The McLaren is shockingly quick in a
straight line, but the Porsche is gobsmack-
ingly quick everywhere—especially
blasting, clawing, scraping its way out of
corners. I think going A to B on a twisting
road, the 911 is quicker than the 720S.
One perennial knock on the AMG GT
R coupe is that the rear suspension is
comically stiff. Like the Chevy Camaro
ZL1 1LE, the dampers are of the spool-
valve variety and supplied by Multimatic.
Long story short, spool-valve dampers
work wonders on buttery-smooth racing
tarmacs then beat your lower back with a
10-pound hammer on real, actual roads.
Both the GT R Coupe and big dog Camaro
ride atrociously.
My big worry going into this compar-
ison was exactly that. I’m not sure if it’s
the added weight over the rear of the GT
R Roadster or if AMG actually retuned the
dampers, but the softtop’s ride is much,
much better. Whenever I’m asked aboutthe GT R coupe, I immediately dismiss
it and say instead, check out the GT C
coupe. You lose 27 horsepower but gain
everything else. Here? I’d recommend
the GT R Roadster over the GT C version.
However, the GT R’s handling was the
least confidence-inspiring of the three.
“The steering is too quick,” Cortina said.
“You have to trust the car and turn just as
you’re entering the corner. The hood feels
humongous.” Evans added that it “feels
like you’re sitting on the rear axle and the
front of the car turns before you do.”
Does this mean the GT R handles
poorly? No, it’s just an odd sensation.
Once you learn to trust it, I’d argue it
handles about as well as the other two.
It’s just not the most satisfying way to
drive. I appreciate how efficient the GT
R’s steering is, but it’s too juiced. Evans
again: “The Porsche required a flex of the
arms to steer. This requires a twitch.”
I suspect much of this is due to AMG’sCOMPARISON
Modern supercars have
to look like a pretty
good-sized mortgage
on the inside, too.Even with a flat-plane crank, the McLar-
en’s twin turbos muffle the engine. I’ve
been saying this for years, but only AMG
seems to be able to make turbocharged
motors sound mean and spiteful. With
the roof lowered, the engine’s roar and the
exhaust’s crackle are that much better.
Why are you buying a convertible over a
coupe in the first place? For the visceral
experience. The AMG is dramatic, but its
7,000-rpm redline is too low. Please raise it
to at least 8,000 rpm, thank you.
As for the 992 Turbo S, this is something
new. Something totally different. “This
is not the 911 Turbo I remember,” Evans
said. “That was a Grand Touring car but
not a Porsche GT in the Weissach sense of
the term. This Turbo S is a Porsche GT car.
It’s just missing the number.”
Hard to argue, especially when said
Turbo S is equipped with the PASM
Sport suspension that was developed by
Porsche’s racing division in Weissach.
“The Turbo S is a beast to drive,” Cortina
said. Beast is a good word, as the Turbo
S’ forward thrust is animalistic. Its 640
horsepower will grab all the headlines,
but it’s that torque figure—590 lb-ft of the
good stuff—combined with the traction
of all-wheel drive that makes this Porsche
such a monster.46 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2020