But as usual, the numbers alone don't tell the whole story. Driving through the wet track section in the EVO was a point-and-shoot operation, with the computer distributing power as needed. Pedaling the Skyline through the same curves required advanced planning on the Swedish rally driver level. Pendulum turns, loads of counter steer and very, very careful throttle application were required to keep the big Skyline in sight of the smaller, lighter EVO. This difference matters even more off the racetrack where very few drivers would be willing to push the Skyline hard enough to reproduce these results.
Back another 0.77 seconds was HPA's Audi TT. Driving the TT was odd. Its ECU didn't allow advanced driving techniques like left-foot braking, which hurt its lap time considerably. As soon as the TT's ECU notices any overlap between brake and throttle applications, it cuts power, not to mention the fun factor. Even after adjusting our driving style to fit the TT's agenda of electronic hierarchy, it wasn't truly fun to drive because the Haldex all-wheel-drive system's calibration favors lawyer-friendly understeer. Although this car makes enough power to satisfy the HPA's power-hungry customers, it just wasn't as rewarding as some of the other cars in this test.
The XS Engineering WRX simply isn't a road course car. Nearly all of XS's efforts were spent under the hood rather than on the suspension, and the results showed when the car was pushed around a road course. It takes lots of setup time to get the WRX to do anything but understeer given its conservative stock differentials, which were still under this car. It finished 1.21 seconds behind the TT.
It surprised us to see the rally car at the back of the pack on the road course but made us realize how seriously restrictive the Group N rules are. In this test, Wolfgang Hoeck's EVO was simply out of its league in the power department. It, too, had serious understeer in the wet sections and liked to snap quickly into oversteer in the dry. However, it was a lack of power that kept it at the back. When it was all said and done, it was 2.27 seconds off the XS WRX's pace.
Skidpad
In this test, grip rules the day. And with every tire tugging mightily at the tarmac, these cars made some impressive grip.
In a performance that was very unSubaru-like, Cobb's WRX clawed its way around our 200-foot proving ground with disgusting determination. Most WRXs are far less impressive in this test, which requires the tires to make full contact with the ground to make big numbers-something strut cars like the WRX traditionally don't do well. That wasn't true in the case of Cobb's WRX though. With a very autocross-friendly suspension setup and huge, sticky Kumhos, it rotated and stuck to the skidpad to the tune of 1.02g.
The Motorex Skyline also made big numbers, and at .98g, you would think the Skyline was working flawlessly. It wasn't. On several R33 Skylines, including this one, we've noticed a glitch that doesn't allow proper operation of the rear limited-slip differential when turning left under power. The problem turns a wicked-fast car into a one-wheel-spinning wonder. And it looks stupid. Still, .98g is nothing to scoff at.
You know you're in serious company when your car makes .95g on the skidpad and is only third best. Ziel Motorsports EVO VII did just that. In another testimony to the brutally effective combination of active differentials in the VII, driving it in anything but a straight line is pure joy.
The rest of the crowd was less exciting with all three remaining cars generating less than .90g.
Yawn.
Day Two Acceleration
Driving most of these grip machines quickly in a straight line requires three things.
First, their various all-wheel-drive systems must be up to the task of transmitting grotesque power through all four wheels without twisting off a driveshaft or axle, melting a clutch or blowing a gearbox into bits.