C4S vs Ferrari 355 Berlinetta

Driving in the north Georgia mountains the other day, I came upon a Ferrari 355 at a stop sign. Upon taking off my wife and I heard a panther screech.... an awesome sound...of course it was the Ferrari. Once we had open road when the lanes went to a passing lane, I was ready in my C4S...revs perfect in the right gear. The Ferrari blew out smoke, screemed and took off, but this awesome Porsche stayed right on it's tail. Going into the first corner I was able to brake later and power on earlier, so I was up his tail pipe....corner after corner. My wife was either laughing uncontrollably or cussing as I took that C4S to 10/10ths, the whole time not letting the 355 make an inch on me. The C4S was so superior in the corners I was amazed. Then, the guy let me around after the next traffic slowdown. I couldn't put any distance on him through 2nd and 3rd gears, down to 2nd for a sharp corner, power on early and went off and left that Ferrari in the corner. Each corner equalled high thrills, more distance and the most confidence I've ever experienced in a car. My entry and exit lines were better, but I believe the superior ability of my C4S in the corners was the big difference. In the straights since he had much more power, it was simply my being more prepared with optimum rpms that kept me on him. This drive was my first at that level in my first Porsche. I can only imagine the distance I could have put if I hadn't missed a gear and knew my car better. At the top of the mountain we stopped and had a good chat. Great guy who used to be a Porsche owner. He coudn't believe I wasn't driving a TT. From the front he was certain it was. I'm hoping to get a video from his passenger who was videoing the fun.

Love to see the video

.. then i bow with respect, sir! Waz

waz, what do you mean? over time i've tried to understand when your posts are humor or serious, and i'm not always sure. ha ha

Way to go!!!!! I hope we are talking about isolated empty roads her. But, way to go, anyway. I had a post at another forum several months back, where the C4S took on a 360 Modena that was track prepped and driven by an insructor at a DE. Here's the thread: C4S vs 360 Surprised myself and the Ferrari driver. He and I talked about it, and our consensus was exactly what you had already surmised. The C4S can brake later, and get on the gas earlier than the Ferrari. End result is faster exit speed and higher top speed down the straight and faster lap times for the C4S. Even with the Ferrari on track tires and track suspension and higher HP. With more straights and less curves, it may be a different story. Porsche. There REALLY is no substitute!!

Well, I'd be cautious with statements such as "the C4S is faster than the 360". What we shouldn't forget is that us mere mortals (and that includes DE instructors) don't get anywhere near the car's true abilities. Therefore, the comparison becomes more of a matter of which car lets me get closer to the limits of the car, i.e. which one is more forgiving and easier to drive. And that might well be the C4S. In absolute terms, there is no doubt that on most tracks the 360 is significantly faster than a 4S. Nuerburgring lap times are 8:16 for a 4S and 8:09 for a 360, Hockenheim (short course, very twisty) 1:16 for a 4S and 1:15 for a 360. Colleagues at Porsche tell me that a 360 is about halfway between a 996 and a TT. A 4S is more forgiving but not much faster than a C2 ( lower suspension, better brakes and wider tyres, but more weight). On the Nuerburgring, the lap time difference between a C2 and C4S is only a couple of seconds. This is obviously all on stock tyres and stock suspension. If you start tweaking there, the effect on lap times can be quite considerable. Cheers, Uwe

Uwe, it's a 355 not a 360 that he was talking about. With a 360, there is NO comparison. On the first straight he would loose so much ground. There's 60hp difference and weight between a 360 and 4S. A 355 is very much closer to 4S. To tell the truth, on a track like Road Atlanta, both with track tires and pads, and bot OK but clearly not pro drivers, there is VERY little difference between a 355 and a C2 JM

Sorry, I was referring to Palting's post. I should have made that clear. Cheers, Uwe

Guys, lets not forget that this is about people recounting their experiences. I did not state that "c4s is faster than 360", nor did KWC4S state that "C4S is faster than 355". During these particular events, at these particular times, this is what happened. A C4S did better than a 355, and a C4S did better than a 360, and everyone involved had a great time. You make a good point about which car will give you more cofidence in approaching the cars limits, Uwe. JM, I was the one talking about the C4S vs the 360. Assumptions based on statistics and test results are fine, but in the real world, anything is possible, and there are ALWAYS comparisons. For example, in the C4S vs 360 incident, there was one car that easily bested both the 360 and my C4S. Would you believe a Mazda RX7? He consistently passed us at each run. So, yes, the C4S can not anly compare to a 360, but on that day, the C4S beat the 360. And, we were both beat by an RX7.

Well, I guess that bloke had a story to tell in his RX-7 forum ... Uwe

Heh-heh. He is a pro, who likes to come out in this sleeper RX7 to the open lapping days. Last I saw him, he was chasing down, a "racing" (it had decals and whatnot) Viper. He couldn't quite pass it, but just to see this plain white RX 7 tail the be-decaled Viper was a sight!.

Palting is right! Personal experience expressed...nothing more, well, except that the guy said he drove the mountain regularly, I'd never been there, so he knew the turns and by the sound of it he had smooth timely shifts... My wife commented when we came up on him at the beginning, "so, wider is better?" I had to show her that the guy she'd been riding with for 15 years, that Greg Fishman on the racing section said that I couldn't drive good just because I hadn't driven on the track, could make this wonderful c4s a beautiful thing through the corners. I'm proud to say I impressed the hardest person to impress. Me! I didn't write this post to brag or to say that one car is faster than other, but to share the most fun I've ever had in a car....thankfully I'm finally experiencing it in Porsche.

Since we're sharing Ferrari experiences, here's mine. Once during one of my first DEs I was started off behind a red 355, what a nice symphony of the Ferrari V8(?) and the Porsche flat 6 bursting through the early morning air...I digress. The 355 was slightly faster (maybe) in the straights but I kept up, in fact gained, through the turns, the 996 was able to brake deeper and out-accelerate in the turns. It was a fun run session, finally after about the third lap I had him and he let me by. My 996 definitely had the 355s number on that day (with a couple of novice drivers. )

Nice...i can't stop smiling

I said, with respect!! Otherwise, i'd have said it in a much 'kinkier' way! smthg like: ooohhh pllsss i bowww i bowww!! hahaha waz