In terms of performance cars, the Porsche 911 GT3 and the Nissan GT-R are about as polarizing as they come. Sure, both coupes pack hard-hitting six-cylinder engines and both can get you ’round a track in a hurry, but the ethos in which they deliver couldn’t be more different. Rear-engine vs. front-engine, rear-drive vs. all-wheel-drive, manual gearbox (before 991 GT3) vs. automatic gearbox, lightweight vs. heavyweight.
And that leaves us with a big question. We found this 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS and this 2009 Nissan GT-R with a heady performance pack up for sale on eBay. If it were your money, which would you buy?
The 911 has an astounding legacy stretching back over five decades. The greatest iteration of those original free-breathing 911s is the hardcore GT3 RS. The 997 GT3 followed up Porsche’s lauded 996 version, and brought with it a healthy dose of power – 415 ponies emanating from Porsche’s 8,400-rpm 3.6-liter flat-six. The GT3 RS, with its wider lightweight body, extended rear track, and adjustable carbon fiber wing, shaved another 44 pounds off, furthering its track-centric persona.
The sprint from zero to 60 mph took a mere four seconds flat. Four and a half seconds later and you’d be sprinting well beyond 100 mph. According to the seller, this GT3 RS with 6,200 miles on the clock has the unique distinction of being the lowest optioned of its kind ever sold in the US – coming only with the aluminum footrest and floor mats. For the Porsche fanatic who tallies up individual ounces of added weight on a car, perhaps that’s a good thing.
Though you can’t row your own gears like you can in the 997 generation GT3, ask any GT-R driver if they wish they could, and they’d most likely say “No.” Nissan’s quick-shifting GT-R is a poster child for performance engineering paranoia, in the best way possible.
Its facility is hermetically sealed and each engine is individually hand crafted by a staff of only four engine builders. Likewise, the car’s performance is simply a knockout.
In a straight line (and especially off-the-line), the twin-turbo GT-R will blast past all but the world’s most extreme supercars. In the corners, its techy all-wheel-drive system will grip to the road like a hungry tick. It’s a staggering machine, and this one looks to be even more mind-melting.
This 21,000 mile GT-R has been fitted with carbon fiber body paneling all around and AAM Competition’s GT650R power pack (for around 585 horsepower at the wheels). Check the listing for a video of the car in action.
There you have it, Internets. Two high-powered track terrors with different ways of plastering your noggin to the headrest. Which would you buy?
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