Motoring News
Yesterday, 23 July 2016Porsche 911 Turbo S vs 718 Boxster – which would you choose?
One is a 572bhp four-wheel drive monster, the other is a rear-wheel-drive convertible that's more than £100,000 cheaper
Here’s the scenario.
You have a long weekend away planned, with lots of miles to cover. You're off to do a track day, and you have a choice of taking either a Porsche Turbo S or 718 Boxster.
Do you choose a shatteringly quick, all-wheel drive everyday supercar with a PDK automatic gearbox, or a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive convertible with three pedals and a stick between the seats?
I’ve recently covered some serious miles in both while following Le Mans-winning driver Nick Tandy as he tackled two 24 hour endurance races in the space of a month.
First, I took the Turbo S to the Nürburgring and back. It is staggeringly capable. The acceleration is addictive (0-62mph in 2.9sec), it has a deliciously deep exhaust note, and it couldn’t have been more at home slamming along on the Autobahn.
Read the Porsche 911 Turbo S review
Not to mention, and whisper it, at the risk of sounding boring, it’s surprisingly practical. I dragged our videographer James Holloway on the trip and the boot swallowed all our luggage and his equipment, with no sweat. Just don’t make any adults sit in the back for too long.
Yet,
read moreNick Tandy: How to be an endurance racing driver
We spoke to Nick Tandy after winning Le Mans in a stellar 2015 season that earned him the Autocar Motorsport Hero Award
Nick Tandy’s Le Mans win last year catapulted him from obscurity to motorsport stardom and his journey has been nothing short of remarkable.
Forgoing the usual motorsport route of kart racing, Bedford-born Tandy began honing his skill in grassroots short oval racing. He worked his way up through to Formula 3 single-seat racing before changing to sportscars and was eventually signed as a Porsche works driver in 2013. Now, at the age of 31, he’s the 32nd Brit with a Le Mans title to his name.
This year the Porsche driver has faced two 24-hour endurance races in a month. Such a physically gruelling challenge would require detailed and strict preparation, you would assume, but Tandy makes it sound more relaxing than that.
“I had a burger and chips last night,” he tells me, two hours before he’s due to get into a Porsche 911 RSR for his first stint at the Le Mans 24-hour race.
We’re in the Porsche pits just as the race gets under way in the rain behind a safety car, meaning the 911 – which is strong in the wet – can’t use the weather to its advantage.
Tandy, visibly agitated, stalks around the pits, but I present him with the Autocar Motorsport Hero Award – deserved recognition for his outstanding 2015 season – and he relaxes, grateful for the gesture.
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