the previous 911 Turbo by more than 2 seconds. The Porsche supercar (6th overall, by the way) topped the more powerful Ferrari Enzo and Koenigsegg CCX.

Ferrari's F430 is widely regarded to be a magnificent handler, but in this instance horsepower reigns. The Ferrari's closest competitor, the Gallardo from Lamborghini, makes the finish line 3/10ths faster.

Bentley's immense Continental GT is a long ways down the list. No car that comfortable should be expected to compete for the title, but it is interesting that 552 horsepower (and over 5000lbs) couldn't topple the Nissan 350Z. The Z car did the loop on a damp track.

So horsepower doesn't actually guarantee a track-fast car. Not surprising. Money doesn't assure fast laps either. A highly-tuned Mitsubishi Evo - a Lancer underneath all the wings and spoilers - bumps the Porsche 911 S down a spot. Impreza STi's can take on BMW M6, M3, and M5, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Vanquish S, and DB9 and beat each one. The latest BMW 330i is hardly a second slower than its big bro', the just-recently extinct M3.

Want to spend a little extra on your VW Golf/Rabbit? Changed your mind from GTI to R32 because you have a need for speed. Well, if a racetrack lap nets you a 1.2 seconds savings, what does real-world driving give you? Nothing, and you know it.

evo's testing is great for three reasons. It tells me how fast a car really is and how much faster relative to competitors. But chiefest of all, it proclaims that there doesn't seem to be much to shout about when you step down from stupid fast, to crazy fast, then fast, somewhat fast, capable, adequate, slow, and dead dog slow. It takes a few steps to find much difference.

If big horsepower and/or lightweight can't make much difference over 2 miles of 10/10ths driving, what happens on your favourite backroad? There really can't be much in it, can there?

The Maserati Quattroporte tops a big competitor, the BMW M5, by over a second-and-a-half. The Quattroporte is a big sedan, but beats bigger, more powerful sedans with ease. Credit goes to Maserati's test drivers and engineers.

Renault's tidy package from a year or two ago, the Clio 182 Cup, tops more powerful hatches from VW, BMW, Ford, Seat, and Honda.

To make it succinct, evo drives cars very fast around a racetrack. The results are surprising. Supposedly fast cars; cars with plenty of apparent performance appeal, don't always live up to the expectations. More importantly, fast isn't all that far from slow.

But fast is good.