German Car Zone

Yes, definitely the R8. That is, still the case, the best car I've ever driven. It is so easy to drive, on the limit or not, that it's not even funny. I would love to drive the R8 daily, it balances comfort and sportiness perfectly.

As for the M3, I believe every M3 is daily drivable, including the current one. For like 2 years my daily driver was a E36 M3.

The strength of the 911, at the origin (before it became a myth) was that it was the only car that was liveable as daily driver, and driveable on a track without mods.
Especially the brakes were able to withstand track-use unlike any other non-supercar back then.

Concerning the 993 Carrera RS... No, it never managed to equal the RS 2.7. Fantastic track-tool it was, but definitely not as exciting as the 2.7.
And only driveable on track, unlike the RS 2.7 (of which almost every client chose the "Touring" version, with sound isolation and steel bodypanels but no driving pleasure deficit).

As far as form follow function... well the shape of the 911 couldn't be less form follow function. In terms of aerodynamics, the 911 is a plain nightmare. In terms of weight repartition, it is worse.

It has the motor in the back to please the 356 lovers, and to save place for rear passengers.

The result is that the front axle has no weight on it, resulting in understeer. The rear has too much weight on it, so when it starts to drift it does it very quickly and immediately takes a lot of angle.

The shape of the 911, with slopping rear end, makes that the air does not press on the back, resulting in a backforce deficit at the rear at high speed, which is why a wing is absolutely necessary.

Driven hard, by a non professional, a 911 (before the 996) understeers at the entry of the corners and spins around at the exit.

At high speed, the 911 needs constant steering corrections because of the light front.

Before the 996, the pedals were not at all aligned with the seat and steering. And furthermore, heel-and-toe was dead hard to perform.

It however has way more traction than another car (weight, so grip, at the back so less wheel spin), and brakes better (weight, so grip, at the back is superior, so the rear brakes have a much greater braking power too).

The 911 long had the G-cornering record, only threatened byt the most powerful bikes.

So while it was very beloved by the stars because of its powerful motor, unique shape, and unique practicability, it was adored by the race drivers because of its unique driving characteristics.
It was a constant battle to maintain it on the road, yet it gave unique sensations because you could exit a corner at insane speeds.
And the sum of its small and big shortcomings gave it a soul.


Since the 996, the 911 has become an almost conventional car. Pedals aligned, weight repartition made better, front and rear axles specially engineered to reduce understeer and the brutality of the oversteer, water-cooling.

What it still has is the outstanding traction, unique shape, and excellent track abilities. It may have lost bit of its character, but it is more practical, more user-friendly than ever. And the GT3 is here to please the real hardcore enthusiats...

The 996 was however a radical shift: the car became heavier, more comfortable, more powerful, and way less track-oriented. Therefore the need of a GT3, given the noise the enthusiasts made. Luckily, the 997 gave the 911 its shape back, with a typical again front and wide rear.

Wow With the R8 that's good news. Is the R8 a trickled down Gallardo? Yes? No? Maybe?

By the way, do you think the CSL will re-appear again? Because if it's not, then, that will surely solidify the two CSL's status as collector's items.

CSL will clearly re-appear imo. To end the e9x M3 with a bang.

The M3 is definitely a perfect daily-driver.
My bro had several of them, e36 and e46 (prefers the e36, better steering/front axle and more sensations, but harder at the limit). He's now driving a sedan e36 M3 (3.2l).

The R8 may offer a limited visibility, towars the rear especially, that could be a problem in city driving. Doesn't it? I never drove one, but middle-engined cars usually do.

Is R8 a trickled down Gallardo? I don't know. I've never driven a Gallardo. But the proportions of the R8 suggest that some of the underpinnings are shared. May be it's built on the same platform? I honestly don't know.


I agree with you Raoul, I think the CSL will appear, especially when the economy is out of the slump.

Well, 2 things. First, I don't live in the city so to me the rear visibility isn't the biggest issue. Second, I honestly don't think the rear visibility was that bad. I mean sure, it's no station wagon but I could still parallel park the car.

Oh really uh? Ending the E9x M3 with a bang is a great idea. And then after "entwicklung", what's next? How are they going to call it? By the way, do you feel that it's time for BMW to build their next supercar? It's because as far as I know, the last one was the M1. BMW, please build one... With a powerful naturally-aspirated engine fitted into a super light body that will drive like a dream... But don't forget to make it a good daily driver, ok?

Limited rear visibility is a real problem. Audi should be able to solve it, if ever the R8 is facing such a problem. Ah... I knew it. The mid-engined cars like the Countach. What about the CLK-GTR's camera?

In theory: Yes
In reality: No

The awards speak for themselves really. Underdog on the paper, the R8 proved to be a strong challenger. With just 420hp the car proved to be better than many anticipated but the power output is no coincidence. VAG is the most strategic automotive and is a true testament of German efficiency, overlap of cars is kept to an minimum unlike GM which has multiple cars that are near identical.

It was equally as important for the R8 to keep an arms distance from the Gallardo as it was for it to keep usher the Audi brand into a new era. Therefore a it was decided that the car should be powered by a relatively low power engine, and the V10 launch was queued until the LP560 had taken the stage. Given how successful the V8 version was, Lamborghini borrowed the R8 rear suspension amongst some other components for the LP560 but VAG har restricted to component sharing to 20% in order to maintain a high degree of exclusivity.

The same strategic play has been applied to the Cayman which has one of the best chassis of any cars on the market. But power has obviously been restricted or else the car would smoke half the 911 range. Both the Cayman and R8 are capable of handling more power then they already have but have been dumbed down so that they don't cannibalise sales of other cars. But they do live on their own merits too. Unlike the LP560, the R8 is more drivable on a daily basis and use less sophisticated materials then those in the Lamo, and this leads to cheaper car ownership.

According to one review I have seen about the 996 GT2, it says something like this:

More than 40 years back, the design of the 911 was thought as a daft idea. And it still is, today. That: Should be rubbish.

By the way, that is not verbatim. But we can grasp the general idea. Every time I hear that kind of thing, I can't avoid to remember the car that was gone but not forgotten--The Porsche 928. Porsche claimed it to be better than the 911--More comfort, more balanced and less oversteer. It was a car that was meant to replace the 911 but never did. Many believed that the 911 was way better, so 928 just became another Porsche during the years it was built.

I strongly agree with you coolraoul. With the 911's handling, it is like driving a giant hammer with its head at the rear of the car, making it a very tail-happy car. It is just so easy to have an oversteer with the 911. It was not an easy car to handle, and you can obviously see this by looking at the face of a 911 driver after a hard drive. Because of that, some people called the 911 the grim reaper's dream car.

But what I am really wondering with is how Porsche managed to make the 911 handle good--So good you won't believe it still is a rear-engined car.

So, the materials and power was brought down to give the products in the higher range more appeal? Is that it? That's what I like with the R8 compared to the Lambo. What's the use of a high performance car if it is not an easy to car to live with?

Passion. Cars with high usability don't give the same thrill. It isn't a problem as people who do own something special like the GT3 RS do own a second car with more userability like an A4 Avant or Range Rover Sport.