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"Picture this: there are two drivers, one of them in a parellel universe, both of them on the same piece of Sicilian mountain roud - blind corners and short straights. One driver is in a Bugatti Veyron and the other is in a McLaren F1. Both are in fourth gear at 2500rpm and both are stuck behind a clapped-out clattering truck, closely shadowed by two Fiat Pandas. Both drivers spot agap of 200 yards to the next hairpin and both throttle pedals are smacked against the stops. A few short seconds later, the F1 has passed all three vehicles, pulled back onto the correct side of the road and braked safely in the hairpin. The Buggati has by now nosed alongside the first Panda and the corner is arriving fast - the driver is just beginning to experience the express-train-coupled-to-the-rear-bumper feeling as the turbos begin to spin up but he must back out of throttle and brake behind the lead Panda.
The Bugatti Veyron was a much better track-car than I'd imagined it would be, but on the road however, the numbers counted for very little.
Where does all this leave us as a buying public and as a sports car enthusiast? Firstly and perhaps most obviously, we should always test-drive the cars in everyday situations and never on a circuit."
Gordon Murray
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