For you C32 AMG Non believers - EAT THIS Chris!!

Yesterday I drove a C32 at Summit Point Raceway. We had a light rain, so I was only able to get 120 mph on the front straight. I was most impressed by the smooth powerband. The owner of the car also had his 996 at the track. The two cars were matched up against each other in the dry on Friday. Neal Sapp from the Speedvision Touring Car series was driving the 996. Joe Blackard who also is a pro racer drove the C32. The 996 could not pull away from the C32.

I love manual transmission so the c32 is out of the question granted take away speed on thec32 from 50-70 is darn awesome which i imagine is very much the same as the amg c43 which my friend has. It's a personal choice which car one wants my friend loves amg's i love porsche's. I say whatever makes one happy with their toys : )!!!!

C32: The C32 is a fine car, but your above post reveals your fundamental ineptitude about not only performance envelopes of both vehicles but their market appeal as well. A stock C32 is no match for a stock 993 or 996 at the track. Any track. Any weather condition. I would go as far as to say it cant equal a 964 either. Unfortunately I live on the east coast and you the west. I would love the chance to show you how a moderately well driven 996 will quite easily outgun the c32. I would guess than on a 3 mile road course it would be easy to gain 10 seconds per lap - which is a WORLD of difference. So, I'm not "eating" anything. You are not credible if you believe a c32 will keep up with a 996 or 993 on the track. But thanks for highlighting your ignorance! Chris

The AMG version of the C32 can.

Why don't you just go to the Mercedes forum instead?

Hey San Diego Dave: The C32 is only AMG. There is no non-AMG C32. Nevertheless, no stock AMG car sold in the states can keep up with a stock 993 or 996 around a track. Of course since you have a 996 C4 Cab which is probably 400 lbs heavier than a C2 coupe that will make a difference.... Chris

Chris, Can you read? Neal Sapp who is a PROFESSIONAL race car driver, not a professional buffoon like you couldn't pull away from a STOCK C32 AMG at Summit point. You said a C32 couldn't complete with a 996 or a LOL 993 at the track. Please scroll up and READ again. You would be surprised just how able bodied the C32 is. How can you SPEAK without proof? Have YOU owned a 996 and a C32 AMG? I think not! You need to get lost with your observations that have no substance. You have NOTHING to back them up with. I owed a 996 for two years and now a C32 AMG. THIS AMG can hang with the best of them.

In regards to amg cars if i did make a choice in one i rather have the clk 55-its better looking. For some reason the c32 looks too narrow and looks jacked up especially the front tires(distance from tire to wheel flare). Hopefully my wife would want to get the clk55 : ). Be nice to have both cars in my garage : )

Hey Chris- Go outside and get some fresh air. You are hyperventilating

Hey Chris- Go outside and get some fresh air. You are hyperventilating Either that or he's chocking on the smoke from the crack pipe he is puffing on.

C32: Looks like I was mistaken - you indicate that you are in Florida, so there is hope after all that we may meet at a track on the East Coast. How about we meet in the middle at Road Atlanta, or either you come up to VIR in VA or I'll come to Sebring. You drive your stock c32 and I'll drive my stock 996. Or better yet you bring your 996 and I beat you with your own car. Either way I'm in for $100 per tenth of a second over a 10 or 15 lap run session. So, put your $$ where your mouth is. Or maybe first you should check the "benchmark" N-ring times to see exactly how much faster a 996 is. Hope you see you soon. Chris

OK, I did post this here a while back, but after the server outage it never made it back... Results from Autocar 2001 Handling Test C32: Fish have ridden bicycles better than the way the C32 howled round the Rockingham circuit in a noisy mess of understeer and confused automatic gearchanges. It was, frankly, a shambles. Excessive understeer, instrusive traction control, too much roll and pitch, and an auto box that won't hold a gear. Lap times: 1. 911 GT2 - 1m 19.58s 2. Lamborghini Diablo VT - 1m 21.28s 3. Noble M12 GTO - 1m 21.35s 4. Ariel Atom 190 - 1m 21.48s 5. Ferrari 360 Modena - 1m 21.52s 6. TVR Tuscan S - 1m 22.28s 7. Mitsubishi Evo VII - 1m 24.23s 8. BMW M3 - 1m 24.40s 9. TVR Tamora - 1m 24.90s 10. Lotus Elise - 1m 25.03s 11. Subaru Impreza - 1m 26.41s 12. Renault Clio V6 - 1m 28.10a 13. Mercedes C32 - 1m 28.69s 14. Toyota Celica T-Sport - 1m 29.07s 15. Renault Clio Sport 172 - 1m 29.54s 16. MG ZS - 1m 29.74s 17. BMW 325i Compact - 1m 30.34s 18. Jaguar X Type V6 - 1m 31.00s 19. Mini Cooper - 1m 32.08s So you can see the Merc did pretty damn badly. Cheers Eric

let's give the M-sport people the benefit of the doubt and say the 996 laps as quickly as the M-3. Based on Eric's post above for a 10 lap trial at The Rock (is that how you say it in the King's English?), C32 owes Chris Brown $42,000. C32, I saved you some money only counted 10 laps. Hey Chris, then you can buy a nice 993 to go with your 996.

Hi there all. The comparison was between a stock 996 vs stock c32. I think it's a bit unfair to compare the gt2 to the c32 since the gt2 is turbo'd and all unless they really maxed out on the c32 to equal gt2's specs. i own a 996 and i probably would figure on the track the 996 would be the better car since the c32 is an automatic and would be difficult to engage around turns. It may be not $42k that chris wins maybe like half of that. Still good money though. Best way to an end to this debate is hope c32 will take on chris's bet and put your money where your mouth is. I'm curious to the results myself. take care

Hi 996FLT6 FWIW, I used the M-3 time as a comp to the 996, not the GT-2. So I think the 42,000 should stand. I agree the GT-2 would be unfair. And btw, that would be $91,000 for chris if he was driving. I too hope the debate ends, but if they ever do meet up, I hope they post the venue. I might travel to see that. M in C

I missed that blurb on the m3 and 42 is about right. If the bet does happen I like to be there as well : ). thanks

Hey boys, be careful taking on a bet with Chris. I KNOW chris, and his 996. I also know how he drives. What is it Chris, 1:50 at CMP on an average day? So, those of you who want to take a bet, better bring a fat wallet!

Arthur: 1:50 is a good time. Probably 1:51 is average, maybe an occasional 1:49. A C32 (given the benefit of Hoosiers) MAY get into the 1:54s or 1:55s. I am not a Pro but the 996 makes me feel like one, or at least better than average, and I dont even have trac control or PSM! CB

Did Mr. C32 disappear, what happened to him?

"Did Mr. C32 disappear, what happened to him?" Understeer induced wipeout at 30 mph racing a Toyota Celica? :-)

Funny Ben, He is the same guy that always disrupts CFG's 996 board. Glad someone got him to shut up. Too bad it's Chris and I have to listen (and see) him take it out on his poor 996 this weekend at VIR. E. J.

Just an update from VIR this past weekend. There were no AMG C32's at the track (I wonder why?) but there was an brand new SLK AMG which I believe has the same powertrain and may even be a little lighter (not sure). The car was on Hoosiers as were Chris and I. The car was quick on the straights, no doubt about it. It caught up to me when I was held up in traffic several times. However, once we got into the open and off the straights, I left that car in the dust in my 996. We'd come off the back straight together and by the time I was entering the front straight, I couldn't even see him any more. I was easily 5 seconds a lap faster at VIR and I'm not Neil Sapp. So how do I get in on this little wager? I'd like a share of C32's money too. Can't leave it all for Chris Karl

Ouch! If you are dumb enough to pay $50k + for the entry level C class (AMG version even) cause you can't afford a real performance car, you don't want to see the thrashing this .80 g (that's Toyota Corolla territory - hehe) with the crappy tranny, bloated pig got in Car & Driver! Some more choice excerps: "most of its rival offer better grip and many provide more satisfying steering and handling dynamics" "this transmission refused to shift up on many occassions when the throttle was lifted at corner entries" "it's so-call SpeedShift manumatic override system is as dumb as most others, declining to give the driver full manual control" "the throttle rotation in this C32 is quick in comparison to the usual Mercedes action (which isn't saying much), the engine doesn't rip like, say, a BMW M3's. There's too much flywheel weight added to improve the driveline refinement." Sports car? "And if it hasn't quite the same telepathic way of picking lines as the M3 has, it's no matter. It's a different car for a different mission." Yeah, grocery shopping and hauling kids - hehe. Some Porsche killer! No wonder you didn't see one on the track. Maybe it was on the track and just wasn't able to stay on it long enough for you to see it Karl :-) "I'd like a share of C32's money too." If he had any money, he probably wouldn't have had to settle for a C32 and then hyped it on a half dozen sports car boards :-)

Hell Karl, After this weekend with you and Chris, I'm pretty sure the 993 could whip up on the C32, so count me in too. E. J.