ENDURANCE. This Suzuki Swift has survived 2 830 laps of the infamous Nurburgring race circuit in the hands of a wide variety of drivers. Picture: Supplied.
The Swift Sport was part of the Rent4Ring company’s race track rental fleet for two years, where it clocked up thousands of hard track kilometres without complaint.
Rent4Ring runs a fleet of race-prepared Swift Sport hatchbacks for rent by enthusiasts who want to experience what it’s like to drive around the world’s most notorious race track.
The car’s logbook makes for some fascinating reading.
The Swift Sport covered 59 000 km on the Nürburgring’s 20,8km Nordschleife.
That equates to 2 830 laps, or 600 hours of race track driving – the same as 25 Nürburgring 24-hour endurance races.
During that time, the Swift allowed 457 drivers to experience the Nürburgring’s special magic – fast drivers, slow drivers … and even awful drivers.
The peak engine speed achieved was 8 761 rpm, while gear changes totalled 168 000.
The 1,6-litre 16-valve engine notched up a total of 180-million revolutions.
As far as consumption, spare parts and servicing are concerned, the statistics are equally impressive.
The Swift Sport consumed 8 400 litres of high-octane petrol, reflecting an average fuel consumption of 14 litres/100 km – in race conditions. Regular oil changes accounted for 55 litres of synthetic oil, but the gearbox oil was only changed twice.
A total of 27 front brake pads and 10 rear pads, were replaced.
The brake fluid was replaced three times. The Swift Sport went through 14 sets of semi-slick tyres. The only spare parts required during the two years were a stock Suzuki clutch, an alternator, a new battery, a front left wheel bearing and a set of wipers.
The Swift Sport did not break down mechanically and was never crashed during its tenure at Rent4Ring.
And while the general rule of thumb is that a car is reduced to scrap after 1 000 laps of the Nordschleife, the Suzuki Swift emerged from its two-year, 2 800 lap ordeal ready and asking for more.
In fact, it was purchased by one of Rent4Ring’s regular customers, and is now used as a track day runabout at the Nürburgring and other racing circuits.
South African performance car fans have been enthusiastic supporters of the Swift Sport since the first version created a stir among petrolheads in 2009.
The updated model made its debut in 2012, and retains its reputation as a real little giant killer, mixing agile handling with fleet-footed performance in a package best described as a grin machine.
The current Swift Sport retails for R223 900.
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