American vs. German: Which Sports Car do You Want to Drive?

The sports car discussion usually revolves around looking at two models that are from the same country. We pit Lamborghinis against Ferraris, Mustangs against Camaros and even Porsche against Mercedes-Benz or BMW, but this discussion can become more interesting when you take two cars from different parts of the globe to see how they compete with each other.

Not many cars are as American as the Mustang and very few are as respected in the sports car world as the Porsche 911. Of course when you talk about a Mustang taking on the 911 you need to have the Shelby GT350 be the car of choice. In order to have a Porsche 911 that is even somewhat comparable in price the model needs to be the entry-level 911 Carrera, and this is where our discussion begins.

Starting with the Mustang Shelby GT350 you see a car that comes with a massive V8 engine on a flat plane crankshaft. The size of this engine is a full 5.2-liters worth of displacement, giving you 526 horsepower and 429 lb.-ft. of torque while being attached to a Tremec TR-3160 six-speed manual transmission which is the only tranny you can have in this car.

The signature look and feel of the Mustang gives you a car that’s not only built for power and performance, but is comfortable and can be one you enjoy on a daily basis rather than saving for the track. The Mustang offers you and engaged steering and suspension along with huge brakes to give you all the performance you want in a car that’s great for a cruise on a winding back road or out on the track.

Looking to the Porsche 911 Carrera we have a car that is the basis for the most active and respected sports car in the world. This car uses a 3.0-liter turbocharged boxer six-cylinder engine that produces 370 horsepower and 331 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine uses either a seven-speed manual or a dual clutch automatic transmission with seven speeds to give you a smooth shifting ride in a car that is ready to go wherever you want to take it.

The Porsche 911 has a signature look that is even more recognizable than the Mustang. This car has been known to carve up corners around any road and make a lot of noise at the track when other cars try to challenge it. While this isn’t the most powerful car on the road it’s one of the most active and planted to whip around the curves better than nearly every other car on the market.

Looking at the two cars together you see the Mustang comes in at a weight of 3,760 pounds while the Carrera shows up at only 3,153 pounds. This is one way the Porsche has a huge advantage over the Ford, making it a lightweight speedster that can easily beat the Mustang even with a significant reduction in the horsepower number.

The main advantage the Mustang does have over the Porsche is the price. The 911 Carrera starts around $90,000 and that’s the base price for this car which can rise significantly as you move through the model lists. In comparison, the Mustang Shelby GT350 will start around $56,000 which makes it much more affordable for you.

Now that you have all this information, which sports car is the right one for you? Are you more inclined to a car that represents American muscle and sporting history or do you prefer the German precision and engineering that makes full use of all the power available?