We all know that a running gag featuring the British Isles is about the weather conditions – which are usually quite damp, moist, and generally humid, even during the latter weeks of spring. But is that going to stop automotive enthusiasts from their tracked shenanigans?
Not at all; if those two are Rory Reid and Alex Kersten from AutoTrader, of course. And that is especially valid when Rory and Alex have a potentially explosive sports car combination made from a blue and serene 992-series Porsche 911 GT3 and a primer-covered (aka stealthy gray) G82 BMW M4 CSL. Plus, the reason they are both there is not at all inconspicuous – instead, they have gathered around the wet track for a quick session of drag and roll racing plus some hard braking.
First, let us meet the contestants. So, on the left side, Rory Reid is sitting comfy in the fourth iteration (992) of the GT3 high-performance homologation version of the iconic Porsche 911. The latest (and arguably greatest) version packs a 4.0-liter flat-six Porsche engine that's good for 510 ps (503 hp) and 465 Nm (343 lb-ft), according to the specification sheet provided by the channel, which is enough to sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.4 seconds and top out at 198 mph (318 kph) when equipped with the PDK automatic transmission.
Next to it is Alex Kersten sitting even comfier (and a bit fluffier, frankly) in the G82 second-generation BMW M4 CSL, which is relatively easy to spot from afar thanks to its double-coffin kidney grille and ducktail rear spoiler. Anyway, the Bavarian two-door coupe has the upper hand in terms of pony count, with 550 ps (543 hp) and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft), enabling a sprint to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds and a maximum speed of 191 mph (307 kph). Notice how the cited acceleration is slower in the M4 CSL – well, that is because the Competition Sport Light is not that light at 1,625 kg (3,583 lbs), at least not when compared to the nimbler 1,435 kg (3,164 lbs) GT3!
With that in mind and given the conditions of the track, it was all down to who nails the better traction control when off the starting line. Not the BMW, for sure, as the first race saw Rory demolish Alex with the 911 being bus-lengths in front of the M4. Anyway, the head-to-head races showed a three-to-one ratio in favor of the Porsche by the time Rory and Alex got bored of the standing quarter-mile ovations. Of note, one of the brawls was, indeed, extremely close – and Rory cited 10.4s and 10.5s quarter-mile times, which are pretty darn hard to believe (along with the 150 to 160 mph trap speeds!) given the track conditions and the unprepped nature of the surface.
Moving on to other stuff, the singular roll race victory was snatched by another whisker by the Bavarian track weapon to give Alex some hope of recovering the lost terrain. Alas, the final battle – a 62 mph (100 kph) to zero braking trial, showed the Porsche indeed reigns supreme in almost any condition! By the way, in case you like the channel's test format, there is also a genuinely nice encounter between the fresh Ferrari Roma 2+2 grand tourer from Maranello and the eternal sports car, aka the Porsche 911 Turbo S. And, of course, we have it embedded second below.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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