Porsche 718 Boxter S Wrecks 2023 Nissan Z, but Is the Price Difference Justified?

Let's see what our gorgeously-designed racing machines brought to the fight. First of all, the German-made Porsche 718 Boxster S has a 2.5-liter flat-four turbocharged engine that can deliver up to 350 hp (355 ps) with 309 lb-ft (419 Nm) of torque.

It has a seven-speed DCT, a rear-wheel-drive system, and weighs 3,133 lbs. (1,421 kg). According to the spec sheet, it can hit 60 mph (96.5 kph) in 4.4 seconds. Its top speed is 177 mph (285 kph), provided it's equipped with summer tires.

In case anyone out there is headhunting for one, the price starts at $77,500 for the U.S. market, and aside from the PDK gearbox, there's also a six-speed manual version.

Next up is the divisive Nissan Z. By divisive, I mean that while from the sides and back it looks great, some people might not say the same thing about the front end. Also, there's the small matter of the old platform it's still using.

Complaints aside, though, its 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine can output 400 hp (405 ps) with 350 lb-ft (413 Nm) of torque. It has a nine-speed automatic transmission, drives its rear wheels only, and weighs 3,550 lbs. (1,610 kg). That's 417 lbs. (189 kg) more than the Boxter. It can reach 60 in under five seconds as well but only goes up to 135 mph (217 kph).

While it does have a few more pounds than the Porsche, the price is a whole lot slimmer. The 2023 model starts at just $39,990, which would make it almost an entire other Nissan Z cheaper than the Porsche. At least for the base version, because our nine-speed model is $41,015, but it's still not even close.

Finally, it's off to the races, so let's see how our mean machines fared against each other. During the first attempt, the Nissan had a lot of wheelspin at launch, whereas the Porsche was going for the finish line like nobody's business. The mean, red, German-made menace left its competitor in the rear-view mirror and won by a landslide.

They decided to do it again, but somehow, the Boxter got angrier and won by an even greater distance. There was no point in repeating, so they went straight for a set of roll races.

The first one had them flooring it from 31 mph (50 kph). With no wheelspin to blame, you'd think the Nissan stood more of a chance, but it still lost by about two car lengths. The second time, they went for it at 50 mph (80 kph) in third gear. Finally, the Nissan Z won a race and washed away those losses with a smile on its grille.

Apparently, Sam from the "Sam CarLegion" YouTube channel, who was driving the Z model, knew what he was talking about when he decided to roll from 50 mph. Now, if today's race proved anything, it's that the Boxter obliterates the Nissan Z at lower speeds, especially in a drag race.

But as they gain more and more speed, the tide seems to shift a bit in favor of the Japanese-made car. Also, let's not forget that $37,500 price difference.