The Porsche 911 Turbo has always been a very fast car. It's also always been fairly expensive. But in its latest incarnation, it costs enough that some buyers may be tempted into spending a little extra to get a bona-fide supercar like the McLaren 12C.
To see whether the Porsche is up to such a battle, British journo Chris Harris has put the two together for his latest video on Youtube's Drive channel. Specifically, the new 911 Turbo S against the McLaren 12C Spider--and it's a sign of McLaren's confidence in its convertible 12C that it was happy to offer one up for comparison.
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There are plenty of differences between the two, of course. The Porsche still sticks with the familiar rear-engined design, that iconic shape and all-wheel drive. The McLaren is about as modern as supercars get, short of the latest breed of hybrid hypercars. It uses a carbon fiber tub, a mid-mounted turbocharged V-8 engine, and eschews traditional handling aids like anti-roll bars in favor of trick adaptive dampers. It's also significantly more expensive, but Harris reasons the difference won't mean much to the average supercar buyer...
Each is very different to drive. Harris gives the McLaren's engine the nod for its extra grunt, but appreciates the changes Porsche has made to improve the 911's handling on a track. Both are fantastic on the road too--the Porsche's performance more usable thanks to the extra traction of all-wheel drive, but the McLaren actually offering the softer ride and more eventful feeling.
And in a straight line drag, the results are pretty much as you'd expect. The 911 gets the jump off the line, but soon the McLaren's power and weight advantage--625 horsepower to the Porsche's 560 and over 440 pounds lighter--starts to show. The end result? Over 190 mph down the straight at Bruntingthorpe airfield in the UK. And the end conclusion was to be expected too--while the 911 Turbo is definitely worth its hefty outlay, its driver might show a little jealousy when that McLaren sears past...
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