2003 Porsche Twin Turbo or CSX 4000

[cobradriver]

Nice to have choices in this world. I am extremely fortunate to be in the enviable position of owning both. (he who dies with the most toys wins!). Actually a 2002 996TT.


I have owned a '66 427 corvette roadster for 20 years. It perennially retains a yowza factor which trancends generations of appreciation. It is an icon of the muscle car age and from comments made around the car it seems everyone seems to have a brother-in-law who first "got lucky" in a stingray. (Who is this omnipresent gal-Lucky?) Anyway, it is a joy to drive and repair; has constantly increased in value and is always a head turner. Over the last two decades, I have observed last years' latest and greatest _________ fill in the blank, become a has been. While every year the vette continued to draw appreciation and provides me with great joy.

That all said, the answer really depends upon what other cars you have, where you live (weather and traffic) and what you love about cars.

I don't believe there is another car which accomplishes what Porsche provides in the latest iteration of it's supercar. There is nothing wrong and a whole lot right with it. Extremely quick and fast. The most dramatic feature of it's acceleration is demonstrated by standing on the middle pedal and the brembos haul the car down from tripple-digit-cruising to a dead stop; a feat it can perform 100 times sequentially and you may rely upon it doing it on the 101st., just as reliably. Ask that of most other supercars and your in the shop asking when the parts are due to be shipped from Milano. The car is very quiet and easy to drive well. Porsche's dynamic stability control systems keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down even though the driver has already "gone-over-the-bars" and the car recovers on it's own. It is spooky. It is one of the finest supercars of the world not because it is fastest or stops best, or masters the skid pad better than the competition; but because it does everything extremely well in unison (and better than any other car). Additionally, Porsche stands behind the product. I developed a coolant leak after 3,000 miles and nine days later it was returned with a new engine! In my mind it is the latest and the greatest; a wonderful example of Tutonic engineering. However, the folks in Zuffenhausen are already planning it's successor.

The CSX 4000. See comments above regarding '67 vette roadster. Add the following adjectives:
Loud - nope, not enough, how about rude.
Quick, oh yeah, the right tires and the car hooks up. Make certain you don't skimp on the brakes Willwood Grand Nationals or Brembos. It is very important to be able to stop a Cobra. Driving the car is the antithesis of riding in the Porsche. 60's technology (no ABS, Dynamic Stability Control, etc). It is a car which can be driven very competetively, but it is not easy to do so. The short wheel base makes the back end constantly want to race with the front end. A handful to keep properly alligned. It is a weekend, get yer ya ya's out, way too much fun car. Over 45 the car is really loud; over 70 requires ear plugs. The driver sits tall in the car; much taller then the vette. Until I bolted the seat to the floor the windline over the windshield caught me just above the dark glasses. Wind buffeting is significant. Now that I've covered the good points......

There is no other car which provides the visceral, raw emotion of a 60's muscle car than a cobra. It will still be doing that in 20 years; long after the Porsche has become as exciting as an '83 turbo.

Two great cars; remarkably similar while remarkable different.


p.s. I took my son to lunch last weekend; he's headed off for his senior year at college...........we took the cobra.