Car and driver article comparing the 968 to every japanese supercar and the C4 vette

[ribs]

I found this article on the RX-7 forums, but since it has a 968 in it, I imagine some of you might find it interesting. It is all these cars verses each other:

3000GT-VR4
968
LT-1 Vette
RX-7 twin turbo
300Z twin turbo
supra twin turbo

And the only car the 968 beat out was the 3000GT . Oh well...its an interesting read, and here is the link:

http://www.nutsandvolts.com/rx7/articles/93_cd_comparo/article_p1.asp

[Nabeel]

Thanks, I've been looking for that article for a while. I remember seeing it somewhere about 3-4 years ago, and just the other day I tried to look through back issues of C&D in the library for that article. I like seeing any article related to the 924/944/951/968.

[joemun]

I realize the 968 was the weakest of the bunch when refering to HP, but why did they use a right hand driver to compare against the others?

http://www.nutsandvolts.com/rx7/articles/93_cd_comparo/968_interior.jpg

Wouldn't it have made more sense to have a righty since all the other cars were righties?
By the way, how difficult is it to drive a right hander?


joe

____________

'83 944

[Obin Robinson]

yeah, but it's a Car and Driver article... it was written by ham-fisted types trying to bang the gears together and run in a straight line while chewing a big hunk of Redman tobacco. after writing the article, they all went to Lee Anns and drank Milwaukee's best out of Orville Reddenbacher popcorn jars and skinned beaver pelts with steak knives.

Car and Driver carries as much influence in my automotive choices as Consumer Reports does in my firearms purchases.

next time i want to know what kind of V8 powered American vehicle i should purchase to run in a straight line and around a skidpad on specially shaved tires... i'll consider Car and Driver. until then...

obin

[Bob's944]

A fairer test for Porsche would have been the 968 turbo S w/ 308 HP, 370 ft-lbs of torque... I bet it would beat the Supra then .... except for the price.

[joemun]

I meant to say, "Wouldn't it have made more sense to have a lefty since all the other cars were lefties?"


joe


_________________

'83 944

[thamlin000]

I read that artical when it came out when I was in middle school. I was disapointed that the Porsche didn't win.

I love our front-engine waterpumpers as much as the next owner but the 968 was dated in all respects when it came out in the 90s. In the comparison test the 968 was the slowest in accelleration and around the racetrack, lowest top speed, slowest lane change, most flexing chassis and the highest price of the group. It was a 4 cyl competeing with a turbo rotary, turbo 6's and a v8. It also weighed 3180 lbs!!!! Not a featherweight.

924s and 944s were both the top sports cars of their class in their day, but by the 90s their platform continued in the 968 and it couldn't compete with the latest and more modern sports cars of the day. The 968's performance proved that.

The 968 was and is a great car, but it was up against stiff competition.

But I must say that the Corvette was probably more dated car and should have been ranked behind the 968.

[Nabeel]

I agree the 968 was a dated car by the time that comparison test took place. There is no way a car with a basic body structure designed in the 70's can compete in terms of stiffness and ridgidity with much newer designs. With that said, I'd still take a 968 over a C4 Vette anyday. I'd probably take the RX-7 over all the other cars in that test, with the Supra, 300ZX, and the 968 in a 3-way tie for second.

The magazine also neglected to mention that after 10 years, the 968 will most likely fare the best in terms of durability, while the rest of the cars will most likely look ragged and beat-up after the same period of time.

[adrial]

I think its time for a roll cage to stiffen up that chassis.
By the way I read no such complaints in a 300ZXTT vs. 951S comparison...only complaint was harshness of the 951S's suspension....

What's with their whining about the ergonomics anyway...It all seems to make sense...to me anyway..

[PorscheG96]

I looked forward to reading this article, but I was greatly dissapointed by how much emphasis the 968 review placed on the location of interior controls and on ride stiffness...ridiculous. We're all aware of the 968's phenomenal feel and poise, but I can speak from experience about these attributes and how much value they add to the experience of driving the car...the authors of the test neglected those characteristics entirely. Using interior switches to rate a Porsche against other 'performance' cars is ludicrous. That article sucked, plain and simply. -Trevor

[wolfrpi]

I remember reading this article about the 968 back in the day...and it cracked me up tonight when I re-read the sentence...

"It feels like a penalty box after the Nissan"

I guess the 968 was kind of dated when it came out, but nevertheless I'm sure it is a fun car from what all the owners here report. Personally though, I'd take the Supra any day if I could rationalize parting with 20 large for a nice one. That car seems to clean up in all the comparos.

[SuperGroove]

Well...the 968 was an aging design...and the 968 Cabrio did win in a Cabrio comparo in the same year(or 1992). Car and Driver loves Porsche as much as the other enthusiasts, but the Porsche should've been beaten. After all, the 924/944/968 generation was the benchmark for ALL performance cars back in the day...the Japanese were gunning for the aging watercooled platform. I think that had the 968 CS been tested, there would've been a different final ranking.

Who cares though...Car and Driver noted that the car actually had soul and came into its element later on. The car is a backroad carver...the other cars are just utility sports cars.


Paul, still wants a 968

[CJFusco]

Car and Driver carries a grudge against Porsche for some weird reason. I got the 2002 desk callendar for my birthday... here are some insights: The 968 was "an ebarrassment to the company;" they say that the Ferrari 355 has "more soul in its steering wheel than in the entire current-generation Porsche 911;" and they criticize Porsche's tendency to offer "less car for more money" in the GT2 (???). They do praise the Carrera GT and Carrera 4, but when they do, it sounds forced.

Car and Driver are a bunch of rednecks, but that is nothing compared to Motor Trend... if it isn't powered by an American V8, Motor Trend isn't interested.

The best American (non specific) car magazine HAS to be Road & Track... I also like the british publications CAR, Thoroughbred anc Classic Cars, and Classic and Sports Cars (a little too heavy on Jaguar sometimes, those last two)

[thamlin000]

I own Car and Driver magizines dating back to 1982. IMO, C/D is the most unbias car magazine out. The Editor-in-Chief Csba (sp?) Csere has owned several Porsches and if you read his columns, he probably has a bias towards Porsches and classic Jaguars over most other cars.

[Nabeel]

I agree. I subscribe to C & D and I find no bias whatsoever in their assesments. Its true that their editor Csaba Csere has owned a bunch of porsches and one of their editors (Phil Berg?) has been working on a Porsche kit car for a while. They have also named the Boxter to their 10 best list since 1997. Also, it was C & D that declared the 944 to be 'the best handling car in the world' in 1985.

[CJFusco]

Good point on the 944, Nabeel... but i still prefer Road and Track... Car and Driver may be UNBIASED, but Road and Track is downright biased TOWARD Porsche and Ferrari.

[Devildog2067]

Road & Track and Car & Driver are both owned by the same publishing company... they often test the same cars at the same time.

--
Semper Fi
Cpl SH Won
Wpns Co, 2nd Bn, 24th Marines

[TomH]

Let's see, comparing a normally aspirated 4 cylinder against three turbos and a V8 (no wonder it beat the 3000). I bet the results would have been different had they used a 968 Turbo S.