GT-R Drag Races 1,600-HP 911 Turbo S, Godzilla Gets no Mercy

Strangely enough, the GT-R has eluded me so far. I've had the chance of riding shotguns in several R34s, not all of which were RB-powered, though. But I've never driven or ridden in an R35. I do not doubt that it is an extremely capable machine and I don't care what other people think about it. I would love to own one someday. But given the choice between a GT-R and a 911 Turbo S, I would most likely choose the Porsche.

So today's drag race sounded exciting even before hitting play on the video. After all, how often do you get to see a challenge of this magnitude? Two cars that have been pushed to nearly 1,600-horsepower, still running on road-legal tires? Both the 911 Turbo S and the GT-R are well known for their potential, but which one will come out on top? Let's see if we can spot some differences first.

The GT-R has more torque, at 1,253 lb-ft (1,700 Nm), while the 911 Turbo S only has 995 lb-ft (1,350 Nm). But the Porsche is slightly lighter, at 3,527 lbs (1,600 kg), versus 3,858 lbs (1,750 kg). That means the 911 Turbo S has a better power to weight ratio. Even so, predicting the outcome for this challenge isn't all that easy. Considering the massive performance figures, the format of the race is slightly different than usual.

First off, the two contenders will be going head to head in a quarter-mile (402 meters) challenge. After that, they'll be moving on to the half-mile (804 meters) sprint. Last but not least, we'll see a rolling start to a 1/3 mile (536 meters) finish line. To make things even more complicated, the two cars will be going up against 25 mph headwind. The Porsche slingshots away from the start, leaving the GT-R behind.

But the Nissan driver loses control of his car and spins before the race is even over, so a rematch is in order. For the re-run, the GT-R is off to a better start but soon faces traction issues once again. And that's all that the 911 Turbo S needs to seal the deal and win the first challenge. Both cars cross the finish line in under 10 seconds, and that's enough to give you an idea of how fast they are.

The half-mile race is up next. The GT-R lights up the rear tires as it launches from a dig while the 911 Turbo S doesn't seem to struggle at all. The Porsche crosses the finish line in the first place. It only needed 14.13 seconds to achieve that result and it flew by at a speed of just over 200 mph (321 kph). The Nissan was only 0.14 seconds behind, with a trap speed of 192 mph (308 kph). For the last run, both vehicles will be launching from 50 mph (80 kph), and this is going to be the closest out of the three runs.