08 Feb 07
Is it even more savage than before? I think it probably is; the V8 emits its staccato NASCAR shout and the 722 hurtles forward. There's quite a sense of occasion about building speed in an SLR. The gearbox shifts quickly and cleanly, if not quite as quickly as a 599's robotised manual, and there's really not a lot wrong in the powertrain department.
But what's this? The road looks dead flat and straight, but I'm bouncing. The rear suspension picks up every undulation and magnifies it, creating the sort of choppiness you get when the suspension is being straitjacketed instead of being allowed to breathe. If this is more sporty, then I don't want it.
A brief, exploratory planting of right foot on a deserted dual carriageway reveals considerable acceleration potential even as the 722 passes 175mph, an experiment curtailed before the police notice us. I've driven a late prototype SLR close to the magic double-ton on a test track, so I don't doubt the performance claims.
And now, the mountain roads. First, the good part. The 722 has enormous grip and it's incredibly agile for a hefty car (1,724kg despite its carbonfibre construction). But I don't think I've ever driven a really powerful car with a more aggressive steering turn-in than this one. The slightest movement of the wheel has the nose darting into the corner, loading up the outside rear wheel, which then wants to make the 722 turn yet more tightly. So you unwind the steering, the tail tucks in, you're now not pointing quite where you intended, you steer a bit more again, and the process is repeated.
It's a kind of feedback loop, as if the rear end is on a giant spring, although the springiness is really down to shifts of weight transfer. So it's hard to guide the 722 accurately and hold the line because you're constantly making steering corrections. It looks very dramatic because your passenger will think you're battling on the edge of grip, and it's very physical, but does the 722 need to be quite this hypertensive?
