TomTom77

In October's CAR Magazine (no. 615), 11 of the most liked performance cars launched (or significantly changed) in 2013 were gathered to determine which one would take the "pinnacle of the performance car, 2013" title.

As the title already indicates, the 991 GT3 won. And by some margin. Here is the ranking and the scores:
1. Porsche 911 GT3 - 76 points
2. Ferrari F12 - 68 points
3. McLaren 12C Spider - 64 points
4. Porsche Cayman S - 58 points
5. Audi R8 V10 Plus - 43 points
6. Jaguar F-Type V8 S - 39 points
7. Ford Fiesta ST - 34 points
8. VW Golf GTI - 30 points
9. Lamborghini Aventador Roadster - 16 points
10. Aston Martin Vanquish - 12 points
11. Mercedes A45 AMG - 0 points.
The GT3 was put on top of the list (hence deserving 10 points, versus no points for the 11 car) by 5 out of the 8 judges, earned 2 second places and 1 third.

Some quotes:
- "It's less uncompromising (than the 997 GT3), yet none of the GT3's character has been sacrificed, and although it's perhaps no more special than before, it's definitely no worse either - and with a wider breadth of ability that means it's pretty damn incredible."
- "The McLaren's steering is better, the Ferrari's dual-clutch gearbox is sharper, but as an overall package, nothing tops the 911 GT3."
- "It's the best 911. Ever."
- "After 50 years of development, the new GT3 makes the 911 officially perfect."

markow

did they factor in price, storage space, quality of passenger beauty mirror.......? why no f458 in the test?
the 991 GT3 is a wonderful car, but i'd take an F12 and an aventador any time without second thoughts. those multi-car tests have become quite ridiculous.
peter

911dev

I agree. Like I'd take a Fiesta over any of these super cars.

Serge944

I don't think it's about which car you "would take" but rather which one put the biggest grin on your face in its 15 minutes of fame.

Dan39

In Motortrend's comparo the F12 lost out to both the 9914S and the Stingray, on driving dynamics and was barely faster around the track. Against the GT3 it wouldn't even be close. Your 458 is going to suffer the same fate, but that comparo will be a few more days yet ; )

CAlexio

Crazy that a 730hp f12 with all those electronics is barely faster than a 475hp Vette, or basic 911. I wonder if the gt3 can pull a trick like it did with the mclaren, where on a short track the power disadvantage isn't as evident.

markow

in think evo did that comparism and the GT3 was either as fast as the MP4-12C or even slightly faster, don't remember which one. but was does that tell? about nothing in real life terms.
i remember one of these recent group tests where the toyota GT86 won against super cars. best driver's car on topgear i believe. another one of those stupidities.
again, the GT3 is a great car, and mighty fast. but it is not in the league of supercars, neither esthetically nor emotionally. and btw, the turbo S is probably faster than the F458, the MP4-12C etc but it is not a supercar either. both are, hmmm, porsches....for the good and the bad. certainly great to drive, unobtrusive to look at (except the rear wing which looks a bit like east LA body shop) and rather common on the street. at least the GT3 revs high and sounds good (hmmmm, not as good as a flat crank 8 cylinder fezza though) and is very reasonably priced.
also let us not forget that the GT3 comes with cup tyres as standard, which certainly influences the tests. once rain comes down GT3's will be overtaken by audi A3's and toyota prius....
i reiterate, i really like the GT3 and came very close to ordering one but still let us
keep things straight.
peter

masinari

50 years of winning races everywhere and in every kind of race gives the advantage to the 911.

That is why, even compared to my F40, the GT3RS felt more like a real race car. Due to its history, the 911 has been more a race car than each specific Ferraris or other brand models.

And that is why, despite having and loving my Ferraris, I just sold my 997GT3RS and put a deposit for a 991GT3RS.

Still love my Ferraris, and I am Italian, but GT3 and RS are truly car models that are still making history. All the other cars made history, but again they are/will be all gone sooner than the 911.

TomTom77

Storage space?

Their 'logic' was very straightforward: "we have simply invited the performance cars launched within the last year (that excludes the 458) that we most wanted to drive again, over the same roads, and from them vote a winner. [...] We're not concerned with price here, but with value. Buy an eighteen grand (GBP) car that drives as well as one at twice the price and you will feel like a genius. A 300k car will (almost) always be more visually and viscerally exciting, but if it gets shafted by a 100k car you'll feel like a dunce."

I don't even attempt to translate these tests into a science for 2 simple reasons:
1. For me, and for them it seems, it is all about driving fun. I am happy to be able to afford an Aventador if I wanted one. Or an F12. Or a Vanquish. But I don't. Instead I'll get the GT3 and the 458 Speciale, drive them back-to-back and keep the one which gives me the biggest driving satisfaction, regardless of the price.
2. When EVO tried to made it partially scientific with the GT3 vs. 12C laptimes at Blyton Part and the GT3 was slightly quicker, people here argued the 12C's tires were not as good. Or the weather wasn't favoring turbo-charged engines. Or the track was too short for the 12C to deploy its power advantage. Or the driver was more skilled in driving Porsches. And so on. And so on. Let's face it: we will never get a true apple-to-apple comparison.

The only reason I posted this was that I thought it was nice to see that 5 out of 8 experienced car journalists would pick the GT3 over the F12, 12C and Aventador, money not being an object. That's it.

markow

if they had put in a lotus elise or a toyota GT86, certainly one of those two cars would have one.
sorry, utter nonsense, nothing else. but thanks for posting it anyway.
please, just don't get me wrong: i have placed a downpayment on a GT3 RS, so i do like porsche. but.....
p

Tacet-Conundrum

No F458 because they brought along the newer V12 Ferrari!

And I wonder if they asked Ferrari, because sometimes the magazines actually do that - and again how could they have really gotten their hands on an F12 for magazine testing, before they test the cars.

Now I'm going to have to go to Barnes and Nobles when they open today to read the article. Thanks.

kosmo

Why no stingray?!

markow

the F12 is a front-engined tourer. it is by no means as driver focused as the F458.

1198r

Flip - all these people placing deposits on 991 RS..... dealers here in UAE won't take anything until an official announcement/launch.....

chuckbdc

The blue car is a Stingray.

PS they have started showing up at local cars n coffee here- and look much better in person than in the photos.