This UK TV car programme (it's most of the presenters from the old "Top Gear" show) reviewed the two cars side by side.
Testing the cars was Tiff Needel, an ex-racer.
To sum up, he thought the Merc was very quick in a straght line and had an excellent engine, but the TT beat it in terms of out-and-out performance by some margin and there was no contest whatsoever in the handling stakes.
This is despite the SL55 having some 56bhp more than the TT (which was not an X50 car).
His final comment was that he would only have the Merc over the TT if he lived somewhere like Monaco all the time where posing with the roof down is most important.
He also said that in his opinion the TT was "the best supercar money can buy" <img src="graemlins/bigok.gif" border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" />

Can't wait for mine (with X50) to get here in early January

 

Thanks for the info Alan. Which channel was that programme on? I would love to catch a repeat viewing.

I think that the 996tt X50 is something very special indeed. After reading the Supercar test in last month's Evo magazine I could sense that they all really thought the X50 should take the crown, but instead gave the honours to the Murcielago. This decision was based more on emotion than on real driver dynamics. Unfortunately the weight of the SL is so great that it needs constant electronic intervention to keep it on the road. If you turned PSM and ESP off on both cars the TT would run rings around the Merc.

Mind you, Tiff Needell is one of the best road car drivers I've ever seen. He's in another league compared to most celebrity assessors.

Rob

 

Rob,
It's on channel 5, I'm not sure if they repeat it or not.
I too read the EVO supercar test, and yes, whilst the TT won just about every category (at £60k less than the cars it was being tested with) they seemed almost embarrased by this and in the final paragraph waffled on about Italian "passion" etc and gave the verdict to the Lambo! <img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />
We wuz robbed! <img src="graemlins/cussing.gif" border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" />

You're right, too, Tiff is head and shoulders above anyone else.
There's a video going around of him driving a 996TT at Milbrook, I'll see if I can find it...

Alan.

 

Hi All,
the 996tt has earned its respect indeed inspite of some very stiff competition from Modena, Murcie and SL55.

If anyone wants to view its crowning, watch Ch4 Sunday 15th Dec at 4.30pm where it comes up against SL55.

Personally, I am awaiting the 996tt Cab - now the SL55 and Modena will have direct competition.

 

The show is called 5th Gear? Don't most of these cars have 6 gears? Maybe that's why the SL55 seemed slower. It goes over 200 mph with the speed limiter disabled.