ORIGINAL: datsun280zturbo

I agree with Z06Guy, and here’s why. I think those who tout their horsepower/liter ratio as something of value are missing the point. I think, as car enthusiasts, that what we find valuable in a car is its performance. Think about the following options- Given two identical cars (size, weight, weight distribution, handling characteristics….etc) both make 300whp. Car #1 makes this power from a 2liter 4 cylinder, car #2 makes the same power from a 5liter V8. Which would you choose? (both cars are N/A)
When you brag about an engine’s hp/liter ratio, that is the equivalent of choosing car #1 and bragging that it is somehow more choice worthy than car #2. This is not a rational thing to do when essentially the cars are identical, they are just choosing a different way of making that power. Do I think that it is sad when a 4.6liter V8 makes only 300hp when a 2liter makes 240hp? Not at all. That’s just how the manufacture chose to make that given amount of hp. Would the car be any better if it had a smaller motor and made the same power? No, it would be the same.
You might want to argue that smaller engines will typically have less weight and thus will perform better because they will weigh less when put in an equivalent car. This is true. But when you make this argument you are no longer making an argument for hp/liter, you are making an argument for hp/engine weight, which is a perfectly legitimate argument that should be respected. The same goes for the argument that smaller displacement engines have a smaller physical size and can thus fit in a smaller and lighter car. This is also true but again this is not arguing for hp/liter it is arguing for hp/physical engine size, which is again a perfectly legitimate argument.
But the fact is that in real life, the smaller engines that make equivalent power as much bigger ones usually do so through some sort of forced induction. Then you have (for example) a turbo, intercooler, and all sorts of duct work that take away the weight and size arguments from above.
For those who like to argue that any engine with a high hp/liter ratio is somehow better made or engineered, that is simply false. Just look on the internet and find specs for RC airplane motors. These engines have a hp/liter ratio of about 1,000hp/liter. Does this mean that these engines are all better engineered than high output 4cyl engines. Certainly not. If you scale up an RC airplane motor to the size of a car engine, will it continue to make the same hp/liter? The answer is no. The larger the engine the more it suffers from diminishing marginal returns. So when comparing hp/liter ratios of different engines, the bigger engines will always be at a disadvantage.
Remember it is the end result of the performance of a car, not how it achieves that performance that makes one car more choice worthy than another.

ORIGINAL: Z06guy

Sweet car, but wouldn't you rather have the 911 that smoked him with lazy lines probably with the AC on listening to classical music and having to shift about half as often?

ORIGINAL: krnaudi
nope...
because I like race car, not old people race car. ^^
and I enjoy the "raw" ness in a car...

ORIGINAL: krnaudi

Yeah, it's just I see so many old people drive 911 around.
True it isn't that hard to make a car "raw" ^^

Maybe it's just something about the loud japanese 4banger noise I like. But I do love the sound of a flat 6, or anyother engine...

ORIGINAL: krnaudi

Yeah, it's just I see so many old people drive 911 around.
True it isn't that hard to make a car "raw" ^^

Maybe it's just something about the loud japanese 4banger noise I like. But I do love the sound of a flat 6, or anyother engine...