ACR in Top Gear magazine

[Neil - UK]

an off shoot of the TV programe, the magazine is usally pretty good, anyway cover shot on the mag and 9 glossy pages inside, will sort them later

the prototype tested around Willow Springs with input from Heid Helbig, the car is running Michigan plates BAU 0805

[rtigert]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Alexarz]

That SLR sure has an ugly front end. Good lord!

[Early93Viper]

You have my attention.

[Catwood]

any times mentioned?

[Neil - UK]

no times mentioned

the SLR (722 GT) is a track car, not road legal, prepped for this years SLR single make race series

[sween]

hmm is there going to be a 08 top gear viper review?

[Red Coachwhip]

Originally Posted by sween

hmm is there going to be a 08 top gear viper SRT-10 ACR review?

There, I've corrected it for you. And I surely hope so...


Do you know if Borders or B&N bring the Top Gear magazine to the US?

[Vipermann]

Originally Posted by Red Coachwhip

There, I've corrected it for you. And I surely hope so...


Do you know if Borders or B&N bring the Top Gear magazine to the US?

I've seen it at B&N

[sween]

Originally Posted by Red Coachwhip

There, I've corrected it for you. And I surely hope so...


Do you know if Borders or B&N bring the Top Gear magazine to the US?

Actually I mean just 08. There hasn't been one yet and if there has its not on youtube.

[Camfab]

Originally Posted by Red Coachwhip

There, I've corrected it for you. And I surely hope so...


Do you know if Borders or B&N bring the Top Gear magazine to the US?

I've seen the magazine at Borders.

[DodgeViper01]

Can't wait to see them test it on the show. That should be an amazing testing!

[Kai SRT10]

Originally Posted by DodgeViper01

Can't wait to see them test it on the show. That should be an amazing testing!

The last time they tested the Viper, it was on a track covered with standing water. Hopefully, if they road test it, they will have dry weather.

[fluffy]

Originally Posted by Kai SRT10

The last time they tested the Viper, it was on a track covered with standing water. Hopefully, if they road test it, they will have dry weather.

Even more annoyingly, they didn't put (W) beside the time and have apparently forgotten about it. On more than one occasion they've had some other sports car on a bone dry track run a little faster, and have commented on how it was faster than the Viper.

[CajunViper]

They also said the back tires were as wide as a "cricket pitch"

[#10 OF 50]

Oh NO!! Track time on my new car?? Chris did not tell us about that!!
I'm going to be the winner!!

PBR

[xlr8ion]

Why can/t the rest of the article be scanned in???????

[Vypr Phil]

Originally Posted by Red Coachwhip

There, I've corrected it for you. And I surely hope so...


Do you know if Borders or B&N bring the Top Gear magazine to the US?

Not all B & N carry Top Gear.

I have been able to buy them in the past at the larger B & N's and the same stores also carry Race Car Engineering. Some of the smaller stores do not carry either. This has been my experience in the recent past.

Phil

[Neil - UK]

Originally Posted by xlr8ion

Why can/t the rest of the article be scanned in???????

ill scan and post it over the weekend when i have some spare time

[rcl4668]

Originally Posted by Neil - UK

ill scan and post it over the weekend when i have some spare time

Neil -- thanks.

/Rich

[xlr8ion]

That would be nice Neil. Thanks

[Neil - UK]

here you go I've dropped the other pages into photobucket, the files are TG1 page one, TG2 page 2 and so on

UKViperClub/Viper Misc - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

click on the small image, you must allow it open fully, before clicking 'full size' on the top left of the screen and the text will be easy to read, i think if i just post the files here they will be squashed down and be un-readable

[Vipermann]

From what I could read:

"... The (ACR) Viper's engine remains as stock, so the big new Vette (ZR1) might win the straightline battle, but it's doubtful it'll win the lap-time war because this Viper ACR, the third since 1999, is packing some serious handling heat under its body shell. ... Herb Helbig said when he showed us around the prototype ACR, it's going to take a bit more than slapping a supercharger on a Corvette to beat this.

... The whole experience was completely different to how I imagined it would be. Rather than having to rough handle some wheezing old nail around the track, the ACR was fast, smooth and amazingly sure-footed."

[Flash1034]

Thanks for posting the article. Not exactly glowing review of the Viper. Most of the article was about the new ZR1 and how great it will be. The article also said the ACR has carbon ceramic brakes which it does not. If I was wrong at work 1/2 as much as these "automotive journalists", I'd be shoveling **** in Lodi, CA by now.

Flash

[Vipermann]

From the limited bits I can read in the fuzzy scanned/photo pages of the article (as I quoted above), it suggests the writer went into it with preconceived negative perceptions. He was 'surprised' at how good the ACR was. But they didn't provide any numbers or lap-time comparisons, so they can cling to their subjective nits against the Viper. If they recorded and printed lap-time comparisons for this ACR it would embarrass quite a few exotics. The '08 Viper won't get a fair shake until that is done.

[wallbanger]

i thought the last 2/3 of the article were very complimentary

[elanderholm]

I don't think the author was against the viper at all. I think he was trying to pander to the guy/gal that thinks the viper sucks because it uses 'old' technology. He setup the beginning of the article pandering to the preconceived notions and then goes on to describe why they are wrong in the last 2/3 of the article. Overall, it was obvious the author has always liked the viper and likes the new one a lot more. People reading this article as anything but flattering have their own biases and aren't being objective.

As far as not providing real numbers this wasn't a full review...more like a preview. They didn't have an 08 or 06 to compare against. That wasn't the point of the article. The point was the be the first to ring out the Viper on a proper race track and report impressions. They all seemed very favorable which is what I expected.

[Vic]

I was in London a couple weeks ago, and was pleasantly surprised to find a Top Gear magazine in the newstand. (I didn't know there was one!) Its got a lot of pages, much more than our C+D, R+T, or MT. Jezza, Hamster, and Captain Slow all have regular columns.

If Clarkson wasn't so unfairly biased, so pigheaded, so unreasoanble, so frequently wrong, then TG wouldn't be so fun to watch! Its kinda like Simon Cowl on American Idol, if there is any fun to that show, its watching Simon tear into some idiot.

The only way an American car will really impress anyone outside of the States, is if it posts some incredible lap time on the Ring. Thats the internationally recognized world standard.

On a tour of the Abbey, I came across this statue of the early British abolitionist and statesman William Wilberforce, and thought it looked a lot like James May, (right). Imagine ol' Will with long hair, and presto, you've got Captain Slow!

[Early93Viper]

[Venomiss]

Last day to buy tickets for this baby.