2018 Porsche 911 GT3 vs. 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT R: Love at First Slide

Autobahn at last! As the speed limit lifts and the road ahead clears, the 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 is out front of the 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT R when the day’s first give ’em stick moment arrives. Though the curves meander leisurely through the oldest stretch of the A92 motorway between Munich and the foothills of the Bavarian Forest, reading the road ahead is essential at 150-plus mph as heaves and off-camber sections often present themselves without warning.

Decked out in its resplendent Green Hell bodysuit, the voluptuous AMG GT R transforms into a twin-turbo thunderball as it reels in the winged 911. The big bad Benz has 577 horsepower under its loooong hood versus the GT3’s 500 hp, which explains why it’s getting the better of this impromptu high-speed duel. But the driver of the Guards Red 911 GT3 couldn’t care less. With the throttle pinned to the floor, he is totally engulfed in his own mind-boggling stratosphere, celebrating each blaring 9,000 rpm redline upshift with a spiritual thumbs-up and a smile.

To get the measure of these two supersonic German super sports cars, we set out on a two day, dawn-to-dusk test run that included lengthy flat-out stints, tasty stretches of Austrian back roads, climbs and descents packed with curves of all shapes and sizes, and syrupy city crawling. We topped it all off with an hour long, flat-out fun at the Wachauring racetrack near Melk, Austria.

Both cars have street cred in abundance. Mighty rear wings, big wheels, and widebody stances make no pretentions about their sporting intentions. The front end of the GT R looks particularly intimidating thanks in large part to its mean sharktooth grille, though its curved, stubby rear almost seems to belong to a different vehicle. Porsche has cleaned up the nose of its latest GT3, which deserves the extra-cost lift system to protect its protruding, rubber-lipped chin. In addition to their identical 198 mph top speeds, both cars can whiz from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds and have nearly identical fuel economy numbers.

Helping the new Porsche 911 GT3 go-faster are a battalion of high-tech advancements including rear-wheel steering, adjustable dampers, bigger tires (245/35 ZR20 front, 305/30 ZR20 rear), active engine mounts, and sophisticated electronics. Blessed with 20 percent more downforce than before, the red coupe is (and feels!) substantially narrower and trimmer than its mean green rival. The PDK-equipped GT3 we chose for this shootout is also roughly 275 pounds lighter than the GT R. Add to this the shorter wheelbase and overhangs plus a 40/60 front/rear weight distribution and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the Porsche is one chuckable piece of kit.

As we meander east towards Vienna, loosely following the river Danube on a mixed set of byways, the differences between the two cars begin to manifest themselves. Despite its slightly more compliant suspension, the Porsche struggles to relax, let go, drop revs. Instead, it is totally committed at all times, noisily picking up and tumble-flushing loose chippings through the echo-chamber wheelhouses, celebrating an aggressively informative low-speed ride, letting the manly intake rasp and the dense exhaust rumble do most of the talking. In the GT R, full throttle acceleration maneuvers are accompanied by rolling acoustic earthquakes that come and go in waves – accentuated by fake heeling and toeing throttle blips and chip-generated lift-off backfires.

In the rolling hills of the Viennese hinterland, on the far side of the busy commuter belt, we pull out all the stops. Traction? Advantage Porsche, which can put all its weight and energy on its hind legs at all times. Turn in? A dead heat, at least in the dry, when the front tires bite until the entry speed is simply too silly for public roads. Mid-range grunt? Advantage GT R. With 516 lb-ft on tap from 1,900 all the way to 5,500 rpm, the torque tsunami from AMG’s potent 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 more than neutralizes the extra 2,000 rpm the Porsche driver can squeeze out of the GT3’s 4.0-liter, naturally aspirated boxer engine.

While the AMG is liable to wriggle its tail before ESP quickly catches it, 911s have been known to either understeer into oblivion or oversteer tail first into the ditch. The GT3 mitigates this inherent vice by offering a function called paddle neutral, which disconnects the rear wheels from the drivetrain the instant both shift paddles are pulled. The device does work, but first you must remember it exists, and then do what you’ve never done before. At any rate, fast cornering is all about torque management and steering balance. The level of tactility is commendably high no matter which helm you grab.
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