Top Gear Comparason #9: Modern Convertibles
Round 3: Wet Lap
You were sent back out onto a wet track to see how your cars handle in the rain, losing 1 point for every second you were slower than your dry time.
SVX in the
Lexus was closest to his dry time, a
1:15.151 was 8.926 seconds slower for
-8 points.
BH-21 driving his
BMW Z4 was also close, a
1:16.506 was 9.876 seconds slower for
-9 points.
Jet Badger took the
S2000 to a new time of
1:15.252, at 10.122 seconds slower he takes
-10 points.
Nazzii got soaked in the
Catherham, a time of
1:13.509 was 10.305 seconds slower for
-10 points.
N91KB got a headstart in the
Prowler, submitting a
1:15.566 by PM yesterday for
-11 points.
shotamagee found the
TVR to be more of a handful in the wet, a
1:11.657 also takes
-11 points.
korza493 managed to break his second
Alfa, but not before setting a
1:20.563 for
-12 points.
Round 4: Weighty Business
Convertibles are often known to be heavier than their hard topped counterparts due to extra bracing to retain their stiffness. Weight hinders fun and performance.
The Nissan 350Z roadster at 1,550kg is 230kg heavier than the coupe. Your cars will be weighed and compared to the 1,320kg 350Z coupe.
Gain 1 point for every 100kg lighter, lose 1 point for every 100kg heavier.
Nazzii chose the
Catherham for its lack of weight. At just
369kg he takes
+9 points.
shotamagee in the
TVR also gains some points.
1,060kg is 260kg less than the 350Z for
+2 points.
Jet Badger with the
S2000 has a weight of
1,270kg. At just 50kg less than the 350Z he scores
+0 points.
N91KB with the American
Prowler weighing
1,287kg is also just a bit lighter than the 350Z for
+0 points.
BH-21 in his
BMW Z4 is just a little heavier at
1,365kg. However, 45kg is not too much, he loses
-0 points.
korza493 must be regretting his choice. The
Alfa at
1,450kg is 130kg heavier than the 350Z for
-1 point.
SVX chose the heavyweight
Lexus. A massive
1,730kg makes it heavier than the 350Z coupe
and the Caterham combined for a miserable
-4 points.
The Scores So Far
Code:
Driver Car Year Price Lap Wet Weight Total
=====================================================================
Nazzii Caterham '02 +8 +3 -10 +9 +10
Jet Badger S2000 '03 +12 +1 -10 +0 +3
shotamagee TVR '02 +5 +6 -11 +2 +2
N91KB Prowler '02 +10 +2 -11 +0 +1
SVX Lexus '01 +8 +0 -8 -4 -4
BH-21 BMW Z4 '03 +4 -0 -9 -0 -5
korza493 Alfa '01 +9 -1 -12 -1 -5
The featherweight Caterham has pulled out a bit of a lead while the FWD Alfa and heavyweight Lexus have fallen towards the bottom of the table. Is this how it will end, or will the more refined cars manage to claw their way back up the board?
Round 5: Top Out
When the weather takes a turn for the worse you want your roof to go up as quickly as possible. We cannot test the speed of your roof in GT4, but we can test the speed of your car. Go to the Test Course: Max Speed event and post your top speed. Slowest scores 0 points, then 5, 10, 15 etc.
Good Luck. You have 24 hours.