992 Porsche 911 GT3 vs. Audi R8 Drag Race Is a High-Revving Brawl

First of all, let’s glance over the specifications of the 992-generation GT3.

Derived from the Cup racing car, the 4.0-liter boxer in the corner-carving 911 develops 510 PS (503 horsepower) at 8,400 revolutions per minute and 470 Nm (347 pound-feet) of torque at 6,100 revolutions per minute. Add the curb weight of 1,510 kilograms (3,329 pounds) and fast-shifting PDK tranny to the mix, and you’ll understand how tremendously fun the GT3 is.

The canvas-topped R8 Spyder on the other lane of the runway is an entry-level specification with quattro all-wheel drive as opposed to rear-wheel drive for the Neunelfer. The free-breathing V10 develops 540 PS (532 horsepower) at 8,250 revolutions per minute and 540 Nm (399 pound-feet) of torque at 6,500 revolutions per minute, performance figures that are a little disappointing compared to the range-topping R8 for MY 2021.

Be that as it may, the four-ringed supercar has a clear advantage over the rear-engined sports car thus far. The downside to picking the R8 Spyder over the 911 GT3 is the curb weight. According to Daniel Abt, we’re dealing with 1,795 kilograms (3,957 pounds), excluding the gentleman at the wheel.

This difference amounts to a trio of adult men, and in a drag race, additional weight is your biggest enemy alongside wheelspin. Thankfully for Daniel Abt and his buddy, the R8 and 911 both features pretty wide and sticky tires.

The R8 claims two victories with quarter-mile times of 11.82 and 11.84 seconds, besting the 911 by 0.85 and 0.29 seconds. In the third race, the GT3 launches harder and pulls harder to cross the finish line 0.14 seconds before the Audi. The final race comes in the guise of a roll that kicks off in second gear and manual shifting mode at 60 kilometers per hour (37.2 miles per hour). The Porsche gaps the R8 Spyder by more than a car’s length, which goes to show that fewer kilograms could help the Audi a whole lot.