Car and Driver Lightning Lap: 335i tops Z4 M coupe

[Michelle]

BMW’s 335i coupe lapped VIR’s 4.2-mile course in 3:10.5 (77.2 mph) vs. the Z4 M coupe’s 3:11.7 (77.0 mph).

Link to article

July 16, 2007

A 335i coupe laps Virginia International Raceway faster than a Z4 M coupe? That’s what Car and Driver found in its second annual Lightning Lap competition (August) in which the best car is the one with the quickest time around VIR’s 4.2-mile Grand Course. Thirteen cars took part, with the fastest being the Corvette Z06 at 2:58.2, the slowest the Mini Cooper at 3:22.9.

Car and Driver divided the cars into four classes based on price. LL1 was for cars under $30,000, with the Pontiac Solstice GXP running a 3:15.5, followed by a MazdaSpeed 3 at 3:16.0 and the Mini Cooper S. “With the least power and straight line speed among the entries this time,” CD wrote, “it’s not surprising that the Mini Cooper S turned the slowest lap time of 3:22.9. But that’s still faster [than last year’s VW GTI, Honda Civic Si, and Mazda MX-5]. Furthermore, the Cooper S turned its laps with style.”

The BMWs were in LL2 for cars of $30,000 to $60,000, won handily by a Corvette with the Z51 package, at 3:03.6 (third fastest overall), followed by a Ford Shelby GT500 at 3:05.9, BMW 335i coupe at 3:10.5, and BMW Z4 M coupe at 3:11.7. “Between the two [BMWs], you’d expect the 335i to be more supple over bumps, have vastly more interior room, and be as refined as a Lexus,” CD said. “But what floored us was that the 335i’s best lap (3:10.5) was 1.2 seconds quicker than the M coupe’s. It’s a case of neutral handling over outright speed.”

In LL3, for cars up to $120,000, the order was Corvette Z06, Porsche 911 GT3, Lotus Exige S, Audi R8, and Audi RS4. Compared to the RS4, the magazine noted, “the BMW [335i] was almost one second quicker around VIR … and if it weren’t for the four-wheel-drive system … the RS4 would have been farther behind the competition.” As for the other Audi, “The RS8 sounds stupendous, but the gated shifter becomes tiresome after a while … [and] being the second heaviest car in LL3 counted against the RS8 at VIR.” There was just one car in LL4, for cars up to $240,000, and there the Porsche 911 Turbo “was terrific on the street but disappointing on the track,” running a 3:05.8, sixth overall.