Although I've been a bit critical of the latest seasons of Top Gear — you know, before it was axed — one thing the boys, more specifically James May, got right was how automakers have become obsessed with the world famous Nürburgring. While the track has become the proving ground for just about every automaker, it's also home to the definitive third-party lap tests conducted by Sport Auto. While manufacturers typically boast about their own lap times at the 'Ring, Sport Auto has become the leading independent authority to do a lap with the same driver around the punishing circuit.
Here's the thing though: do these lap times even matter?
As James May professed, some cars should not be sport tuned and this obsession has begun to essentially ruin some products. While May used Aston Martin as an example, I'll look to Cadillac. Did the standard ATS really need to go through a barrage of testing at the 'Ring? I can understand the proper ATS-V, but the Plain Jane ATS? Seems a bit silly, really.
Even with the likes of the Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1, does the Nürburgring need to be the supposed benchmark? As far as we know, Ferrari hasn't put the car on the track and McLaren has not officially released the P1's time.
What say you, Spies? Do the Nürburgring's lap times REALLY matter?