For the Fanboys: 2011 Mustang GT vs 2011 BMW M3 hot-laps

fanboys of what? In the end, it's still a shitty Ford.

Did I miss the part where the lap times were pretty close? I hate American cars as much as the next German-loving-car-guy, but give credit where its due. Ford is the only American car manufacturer that understands what people want, unlike GM and Chrysler who covered their ears and went "la la la" into bailout hell.

The real story is how the M3 has become more like the Mustang over the years, not vice-versa. Added weight, added power, added size. Convergence is hardly surprising. It's not for nothing that the M3 is often called a "German Mustang."

Agreed. It's a shame.

Well, I don't know if it's necessarily a bad thing, although I too prefer the old paradigm. It's just that the character of the car has dramatically changed over the years. Also, the current Mustang is simply a fantastic performance car. Any disagreement with that conclusion tends to stem from simple snobbery.

Do the Mustang GTs still have solid rear axles?

Yes. Gloriously, so.

That's pretty impressive if they handle that well on a solid rear axle. They must have made all kinds of weird accommodations to ensure that it puts power down smoothly to the rear wheels.

Reviews suggest that the live axle is now only a liability on bumpy roads, being otherwise undetectable.

Unfortunately, most roads are bumpy. And you'd better stay off the rumble strips in track corners, too.

+1. The side profile of the E92 M3 even looks like the last-gen Mustang, but then again, BMW's smaller M cars have kind of become the German pony cars, not that there's anything wrong with that, because power oversteer can be lots of fun.

Speaking of antiquated technology, the Corvette's leaf springs and truck engine are still things of wonder.

--Andre

Yeah, those GM V8s are pretty impressive. Dollar for dollar, they're probably the cheapest horsepower available. Supposedly, one of the later iterations of the GM pushrod V8 has variable valve timing. I don't understand how that could work unless they have some pretty ugly mechanism at the bottom of the block to actuate the pushrods.

How about some coelacanth on coelacanth action? A Chevy LS2 in a Porsche 911: --Andre

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