The 2016 Road & Track Performance Car of the Year

[v10enomous]

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...r-of-the-year/

[ViperSmith]

I am amazed it came in 2nd.

Three American cars coming out on top? What bizarro world is this.

[lochnessmonster]

I'm on my way out the door to Court, so I just skipped reading the article for now and scrolled down to the end (I'll definitely read it in full when I get a minute). Then I almost laughed out loud when I saw the car under "Winner". Now I'm dying to read the justification.

[v10enomous]

"Looks like a race car and feels like one. It's also the only car that felt like it could keep on lapping hour after hour."

[v10enomous]

"Any time you're feeling depressed about the state of the world today, just remember that the Viper ACR exists, that there is actually a functioning corporation out there willing to give the green light to the consumer sale of what is essentially an FIA GT racer."

[Rapidrezults]

Well for 67k the GT350R is one helluva car. If not the Viper, I'm glad it took the crown over some of the others.

[v10enomous]

Well for 67k the GT350R is one helluva car. If not the Viper, I'm glad it took the crown over some of the others.

Agreed... The bar is set for the new Barracuda.

[slysnake]

I see they still pull out the old clichés. No need for original thought.

[str5010]

Called this result weeks ago when I saw the contenders and thought about it through journalists eyes. Looking forward to reading the article to see their justification but I imagine it's something like not as quick as some but better for novices and more comfortable on the road.

Edit: Finished the article, I'm trying to rationalize on how they picked the gt350 in a performance shootout over the ACR and the best I can settle on is this - if you are buying a performance car and it will see the track once or twice a year then buy the Ford; if you're serious about performance and see the track once a month buy an ACR. Just wish they would have said that.

Only comment that bothered me - Is there a car that punches higher above its weight than a GT350R? - uh yeah I think we learned last week the ACR punches about $1,000,000 above its weight.

I love the GT350 and want one myself, just always struggle when the car with the highest performance doesn't win a performance shootout. Guess that's my inner engineer talking.

[v10enomous]

Formula for comparison article including a Viper= Find a way for Viper to lose the contest even though it wins the race. I love it !

[Russ Oasis]

I don't understand all the BS variables that this "magazine" uses to determine their car of the year. They are on a race track. Which car lapped the fastest? Next case.

[v10enomous]

I don't understand all the BS variables that this "magazine" uses to determine their car of the year. They are on a race track. Which car lapped the fastest? Next case.

Variable #1. Car with only 3 speaker radio can't win.

[ZeeViper]

Entertaining article, but they should change the PCOTY to OCOTY. need to swap out that "Performance" for "Overall", clearly the car that Performs the best should win the freakin article. Making grown men want to vomit as a hot shoe hucks a corner at 135 should be enough to end the test. They clearly weren't approaching the limit of the car if the Z06 was posting higher G loads in a high speed corner. Isn't this evidence that it is the highest performing car?? when the driver is the limiting factor??

I fully expected the track layout and quotes to be littered with viper factoids.....but no such luck. they even avoided saying that they were carrying 130 mph in the viper through turn 15, so lame. Oh well at least they only made one comment on the wing being juvenile. I would love to see someone call the beautifully painted and crafted wing on the viper "fast and furious" or "ricer". Yup, its big...but it sure looks sick and i would pretty proud to toot that around any city without fear of someone asking me where the airport is, hahah.

[VIPEREPIV]

I didn't read the entire write up, so I'm not sure how they completely arrive at their Car of the Year award, but it's obvious R&T gives points for VALUE to go with function. However, I desire eye pleasing form to go with my function, and/or something you just don't see everywhere. The GT350R still has the Mustang shell surrounding it's function, so no, I would never consider owning the car.

[RAY W]

Why do you guys still read that crap? They can't, won't and don't like the Viper. Real World is our validation. Nothing else matters. On a side note they really don't like the cloth seats because everyone can tell they sh*t themselves.

[ACRucrazy]

THERE'S NO DISGUISING THAT THE WORD "ROAD," IN THE CONTEXT OF THE VIPER, SHOULD ALWAYS BE FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY "COURSE."

I'm busy leading Team Viper. It's the fastest car here, the most demanding to drive and yet the most rewarding when it's pushed close to its limits. The learning curve is steep, true, but you'd feel really good about yourself when you reached the top. Chilton agrees: "Looks like a race car and feels like one. It's also the only car that felt like it could keep on lapping hour after hour."

Any time you're feeling depressed about the state of the world today, just remember that the Viper ACR exists, that there is actually a functioning corporation out there willing to give the green light to the consumer sale of what is essentially an FIA GT racer. Don't think of it as a traditional performance car. Think of it as a four-wheeled Suzuki GSX-R1000 with slightly more wet-weather capability and nontrivially lower lap times. It's probably the most thoroughly track-developed car ever sold to the public, and somehow along the way it became something that rank novices could drive and enjoy safely at exuberant speeds.

That last is a pointed aside about the GT350R and Z06, which are showing some scary temperatures on their displays. That said, the Ford and Chevy are far more accessible to novices.

AROUND NCM MOTORSPORTS PARK, the Ford Shelby GT350R feels very nearly as special as the Viper ACR. It has the same single-minded focus on high-speed balance and usable performance, and if it sometimes feels a bit like a taxicab compared with the Viper, it makes up for that with a simply magical V-8 that brings the caviar thrills of 8250-rpm performance to a beer-and-burgers demographic.

The taxicab feeling, warm temp running, more accessible to novices and nearly as special as the ACR GT350R is quite deservedly, the Road & Track 2016 Performance Car of the Year.

Makes sense to me...

[txA&M08]

They clearly weren't approaching the limit of the car if the Z06 was posting higher G loads in a high speed corner.

This was my biggest take-away from the article. They were scared to use the aero.

[Eachey51]

Basicly the ACR without the crazy aero would have faired better in this test? Posers lol

[mikesax]

All AWESOME cars when you get down to it!! These "articles" do nothing but stir the pot!! All different enough to appeal to a broad spectrum-Mustang MOST accessible to that spectrum!! Like them ALL-just that the Viper's my choice-hands down!!

[XSnake]

I love that they said the gt350 (the "winner") felt like a taxi cab compared to the viper. I dont consider taxi cabs performance cars

[stuntman]

The GT350R is a fantastic car and the ride quality of the magnaride and more affordable price tag likely were in its favor. I agree the ACR also punches well above its belt but since PCOTY is subjective and not about lap time, I think the top 2 were correct.


This is probably why the Viper lost:

"Webster disagrees, sharply: "This is an overcooked car, overdone." True, on the road, you'd rather not have nearly a ton of aerodynamic downforce".

Comer, who has a business buying and selling classic vehicles and is no stranger to owning cars that draw a crowd, has doubts:
"I think I am just way too old to drive a car with a wing that big on the road without looking like a fool… . It is about twice as big as the wing on my current GT-1/Trans-Am car."

Well, Mr. Comer, that's because the SCCA has rules about your Trans-Am racer. Driving a Viper, like riding an open-piped Harley Shovelhead, is to place one's self outside the influence of anything so stifling as "rules.""

[ACR08]

I like Mustangs and love the GT350. I think it's cool they picked a car that many people can afford and make the test more than about just speed. That being said the ACR is by far a better performance car and obviously the best track car. It's a special type of car that people who really want to learn to drive will get if they can afford it. I really want Gen V ACR.

[serpent]

The should have had 2 categories, best performance bargain (under 100k) and best performance car overall 100k+.

My guess as to why they chose the mustang is most likely the price.

[Brian GTS]

Hats off to the Stang! I saw it on Jay Lenos garage last month and it is one mean looking machine. As others have said. "Value" certainly plays a role here. We should be ecstatic to be in the #2 position. So many times the Viper gets dissed in the mags, but hey, we're #2!!!

[ACR Steve]

I drove the mustang at Lime Rock- While the car handled very well and the brakes worked very well I was disappointed with the power. It has power but is no Viper. I have to give Ford credit though to be the first OEM to offer a carbon fiber wheels on the car. (very Cool)

The Viper is much faster in every aspect at the track

Not sure how it could beat the Viper except that Ford spends more in advertising and that sways the judges