Auto News 5

As the phrase "tuned at the legendary Nürburgring" has found its way into ad copy for more and more performance cars, lap times at the Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack have become the newest measure of performance, taking their place alongside top speed, quarter-mile, and 0-to-60-mph times. Most recently Chrysler, which had not done any development work at the track, took a 2009 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR to the 'Ring, seeking to beat the time set only a couple months before by the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. "One of the big driving factors for us going," said SRT engineer Mike Shinedling, "was that we got so many letters and e-mails from Viper owners." The result? The Viper ACR's time beat the ZR1's, and Viper owners everywhere have a new bar boast. There's no official sanctioning body for Nürburgring lap times, but figures for some recent production cars are listed to the right, as reported by their manufacturers.

This was amusing. I worked late last night, and when I left the office, downtown Ann Arbor was largely deserted, and a light rain was falling. The few pedestrians present were dashing through crosswalks, heads bowed, in a hurry to reach warm and dry bars and cars. But the angry sound of this Mustang's 540-hp, supercharged V-8 and its throaty, H-pipe exhaust was not to be ignored. People looked up, startled, wondering what in the world was creating such a racket on this quiet October weeknight. I'm not surprised. Heck, I was startled, too, especially when I tried to goose the throttle. The reaction from the live rear axle was immediate and violent. The 18-inch Goodyear Eagle F1 rear tires shuddered and skidded and protested at the very notion that they were being asked to provide grip and propulsion on this cold, wet pavement, sending the rear end of the car toward the curb. These tires might as well have been carved of solid oak rather than rubber, so little did they adhere. Okay, I exaggerate, but you know what I mean.

In the 2000 Mel Gibson comedy, What Women Want, a man suddenly gains the power to hear what women are thinking. Not having seen the movie (I was single in 2000 and thus excused from seeing chick flicks), I can't tell you what women wanted eight years ago. But, thanks to the miracle of the Internet, I can tell you what they want today, from cologne to clothes to cars. Spoiler alert: owners of the 1987 Dodge Ram D150 might want to stop reading right now.