Why are European manufacturers so dominant?

[McLaren]

But if it were at let's say the Nordschleife, Spa or Le Mans, the 400R would be, well not to put to fine a point on it, outclassed.

If you have to resort to using specific tracks in a comparison to prove 1 car would be outclassed, then you're effectively revealing a bias, though.

The very platform the 400R was built on was the first car to crack sub-8 minutes at the Nurburgring at 7:59.887. For comparison's sake, that's faster than the times set by the EB110SS & Diablo GT there by Sport Auto. A 400R would be clearly even quicker.

So, you say that Hennessey tells owners to register their cars in Montana to avoid emission regulations.

It's not emissions they're avoiding, it's taxes.

 

[Ryan81]

If you have to resort to using specific tracks in a comparison to prove 1 car would be outclassed, then you're effectively revealing a bias, though.

The very platform the 400R was built on was the first car to crack sub-8 minutes at the Nurburgring at 7:59.887. For comparison's sake, that's faster than the times set by the EB110SS & Diablo GT there by Sport Auto. A 400R would be clearly even quicker.

That one is interesting. It says Nissan R33 GT-R from 1996 with a roll cage and apparently it was controversial. Any idea why, it doesn't specify in detail?

I had a look at the lap times on the Nurburgring but I saw it was very Euro-centric. Many Porsches in particular but also Mercs. The highest ranked Japanese car was #39 which was the LFA Nurburgring Package. I think there was a Corvette Z06 in #38 and I believe the 2017 Viper ACR was well ranked, somewhere in the Top 20 I believe.
But it's not much compared to European marques.

 

[McLaren]

That one is interesting. It says Nissan R33 GT-R from 1996 with a roll cage and apparently it was controversial. Any idea why, it doesn't specify in detail?

I believe it's changed in the last few years how Nurburgring times are now certified, but many manufacturers did run roll cages & a few other features in the name of safety.

I had a look at the lap times on the Nurburgring but I saw it was very Euro-centric. Many Porsches in particular but also Mercs. The highest ranked Japanese car was #39 which was the LFA Nurburgring Package. I think there was a Corvette Z06 in #38 and I believe the 2017 Viper ACR was well ranked, somewhere in the Top 20 I believe.
But it's not much compared to European marques.

Most sports cars today continue to build & build upon their HP numbers & develop their aero work, many directly at the Nurburgring.

The Japanese haven't, for 1 reason or another. I assume primarily because of costs & continuing to battle the difficulty of selling 6-figure sports cars under brands not known for such pricing. The GT-R broke the mold, but it was battling the question of a $100,000 Nissan as well. The NSX fell hard & Toyota clearly wanted the Supra to remain more in an affordable market, but that's also faced its own shortcomings depending on who you ask.

The other reason may be that track monsters at home on the 'Ring don't fit the ethos of the Japanese brands. If there's 1 thing they've done really well at over time, it's been building more affordable, fun cars. The Miata alone, sits well upon the automotive thrones for enthusiasts.