Chris Harris video: 911 Turbo vs McLaren 12C

Two twin-turbo heavyweights in a classic England vs Germany showdown, Harris as ref

Some people assume that the inexorable price increase of the Porsche Turbo could probably form the basis of some inflationary index, but of course the opposite is the truth. In the late 80s, and even more so in the 90s, the poster-Porsche was a very, very expensive car. It wasn't until the gorgeous 996 version that a force-fed 911 offered such startling value for money, hence the reason it sold in such large numbers.

Well, the 991 Turbo marks a return to the model's lower-volume, higher-priced past.

As we've already said, the policy appears to have worked. The 991 Turbo is both far more enjoyable to drive and more characterful than the old 997, but it is also now stuck in a kind of pricing no-man's land. Significantly above your heavily specced Carreras it's but a few score shy of even more serious machinery.

The Turbo used to be the car that demolished supposedly faster and more exotic machinery, but the latest junior supercars are now so much more usable that they surely make the case for the Turbo less compelling.

To investigate this further, we spent a week in a McLaren 12C and the new Turbo S. This was no hardship.

Enjoy the vid.