From the December 2023 issue of Car and Driver.
0–150–0 mph: 24.8 seconds
Base: $312,155 | As-Tested: $376,025
Power and Weight: 650 hp • 5045 lb • 7.8 lb/hp
Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4; F: 275/35ZR-22 (104Y) B, R: 315/30ZR-22 (107Y) B
Brakes, F/R: 17.3-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc/16.1-in vented, cross-drilled carbon-ceramic disc
The GT Speed messes with your mind because you expect it to be quick—it’s got “Speed” right there on the badge—but it’s hard to fathom how 5045 pounds can launch like this. The Speed uses an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that enables real-deal launch control, with a 5000-rpm clutch drop lobbing the twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12’s 650 horsepower and 664 pound-feet down to the pavement like a grenade over a wall. All four tires bark their complaint at launch, and the CGT is still pulling extremely hard at 150 mph, which is attained just 18.1 seconds after leaving the line, behind only the Turbo S and the Z06. From there, 10-piston front brakes (and four-piston rear) clamp carbon-ceramic rotors to stop the CGT in 680 feet, which isn’t particularly impressive until you consider the immensity of the thing.
If the Dark Horse is characterized by brakes over engine, the GT Speed is the opposite, defined by its strange and charismatic powerplant. A logbook note summed it up: “W-12, you will be missed.”
Senior Editor
Ezra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive.
Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com
