Yahoo Autos The Aston Martin Vanquish Hit 211 MPH During Nürburgring Testing, Engineer Says
Performance car automakers widely use the Nürburgring as the proving ground of choice for a reason. Suspension compression, brake endurance, and overall durability are all put to the ultimate test across the 12.9-mile asphalt rollercoaster, but Aston Martin found another use for the legendary track.
You see, the Gaydon-based manufacturer is particularly proud of its newly revamped Vanquish and its 214 mph top speed. That's more than a quarter of the way to the speed of sound, and Aston Martin says it can be achieved with less runway than you may think. Specifically, the Grand Tourer hit a mere 2 mph short of its top speed during developmental testing at the Nürburgring, according to James Owen, senior manager of vehicle engineering at Aston Martin.
"During development, we've actually been testing at the Nürburgring. And it's not normally a place where you see Vmaxes, but as a testament to its cornering ability and also the brute force that it uses to get to its top speed, we have actually seen just shy of the top speed of the Nürburgring," Owen said in a media roundtable in New York City. "It's not just miles and miles and miles of runway to get there."
Owen explained that Aston's test driver was able to achieve around 211 mph approaching Tiergarten, though the driver claimed that they could likely hit the top end at 214 mph with another lap. Regardless, reaching 211 mph within a 1.7-mile straight is a feat in and of itself. The new Vanquish is so fast—with 823 hp and 737 lb-ft on top—that one of Aston's local testing facilities wasn't big enough, Owen explained.
"Silverstone is a little too small for things like that," Owen said in an interview with Road & Track. The engineer also added that the team used an unorthodox track orientation during Silverstone testing to allow for proper handling tests.
Even then, the 3.66 mile track was primarily used for fueling adjustments and honing other benign driving behaviors, Owen said. Old-school laptop tuning remains in practice at Aston Martin and the shorter track allowed the team to properly tune its light-throttle fueling. Additional high-speed testing also occurred at the 7.8-mile Nardò Ring in Italy. In any event, 214 mph is a strong number and puts the Vanquish in good company with models like the Corvette ZR1 and the LaFerrari.
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