Hopefully not a repost (I searched!) but picked up the new issue of UK magazine GT Porsche today - only $10.75 here in NYC. Massive comparo of GT3, GT3RS, TT and C2S Powerpack.

Awesome 27 page article with in depth in-gear and 0-150 in 10MPH increments. I won't try to synopsize as they have good things to say about all four versions of the car but they are left slack-jawed at the TT performance.

My favorite quote, in comparison to the GT3RS from 50-70 in 5th gear, "Being 2.2 seconds faster here is just plain rude. And if you think the Turbo's shorter gearing makes the comparison unfair, the Turbo is 0.7 seconds faster in sixth. And that cog's good for well over 190MPH."

Also

"Now that is what you call grunt and traction [0-30 in 1.4 seconds]. Zero to 30 in the Turbo hurts your back. Dents the pride of GT3RS drivers too. Then all hell breaks loose. Look at that 0-60MPH time [3.6 seconds]."

On the debit side they call it a "real handful" on the track with lapping "undignified" and "harder work than expected". At the end of the day the lap time is the same at the GT3, however (on street tires).

 

I skimmed the article in the book store. (to cheap to buy the magazine.) It basically confirmed my thoughts. Based on my experience of having driven a Carrera 2S at a couple of Porsche driving schools and my own Turbo I reached the conclusion that the 2S with the extra power option would fill all my needs with the possible exception of the ego factor. The real beauty of the 2S is it's a whole lot less expensive, leaving lots of extra cash to personalize it to your tastes.

 

cool! ill have to see if i cant find this mag.

 

Would be great to get a look at that article. Let us know if you have a website to link us up to and thanks for posting.

 

Article is good but misleading,firstly it was written by chris harris who worships the gt3,hence it was inevitble what would win the test.Secondly they said at the beginning they aimed to find the fastest Porsche for the money...when talking about all the cars they mentioned the price as tested so the turbo was £107k..but every reference to the gt3 was of it being better value becuase it was £80k...but the one they tested was specced up to £95k.And thirdly the turbo hammered the gt3 and gt3rs performance wise..the fact that the turbo was on street tyres and matched the gt3s lap time even though the gt3 was on cup tyres was an astonishing achievement which barely got a mention.Lastly the comparison was track only,I really wonder if the gt3 is a useable car like the turbo.The one I have tried had a clutch so stiff it was an utter nightmare in traffic.
The carrera s with the powerkit was they reckon the worst value of the lot from memory its been a while since i read it.

 

they made it a specific point to say that the powerkit 2s is only worth it on the used market - one would be insane to buy it new with tha toption ticked off.. way too close to the GT3.

 

Good to hear from you as a Turbo owner that a C2S X51 is good enough for you.

Owning a C2S X51, I obviously disagree with the article's conclusion. For the money, the C2S X51 is definitely a best buy. (the best buy is a regular C2S) The track comparison is obviously flawed with C2S and Turbo running on street tires. Put track tires on all 4 cars and try again. I am not trying to kid myself to believe that my C2S is better than any GT3 or Turbo as it is not. But with 4 seats, RWD, direct steering feel, relatively more comfortable suspension and linear acceleration, this is the car to pick for both road and track use if money is a factor. Of course if money is not a factor, then I'll get all 4, plus a GT2.

 

I'd tend to agree. The article is inherently flawed given the R compounds on the GT cars and the street tires on the C2S and TT. Presumably as well the author has his own set of biases. That said, I took it as at least "directionally" interesting if hardly conclusive. I would have been interested to see a non-powerpack C2S included as well. That car is the real value and frankly I could probably be just as happy with that as a TT, indeed, the steering feel was better.

 

The C2S is faster than either the GT3 or RS up to about 70mph. The GT3 is faster than the RS after 150mph due to lesser aero drag

 

Still confirms my belief that the C2S is quite adequate for the majority of us. I mean, how fast do you need to get to the corner 7-11 store? If you think you need the extra thrill of an occassional boost of turbo power, you could try skydiving or bungee jumping. Both would be a lot cheaper. Don't ask me why I bought a TT, because at this point I haven't a clue. (But, it sure as Hell is fun!)

 

I too had a 997s and now a turbo,in truth the 997s is pretty much all the car most people would evr need,however I do find that
a) The turbo is more comfortable and rides better
b) ITs acceleration alone makes it worth the extra outlay..any straight at all puts a massive smile on my face,and to be honest after having my car in and being given a 997s to use a courtesy car..it actually felt sluggish after the turbo. I do think the 'S' is fast enough for most people,but I came to it after a996tt,an sl55 and a M6 and though dynamically a better car than all of those it never gave me that kidneys being squeezed sensation by g force that those 3 did..and the 997 is much faster than all of those.

 

FWIW this months' Sports Cars International has a 3 way comparo of the R8, F430, and 997tt where they have immense praise for the tt.

 

I got to get my hands on that GT magazine, tried Borders but they didn't have it....

 

I picked up my copy at Borders Kirby and W Alabama today. There was 1 copy left when I left. Barnes and Noble at Town and COuntry also stock it

 

Thanks Dude! I'll try again after work tomorrow.