Yesterday, I met up with a friend of mine who owns a 1983 Porsche 911SC. We headed into the Sierras on one of my favored Central California roads to drive a classic Ferrari and Porsche on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
It sure beat mowing the lawn.
Some basic comparison specs, brief driving impressions and more pictures follow after the jump.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 52,997 miles
1984 Ferrari Ferrari 308 GSTi Quattrovalvole; Price as new, $63,845; 2.9-liter V8; 230 hp and 188 lb-ft of torque; 3,186 lb curb weight; 205/55R16s in front and 225/50R16s in back.
1983 Porsche 911SC: Price as new, $29,950; 3.0-liter flat-6; 172 hp and 189 lb-ft of torque; 2,560 lb curb weight; 205/55R16s in front and 225/50R16s in back.
Impressions: To get an idea of how the two cars differed, I drove the 911 for a brief stint. The driving position is what struck me first. The 911's seating is upright, its gauges are large and legible, and there's an expansive view over the nose. The Ferrari is much more relaxed.
The 911 also felt more nimble. It was smaller, had a tighter turn radius and was quicker to respond to initial steering turn-in. But when pressing the cars a bit further, I had more confidence in the Ferrari – it seemed better balanced. However, I should say that I was much more familiar with the 308. And the 911's infamous habit of pirouetting off into the bushes due to oversteer was at the forefront of my mind; no need to wreak a friend's car, eh?
Perhaps the most surprising aspect was that the 911 was considerably quicker than our 308. We did a few in-gear acceleration runs and in each one he was pulling ahead easily. I would have thought the cars would have been pretty evenly matched. His 911 is totally stock and in great condition, though. So maybe it's putting out close to its original power.
texases says:
10:22 AM, 04/ 7/08
600 lbs. will do wonders! Also, the Porsche has about the same torque.
daytona_500 says:
10:26 AM, 04/ 7/08
Nice pictures. What are the maintenance costs like on your friend's Porsche.
SubyTrojan says:
10:28 AM, 04/ 7/08
I think Captain Video would've liked to have some video footage of your escapades, Brent! Both this and your previous 308 entries were a lot of fun to read. :o)
ahightower says:
10:40 AM, 04/ 7/08
Too cool. Definitely beat yard work. That Porsche's wheels seem to be coming back in style.
huyracing says:
10:53 AM, 04/ 7/08
both cars' wheels are in style... some of the modern cars have the ugliest wheels. note to car manufacturers... when in doubt, go with a simple wheel design! definitely a cool picture of the two cars together.
texases says:
10:54 AM, 04/ 7/08
Used Porsche 911 - a great choice for your next long-term road test.
dougtheeng says:
12:23 PM, 04/ 7/08
Gorgeous pics. Which car would you rather have as your weekend car, Brent?
joefrompa says:
01:22 PM, 04/ 7/08
This blog yet again put a 911SC on my list of cars to own.
Thanks alot. Jerks.
:)
I neither have the liquidity nor the requisite "sure honey, go buy it" to purchase a 911SC in the next 5 years.
I love the styling of the 78-89, the SC's reputation for rock-solid reliability, ease to work on, ease to modify, and the interior. I love the updates of the 87-89 (G5 transmission anyone?), the look of the exterior (even more than the SC), and the mechanical upgrades.
Both are outside of my forseeable future, which includes my 06 Civic SI for 40k+ more miles and then who knows...a BMW 135i? 335i? A diesel offering? A new Audi A4 with their 2.0 liter quattro drivetrain putting out ~211 HP and 256 lb/ft of torque?
So much to choose from :)
Joe
festiboi1 says:
01:30 PM, 04/ 7/08
Beautiful road! Is that Trimmer Springs Rd around Pine Flat Lake? That is one of my favourite driving roads as well :-)
stephen987 says:
01:33 PM, 04/ 7/08
Yeah, I'd take a 911SC or a Carrera 3.2 over the Ferrari. The Ferrari's a beautiful but demanding mistress, but the Porsche's a better long-term lover.
bromans says:
02:04 PM, 04/ 7/08
Doug: For a weekend car, it's hard to say. The Ferrari is more "fun" in that it gets way more attention. But if I had to actually own one, the 911 would be my choice.
Festiboi1: It is Trimmer Springs. You definitely get a gold star for the day!
estreka says:
02:22 PM, 04/ 7/08
I know it's been posted before, but it's just so darn applicable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws1Pt5GCwhI
This was Brent and his friend on their way to their favorite driving spot.
sabastian says:
03:59 PM, 04/ 7/08
My goal is to own a 911 (doesn't matter how old) by my 30th birthday. The sooner the better, though. :-)
elbee says:
04:33 PM, 04/ 7/08
Sweet gathering! SCI just had a piece on these 2 cars. BTW, the 911 is 2760 lbs and the Ferrari 3320.
aps2 says:
05:04 PM, 04/ 7/08
Great entry. My compliments.
I'm curious if the performance differences are due to vehilcle condition or original design.
sandcountry360 says:
06:22 AM, 04/ 8/08
Man this brings back memories. My best friends dad used to have one of these, an '89 Guards Red Carrera Coupe w/ the G50. Man I miss that car! It was always odd to drive a car without power steering, though. It just felt so Purposeful, like you were wasting it if you weren't on your way to the race track. BTW, I've always wondered what this generations "model designation" is. I know that the later ones are 993, 996, & 997, but I have no clue what this one's is. Does anyone know?
JoefromPa- Why can't you pick up an old 911? If you can afford a 335i or an A4, you could afford to keep your Si and get the 911 as an occasional car. Or, better yet, get rid of the Si, pick up an older Accord (or anything relatively cheap/reliable/practical) for mundane tasks, and drive the 911 maybe 1/2 the time. Personally I'd much rather do that than have a 135i.
SubyTrojan says:
12:24 PM, 04/ 8/08
sandcountry360, Wikipedia is your friend. :o)
Scroll to the bottom and there's a cool chart that may help with chassis designations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_911
There's also a well-written "Generations" article about the Porsche 911 here on Inside Line.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=100434
serpico says:
08:19 AM, 06/ 5/08
I love my 911 turbo. I can't believe how low the Ferrari looks beside the 911 in that photo.