Hooningan Family Feud: Old Ferrari 360 Modena Gets Walked by Aging Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Times change, and today's future classics are aggressively shardy, menacingly edgy, and overall deterrent with their science-backed airfoils and fins. But a couple of decades ago, fluid, uninterrupted lines were the absolute norm. Look at the two cars that go head to head in this unlikely speed duel. A classic Ferrari (from the second millennium, so it's definitely a classic) – namely an F360 Modena – and a classic Porsche 911 (from 2010).

This is a bit tricky since Porsche went against the flow since its first Carrera hit the streets. Their design hasn't been interested in trends, fashion, or vogue. They made it perfect from the beginning, so why ruin it?

Sure, they might have added minor or major details, in some cases, like a rear wing the size of a surfboard on specific models. But that's just engineers stepping in and saying, "We need this here, for speed purposes," and designers happily obliged.

On the other hand, Ferrari did quite the opposite (if not the Italians, then who else could constantly and incessantly seek styling perfection?). The Prancing Horse-adorned vehicles are a declaration of class grafted on a performance statement. "We look good, but you won't see us for long," they seem to howl from the high-revving engines boasting their bright red valve covers.

And yet, by a humorous twist of fate, two of these iconic automobiles got involved in a blue-collared, red-necked affair of drag racing (of sorts). The happy gang from Hoonigans put together this special YouTube episode of `This vs. That` featuring two of the host's own cars.

The already-mentioned 360 Modena races a 911 GT3 RS (the 997.2 version, for numbers-obsessed fans). We don't expect jaw-dropping performance with these two old, mostly basic bone-stock powerplants. But we get a concert of 14 pistons (Ferrari's eight accompanied by Porsche's signature powerhouse boxer six), which is enough to compensate for the poor performance.

Poor by today's yardsticks, when a compact hatchback has more capabilities than a 25-year-old sportscar. And don't even open the subject of the reptilian electrics – those don't even make it to the auditions for the piston-music contest.

Anyway, the Hoonigans don't have standard standards of drag racing, as we very well know. The 1,320-foot sprint, as is fair play, is out of the question for this event. It's as close as it gets to real-life street racing, so let's embrace reality and enjoy it while it lasts.

The newer, more potent Porsche adjudicates the 1,000-foot inaugural run (304.8 meters for metric gearheads). The German's 3.8-liter rear-mounted flat-six boxer puts out 444 hp (450 PS) and 430 Nm (317 lb-ft). At 3,020 lbs (1,370 kg), it is also 280 lbs (127 kg) lighter than the 360 Modena.

Both cars are naturally aspirated, sending power to the rear wheels via six-speed manual gearboxes. The Porsche uses the traditional stick and clutch pedal architecture. At the same time, the posh Ferrari, although 11 years older, brings an automated manual to the table.

It is a classic manual gearbox in layman's English, but it uses paddle shifters to actuate the clutch and change gears. The driver simply fiddles with the paddles, and the computers do everything else: engage the clutch, match the revs, move the cogs - all this in less than half a second. Ferrari claims it is a faster-shifting solution, giving the car the edge in a race.

But eleven years in automotive is a period of geological proportions, and it shows. The 395 hp (400 PS), 373 Nm (275 lb-ft) V8 is outnumbered and outgunned. Factor in the 1.5-ton body, and the Ferrari is not the bookie's favorite.

And yet, the Hoonigans have a way of adding a touch of thrill to this inequality. The second race follows the counterintuitive algorithm of favoring the underdog. The 360 Modena gets the hit and a two-car lengths head start in a 500-footer (152-meter race) and takes the win (barely).

Porsches have been historically famous for being very good (seriously, really good) at putting the power down better than almost anybody else. It would be visible in this race, where the German has more power, less weight, and light years of engineering progress on its side.

This is visible in the final round, a roll race that gives the old GT3 RS its predicted trophy. Times are not critical here since no one really gives a damn about how fast are old Ferraris and outdated Porsches. Nor would those times be relevant to the quarter-mile society since the race stretched over 1,000 feet, not the standard 440-yard distance.