Driver Review
Uncomfortable. Noisy. Hard ride. Brilliant. This extreme version of the ubiquitous Porsche 911 perfectly fits the “driver’s car” label. I’ve never particularly liked the general Porsche “look” - I’ve always thought of them as squashed VW Beetles - and I know my father-in-law would mock the “trolley handle” on the back, but this car does catch the eye - it looks like a real racing car that has just had all the sponsors’ logos removed. And, in fact, it is a real racing car - it is an absolute dream to drive. In the dry, you just point it where you want to go, and it goes there, with 415 horsepower pushing you perfectly along the line you want to take. Empty roundabouts and country lanes feel fantastic. Mechanically, this car feels perfect - loads of torque (this is a very powerful engine in a relatively small and light car), very responsive steering and braking, short-throw gear-lever, carbon-fibre sports seats that take a bit of effort to squeeze in to but hold you steady, and masses and masses of grip. I marvel how the boffins at Porsche can produce such a well-balanced car that has the engine so far back!
In a way this is a very practical car - you just get in a drive it - easy to go, easy to park. But in some ways, it is impractical too. It is a track car - so don’t expect a comfortable ride. In fact, expect bruises from the hard-edged seats! The only adjustment on the seats is backwards and forwards, so if you’re short (like me) don’t expect a commanding view of the road from the low driving position. And, to be frank, wide-bottomed passengers better not ask for a ride unless they want significant body-reshaping! The front spoiler is ridiculously low - expect an unpleasant scraping noise every time you try and get on a driveway or negotiate a speed bump.
In the wet, this is a car that demands some respect - I didn’t feel anywhere near as confident that this car would keep going along the arc I intended when driven “in a spirited fashion” - it felt harder to gauge where the weight-distribution was shifting around to, forcing a much more tentative drive. But, in the dry, this is one of the most awesome cars I have experienced.
Paul Williams
DRIVER RATINGS: Exterior: 8/10 Interior: 8/10 Cool Factor: 8/10 Driveability: 10/10 Fear Factor: 2/10 TOTAL: 32 (Fear Factor Scores are subtracted)
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Passenger Review
This is not a supercar, this is a racing car! Utterly bonkers noise with utterly bonkers interior and power fuse together to provide one of the best experiences you can have in a car. The car looks like it has come straight from the racetrack and is something that almost looks out of place in your local town centre! The interior also feels like a racing car. Alcantara everywhere, on the sports seats, the steering wheel, even the roof lining! Now, when the ignition key was first turned I was a bit miffed with the noise as it sounded like a truck, but flicking it into sport mode provided a beastly, deep soundtrack. On the roads this car is like nothing else. It yet again feels like you are in a Le Mans GT car and the car, despite being described as “Skittish” never really made me feel like we were going to end up wrapped around several trees. The ride is uncomfortable but what would you expect from a car that practically sits on the road surface! I’d always wanted to go in a 911, and this certainly lived up to, and beat, my expectations.
Ryan Williams
PASSENGER RATINGS: Exterior: 8/10 Interior: 9/10 Cool Factor: 9/10 Passenger Experience: 9/10 Fear Factor: 3/10 TOTAL: 32 (Fear Factor Scores are subtracted)
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