993 911 Turbo S Takes On Viper and NSX-T In Retro Review
Three cool cars from late '90s square off in what is now a dream battle.
Looking Back
These days, few cars are as hot on the collector vehicle market as the 993-gen Porsche 911. So now is a great time to take a look back at when this classic in the making was brand new and doing battle with some other cool cars of the era, in this case, the Dodge Viper and Acura NSX-T in this classic 1997 review from Car & Driver.
Photos: Car & Driver
Quickest in the World
The premise of this particular comparison is rather simple, even though these three cars seem pretty similar on the surface - C&D wanted to round up three of the world's quickest/fastest cars and take them for a drive, each hailing from a different country. That means the American Viper, Japanese NSX-T, and German 911 Turbo S.
Photos: Car & Driver
>>Join the conversation about this 993 Turbo vs the competition right here in the RennList Forum!
Different Strokes
What's particularly interesting about these three cars is just how different they are. The Viper packs a V10 up front with rear-wheel-drive and costs (at the time) $74,016, while the NSX-T is a high-revving mid-engine machine with a price tag of $92,943, and the 911 Turbo carries a turbocharged flat-six in the rear for the cost of $164,510.
Photos: Car & Driver
>>Join the conversation about this 993 Turbo vs the competition right here in the RennList Forum!
Third Place
At the end of the day, after a good bit of wheel time, C&D ranked these cars by preference, and the Viper finished third. Not that it's a terrible car by any means, but its brashness and brutal nature are somewhat offset by its super harsh ride and build quality, though the Viper was somewhat surprisingly the fastest around the test track.
Photos: Car & Driver
>>Join the conversation about this 993 Turbo vs the competition right here in the RennList Forum!
Second Place
The NSX-T finished in second place but requires a bit more driver interaction to make it go fast around a track since it's lacking in the torque department. Regardless, Acura's legendary sports car proved to be a joy to drive despite its lack of power, and by far features the best ergonomics of the bunch, making it a rather practical daily driver.
Photos: Car & Driver
>>Join the conversation about this 993 Turbo vs the competition right here in the RennList Forum!
Winner
Unsurprisingly, the 993 911 Turbo S comes out on top in this comparison, despite its exorbitant price tag. "After the better part of 1,000 miles in the Boxster Red bucket of the silver Turbo S that had previously graced the New York auto show, let us be the first to say that this is a thrilling automobile," C&D concludes. "It earns first place in this comparison by a clear margin."
Photos: Car & Driver
>>Join the conversation about this 993 Turbo vs the competition right here in the RennList Forum!
One Negative
The 993 Turbo S quite simply has it all, whether that be power, refinement, build quality, fine materials, and face-melting performance. The only real downside that the rag could find was of course its high price tag. But this rare, 200 example car seems pr3etty cheap by comparison when we look at it today, decades later.
Photos: Car & Driver
>>Join the conversation about this 993 Turbo vs the competition right here in the RennList Forum!
For help keeping your car in a fine-tune, see the how-to section of RennList.com