Sunday 11th November 2018

GT3 RS v. Exige Sport 410: Pic of the Week

Double trouble this week, with two choices of this sensational pair

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Lotus versus Porsche is always guaranteed to get a response on PistonHeads, so Pic of the Week is here this week to preview of the next Hethel v. Stuttgart grudge match. Well, kind of grudge match.

See, GT3 RS against Exige Sport 410 is a little skewed. Because, even at list price, the two are separated by a fair chunk of cash. Take into account what would actually have to be paid to get into the Porsche right now and the chasm is even wider. Therefore the test, which you can read this time next weekend, is less about a direct comparison and more an evaluation of their respective merits with a common goal in mind: is a GT3 RS really twice the track car an Exige is? Is a motorsport inspired Lotus harder work on the road than a motorsport inspired Porsche? Can the involvement of a manual gearbox with a supercharged V6 hold a candle to the thrill of natural aspiration, even with a PDK?

Lots to discuss, then, and lots to find out in seven days' time. For now we have not one, but two desktop pics of the dynamic duo, really simply because we couldn't decide on a favourite between them. With that light and those stunning silhouettes on a fine piece of Welsh mountain road, hopefully the predicament can be understood. Consider it a buy one get one free on epic wallpapers, one from the front and one from the back, only you don't have to pay.

Which would you have? Which do you think is quicker around a lap? Those questions answered, and many more, very soon. For now, enjoy the pics!

Front
16:10
16:9
Quad HD
4K

Rear
16:10
16:9
Quad HD
4K

Photos: Luc Lacey

[HardMiles]

Lotus, all day long.

[Scoobysaurus]

All a bit irrelevant, if you've got £200k+ to spend then you're not really going to be looking at a Lotus, this one or the Cup 430, which is surely the more comparable car for this review ?

If you want a similar car you can actually walk in and buy then that's a Cup 430.

Will wait with interest for next weeks conclusions..

[lasuze]

HardMiles said:

Lotus, all day long.

Not in a million years......and I've had both.

[SidewaysSi]

lasuze said:

HardMiles said:

Lotus, all day long.

Not in a million years......and I've had both.

Good stuff. So what did you think of the Exige 410? How was the PDK in the 991.2 RS?

[Tickle]

I'm guessing this review is a follow up to the 'Cayman GTS v Exige Sport 410 v Audi TT RS' review. The 410 won but was more expensive, this next one flips it round (by a fair bit of ££).

Interested to see which wins, as a second road car the 410 is up there on my wish list.

Not sure why PH used the 410 though, thought the 430 would be better suited to an RS Porsche comparison

[Scoobysaurus]

Tickle said:

Not sure why PH used the 410 though, thought the 430 would be better suited to an RS Porsche comparison

Perhaps PH couldn't get hold of a 430, it certainly makes producing a meaningful article somewhat harder.. and the GT3RS is still more than twice the price of a Cup 430 (real prices not "list" prices)

[Porsche911R]

Car needs a diff and a proper geo, it's a shame Lotus refuse to put diffs in their cars and limit camber so you have to shave metal off the hubs.

Test should have been 430cup vs 991.2 manual GT3, same price both manual.

[Vee12V]

Porsche911R said:

Test should have been 430cup vs 991.2 manual GT3, same price both manual.

Agreed.

[foxsasha]

Porsche911R said:

Car needs a diff and a proper geo, it's a shame Lotus refuse to put diffs in their cars and limit camber so you have to shave metal off the hubs.

Test should have been 430cup vs 991.2 manual GT3, same price both manual.

Indeed. I've a 360 Cup and a 991.2 GT3 manual, the latter a replacement for the former (which is up for sale in PH classified). I see the 911 as the bigger brother to the Cup but cut from the same cloth.

[GingerMunky]

HardMiles said:

Lotus, all day long.

Definitely. What a car!

[V8 FOU]

Porsche911R said:

Car needs a diff and a proper geo, it's a shame Lotus refuse to put diffs in their cars .

Struth! They must be really difficult to drive without a differential. I thought the Toyota gearboxes came with a diff......

[PorkRind]

lasuze said:

Not in a million years......and I've had both.

You're a lucky guy !

[HeMightBeBanned]

The Lotus’ V6 drivetrain is a lashup at best, leading to too many premature clutch / flywheel failures that cost a fortune to fix.

I guess that’s what happens when you mate an Avensis gearbox to an engine never designed to use a manual.

I own two Lotuses and have had others in the past. No way I’d get one of the current V6-engined cars.

[C.MW]

Just the thought of driving a Lotus is enough to excite. The gt3 in comparison feels sterile. And yes, I've tried both. I know for myself it's plenty fast but the entire 991 range, unlike its predecessors, feels more like an Autobahn cruiser than a compact corner-carving machine that you'd enjoy driving on your favourite B road. The simple answer as to why would be that it's dimensions are just not compact anymore, but it's also got something to do with Porsche's attempt to make the 911 line up appeal to a borader audience.

[CTE]

I`m on my 5th Evora/Exige V6 car with woeful gearboxes and clutches and total unreliability?? Admittedly the gearbox is the weak link in terms of the amount of power and torque that can be unleashed from the engine, but maybe in a way that`s a good thing because the Lotus engineers have been forced to focus on ride and handling which is by far the most exciting bit...the cars are hardly lethargic!

Porsche make a fantastic product (and I have owned and driven quite a few....never a GT product though), but its aimed at a different type of customer...and you have to say they have succeeded commercially...but give me a Lotus any day of the week.

[anonymous-user]

CTE said:

its aimed at a different type of customer....

When Evora was launched it was trumpeted as a direct competitor.

Wikipedia: "Evora is the first product of a five-year plan started in 2006 to expand the Lotus line-up beyond its current track-specialized offerings, with the aim of making Evora somewhat of a more practical road car that would appeal to the mainstream."

[gofasterrosssco]

HeMightBeBanned said:

I guess that’s what happens when you mate an Avensis gearbox to an engine never designed to use a manual.

Not so much that fact its a manual, but perhaps that particular 'box / clutch combo.. Attach it to an E-Series box (e.g. E153, 5-Speed MR2 Turbo), with a decent clutch, and you'd have no issues...

[redroadster]

One way of spinning a story over 2 weeks does it take that long to proof read it ?

[D7Cup]

foxsasha said:

Indeed. I've a 360 Cup and a 991.2 GT3 manual, the latter a replacement for the former (which is up for sale in PH classified). I see the 911 as the bigger brother to the Cup but cut from the same cloth.

Kind of irrelevant here but care to comment on that "tricky" ohlins kit you equipped your ex 360 CUP with?

[Matt Bird]

redroadster said:

One way of spinning a story over 2 weeks does it take that long to proof read it ?

It does if I'm writing it