Porsche 911 Turbo Takes On Acura NSX & Audi R8 V10 In The Wet

Top Gear’s Chris Harris takes the three premier all-weather supercars for a very rainy track session

byBradley Brownell|
Porsche 911 Turbo Takes On Acura NSX & Audi R8 V10 In The Wet
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This is a bit that's been done before. Pit the new-comer NSX against the best that the rest of the world has to offer. The NSX has been compared against the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 since it was introduced, and it's always damn close, but never quite on-par. Porsche and Audi have several years of experience with their respective platforms, while the Acura is still the new kid on the block. Can the Japanese newby take down the German might with electric whiz-bangery? 

Well, the fact is, this isn't really a battle of supercars. This is a battle of tires. The rain is bucketing down so hard that the NSX on Pirelli Trofeo R semi-slick tires is no match for even the VW Golf camera car. Boy, this trio makes for some dramatic slow-motion drifting shots in the rain. It is perhaps a testament to Chris Harris' driving abilities that he can even keep these cars shiny-side-up in these conditions (though he does have a minor off in the Audi...). 

Chris has a hard time finding any faults with the 911. In fact, at one point he comments how competent the 911 is in the wet, and how much it works with the driver toward a common goal of rapid forward motion. It's certainly got the mid-engine R8 beat in the wet-weather drag race, and with the weight over the rear axle paired to the best three-season tires of the trio, traction isn't really a mega issue like it is in the NSX. It's hard to call this a level playing field, but 911 wins, hands down. 

Here's a quick 30-second promotional video for the triple test. For the full video, check out TopGear.com. It's over 13 minutes of gratuitous wet-weather slow-motion drifting shots. You'll love it. 

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