German Car Zone

Score another win for the impressive R8. This can't make VW's minority owner happy with the way the R8 keeps beating various versions of the 911 in comparison tests.




1st Place
Audi R8 - 220 Points
Base Price - $109,720
Tested Price - $120,970
0-60 - 4.3
0-100 - 10.7
1/4 Mile 12.8 @ 112 mph
5-60 - 4.8
70-0 - 160 feet
300 ft skidpad - .97
Willow Springs International Raceway Lap Time - 1:35.76/94.0 mph
Lane change (mph) - 66.7
Observed miles per gallon - 14

Highs
Ballet-dancer balance and grace, eager responses, telepathic steering, internal combustion rarely sounds better.

Lows
Proportions awkward from some angles, uncomfortable dead-pedal height, blind in the rear quarters.

Verdict
Sports-car perfection from an unexpected source.

2nd Place
Porsche 911 Turbo - 210 Points
Base Price - $123,760
Tested Price - $141,510
0-60 - 3.8
0-100 - 9.2
1/4 Mile 12.2 @ 117 mph
5-60 - 4.8
70-0 - 159 feet
300 ft skidpad - .98
Willow Springs International Raceway Lap Time - 1:38.53/91.3 mph
Lane change (mph) - 65.0
Observed miles per gallon - 14

Highs
Omigawd thrust, never-fade brakes, limpet grip, gorgeous interior treatment, maximum Porsche mystique.

Lows
Spooky at the limits of adhesion, high interior noise levels, Prussian ride quality, snoot scrapes on driveway ramps.

Verdict
For 911 addicts who have no wish to be cured, Porsche Sturm und Drang just doesn't get any better than this.

3rd Place
Aston Martin V8 Vantage - 191 Points
Base Price - $117,150
Tested Price - $129,110
0-60 - 5.1
0-100 - 12.3
1/4 Mile 13.5 @ 106 mph
5-60 - 5.8
70-0 - 165 feet
300 ft skidpad - .93
Willow Springs International Raceway Lap Time - 1:40.73/89.4 mph
Lane change (mph) - 64.1
Observed miles per gallon - 13

Highs
Appealingly edgy update on classic GT-coupe shape, smooth operator on rough payment, irresistible V8 growl.

Lows
A bit too much body roll, nervous under hard braking, short on muscle among these heavy lifters.

Verdict
A stylish GT sophisticate that's a little out of its depth among these thoroughbreds.

It beated a Turbo on a track !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow it did beat a 997TT despite the 60 hp power diff

wow very impressive
Im surprised actually that it beat the turbo around the track

Audi is really serious with the R8,they got it dead on

Bravo R8. The 997TT laptime is pretty dissapointing but like reported the car seem to be a a little unpredictable at high speeds, especially the fluctuation between under and over steer. This is the reason why it didn't do so well around the ring, and it's all because of the AWD system. The 911 is supposed to be rear wheel drive.

I believe it to be more a case of "the competition has caught up" (with the Turbo anyways )

Fantastic results by the R8 (as usual)

I love how the R8 keeps winning, especially with all the doubters who doomed it to failure simply because 420hp was "not enough to compete" and such...

Mid-engine cars rules

The Turbo has never really been the track star in the 911 line up. It is really meant to offer unrivaled acceleration and keeping the wheels stead on the ground with the assistance of four wheel drive, in Porsche philosophy a compromised sports car. The track stars are really the GT3 and GT2 which lack the added weight and compromised handling resulting form AWD.
With that being said, the competition has improved but as performance and dancing around tracks the 911 is still pretty unrivaled, standing strong and proud like it has done the latest 40 years.