As is the pattern with such road trips, we quickly settled into an exhausting regimen of predawn photo setups at the track, followed by testing, more photos, testing, photos-you get the idea-until after dark, when we would retire to the warm comfort of the best eatery in Kingman, the Dam Bar. Over brimming pitchers of locally brewed Dam Red Ale, we were riveted by topics ranging from the Ferrari's aerodynamic properties at top speed, to the always entertaining story of Cody, my family's very own amazing tube-sock eating dog and his closed-loop digestive system. Then it was time for bed and a few minutes of sleep, followed by an unwelcome 4 a.m. wake-up call, whereupon the whole ugly cycle would repeat.
This whining about the "drudgery" of driving exotic cars for a solid week is not to imply that our trip to Arizona was all misery. Actually, we loved it. It's just that whining makes it sound to our corporate bosses like we were working. How could tire-burning 1-mile flat-out acceleration runs in the Viper be drudgery? And who couldn't find a few spare moments to knock off some 150-mph, seven-car formation laps on the high banks for the "MT TV" crew? Then there was the little task of running to top speed in each and every vehicle. Tough duty.-Jeff Karr
Top-Speed Shootout:It's What's Underhood That CountsFrom an engine design standpoint, it comes down to Us versus Them. Us-the American contingent-clings to proven (aka old) pushrod-engine technology backed up with plenty of cubic inches. Them-the Europeans and Japanese-use overhead cam technology, coupled with smaller displacement and higher redlines. The big top-speed numbers we saw on the high banks of Ford's Proving Ground oval prove that, with shrewd design and execution, either configuration is capable of doing great things.
The Home Team is ably represented by the Corvette's 5.7-liter V-8 and the Viper's 8.0-liter V-10. To develop 345 and 450 horsepower, respectively, these torquey powerplants rely on plenty of coffee-can-size cylinders to make big numbers. Their specific output is in the cellar-the Vette barely crests 60-horsepower/liter and the Viper is down at 56.3/liter, but sheer cubic inches rule and allow these engines to produce low-end and mid-range power aplenty. They also operate right in the fat part of their torque curves most of the time, so downshifting at highway speeds is only required for real feats of accelerative manhood.
Though it's a completely contemporary piece, Mercedes-Benz' E55 mill is, if anything, a German variation on the familiar American big-inch theme. Running three valves per cylinder with a single overhead cam in each cylinder bank, the 5.4-liter Benz V-8 need only turn 5500 rpm to make its rated 349 horsepower. Per-liter, it's only a little peppier than the Corvette. However, given the fact that the E55 weighs a stout 3680 pounds and has an automatic transmission instead of the manuals in all the other cars, the performance test results suggest that the E55's horses just might be nitro-burnin' Black Forest Clydesdales. Up until its speed limiter intervenes, the E55 runs neck and neck with the much lighter, slipperier Vette. Amazing. (This is not your doctor's Mercedes!)
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