TIMING IS EVERYTHING: PUTTING 5 YEARS WORTH OF THE BEST ON THE CLOCK

By Ron Kiino, Automotive News - In the five years we've been holding our "Best" events at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca -- Best Handling Car in 2007 and '08 and Best Driver's Car in '09, '11, and '12 -- we've acquired lap times on 50 of the planet's ultimate performance cars, be they front, rear, or all-wheel drive; front, mid or rear engine; coupe, sedan or hatchback; cheap, moderate, or out-of-this-world pricey. Yet, given the variety, 20.6 seconds is all that separates the fastest and slowest cars around the famed 2.3-mile track. Interestingly, the slowest car had 30 more horsepower than the next slowest, while the fastest had 87 fewer horsepower than the next fastest. With that in mind, and given this issue's amazing lineup of Best metal, I thought I'd take a quick run through those 50 hot laps. A few intriguing tidbits.

The fastest, at 1:34.4, was 2011's Corvette Z06 with Z07 Package. With only 505 hp -- 186 fewer horses than the most powerful Best car to date, the 691-hp Lamborghini Aventador (1:35.4) -- the Z06 possessed the benefits of R-compound Michelins and huge ceramic brakes (to be fair, the Lambo had R-compound Pirellis and ceramics). Translation? A standard Z06 in '07 (1:40.9) and a 638-hp ZR1 in '09 (1:35.8) were no match for the Z07's tires and brakes (but mostly the tires), which gave the hairy Chevy an eye-popping edge. The slowest car? A Honda Civic Si in '07 (1:55.0) that was 2.8 ticks behind the Mazda Miata from '09 (1:52.2) -- proof that chassis balance, not power, is key.

Speaking of balance over power, we've flogged seven Porsches at Laguna. The quickest was last year's 450-hp 911 GT3 RS (1:36.8), a hard-core track toy with ceramic brakes, R-compound tires, and a rear wing the size of a park bench. This year's 400-hp 991 Carrera S (1:39.3) proved 2.5 seconds slower, but also 0.2 quicker than the non-RS 415-hp GT3 from '07 (1:39.5). Either way, the 991's damn impressive. The slowest of the 911s was -- surprise -- the 480-hp Turbo from '08 (1:42.5), which was no brisker than last year's Lotus Evora S. As for Caymans, 2011's R put down a 1:41.6, speedier than a pair of Ss (1:43.0 in '09, 1:47.6 in '07), not to mention that 911 Turbo.

We've had the privilege of lapping three GT-Rs, with this year's 545-hp Black Edition (1:36.3) bringing home our seventh-quickest time ever and placing itself cozily between the Ferrari 458 Italia (1:36.2) and Audi R8 GT (1:36.4). Last year's non-Black 530-hp GT-R delivered a 1:36.4, while the 480-hp '08 mustered a sluglike 1:40.5, though that's still less sluggy than a pair of V-8 R8s (1:40.8 in '09, 1:40.9 in '08) -- try saying those two Audis' names and times five times quickly.

Some noteworthy coincidences: The 232-hp rear-drive Mazda RX-8 R3, and 263-hp front-drive Mazdaspeed3 delivered identical 1:50.4s one year apart, in '07 and '08, respectively. Two Mitsubishi Evo MRs -- a X in '08 (1:47.7) and a IX in '07 (1:47.9) -- were split perfectly by a Chevy Cobalt SS (1:47.8). Which begs the question: Where's the coveted Cruze SS? Can't come quick enough. This year's 200-hp, 2754-lb Subaru BRZ (1:51.3), a nod to the old-school formula of light weight, rear drive, and tidy size, beat the more powerful (214 hp), lighter (2607 lb), and stubbier Mini Cooper S JCW GP from '07 (1:51.7). Go figure. Of the two 6.2-liter AMGs we've run, the SLS from last year (1:38.8) finished just ahead of the C63 Black (1:38.9) from this year, meaning a $100,000 premium netted 0.1 second. Well, timing is all about the numbers.