Quarter-mileBy the time we moved onto quarter-mile testing, it was about 112 degrees F and none of the cars were happy about having to drag race. Coupled with the temperature, the stolen hachi had gearbox issues.
Part of the problem was the aftermarket clutch that disengaged only a quarter-inch away from the floor, and the car wouldn't upshift into third until it was good and ready. Considering its 107 wheel-hp, we weren't quite sure whether we should be pleasantly surprised or mildly disappointed by its 16.8-second run.
With over twice the wheel-hp, the S2000 took over two seconds off the 4AGE-powered Corolla's time. But it also had a shifting issue. The excessively short-throw shifter kit put first and third gears so close together that the standard diagonal second-to-third upshift had to be broken into an up-right-up motion to avoid first, like some old externally-gated Ferrari. But the larger tires gave it off-the-line grip and the greater torque made it less susceptible to bogging as the tires hooked up.
The bastard was just right, knocking off tenths with each subsequent pass. Even though the 2.0-liter motor made 16 wheel-hp less than the tuned 2.2-liter S2000, our swapped Corolla was the fastest of the day. In the end, the lightweight officially clocked a 13.9-second quarter-mile, trapping at over 100mph, thanks in no small part to the positive and straightforward feel of its stock S2000 shifter. With an ultra-short 4.77:1 final drive and small diameter tires, it was ready for sixth gear at the end of the quarter mile; any time wasted between the four upshifts would have let the S2000 catch up.
BrakingMore and more, we're finding our 80mph-0 braking test to be an evaluation of braking balance and not stopping ability. As usual, the non-ABS aftermarket cars fell on their faces, having no balance or modulation. The S2000 did well with its ABS and big tires, while the stolen hachi proudly showed its 20-year vintage with an acceptable 267-foot non-ABS stop. The exhausted bastard, which was out of front brake pads, finished the braking test with only backing plates and a handbrake.
Hot LappingWhile the other performance numbers are for reference, our hot laps are what really count, especially for this bunch. And while a fast lap is good, seeing how consistent a car is over five hot laps (if it lasts that long) says a lot more. So we sent each car out for five laps and clocked the average lap time as well as the fastest at Buttonwillow's 1.75-mile west loop (for the locals, that's configuration #23, clockwise).
The stolen hachi did surprisingly well. Any hint of understeer was easily eliminated by trail-braking into the corners and throttle steering out. It was amazingly refined for a car of such vintage, running by far the most consistent lap times of the group.
Sadly though, its consistency in the corners was as much due to its lack of power as its fine suspension tuning. But for all its cornering speed and lack of weight, the car could not get back up to speed quickly enough out of the slow corners to be at the limit in the section that followed. While the suspension may be perfectly balanced, the lack of power puts everything out of whack. Squeezing out maximum performance was a matter of standing on the gas and trying not to scrub too much speed with the steering wheel.
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