Shakedown report
Ok, here goes, my long winded report. I get a lot of good information here on this forum (and others) and so I am going to try to be as complete and objective as possible. I am not going to blow smoke, and I am not on anyone's payroll. It's not even my car!
So the event was a two day track event at VIR, full course, with the Ferrari Club of America. There was no shortage of Italian eye candy. The cars ranged from a trio of 308 GT4s to a group of 13 430 Challenge cars brought by Classic Coach, to a fantastic 288 GTO, and a wicked-looking 512BBi LM car. of the non-Ferraris, the most notable was a good friend's well-sorted Ultima. It was impossible not to make comparisons throughout. Of course, we have left my wounded 355 at home and planned to share the break in of the SLC.
Other than driving in and out of the trailer and garage, this is the first time the car had been run. So we laid down ground rules ahead of time: 4500 rpm max, street tires. I had loaded the Hoosiers in my Audi RS4 for 2 reasons. One, because I thought it might rain, and the Audi is a fantastic car in the wet. And two, because Fran suggested having the second set of wheels... just in case. That would prove decisive in two ways, but I'll get back to that.
First: the look. Yes it looks mean in pictures, yes it looks insane up close. When you sit in it, you look UP at other exotic cars. But you cannot express what it looks like out on the real world. Even a real world that happens to be a race track. Full of Ferraris. Get used to this kind of scene:
http://emphotos1.shutterfly.com/pictures/8322
Message
I will never forget going to VIR to a Cobra event, specifically to see the new Factory Five GTM. One look was all it took: the car just looks like a "kit". I don't know enough about design to put it into words, but it just looks home made.
The SLC on the other hand, is completely mind bending. It's like your brain doesn't have a file folder to put the image into. The lines are flowing and proportioned. It's purposeful, yet beautiful. It simply is something you have to see. And you don't acclimate to it; it never becomes ... ordinary.
The sound: honestly, I was surprised by how fantastic the car sounds. It makes no sense. It's a GM LS crate motor, LS7 exhaust manifolds, and some magnaflow glass packs. It should sound like a Corvette. It should. It doesn't. It just doesn't. Again, you just have to hear it. (I have GOT to salvage that video!)
OK, so it has the look, it has the sound. But that's not really the point, is it. How does it drive? In a nutshell, it's epic. The steering is surprisingly light. The seating position that feels ludicrously laid back in the garage is extremely comfortable. The view is excellent out the front, and the mirrors actually worked - though I didn't find much need for them
Throttle response from the LS376 is linear and instantaneous. The brakes are firm and predictable. They do take some force at speed, but the feedback is great, there is no want for power, and no fear of lock-up. VIR has a few areas where the brake zone is not straight, and I had no problem hauling the car down and keeping it placed right where I wanted it. The chassis is incredibly stiff. The suspension - despite settling over two days into what was clearly not the best alignment - corners flat and neutral. You can balance it with your right foot in a very predictable and controllable way. It is very inspiring, building your confidence, never feeling out of sorts. Keeping the revs down was probably a good thing to minimize throttle-on over-steer, but you can feel the rear-biased weight distribution keeping those massive drive tires planted when you do get frisky with the gas.
Choice bits of feedback from others:
Chuck Hawks (pro instructor working with us): "Jeezus this car is fast!"
Ken W (Ultima owner) "If they had been building this car when I bought mine, I would have one."
Day two, we got a nail in the left rear tire. Who would have guessed? Thank you Fran for telling me to bring the Hoosiers! And with them on, wow. Everything was just as good, only amplified. With a bit of that experience, my dad decided he didn't really want to give up the driver's seat so much, so I kinda got punted. So I took out the RS4, with it's aftermarket track suspension and Ohlins remote reservoir dampers. I haven't had it on track for over two years, and in the meantime have been running my formula ford. That last time, I remember it being a really great car. After the SLC, it felt like a minivan. I drove it for a handful of laps until the semi-R compounds I run on it were squealing in pain. The steering which seemed so sharp in the past, not felt like it wasn't even solidly connected. I'll never bother to track it again.
Everyone always says, once you drive a dedicated track car, you won't want to drive a street car on the track again. Absolutely. But for the price of an SLC, you do have options. How about a 360 challenge car? It's about the same price. I have not driven one, so I honestly can't say much about the experience. But I know in the hands of a driver of same skill, the SLC is certainly faster. With parts that are off the shelf. And maintenance you can do yourself. And honestly, a 360 Challenge looks pedestrian next to the SLC. In the garage next to us was a 430 Challenge (Bennett racing) that was converted to Grand Am. They started with a standard 430 challenge (250k) and had to completely rework it. There were about 7 people fiddling with it the entire time. Brakes, something with the ECUs.... it did run, but judging by the look on the faces, not well. One of the mechanics mentioned that it was a mid-pack car, which I am sure is fast.
But if you want a track car that feels and goes and looks like a race car, I personally think the SLC is the best thing out there. I wasn't sure when it was in the garage at home. I mean, it looks the business, it sounds the business, but until I drove it the doubts were looming. C'mon, how can it be that good? 2 days. It has run 2 days, and it ran extremely well. We haven't even got the alignment dialed in. We haven't done anything to the shocks but set them in the middle. The rear suspension had sunk so that the inch of rake we set in the chassis had become reversed, with the nose clearly higher than the front. And did I mention that we kept the revs to 4500? When everything is dialed in... epic. The only thing that worries me is that it really is FAST, and as stable and confidence inspiring as it is, 160+ is 160+, and physics is physics. For godsakes people, get a HANS device.
As we were packing up, trucks were coming and going, loading up the Ferraris and unloading stuff for the next day. In one of those trucks I spied an Enzo. I mentioned that to the guys in the garage, which got a chorus of appreciative "ooohs." Chuck mentioned that they are awesome cars. He said he had the opportunity to experience one if not the first Enzo in North America at VIR. He said it was an amazing car. Then he pointed to the SLC and said "but that's better. That's a race car. The Enzo is still a street car that wants really badly to be a race car."
