On this episode of Head 2 Head
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MotorTranscript
00:00 (car engine revving)
00:03 (upbeat music)
00:09 (upbeat music)
00:12 (car engine revving)
00:22 - Woo hoo!
00:26 (laughing)
00:31 This is the manliest thing I've ever done in my life.
00:37 (car engine revving)
00:40 (car engine revving)
00:44 The Z28 is the Camaro no one expected.
00:57 It's low and wide and with standard carbon ceramic brakes.
01:00 Who would have thought we'd ever see a Camaro
01:02 so built thoroughly for road racing.
01:07 With its squinty angry eyes and harsh angles,
01:10 the Z28 looks like it's ready to punch someone in the face.
01:13 There's no mistaking the function over form approach here,
01:16 though it's black 19 inch wheels might be the best
01:18 looking ones you can get on a new car today.
01:20 The Z28 would seem to be more analog of the two.
01:25 With a manual transmission and a simple Torsen diff
01:28 and no four wheel steering or brake actuated torque vectoring
01:31 no it makes do with fixed high dollar multi-matic shocks
01:35 and the widest front tires you'll see on any production car.
01:38 It's seven liter V8 makes 505 horsepower
01:42 but it makes that power 150 RPM
01:44 before the GT3 makes its peak torque.
01:47 (upbeat music)
01:54 (upbeat music)
01:57 The GT3 is the 911 you expect Porsche to make.
02:21 It's the most extreme version, lighter, lower
02:23 and wider for better aero and more grip
02:25 and throw in a 9,000 RPM red line,
02:28 well, just for the fun of it.
02:29 The GT3's enlarged air inlets and vents
02:33 and its fixed rear wing give the normally refined 911 shape
02:36 an air of aggression.
02:38 You know it's a 911 but you also know it's a special one,
02:41 a business suit with a few buttons undone let's say.
02:44 For it being a purist car you might be surprised
02:47 to learn that the GT3 has more variable
02:50 and electronically controlled hardware
02:52 from its four wheel steering to its differential
02:54 to its adaptive engine mounts.
02:55 Also, the only transmission option
02:57 is a seven speed twin clutch gearbox.
03:00 Forget about that for a second because one,
03:02 Porsche's PDK might be the best in the business
03:05 and two, the big bore short stroke 3.8 liter flat six
03:08 revs to 9,000 RPM and punches out 475 horsepower
03:13 in the process.
03:14 The brakes are of course the optional carbon ceramics
03:17 which means 16.1 inch diameter rotors up front
03:19 with six piston calipers and 14.1 inch rotors
03:22 in the rear with four piston calipers.
03:24 Admittedly, this is a lopsided pairing
03:28 due to the $70,000 in as tested price disparity.
03:31 Not to mention the weight and size difference.
03:34 The Z28 is massively longer, wider, taller and heavier.
03:39 But both cars have big wings,
03:40 both cars have all aluminum dry sumped high revving engines
03:44 and both cars are the most extreme performance variants
03:46 of their respective marquees.
03:49 (car engine roaring)
03:52 Despite being down on power and torque,
03:54 the GT3's lower weight and faster shifting transmission
03:57 gives it the advantage everywhere.
03:59 Neither car was intended for drag racing
04:02 but the 911's launch control gets it out of the hole
04:04 faster than the Z28 and it accelerates harder
04:07 as the run continues.
04:08 With an 11.3 second quarter mile pass at 122.9 miles an hour
04:16 the GT3 leads the Z28 by one second
04:19 and nearly seven miles an hour.
04:20 Aided by sticky tires and beefy carbon ceramics,
04:24 braking performance falls much closer between the two.
04:28 The GT3's best stop from 60 took 98 feet.
04:31 The Camaro took 100 feet.
04:33 (car engine roaring)
04:42 The GT3 again led the figure eight,
04:45 posting a spectacular 22.8 second lap
04:48 which makes it tied for the third fastest car
04:50 around the handling circuit.
04:52 Average lateral acceleration was a very high 1.11 G.
04:56 The Z28's lap was eight tenths of a second slower,
05:02 again hurt by its weight but also gear ratio spacing
05:05 that left the engine on the red line
05:07 right before the braking zone.
05:08 It's still an impressive lap
05:11 and the Z28's 1.08 average lateral G is very impressive.
05:15 (upbeat music)
05:17 The notion of cross shopping these two might be ludicrous
05:20 but we couldn't resist the idea of getting both of these cars
05:23 on the same roads and the same track.
05:25 The Z28, it's just a monster of a car.
05:38 Yes, it's bigger.
05:41 Yes, it's heavier than the 911
05:42 and you notice that the second you go around a few corners.
05:45 But the rate of speed you can go through corners
05:50 in a car of this size and with this kind of capability
05:52 and this kind of finesse is kind of awesome.
05:56 Yes.
06:01 The Z28's just about punching things.
06:06 It yells and screams at you and says go faster
06:10 and harder and more and more.
06:12 This is a brawnier, beefier, muscular car
06:15 and this is a muscle car turned into a track car.
06:19 That's what you get when you get a Z28
06:21 and that is, it's kind of a workout to push too
06:24 because of how big and everything is
06:27 and how much mass you have to throw around.
06:30 We're not beating physics.
06:33 We're trying to get away with as much as we can.
06:37 We're riding on the ragged edge of them.
06:39 We have those massive, massive 305 section width
06:43 and they help give this Camaro an amazing amount of turn in.
06:47 The braking feel from these carbon ceramics is terrific.
06:51 The bite, the initial bite on the pedal
06:54 is really, really good and the stopping power is awesome.
06:58 Of course, we have a ton of grip in these Pirelli PZero.
07:02 They're an extreme tire and once they get up to the temp,
07:05 they offer an extreme amount of grip.
07:07 When they're cold though, the tires are basically off.
07:10 It's like they're having on-off position.
07:12 Something you have to be careful about
07:14 when you first start driving the car.
07:16 Once they get to temp though, it's all good.
07:19 (laughs)
07:24 Yeehaw!
07:25 Fly car mode.
07:26 In the GT3, you noticed immediately
07:36 its advantages over the Z28
07:38 and namely that's its size and its weight.
07:41 This is a smaller, lighter car than the Camaro
07:45 but you expect that from a 911.
07:47 But it's also the first thing you notice.
07:49 This car feels a lot easier to position in its lane
07:52 than the Z28.
07:53 You also don't have as much power
07:58 in the lower parts of the tach as you do in the Z28
08:01 because this engine is all about high RPM stuff.
08:05 It doesn't mean there's not a lot of mid-range.
08:06 There's plenty of mid-range.
08:07 This car is really nice to drive around above 5,000
08:10 but you notice that in the low corners,
08:12 the low speed corners.
08:13 Now this thing does seem to be more suited
08:20 for a bumpy country road like this.
08:23 The body control seems to be a little bit more refined
08:27 and more sophisticated
08:28 and that's probably where your extra 100,000 and change
08:32 is going towards.
08:33 It's an unfair comparison to put this up between a Z28
08:36 because this is, you know,
08:37 it's evident that there's a lot more money in this car
08:40 and that's why it costs so much more.
08:42 But it's interesting that both of these cars
08:44 are so satisfying to drive hard
08:47 despite how different their characters are.
08:50 You have the Z28 which is this track-focused monster
08:54 and you have this GT3 which is satisfying on a track
08:58 but seems like it's built more
09:00 just for driving satisfaction.
09:02 (car engine revving)
09:04 This thing feels smoother
09:06 and it seems to be faster overall from corner to corner,
09:11 just referencing my speed right now.
09:13 But again, you'd expect that.
09:15 This is the far more expensive car than the Camaro.
09:20 The Camaro is a brute.
09:22 It's a brute that can move really fast and move really well
09:26 but it doesn't have that smoothness
09:28 that's just so innate in this chassis.
09:32 PDK, I don't know, which is better.
09:34 You could really start arguing about manual
09:36 and automatic transmissions here.
09:38 The shift speed in this car is fantastic.
09:42 But the Camaro, even though it's slower
09:44 to shift it manually,
09:45 it's still really nice to just grab that shift lever,
09:48 throw it to the next gear and slam the gas.
09:50 (car engine revving)
09:54 (car engine revving)
09:57 It's a musical exhaust note, that one.
10:04 And every time you hear it,
10:05 you just wanna repeat the sound over and over and over again
10:09 because it sounds so amazing.
10:11 (car engine revving)
10:13 It's sing song like.
10:15 It's just beautiful.
10:16 I wanna get it on a MP3.
10:19 Both of these cars will make you a very happy person.
10:24 (laughing)
10:30 (upbeat music)
10:35 Out of the pits, I'm a little careful in the Z28
10:43 'cause it's got these very aggressive Pirelli Trofeo R tires
10:47 and almost like a racing slick,
10:49 they need a fair amount of warming up.
10:51 Great V8 noises, so American.
11:00 One of the best running V8 engines of all time.
11:02 427 cubic inches, I mean, come on.
11:06 That's like a 66 big block Corvette.
11:09 Ride is harsh.
11:13 Suspension's very firm for track work.
11:15 This is a track focused product.
11:17 It makes Willow Springs feel more rough than it is.
11:21 Ton of torque, broad power band.
11:23 I like the close ratios of second, third and fourth gear.
11:27 Wow, these carbon brakes are just fantastic on the Z28.
11:35 I think the feel's even better than the Porsche
11:37 in the brake zone.
11:39 This Z28 is more alive than the ones I'm used to.
11:42 That tail moves around.
11:44 See that drift?
11:45 Look at that.
11:47 I've never felt Z28s move around this much before.
11:50 Look at that oversteer.
11:51 It's an old school manual and I love it
11:57 'cause I'm old school and I enjoy the involvement.
12:00 I mean, that's part of why we have a car like this
12:02 is to have a good time and have the driving experience
12:07 of which shifting is very much a part.
12:10 Camaro's a haul ass, good time car.
12:15 Got a little Duke's a hazard down in its blood
12:17 even though it's a Chevy.
12:19 On the straightaway, 105 miles an hour.
12:27 That's 9,000 RPM.
12:29 Sounds just like the race car.
12:34 The PDK shifter is tremendous.
12:39 It is so well programmed that I can run this track flat out
12:44 and I never even have to touch a shifter.
12:46 A manual gearbox requires a tremendous amount
12:52 of driver involvement, skill, precision, timing.
12:57 A driver can damage, a car can blow an engine
13:00 or spin a car instantly with a bad downshift.
13:04 With a PDK, 98% of that is impossible.
13:08 It's just not gonna happen.
13:10 So it's a better package all around.
13:12 And this 911, boy, just put your foot down
13:15 and let the computer do the work.
13:16 Porsche GT3 is a race car for the street.
13:21 That's its personality.
13:23 Wheel wag the tail on the entry.
13:26 See that trailing throttle oversteer?
13:31 Happens right in the middle of the corner.
13:32 The power stabilizes the car.
13:34 But don't turn that stability control off
13:36 unless you've had a lot of skid pad training.
13:39 (car engine revving)
13:42 The noises are incredible.
13:55 I think it sounds better than the race car does.
13:58 The power actually balances the 911.
14:03 It does not make it more loose, it makes it less loose.
14:06 That is one of my definitions of a good handling car.
14:10 And it's the single best thing that this 911 version does.
14:13 It's a driver's car.
14:16 Brakes are, of course, fantastic, they're wonderful.
14:21 But you know what, so is the Z28.
14:23 What we have here are two track weapons.
14:28 The Porsche 911 GT3, it's like doing track surgery.
14:34 That Z28 is more brutal.
14:37 High performance machines, the top of the line
14:39 from each of their manufacturers.
14:41 Both of them terrific on the racetrack.
14:44 Very different personalities.
14:46 Both of them really, really fast.
14:49 And now, a tire rack hot lap.
14:55 (car engine revving)
14:59 (tires screeching)
15:02 (car engine revving)
15:06 (car engine revving)
15:09 (car engine revving)
15:12 (car engine revving)
15:15 (car engine revving)
15:20 (car engine revving)
15:25 (car engine revving)
15:31 (car engine revving)
15:40 (car engine revving)
15:43 (car engine revving)
15:51 (car engine revving)
16:04 (car engine revving)
16:07 (car engine revving)
16:33 (car engine revving)
16:36 (car engine revving)
16:39 (car engine revving)
16:50 (car engine revving)
16:58 (car engine revving)
17:01 (car engine revving)
17:09 (car engine revving)
17:17 (car engine revving)
17:25 (car engine revving)
17:28 (car engine revving)
17:31 Alas, when you hop in the GT3,
17:33 you instantly see and feel where the extra money goes.
17:37 It goes everywhere.
17:38 The 911 is not only faster,
17:40 but more refined and friendlier too.
17:42 Its lower weight and size makes it more willing
17:46 and playful on back roads and on the track,
17:48 but it's comfortable enough to commute too,
17:50 thanks to its active engine mounts,
17:52 four-wheel steering, and so on.
17:54 What's most impressive is that the GT3
17:56 is able to hide all of its electronic assists
17:58 and variable hardware from the driver
18:00 when you wanna have fun.
18:02 It still feels linear and provides the experience
18:04 you'd expect from the best of driver's cars.
18:06 (car engine revving)
18:10 - Yes.
18:15 It's easy to get in this car after the 911
18:19 and start singing to yourself.
18:21 Just some good old boys,
18:24 never making no harm, you know?
18:26 Also clean Eastwood, like doing Matthew McConaughey.
18:29 All right, all right, all right, all right.