• Sibling rivalry - 2012 Porsche 981 Boxster S vs. the 2012 Porsche 911 (991) Carrera on the drag strip and roadcourse

                    
      		   
      Published on 10-09-2012 01:28 AM
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      Many of you will likely already be giving victory to the Porsche 911 in this instance. How can the little brother take on the iconic 911? Well, the fact of the matter is the Boxster/Cayman platform is artificially held back to protect the 911's image. Like it or not, the Boxster as well as the Cayman is a lighter and a better balanced vehicle thanks to its mid-engine layout. If the Boxster and 911 had equal power and suspension development, the Boxster would win every time.


      What makes this comparison interesting is the 981 Boxster S and the 991 Carrera both have the same basic 3.4 liter motor but with different tunes. The 991 Carrera with 345 horsepower and the Boxster S with 311 horsepower. Porsche does not give the Boxster the 3.8 liter unit in the 991 Carrera S to protect it so it is logical to use the 991 Carrera instead as we all know the Carrera S is faster.

      In the 1/4 mile the Carrera runs a 13.36@109.2 to the Boxster S 13.74@106.7. As stated, Porsche protects the Carrera. It would be great to see this race again with the Boxster not handicapped by a tune intentionally designed to hold it back but with equal power. If that were the case, this race result would likely be reversed with the Boxster winning. But Porsche can't allow that now can it as 911 owners have very fragile egos.

      The Road Course is really the place where a Boxster can show the 911 its taillights namely if it is a tighter course with a handling and balance over power focus. The 991 Carrera used for the comparison did not have any of the additional options that may help such as PASM (Porsche Active Stability Management), Sport Chrono, or PDK. The Boxster on the other hand has all the performance options except for PDK as both cars are traditional manuals.

      So what is quicker around the track? Well, in this comparison the Carrera wins with a laptime of 46.3 seconds to the Boxster's 47.4. Yes, that is a very short laptime and the road course used is basically a small oval with a couple turns thrown in. Not the best choice in tracks to use to compare as with the multiple straightaways and long sweepers the power advantage of the 991 will dominate. The 991's power and acceleration advantage, not handling, won this test.

      This was a fairly good comparison and certainly much, much better than the terrible ClK63 Black Series versus C63 Black Series comparison Car and Driver posted last month which did not even include laptimes or a drag race. This is a large improvement but it would be nice to see a more technical roadcourse with a professional driver in both to make the laptime portion more significant.

      Either way, hopefully Porsche stops protecting the 911 the way it does and allows the Boxster to evolve to what it can be. Which is likely to result in the best Porsche since the 911 itself.

      This article was originally published in forum thread: Sibling rivalry - 2012 Porsche 981 Boxster S vs. the 2012 Porsche 911 (991) Carrera on the drag strip and roadcourse started by Sticky View original post
      Comments 13 Comments
      1. Remonster's Avatar
        Remonster - 10-09-2012, 03:24 AM
        Porsche can continue to handicap the Boxster and Cayman but there's no doubt in my mind which one I prefer driving. I used to have a 997 Carrera S but that's only because I found a good one at a good price, the Cayman is the far superior driver's tool. I sincerely hope Porsche will make more hardcore variants of the Cayman in the future, the Cayman R was basically an S with a tiny bump in power and some optional performance parts as standard but that's not what I'm talking about. I would love to see a Cayman GT3 with a bespoke engine, meaningful weight savings, and all the other things that make a 911 GT3 such an incredible car.
      1. Sticky's Avatar
        Sticky - 10-09-2012, 03:53 AM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by Remonster Click here to enlarge
        he Cayman R was basically an S with a tiny bump in power and some optional performance parts as standard but that's not what I'm talking about.
        Agree 100%.

        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by Remonster Click here to enlarge
        I would love to see a Cayman GT3 with a bespoke engine, meaningful weight savings, and all the other things that make a 911 GT3 such an incredible car.
        This may make the GT3 obsolete...
      1. Remonster's Avatar
        Remonster - 10-09-2012, 06:04 PM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by Sticky Click here to enlarge
        This may make the GT3 obsolete...
        So what? Why continue to build the GT3 on an inferior platform when they could make it better and still make the same profit margin? Just to protect the egos of 911 drivers? I guarantee 90% of current GT3 owners would gladly buy a Cayman GT3, the GT3 isn't usually bought by posers and badge whores it's a very serious driver's car and moving it to a shorter, mid-engined platform would do nothing but improve it.

        They could still make a 911 GT3 alongside a Cayman GT3 if they just keep the power to weight levels in check with one another, just like they do with the Cayman S and Carrera S. Porsche already makes like 90 variants of each car it sells, why can't we have one more?
      1. Sticky's Avatar
        Sticky - 10-09-2012, 06:12 PM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by Remonster Click here to enlarge
        So what?
        I wouldn't care. Porsche fanboys would.

        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by Remonster Click here to enlarge
        Why continue to build the GT3 on an inferior platform when they could make it better and still make the same profit margin?
        I agree completely.

        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by Remonster Click here to enlarge
        ust to protect the egos of 911 drivers?
        Yes.
      1. Sticky's Avatar
        Sticky - 10-09-2012, 06:17 PM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by Remonster Click here to enlarge
        They could still make a 911 GT3 alongside a Cayman GT3 if they just keep the power to weight levels in check with one another, just like they do with the Cayman S and Carrera S. Porsche already makes like 90 variants of each car it sells, why can't we have one more?
        You don't need to tell me I would have already done it. This is all about protecting the 911 image. They will do a million variants for the 911 but not for the Cayman.
      1. kokostrollet's Avatar
        kokostrollet - 10-10-2012, 04:02 PM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by Sticky Click here to enlarge
        They will do a million variants for the 911 but not for the Cayman.
        Seems there definitely would be a market for a "Cayman GT3/GT3RS". But apart from the Ruf CTR3 (which you can argue is the most extreme "full package" tuner take on what a Cayman GT3 could be), what other options are there out there?

        I am thinking of some kind of "packaged approach" to a full tune here, not just changing parts here and there to try to end up with something totally individual if you see what I mean. More the "I have a Cayman S and want it Cayman GT3 RS from a brand new Cayman S".
      1. Sticky's Avatar
        Sticky - 10-10-2012, 04:04 PM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by kokostrollet Click here to enlarge
        Seems there definitely would be a market for a "Cayman GT3/GT3RS". But apart from the Ruf CTR3 (which you can argue is the most extreme "full package" tuner take on what a Cayman GT3 could be), what other options are there out there?

        I am thinking of some kind of "packaged approach" to a full tune here, not just changing parts here and there to try to end up with something totally individual if you see what I mean. More the "I have a Cayman S and want it Cayman GT3 RS from a brand new Cayman S".
        For a packaged approach you really need to go with a European tuner.

        I'd say get a turbo kit from TPC and suspension upgrades from whomever you think is best and beat down on 911's all day.
      1. kokostrollet's Avatar
        kokostrollet - 10-11-2012, 04:09 PM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by Sticky Click here to enlarge
        For a packaged approach you really need to go with a European tuner.

        I'd say get a turbo kit from TPC and suspension upgrades from whomever you think is best and beat down on 911's all day.
        This is a nice example of a tune in line with what I am after:

        (too new to post links at this BB apparently, but just take away those capital Xes in front of the following + add .htm in the end to see what I mean.. ): XXXblocket.se/ostergotland/Porsche_Cayman_RS_40116870

        What I am lacking are some serious attempts to save weight + a full cage + some more work on the motor, but still keeping it naturally aspirated.

        Once the new Cayman is out (which looks really promising based on the spy photos and the pure performance of the Boxster), the dream would be having a tuner company making a serious attempt (fine with me if an "RS package" would cost as much as the actual car...) to produce a non-factory produced version of a "Cayman RS". Of course capable of beating the 991 RS Porsche will release... Think there would be a serious market for such a car and a great chance for a tuner firm to make themselves stand out similar to what RUF did when they produced the yellow bird...
      1. Sticky's Avatar
        Sticky - 10-11-2012, 05:20 PM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by kokostrollet Click here to enlarge
        (too new to post links at this BB apparently
        You can now.

        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by kokostrollet Click here to enlarge
        to produce a non-factory produced version of a "Cayman RS". Of course capable of beating the 991 RS Porsche will release...
        Someone will do this. Frankly, the Cayman S can mirror the motor of the Carrera S if it is just increased in bore. Imagine the Carrera S 3.8 liter club sport motor in the Cayman with some less weight, perfect.
      1. kokostrollet's Avatar
        kokostrollet - 10-14-2012, 01:48 PM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by Sticky Click here to enlarge
        Someone will do this. Frankly, the Cayman S can mirror the motor of the Carrera S if it is just increased in bore. Imagine the Carrera S 3.8 liter club sport motor in the Cayman with some less weight, perfect.
        Here is a Swede who has done just that:

        http://www.garaget.org/?car=170945

        Quite a cool car imo and exactly the kind of effort I am looking for. According to the info, itīs built by these guys:

        http://race-art.eu

        Unfortunately, the website does not give any info on what they do, but there is a similar (same?) Cayman on the image of the front-page.
      1. Sticky's Avatar
        Sticky - 10-15-2012, 09:09 PM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by kokostrollet Click here to enlarge
        Here is a Swede who has done just that:

        http://www.garaget.org/?car=170945

        Quite a cool car imo and exactly the kind of effort I am looking for. According to the info, itīs built by these guys:

        http://race-art.eu

        Unfortunately, the website does not give any info on what they do, but there is a similar (same?) Cayman on the image of the front-page.
        That is a great looking Cayman.

        Really looking forward to the next gen model.
      1. kokostrollet's Avatar
        kokostrollet - 11-01-2012, 02:52 PM
        Hmmm.. This spec looks really interesting, but I am not sure about the looks.

        http://alpha-n.de/alphaone.php

        The front and everyting down to the rear window looks amazing imho (the front with the Panamera lights(!) especially), but what the h**l have they done with the rear??
      1. Sticky's Avatar
        Sticky - 11-02-2012, 02:25 PM
        Click here to enlarge Originally Posted by kokostrollet Click here to enlarge
        Hmmm.. This spec looks really interesting, but I am not sure about the looks.

        http://alpha-n.de/alphaone.php

        The front and everyting down to the rear window looks amazing imho (the front with the Panamera lights(!) especially), but what the h**l have they done with the rear??
        Interesting...

        Click here to enlarge