Each year, Car and Driver gathers together the finest performance cars and takes them to Virginia International Raceway, one of the toughest racetracks in the United States, for the publication’s Lightning Lap test.
This year, the test included no less than 18 vehicles with prices ranging from nearly $37,000 to a little over $363,000. Among those featured in the LL2 class from $35,000 to $64,999 were the Toyota Supra 2.0 and 3.0, BMW M340i, Subaru STI S209, Mini John Cooper Works GP, Cadillac CT5-V, Ford Mustang 2.3L High Performance, and Cadillac CT4-V.
Read Also: McLaren Senna Sets Lap Record At Virginia International Raceway, Easily Eclipsing A 911 GT2 RS
Meanwhile, the LL3 class with prices range from $65,000 to $124,999 consisted of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, Mercedes-AMG CLA45, and the Jaguar F-Type R. In the LL4 class ($125,000 – $249,999) the contestants were the Porsche 911 Turbo S, Porsche Taycan Turbo S, and BMW M8 Competition, while competing in the LL5 class with MSRPs exceeding $250,000 were the McLaren 765LT and Lamborghini Huracan.
In news that won’t surprise anyone, the McLaren 765LT set the fastest lap, storming around the circuit in 2:38.4, which makes it the third fastest car ever tested by Car and Driver, behind only the McLaren Senna and Porsche 911 GT2 RS Weissach.
A host of other cars during the test set particularly impressive times. For example, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 set a of 2:44.6, slightly faster than the 2:45.0 of the Lamborghini Huracan Evo. Also dipping into the 2:40 range was the Corvette Stingray Z51 (2:49.0) and the 911 Turbo S (2:42.5). As for the $35,000 to $64,999 class, the Toyota Supra 3.0 was the only model to dip below the 3-minute mark, recording a best time of 2:59.3.
Here are the full results ranked by class and lap time (min:sec):
LL1: Up to $34,999
No vehicles tested
LL2: From $35,000 to $64,999
2021 Toyota Supra 3.0 – 2:59.3
2020 BMW M340i – 3:03.2
2019 Subaru STI S209 – 3:03.4
2021 Mini John Cooper Works GP – 3:03.8
2020 Cadillac CT5-V – 3:04.1
2020 Ford Mustang 2.3L High Performance – 3:04.4
2020 Cadillac CT4-V – 3:06.2
2021 Toyota Supra 2.0 – 3:09.0
LL3: From $65,000 to $124,999
2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – 2:44.6
2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 – 2:49.0
2020 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 – 2:50.3
2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA45 – 2:58.2
2021 Jaguar F-type R – 2:59.5
LL4: From $125,000 to $249,999
2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S – 2:42.5
2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S – 2:55.2
2020 BMW M8 Competition – 2:55.5
LL5: From $250,000 and above
2021 McLaren 765LT – 2:38.4
2020 Lamborghini Huracán Evo – 2:45.0