Price:£93,000(Rs83.7lakh)
Engine:2,981FF ȵDWVL[WXUERSHWURO
MaxPower: 36 # USP
MaxTorque: 1P # USP
Performance: V NPK NPK
Transmission:(LJKWVSHHGGXDOFOXWFK
DXWR UHDUZKHHOGULYH
Suspension:0DF3KHUVRQVWUXWIURQW
PXOWLOLQNUHDU
Weight: 1,515 kgPORSCHE 911 CARRERA SFINAL RECKONING
THE BEST SPORTS CAR HERE IS THE
McLaren 570S. The best car here is the Porsche 911
— there it is, out in the open. Phew! The
992-generation Carrera S is a phenomenal machine
from a team of engineers with it all on their side: budget, group-
wide technical resource, a GT programme from which to borrow
ideas (and indeed wholesale solutions), an unbridled enthusiasm
for the job at hand, and, crucially, the time to drive, drive and
drive again each successive prototype that led them here.
At the heart of the 911’s appeal is its rubbishing of the notion
that compromise, refinement, and versatility are all somehow
dirty words. The Porsche is almost the sports car the McLaren
is, but, tyre roar apart, it’s also supremely comfortable and
cosseting while offering a gorgeous, tech-laden interior you’ll
have to be deadly serious about driving to shun in favour of the
McLaren’s sombre cockpit. Yes, the McLaren’s steering is better
and its entire engineering architecture conducive to a visceral
thrill and giddying agility the Porsche cannot live with, but in
every other way the 911 is just as compellingly sorted:
otherworldly body control, mighty grip, and a chassis from
which unwanted movement and any sense of confidence-
sapping doubt have been mercilessly eradicated. Do you need
the optional rear-wheel steering? No. Do you need the 10-mm
suspension drop? No. Do you need the new Carrera S in your
life, whatever the cost? Yes.
Unless you’re selfishly dedicated to the hedonism of driving
— then you might want to call McLaren. You’ll have to rule out
more than one passenger, long journeys without coffee breaks,
being able to hand over to a suite of driver-assistance systems or
anything resembling decent fuel economy (you’ll also have to
find a lot more money, though the more affordable 540C hits 99
per cent of the S’ highs), but it’ll all be worth it.
The contradictory, enigmatic Audi R8 only serves to highlight
the deft balance the Porsche strikes: where the 911 is a sports car
with GT ability, the Audi feels like it paid for its impressive
user-friendliness with its soul. Occasionally, a car comes along,
be it an Audi or a Lamborghini, that’s as joyously responsive as
the 5.2-litre V10 it carries — but this R8, in this guise at least, is
not that car.
Just how
serious are you?
82 CAR INDIA May 2019 http://www.carindia.in
Shootout Porsche 911 v Audi R8 v McLaren 570S