You may recall the last Vmax200 and Auto Vivendi “Hypermax” event we covered, it finished with a showdown between two of the most talked about cars on the planet. The Bugatti Veyron vs Koenigsegg One:1, both with well over 1000bhp and both with top speeds that, quite frankly, are bottom clenchingly fast. The finale saw the two cars ran against each other but both ended the event with 225mph, over the Bruntingthorpe 1.5 mile straight and the Veyron retained its title of the fastest of the Hypercars.
Fast forward to last weekend and the Koenigsegg One:1 threw down the gauntlet to any and all comers. The other cars fighting for their place on the leaderboard were varied and impressive. Ferrari 488 GTB, Lamborghini Huracan, Porsche 918 Spyder, Koenigsegg CCX, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series, Lamborghini Aventador SV, Aston Martin GT12 and a team of tuned Porsche 911 Turbos that would prove to be quite the thorn in the side of world’s first “Mega Car”.
The morning saw 200mph passes almost straight away, the drivers really weren’t holding anything back. Trap speeds increased with nearly every run. The Porsche 918 was doing reliable and consecutive 205mph passes throughout the day, the same can be said about the Nissan GTRs in attendance, hitting 202mph on nearly every run. We had a look through the rest of the cars waiting to run, when we heard the unmistakable sound of a heavily tuned Porsche 911 Turbo.. but this sounded louder than other Porsche 811 Turbos we’ve previously encountered. More investigation was needed….
We got chatting to the ES Motor team, they brought with them 5 Porsche 997s, ranging from a mild tuned 600bhp 997 PDK Turbo to a couple of eye watering 1400bhp monsters. The guys at ES Motor were represented by an entire pit crew, throughout the day they continually checked on type pressures, engine temperatures, race fuel levels, even running diagnostics and applying ECU remaps before each run. To say these guys were taking it serious was an understatement.
As Hypermax went on, it was becoming clear that today was a two horse race. The Koenigsegg One:1 (1360bhp with more aerodynamics than a fighter jet and enough carbon fibre to put a F1 car to shame) and the ES Motor ‘ES1400’ tuned 997 Turbo (1400bhp possibly one of the UK’s best representations of the “sleeper” car where everything appears stock except the engine and wheels).
Now you don’t have to be a physics major to understand that power – weight + aerodynamics = speed, but when you see a 1000bhp GTR hit 202mph, then an 850bhp ES Motor 997 hit 210mph that’s when you begin to realise the importance of these key factors.
The old standing record for Vmax was set a few years ago by a Nine Excellence tuned Porsche 996, this has stood the test of time at 229mph. Nobody has been able to touch it, few have come close but none have bettered. Until today…
After a number of warmup runs the Koenigsegg One:1 lined up for a run, with successful WEC drive Oliver James Webb behind the wheel, he piloted the car to 230mph. Finally someone has toppled the long standing record, but just minutes later the ES1400 Porsche lined up and broke the record too, 232mph.. Now the battle commenced. Each car ran a further 3 times, each getting higher and higher trap speeds. Who would have thought a Porsche 997 could stand toe to toe with the One:1 !
With rain halting the action for an hour or so, the two cars lined up for a final pass.
The ES Motor Porsche running 238mph and the Koenigsegg One:1 running 240mph. With only 2mph between them this has to be the greatest battle in Vmax200 history, and we cannot wait until their next event.
A breakdown of the 200mph+ cars of the day looks like this :
1 – Koenigsegg One:1 (240mph)
2 – Black ES Motors ES1400 (238mph)
3 – Silver ES Motors ES1400 (229mph)
4 – ES Motors ES850 (209mph)
5 – Porsche 918 Spyder (205mph)
6 – Ferrari 488 GTB (202mph)
7 – Nissan GTR 1000 (202mph)
8 – Lamborghini Aventador SV (202mph)
9 – 900bhp R35 GT-R (202mph)
10 – Koenigsegg CCX (200mph)
For more information on the events both Vmax200 and Auto Vivendi run throughout the year, visit their websites:
Vmax200 and Autovivendi
Great article. :)
Wow