MerlinsGarage

Anyone can stick the engine in the front.

Larry Cable

Transformers - "robots in disguise" :vomit:

and as for those Maclaren lookalike driving mirrors .... well what can I say

mgent

I believe the comparisons are:
AMG GT vs 911S (~130 optioned vs ~120 optioned)
AMG GT-S vs TT (~165 optioned vs ~160 optioned)
AMG GT-BS vs GT3/RS (limited, so don't care about price, and both will sell out no issues)

Every time I hear of a car comparison to a 911, the conversation is always about it's performance on the track... I can say pretty confidently that <5%, maybe even less, of 911 owners ever even consider taking their car to the track... Most are used as daily drivers or weekend cars, more like a GT, than on the track. So a car that wants to compete with the 911 really needs to compete on a GT basis, meaning good and sporty looking, lots of power/torque, good engine noise, solid handling, and a comfortable and luxurious interior... On these comparisons, the AMG-GT will be a very strong competitor...

This would be high on my list to replace the 991S next year, but since I'm in Chicago, and I'm guessing there's not going to be a 4-matic, I'll stick to the 4S/TT/R8 I think...

chuck911

I sense your frustration, Noah. You may recall a very long C7 thread a while back where I called the GM designers "scribblers". Now you're calling them doodlers. I've always been partial to "scribble" but we need to be open minded and hear out both sides.

So, as usual, I did a little research. A "doodle" is "a rough drawing made absentmindedly." You clearly staked out your position on solid ground there, my friend! But now let's consider "scribble": "a picture produced carelessly or hurriedly."

Its a tough call. I can practically hear people screaming, "why can't they both be right?!" But adolescent built-in obsolescence car design is serious business! Are they scribbled? Or doodled? RL cries out for an answer!

I hate to say this, but it may come down to state of mind. Were they absent-minded? Or careless and in a hurry? Absent-minded would imply they could do better if they were somehow able to focus. Careless and in a hurry sounds like they could do better just by paying attention and taking more time.

But they've never turned out a decent design in like 50 years. And if hundreds of millions of dollars isn't gonna focus your mind, what's it gonna take?

So maybe what we really have learned is we need an even more delightfully derogatory term for the stultiloquent meadow muffins these guys crap out onto the world every few years.

Where's WFB when you need him?

Noah Fect

Perhaps the argument could be settled by coining a third verb to describe the C7 design process: "Azteking."

fast1

If you count DE as on the track I'd expect that more than 5% of the owners of the base model 911s track their cars. Of course almost every owner of a GT3 tracks his car, at least all of the ones that I know do.

mgent

I would count more than just the one-off DE as 'track', but that would probably still hold true... I assume that 60-70% of GT3/RS owners track their cars, but they represent a very small fraction of WW 911 volume... I would assume very few TT or TTS are tracked, very few convertibles are tracked, maybe a few 4/4S's but not many, and a small % of PDK Base/S's are tracked... How many manual base/S's are there?

There were 55,662 911's delivered WW in 2012 and 2013 (obviously doesn't include GT3's, etc), so at 5% there are roughly 2,800 2012/13 911's being used on the track? Even that seems high to me...

I think that sometimes we, myself included, as active members of an enthusiast site for a particular car, can be a bit jaded to what the profile of the 'average' buyer/owner is... We somewhat self-select by finding and joining the forum... There are significantly more buyers who like the image, etc of driving a sports car, but don't drive it much beyond the office or a restaurant... Quite frankly, I grew up racing karts and cars, and I've never tracked any of my 911s, but have either had other cars dedicated to it or borrowed cars for it (schools, etc)... Some of them have also been for my wife, who has <0 interest in the track...

tejstar01

Post of the day awesome and so true..lol!!!

Ray S

The Merc is quicker than a GTS, but the gents at Automobile preferred the 911.

http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...rsche-911-gts/

Larry Cable

STG

Now they're going for blood!

"The car you dreamed of as a child has just been overtaken."


Pretty bold...


http://www.worldcarfans.com/11501308...911-nightmares

SDaddy

Or, maybe a psychological principle is at work...

STG

They're trailing by 50 years so we'll see how well "catch up" goes.

Noah Fect

Reminds me of all the early Android phone ads that had nothing to say except that that they were just like iPhones.

Swells991911

I work for Mercedes Benz in Orlando. In December I was invited to AMG expert training in Palm Desert, CA. where we would be testing the AMG GT S. We drove the track the first day and definitely a exciting and easy to drive car. It does have tons of performance. The second day we drove competitor cars(F Type, M series, and a 911 C2s) we went in the mountains and did some city driving. I have been breathing Mercedes Benz for the last 10 years. Long story short, just purchased my first 991 C2s last week and absolutely love it and drive it to my Benz dealer everyday!