TylerCoupe

Thought I would provide a few of my thoughts on how these two cars compare now that my speedster has gotten through break-in period.

the cars:

911R is GT Silver/GreenStripes/matte black wheels/Tarpan Brown interior. 5600 miles on the clock when I went on drive
Speedster is Porsche Racing Green/Heritage leather interior/Aluminum wheels. 1145 miles on clock when I went on drive

both cars fitted with Michelin PS4S rubber which suit PNW driving better. (Have second set of wheels for each car with Cup2s if swap desired)

the drive:

weather has been great here recently and I took Speedster out yesterday and the R out today for the same 120 mile drive. 70% mountain highway twisting over the Cascade Mountain pass and 30% back road twisties as I worked my way back to Redmond WA where I keep my cars. Light traffic both days as I drove early and temp in low 70s. No tickets and did not exceed “go to jail” speeds but ample opportunity to safely push both cars in a fun way.

thoughts:

the 911R is the most engaging car I have driven (my 2012 V12 Vantage 6speed a close 2nd mainly because the engine put out more power than suspension and tires could handle). The R is always on, a hooligan/hot rod at any speed and I am completely immersed in the driving experience at all speeds. This skunkworks creation truly brings a crafted driving experience that has to be experienced to appreciate. The engine noise is glorious and SMFW produces an incredibly fast spooling engine both up and down which keeps you on your toes as you rev match. This car urges you to continually row through the gears and the shifts are smooth and mechanical. The feedback when pushing through corners is more progressive than speedster and while my driving is not pushing limits...I do feel the car requires constant driver attention. This is not a date night car in my opinion. It is loud in the cabin so discussion or radio listening should not be planned- which makes the engagement all the more special. Car is well set up for road work and the suspension handles bumps and dips well without getting squirrly. speedster is setup a little softer by comparison. Gearing works well for road driving although I rarely use 6th. You can feel the weight difference between the R and Speedster but neither feels heavy. I know the R gets a lot of ink here but to me this project has created a car where all the pieces fit together to make a car for the enthusiast...meant to be driven and not comparable to other options out there - and there are other options out there to consider based on intended use which is a good segue to the Speedster

while the 911R has a consistent personality of “badass” the speedster is bi-modal. With the top closed at cruising speeds or city driving-this is a great “grand tourer” Perfect ride for you and your partner for date night or weekend get away. And you can converse while moving. The Speedster engine delivers torque quickly and smoothly and the engine is more responsive than 991.2 GT3. I find the R torque delivery is less linear in low range but it revs so fast that the point is moot The Speedster is a bit softer and I drive it with suspension on sport setting. I never use auto blip on any of the two cars. This is a car I believe many Turbo S Cab owners are looking for in fast and fun top down drive....but while the Turbo S excites primarily with its acceleration runs, this car is so much more and that brings us to the second distribution curve in its bi-modal nature.

with top open and pushing the car from 5K-9K this car discards its Clark Kent manners and shows why it came from the GT division. The engine screams(albeit more muted below 5K) and the acceleration and pull is quick and linear. The car is planted and even without a fixed roof in handles uneven roads without much cowl shake. Shifts are quick and precise although I feel the R’s box feels slightly more mechanical or analog. The feedback is good and the car does not feel heavy or bloated when turned in to corners. I do feel that feedback is less progressive than the R. With the sun out and top down and screaming engine through mountain twists this is a seriously fun drivers car that can be taken out to dinner later that night...really special

i do get that some are put off by proportions but to me this car looks better in person than in pics. I also get why some prefer the Spyder (I have a 987S boxer and love the mid engine drive) but the long geraring on Spyder makes this a non starter for me. If I could only have one car, given its multi personalities this could be it...but luckily I can keep both with the Speedster soon going down to Madison Club in the desert and the R staying at Drivers Club and where the only constraint is finding time to drive. I am working on one more addition to my personal “ dream garage of long term drivers” which will be mid engine, NA, drop top and not a manual. That will also stay in PNW.

bottom line is in my opinion, the R is a unicorn (there can be more than one unicorn) and so much fun to drive that it pains me to hear about those locked in garages. The Speedster is a real “pleasant” surprise and just checks so many boxes as to what pleasure buttons it pushes. I encourage all Porsche enthusiasts to try to drive one of these two versions of the 991...you may become a believer

lastly I am also a big fan of the 991.2 GT3 manual winged or no wing option....it is great to have that car available. But I believe these cars will follow the historical pattern as the 992 comes out. Does not make them any less of a car....it just is.

Regardless of the GT model you have....I think the 991 series produced some great cars and if you are driving them you are ahead of the game.....if you are storing them as investment you are missing out

RUF RS

Thanks!!! GREAT review....I'm still waiting for my Speedster to get out of the shop....so I can add the additional 200 miles to reach 1000....before I tear into it...
Agree with everything you say about the car....truly the most fun I've had in ANY Porsche...and I've had LOT of them.... new and vintage....

Chris88

The Speedster is stunning! Thank you for the interesting review.

Maverick787

Thanks for the great review, and it’s similar to my buddy who has owned every 911 made, and he said he would never sell the R so that says a lot. Again thanks for sharing the review, can’t wait until I get more miles on the Speedster. I truly enjoy the drive all around a very very good car it’s amazing. Lucky to have the two, I will land a R one day don’t mind waiting for the right one.

rodsky

Thanks. You have 2 great cars - in my opinion the two best of the 991 series (and my modified 991TT Cab with mid 600's HP ).. While I didnt start off being a fan of the Speedster, i think that's the one I'd pick as i am a fan of open top driving. It's grown on me to the point that its now my favorite. I really like the BRG color and also the blue's and silver always looks good in a open top Porsche.

unotaz

Ideally, you need to have both. These two cars are the best iterations of the 991 platform, nothing else comes close. Speedster has a higher pitched exhaust note when you uncork it than the R but the R is louder on the same setup. The R's engine spools up faster than the Speedster, and it has more mechanical chatters both outside the car and inside the cabin.

groundhog

Great review - but I can't concur with the comment made by Unotaz.

There is only one NA car that Porsche got close to 100% right and that is the Series II GT3 RS - why? because every aspect of that car is honed to deliver the best performance benefit and outcome. Likewise, for the whooshers - the GT2 RS takes the gong. Nothing else delivers the driving experience of these two.

The rest range from excellent e.g. R and Speedster to poor e.g. early iterations of the 991.1 GT3

unotaz

It's just my personal opinion formulated from my ownership experience. I have owned every iterations of the 991 GT cars over the years, and ended up keeping the GT2RS, 911R and the Speedster in my garage.

GT2RS is the fastest and the baddest 991. 911R is the most engaging of the 991 cars. The Speedster is 85% of the 911R but comes with the hi-fi open top experience. 991 GT3RS (Gen 1 or Gen 2), in my opinion, is neither the fastest on track nor does it offer the same level of driving engagement on the road as the R or the Speedster. Don't get me wrong, the GT3RS is a fantastic car too, and I would have kept mine if I had more space.

F1tifosi

Agree and well said, having owned every variant of GT cars ("x" CGT) as well.

ForeverCar

I get it though. If one prioritizes lap times and prefers a naturally aspirated engine, the 991.2 GT3RS is the “best”. Of course, I value the driving experience that I enjoy and the 991 R is at the top for me. Of course, I’d want a Speedster if I am not peculiar and prefer only hardtop cars (even sunroof bothers me some).

Thanks for sharing your experience. I look forward to seeing your next addition.

ashephil

Thanks for the detailed comparison review, both cars look great!. I have both a 991.1 GTS manual, and a 911R. I drive both regularly, and my R does have 6K miles on it (I've put 1500 on it since March). My kids say the R stands for Rowdy, which I think is very fitting for that car. Beautiful Speedster you have!

unotaz

You know some of Porsche’s greatest hits comes without a roof 😉

ForeverCar

I know and that haunts me! CGT is the one that haunts me most.

groundhog

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree - the 991.2 RS is more engaging than the 911R at least from my perspective - why? it generates more feedback - the steering is a real step up, has a far, far better front end - far superior suspension set up - particularly at high speed and frankly a better sound both inside and out (keep in mind there were ~ 1000 changes relative to the .1 RS).

The R was/is still a great car but lacks the dialled in feel of the RS. If I had to have a manual, I would take the R over the touring primarily because of the single mass fly wheel. Equally, I'm a great fan of whooshers - but I decided to go in a different direction and get in line for a 765 - which is next level/next generation relative to the .2 GT2RS.

I did like the reviews of the speedster - but 911 soft tops are not my cup of tea - but thats simply a personal perspective and I have no doubt that people that like 911 soft tops will be very happy with them (my choice for road going soft top would be the Spyder - relatively small, nippy and fun - the spyder is immersive).

ipse dixit

But, but, but ... how do they compare to the 911 Touring?? The greatest thing sliced bread.