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Watson, the mystery’s been solved. After Chris spied a sinuous silver shape on his iPhone and a couple of readers sent us shots from the Nurburgring web cam, we now have video of the Veritas RS3 sitting at the starting gate, ready to do… something on the infamous Nordschleife. The blokes from the Bridge to Gantry have put the matter to rest with a video walk-around of the Veritas taken by one of the dozens of people surrounding the concept before it made its way onto the Green Hell.

Just as a refresher, the Veritas RS3 was a showcar displayed in 2001 packing a BMW-sourced V12 putting out 670 hp and 560 lb.-ft. of torque. With a tubular chassis and a total weight of just over a ton, we can only imagine the fun the race-ready driver was having after speeding off from the entry gate at the ‘Ring.

Check the full video after the jump and you can read up on the Veritas’ racing history by clicking these blue colored words.

[Source: Bridge to Gantry via Axis of Oversteer]

Veritas testing at the Nurburgring from MrBTG on Vimeo.
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Volkswagen is taunting us again with another shot of its ‘Ring-bound Scirocco, and this time, we get to see the race-ready hatch in profile. VW has been testing the Scirocco in the run up to the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race that’s set to begin on May 24, and according to VW Motorsport Director, Kris Nissen, the Scirocco is living up to expectations. With 300 hp provided by its 2.0-liter TFSI engine, Nissen says that, “the new Scirocco was in its element from its very first lap around the Nordschleife.” It’s a grueling test and we’re looking forward to how the Scirocco fairs later this month.

[Source: VW via Carscoop]

It is, of course, no secret that we here at Autoblog like our horsepower. But what we like even more than that is good automotive sense and a great driving experience. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we can admit that those don’t always require a 580-hp V10.

Audi appears to feel the same way when it comes to the next S4. For the next generation model due in 2010, Audi doesn’t plan to boost the output of the current model’s V8. Instead, a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 is supposed to be pulling this mule caught lapping the ‘Ring in Germany.

Autocar’s sources say that Audi wants the next car to be lighter and get better gas mileage, and be able to compete with the BMW 335i. A more frugal car that can still do the business when asked and has better handling thanks to its lighter weight represents the kind of goal we can really get behind. To keep the S4 distinct from the next RS4 due in 2011, the top shelf super sedan is expected to keep its V8 lump.
[Source: Autocar]

The Nissan GT-R is a legend in the making, and hardly a week goes by without the twin-turbo beast doing something amazing. Equally legendary for gaming enthusiasts is the Gran Turismo series, which is the best-selling Playstation game of all time, and the mother of all digital racing competitions. GT creator Kazunori Yamauchi, not surprisingly a hard-core car enthusiast, got behind the wheel of the Nissan GT-R and hit 193 mph just for kicks.

Hit the jump for video of Yamauchi racing around a wet Nurburgring in the GT-R. The legendary game creator held his own on the daunting track in very bad conditions, and the GT-R looks and sounds devilish as it pounds through the ‘Ring’s challenging bends. During his ten laps of the ‘Ring, Yamauchi hit .6 on the G-meter when the GT-R forcefully kicked out on him, which rightfully scared the daylights out of him. Yamauchi also said that driving the GT-R was less like driving a thoroughbred and more like sitting astride a lion. While we don’t think Yamauchi has ever driven a lion, but we get the point. He also said that playing Gran Turismo helped him keep a good racing line on the ‘Ring, which prompted this blogger to immediately get GT5 Prologue (true story).

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The Nissan GT-R’s 7:29 lap record won’t stand for long if Chevrolet has anything to say about it. Speaking with InsideLine, Corvette Chief Engineer, Tadge Jeuchter, says that the ZR1, “will be able to take the production-car track record at any racetrack,” and that although Chevy doesn’t have a production version of the uber-Vette at the Nurburgring yet, they’re expecting a lap time of “seven minutes, twenty-something seconds.” That sounds like smack-talk to us. But while the ZR1 might have the potential to best the GT-R’s ‘Ring time, the 550-600 hp elephant in the room is the forthcoming GT-R V-Spec, which is already putting down (roughly-timed) laps around the North Loop in the 7:25 realm. Let the battle begin. We’re making popcorn now.

[Source: InsideLine]

Leading up to the official reveal of the Corvette ZR-1, a rare week went by when we didn’t see spy shots of the General’s new super coupe eating up the Nurburgring. But still images don’t tell the whole tale, so InsideLine sent its spies to the North Loop with a video camera to capture an uncloaked ZR-1 making the rounds on the ‘Ring. According to the men behind the lens, they were able to clock the 620 hp, supercharged ‘Vette running laps “in the low 7:40s,” easily within reach of supercars costing substantially more than the ZR-1’s estimated $100k price tag. But what about the elephant on the ‘Ring in the room? The Nissan GT-R V-Spec.

As reported earlier this week, spies caught the GT-R V-Spec lapping the Nordschleife, and with stopwatches at the ready, they were able to time Godzilla’s lightweight (by an estimated 330 pounds), more powerful (70 hp or so) sibling at an unbelievable 7:25 per lap. According to the crew that crudely timed the ZR-1, the track was damp, so that 7:40 time could easily be improved by at least four or five seconds. But that’s still a long way off.

Obviously, both lap times should be taken with a grain of salt considering the less-than-accurate way in which they were captured, but that won’t stop the smack-talk. Keep it civil folks.

[Source: InsideLine]