NS:
excellent handling behaviour with the stock Bridgestone Potenza RE50 or the optional Pirelli P Zero Corsa, the test car was equipped with the - tuned for max dry grip with high positive rubber amount - Corsa and with that tire the Vantage is 10 seconds faster than with the original RE50, so 8:03min with the Pirelliīs been the best lap...
the Vantage is very neutral in all driving conditions and the brakes are superb, even after more flying laps, the result of many many thousands testing kilometers at the īring...
HHR:
...the combination of Pirelliīs Corsa and the Vantageīs suspension setup is again nearly perfect, steering is very direct but not nervous, grip due to diff-lock simply outstanding. the brakes are delivering very very good results on the brakes demanding track, even with the "not so sporty" RE50 it can do a 1:16.7, with the Corsa a 1:14.8...
but again, with both tires the good overall setup of the car provides a extremly good feeling for the car, no over-/understeering at all and simply outstanding handling, the key factor for a good lap time at HHR...
acceleration/braking:
the whole transaxle driveline layout is just right for the Vantage and is a key factor for the very neutral and good handling behaviour as well as traction under hard acceleration, also due to the warm testing conditions the Vantage was .5 sec slower than the stated 5.0sec from AM - up to 200 it takes 18.8 sec and the brakes are good for 11.7m/sē de-acceleration with the Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires...
aerodynamics:
...lift at the front axle is 480N or 48kg at 200km/h - at the rear itīs "only" 13kg the car is getting lighter at that speed - not that good result but the straightline stability is better than on most of the other sportscars, even at the highest speeds, also 200+ km/h autobahn bends are no problem, another benefit of the superb suspension setup.
max. lateral accl.:
with the optional Pirelli tires the Vantage can pull up to 1.3g lateral acceleration without getting nervous so very neutral, with the RE50 the turn-in behaviour suffers a bit as well as the smoothness and lateral performance...
36m slalom:
the Vantage feels very nimble and light due to a excellent steering system, turn-in behaviour is remarkable with the Pirellis, even with TC-off it provides enough grip for fast lanechanges and the driver has to push really hard to bring some nervousness into the handling - so also at the limit the car can be titled as very neutral...
speed advantage for the Pirelli: 4km/h
110m evasion test:
fast lanechanges is no problem with the RE50 and the Corsa, sure with the Pirelli everything is more precise and direct nevertheless the speed difference is quite high comparing the two tire models - 138km/h to 133km/h is quite something...
wet handling:
again the sport-tire/semi slick vs "normal" street tire discussion, in the end the P Zero Corsa is of course a tire that feels "at home" on a dry smooth track but it also shows a definitely acceptable performance under wet conditions...
verdict:
thanks to CEO Betz - former Porsche R&D-chief
- the AM V8 Vantage can be considered as a true sportscar, the outstanding engine but most of all the Betz influenced suspension setup/tires and testing procedure is good for a very good result and finally a big big step forward for british sports cars...
well done...