The start of any possible rivalry between Porsche and Ferrari was back in the '80s when the Germans came up with the extraordinary 959 model, only for the Italians to launch the F40 and cut Porsche's celebrations short.
The 959, as we all know, was the first turbocharged Porker, so it's only fitting that the contemporary model taking the fight to Ferrari these days is the 911 Turbo S, arguably the 959's spiritual successor. In the short time since it's come out, the Turbo S has already made quite a name for itself destroying pretty much any competition that dared line up beside it in a drag race.
Today, that competition looks - and sounds - pretty fierce. Two of Italy's finest join the 911 Turbo S for a series of challenges: a standing quarter-mile race, a rolling race, and a braking test. If that assortment of trials sounds familiar, it's because it's the standard carwow drill we've seen countless times before.
We've never seen it in this configuration, though: a Ferrari 488 Pista, a Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder, and the Porsche 992 Turbo S we've been talking about until now. Looking at their specs, you can't shake the feeling the two Italians should have been morphed into one to stand a chance against the Porsche.
The Ferrari 488 Pista has plenty of power, and of the turbocharged variety, to be a match for the 911. What it lacks, though, is an all-wheel-drive system, sending said power (720 hp from a 3.9-liter V8) to the rear wheels alone.
The Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder, on the other hand, has the all-wheel-drive system but lacks the grunt to make the most out of it. It gets 640 hp from its 5.4-liter V10 engine, but it's a naturally aspirated unit, meaning it needs to build up revs to make the most of it. Plus, it lacks the brute twisting power that turbochargers are known for.
The 911 has beaten other illustrious competitors before, and yet this particular race feels like a rite of passage. The German gem makes the jump from pretender to a full-blown supercar, at least as far as performance is concerned. Give the video a go and see whether it's total domination, or the Italians manage to pull back in some of the other challenges.
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