PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING I PORSCHE 911 CARRERA S

⊲ Why is it here?

Because the 992-gen 911 remains the definitive fourseat performance car, and because the M3 and 911 grudge match pre-dates the fall of the Berlin Wall. Yes, the 911 is a sports car and the M3 a sports saloon, and yes the Carrera S is some £20k more expensive than the BMW, but if the non-S Carrera (£82.8k) is closer on price it’s also out-gunned, mustering just 380bhp to the M3 Comp’s 503bhp. The £94k PDK Carrera S brings 444bhp to the party and, courtesy of its lighter weight (1515kg DIN versus the BMW’s 1730kg DIN) and rear-engined layout, pips the more powerful M3 Comp’s 3.9sec 0-62mph by 0.2sec, or by 0.4sec with the Sport Chrono Package.

⊲ Any clever stuff?

The 992-gen 911’s body is aluminium-intensive (where the 991-generation’s body was 63 per cent steel, the 992 is just 30 per cent steel, and the outer skin is all aluminium), more rigid than the previous car and wider. Track widths are up at both ends (by 43mm at the front) and rubber is wider than before, and on bigger rims (20-inch fronts, 21 at the back). While the engine is a 3.0-litre six like the BMW’s, it splits its cylinders into two banks of three and lays them flat. It also makes less power and torque.

⊲ Which version is this? The Carrera S, so the more powerful, rear-wheel-drive base 911 variant, in coupe form. This car’s sweetly optioned with Racing Yellow paint, the PDK ’box, PASM suspension (£665), RS Spyder wheels (£1650), Sports Plus seats (£324), Sport Chrono pack (£1683), £1844 sports exhaust and rear-wheel steering (£1592).