The owner of the following Porsche 911 GT3 RS had a rude awakening while attempting to out-accelerate a classic Shelby Cobra in the U.S.
This video, which went viral on YouTube a few years ago, shows a 997.2-generation GT3 RS lined up against a bright blue Cobra while waiting at a red light. The Porsche driver can be heard revving the German sports car, inevitably in an attempt to coax the Cobra driver into a drag race as soon as the red light turned to green.
When the lights did change, the driver of the Cobra had a noticeable quicker reaction time and got off the line much faster than the Porsche and without too much wheel spin. Try as the Porsche driver might, they were unable to close the gap to the Shelby and the classic American sports car continued to stretch out a lead.
Also Read: Confused? This 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991.2) Was Custom Ordered In The 997-Gen’s Colors
The Porsche driver had serious issues as soon as they left the line, smoking up the clutch in the unsuccessful attempt to keep up with the Cobra. Had the GT3 RS been equipped with a PDK transmission like the current model, its driver wouldn’t face such an issue, but the six-speed manual of this example was clearly too much for them to handle. That’s in stark contrast to the Cobra driver who had no issues at all getting off the line and changing through the gears.
While it could be easy to dismiss a classic Cobra, there’s no telling what kind of powertrain is under that hood and how much the car is pumping out – chances are it had a serious power advantage over the Porsche. Still, goes to show that you must know how to drive stick if you wanna race someone and don’t want to ruin your ride.