Classic Grip
Tires have a decisive impact on handling. That’s true for new
The N on the sidewall makes all the difference. What it means: this tire has been approved by
Just how much effort goes into a simple letter on the sidewall is apparent only to someone who witnesses what takes place on the picturesque testing grounds in the Piedmont region of Italy. Airplanes from the nearby Milan Malpensa Airport draw white streaks in the steel-blue sky, but the test track is inundated with water for the important discipline of wet-surface handling. The spray kicks up as Walter Röhrl expertly pushes the Riviera Blue 993 RS into the corner. He wants to know: Does the tire demonstrate the unflappable balance that can single-handedly guarantee a good test result, even when driven at the limit? Röhrl’s satisfied expression provides a definitive answer: “It’s good.” He then elaborates: “The best thing is when the tire directly imparts what is happening beneath the tires to the driver’s hand through the steering system. The highly sensitive steering in all
Satisfaction in 33 steps. That is the number of test criteria that have to be fulfilled. Only then does a tire attain the approval of
State-of-the-art tires that look exactly like a Pirelli Cinturato of the 1960s—which is not merely a jewel in the crown of every concours d’elegance, but also an outstanding driving tire, confirms Dieter Röscheisen, a
After this test, there will be some two hundred new, model-specific tire approvals for sixteen
And to make traveling to the race on your own power possible in the best tradition of the old-school racers, a semi-slick model, the P Zero Trofeo R, has now joined the ranks of the N graduates. Semi-slicks differ from conventional tires in their more rigid shoulder areas and casings, and they have a softer rubber mixture than the normal tires offered for the
By Michl Koch
Photos by Christoph Bauer