Ford Fiesta vs. Lamborghini ~8)

Lord of the 'Ring: Ferrari breaks the 7-minute Nürburgring barrier

We know what the detractors say. We've heard all the arguments that claim Nürburgring times are worthless because of the infinitely changing variables that shift from one day to the next. We know that different cars driven by different drivers will produce vastly different results, and that measuring manhood by whipping out your Nürburgring track times isn't exactly comparing apples to apples. That's okay. We just don't care.

Why? Because as long as manufacturers are willing to do battle by flogging their latest wares around Green Hell, we get to enjoy delicious videos like the one after the jump. You see, Ferrari has just broken the seven-minute barrier for production cars by laying down a scorching 6 minute, 58.16 second lap time around one of the world's most grueling courses in the new 599XX.

Watching the 700 horsepower beast devour the German tarmac is mesmerizing, as is the sound of that melodious V12. If, like us, you were wondering why Ferrari was keeping its mouth shut while manufacturers like Nissan, Chevrolet and Dodge laid claim to previous records, now you know. Go ahead and say goodbye to your productivity, hop the jump and enjoy the show.

Only one question remains. How long has Ferrari been employing demi-gods like test-driver Raffaele De Simone?

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/23/lord-of-the-ring-ferrari-breaks-the-7-minute-nurburgring-barri/

BMW M3 GTS gets wrung out on the 'Ring

The BMW M3 GTS is expected to carry some serious track cred. The extremely limited edition Bimmer packs 450 horsepower from a 4.4-liter V8 engine, while weight is cut by 419 lbs compared to a typical M3. Sounds like a dream come true. But if you planned on picking up one of the 90 M3 GTS models costing 115,000 Euro ($145,000 in U.S. funds), you're too late. The most capable E92 M3 is already sold out, but you can at least hit the jump to see video of a bright orange GTS as its takes on the famed Nürburgring.

In the BMW-produced video, M3 test engineer Günter Sillinger takes the GTS for a spin around the 'Ring, then tells us just how great the high-strung coupe handles. Sillinger may be biased, but since we may never get behind the wheel of one of the select GTS coupes, we'll have to take his word for it when he says, "It's the most uncompromising, fastest and thrilling M3 ever."

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/13/video-bmw-m3-gts-gets-wrung-out-on-the-ring/