911 vs GT350 Motortrend: Which is the Better All-Around Sports Car?

[Dave2013M3]

Well to be fair as well the PCar was on standard PZero's while the GT350 was on Mich PSC 2s.

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[Demonic]

Well to be fair as well the PCar was on standard PZero's while the GT350 was on Mich PSC 2s.

The Cup 2's that now come on the GT350 aren't the track focused Cup 2's that are on the R or available for Porsche. These new Cup 2's on the GT350 are more of a street tire carrying the Cup 2 name.

 

[BostonDMD]

For the money, no questions about the GT 350.
If money was not an issue, it’s all different discussion......

 

[firestarter2]

agreed.
Or for the price and the forced induction market... the GT 500.

the 350 isn’t really supposed to be in the ring with the 911 turbo.

The 500... is.
Let’s see them compare those two. You know they won’t though.

It was not a turbo model. I think this was a marketing peace. The GT350 was meant to lose but it was meant to be a feel good story of the underdog.

Compare a car to a car it should never beat, have it lose but say it was close, everyone is happy.

The Cup 2's that now come on the GT350 aren't the track focused Cup 2's that are on the R or available for Porsche. These new Cup 2's on the GT350 are more of a street tire carrying the Cup 2 name.

The R tires are more track focused than the porsches. I saw the porsche Cup 2s at the track and my NEW R Cup 2s look bald in comparison. I would guess the 2019s Cups are similar to the porsches.

 

[Sixx]

Interesting read. As a guitar player, I loved the Yngwie reference!

Both are great cars.

 

[Erik427]

Nice article.......but after reviewing the engine output from both cars.
I'm inclined to think that maybe Ford should offer a 3.5TT variant with the DCT7.

As it stands......the GT350 is the best. Not everybody has money to just throw away.

 

[Bossing]

This unfair comparison was a no-brainer. But it also continues to show how amazing and highly-praised the GT350/GT350R is.... and still a top notch bang for the buck. I believe that's the unwritten message of this head to head.

And yes.... I can imagine a new 992 can clock ridiculously fast lap times (but 11secs per lap in this article must be a typo). Anyway even a 991 can put down crazy quick lap times... I was also giddily shocked. Been there, done that with my ex 991.2 Carrera. Personally, I’d also agree with Motor Trend for the Porsche if it was my vote for best all-around. The GT350 is perfect at second place. Nothing wrong with that.

However, as an alternative to the new turbo’d 992.... I much prefer the naturally-aspirated GT3 variant (or really any GT3/GT3RS including the previous gens). My take and recommendation is pair up a Porsche with a GT350 and you have a win-win affair.

 

[mavisky]

Great article with an expected result. having driven a 2018 Carrera GTS and now owning a GT350 I can say that they are very similar cars in many ways. The price differentiation is huge though. Before making a wise financial decision and taking the cheaper GT350 I had been shopping for 997.2 Turbo's and Turbo S's for my next car due to the need for a back seat from time to time. After driving the GT350 it was obvious that although I'd sacrifice some straight line acceleration, I could get much of what I was looking for for 30-40K less than I was looking to spend with the Porsche.

 

[DCShelby]

a garage with a 997.1 or 997.2 variant 911 GT3 or GT3RS as a stablemate to the GT350, would be sweet. Or perhaps a 911R.

 

[torque124]

For over 100k, I would not hesitate a second to buy F430 instead of a Porsche. We are entering supercar territory at those prices, can't see why you would buy a beetle for over 100k, as good as it might be.

 

[Bossing]

For over 100k, I would not hesitate a second to buy F430 instead of a Porsche. We are entering supercar territory at those prices, can't see why you would buy a beetle for over 100k, as good as it might be.

Lol.... beetle. Okkkk, good one as always {insert sarcasm}.

Both the GT350 and a late model 911 will run rings around the F430.... and I don't dislike 430's at all. The Scud is easily one of my top favs.

Joking aside, they're really different types of sports cars though.... similar to the GT350's ethos, the 911 is more of a true driver's car. That's the point of MT's article. GREAT driver's cars, period.

And there's a reason why these "Bettles" or "Bugs" are one of the best if not the best out-of the-box HPDE/track cars, worldwide. For $100K more or less, I'd shoot for a 997.1 or .2 GT3 or if possible a 997.1 GT3RS anytime anyday over any $100K F430. But you probably don't get it.... so we'll agree to disagree.

 

[Austinj427]

I adore the 430 but I agree, it's not going to stand above either of these cars.

Maintenance costs alone put that thing into a different territory. The rule of thumb is to budget $2.50/mile out of warranty for repairs and maintenance.

It's not something you can do yourself either, not because it's not possible for the average gear head to do the maintenance, but if you don't have service records from a Ferrari dealer you'll lose more money in resale than the cost of having them do the work.

 

[Demonic]

Bossing I don't think Torque is denying that a late model 911 would run circles around an F430. I think he's simply saying that once you start getting into a certain price range, he'd enjoy the experience of driving an exotic over the "diver's car" advantage of a late 911. At the end of the day they're both for enjoyment, so no one can say one man's enjoyment or passion is more legitimate than another's.

 

[Bossing]

Bossing I don't think Torque is denying that a late model 911 would run circles around an F430. I think he's simply saying that once you start getting into a certain price range, he'd enjoy the experience of driving an exotic over the "diver's car" advantage of a late 911. At the end of the day they're both for enjoyment, so no one can say one man's enjoyment or passion is more legitimate than another's.

I agree with that of course. And like what Austin stated above, the Ferrari will be a maintenance money pit (while the Ford and Porsche have greater reliability and lower upkeep costs).... plus another unfortunate issue with out-of-warranty Ferrari cars is once the miles accrue, the value greatly diminishes. At the end of the day, everyone will have their preferred car to enjoy.... no biggie. The GT350 and the 911 would still be top choices in my book... but hey what do I know, right?

 

[law242]

I love the gt350 but man the fuel economy in the porsche would be nice. 25 avg vs 16? big difference

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