GreenLantern

Motor Trend seems to do a pretty good job providing hard data in their Head 2 Head comparo videos.

#BecauseVideosHaveEngineNoises

RossL

Keep in mind that the reviewers might not be aloud to gather data like Ferrari did with the LaFerrari. We have no idea what deal was struck to have this review. Porsche or McLaren might have said, no data, just like the P1 ring time.

ipse dixit

Good point. The embargo may only have been partially lifted.

otis

They can't report the times since the LT slightly bettered the RS track times. If they reported those it wouldn't make sense to say the RS was the better track car and the LT the better street car.

From a journos perspective Porsche would never send another special car for testing if they came out and just said it lost all performance parameters except price. I give the RS big props for being almost half as expensive and being such a track weapon.

The point here is they went on feel and subjective measure for the track portion of the review. If the point was to use objective data to pick the best/fastest car the write up would be vastly different.

NateOZ

Sutcliffe always did a good job and was a capable driver - though not sure what has happened him. Left a big enough hole that makes autocar not worth reading. I canceled my subscription until they get someone else on board.

ipse dixit

The price differential between the 675LT and the RS will vary region to region.

In the U.S., I believe the differential to be the greatest, but there are areas in the rest of the world where I think the two cars are actually comparable in price.

Zeus

Porsche is unlike other manufacturers. They are not afraid to lose a comparison test. Especially against a car that when lightly optioned costs twice as much, and their relationship is not "sour" with those at Autocar. We as readers and fans (some would say ambassadors) of these cars should question the absence of objective data to pick the best/fastest car and let the journalists throw in a page or two at the end of the article (subjective data) stating which is a better car for the road. Especially when the title on the cover of your magazine says "Flat Out Test" & "...head to head on road and track." It may be a short sentence, and because these are road cars first, and track cars second, leave it up to the intelligence of their readership to "read between the lines" and decide which option they like best for their lifestyle: more track weapon, or more road car vs. other attributes each car has.

I think these two cars are, at the moment, the definitive matching together of like-minded cars. They both represent their maker's best efforts of a street car based track special bar the Hypercar trio of the P1, 918 & LaF. All of which are sold out and soon ending production. You can make the case that the 675LT is sold out of their allotted 500 units, but Ferrari will continue to make the 458 Speciale for a while longer as they take care of demand. Potentially, if a customer fell off the list, another could get on, for a while longer anyway. They should have been there. Their hopped-up yellow and red "press special" 458 Speciales' are still out there somewhere...

I disagree with the assumption that the RS lost or would lose all performance parameters with the LT. It is a fact that the LT will crush an RS in straight-line acceleration, but every other performance metric I would highly question. Braking, handling, ultimate lateral grip, etc.

Hence, my rant on these types of articles that give you little in the way of real numbers. This is the typical journo template used in many articles these days; you could easily substitute GT3RS & 675 LT for Miata & BRZ, fill in the appropriate manufacturer data & marketing specs and essentially have written nearly the same article.

Tacet-Conundrum

Reminds me of when Car and Driver did a Comparo in 2009 of a BMW M3 (414 BHP) and a Porsche Carrera Non S (345 BHP I think) around Laguna Seca. Guess who won that test? The BMW only still just barely 1 second faster around the track. And you wonder what is the point of this test?

JonA85

I can't stand Car and Driver with BMWs. I remember they tested an M3, GTR, and a 997 TT. The M3 won.....

mainly

exactly. what a disappointment. i dont give a crap about their literary skills. i want to know which car was faster around their track.

are there still no published track head to head tests of the gt3rs? all ive seen are these dumb driving impression "reviews", no performance figures whatsoever...

shaytun

I actually respect Car and Driver's reviews. But their rankings on who wins never means much. You have to read into it to see what matters to you. For example, BMW gets points for nice back seats, but who cares!

Serge944

Firm stand on which is better? There is no better. There is personal preference, and a reader can form their own opinion based on the article's content. Then again, it's still just an opinion based on an opinion. It's all meaningless until you drive the car yourself.

Serge944

Because lap times don't matter. And that's it.

Want proof?

Do you have a Viper ACR in the garage or a GT3?

Serge944

Have you ever even driven a McLaren?

otismojo

I'd give the RS the skid pad edge and maybe braking with those monster tires, but the rest of the measurements? I want to see real numbers. Mac might surprise us.