Ferrari Mailing List: Partial FC: Why top speed is so overrated...

[Fellippe Galletta (fellippe.galletta]

Just saw this video that really puts the whole top speed into total
perspective:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEP3ew1MPXA

Here you have 4 cars that couldn't be more different than each other and
totally different price brackets all clock in between 195 and 201.5
mph...Nissan GTR --> Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. Talk about diminishing returns
to get an extra mph in top speed, lol.

Horsepower has increased dramatically since 1990, yet top speeds have barely
gone up much. Allegedly supercars from back then could go more than 200, but
now I'm not so sure.

My only explanation is that the newer cars have a lot more downforce and
stability than the older cars at these speeds; weight is about the same,
aerodynamic drag can't be much different, HP & Torque are a lot higher, so
must be the downforce perhaps (or maybe the gearing too).

F40, F50, and 550 Maranello all are supposedly in the 195 mph range as far
as what they're clocked at, and the reports of their stability at those
speeds have been nothing but phenomenal. I can't comment on the very latest
Vipers, Corvettes, but traditionally these cars are not rock steady at very
high speeds. Don't know about the 911 reputation, but don't think it's quite
at the level of supercar F or L.

Which leads to the final point.... that is, all that should matter IMHO is
the stability one feels flying at these supercar speeds. Given how long it
takes to get to these speeds, I doubt very few people will ever be
completely stress free going past the 300 km/hr zone. I've experienced 135
mph in a few cars and it's quite apparent the dramatic difference between
some of them....

Most of this is trivial for many of us, but given the right supercar and a
cross country trip, I know there are numerous roads where you can go flat
out. It would be nice to experience 190 mph drama free for a sustained 30-60
seconds....

Would like to hear some war stories!! Even more than flat out speeds, I'm
interested to hear about highest average speeds for long
distances.....averaging 130 mph for an hour or two would be impressive!

FG