Comparison

Comparison - road test

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2022 BMW 530i G30 v 2022 Mercedes-Benz E300 W213

They are to Germany what the commodore and falcon were to Aussies: large rear-drive sedans that once dominated the market before SUVs ruled the world. So is there still a place for this pair?

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1970 Porsche 911 Targa vs. 2021 911 Targa 992 Heritage Design Edition

Targas on tour We assess the merits of Porsche Exclusive’s Heritage Design Edition 992 Targa by pitting it against an early roll bar example. Total 911 brings together two sun-seeking 911s exactly half a century apart as the new 992 Targa Heritage Edition seeks to pay homage to its roll-hooped forefathers

Editor's comment
UK - road test
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Aston Martin Rapide vs. Bentley Flying Spur

Although undeniably good-looking and very fast, is the Aston Martin Rapide also spacious and luxurious enough to compete with the epitome of sumptuousness, a Bentley Flying Spur?

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1971 Jaguar XJ6 2.8 Automatic Series 1 vs. 1973 Rover P6 3500S

If you were doing well in the early 1970s, a Rover P6 3500 was almost a badge of rank. But if you were doing really well, its British Leyland sister car the Jaguar XJ6 would be within reach. But was the jump from a Rover to a 2.8 XJ6 really worth it, or would you have been better saving for a 4.2?

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2004 Porsche 911 GT3 996.2 vs. 3.7-litre 1999 911 Carrera 991.1

We’re lucky enough to have not one, but two 996s on our fast fleet. They might be cut from the same cloth, but make no mistake, these are two very different examples of the first water-cooled 911...

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1979 Alfa Romeo Alfasud Super 1.3 Type 902 vs. 1977 Fiat 128 1300 CL

Advanced engineering and design sophistication came as standard in Italy in the 1970s – even for family cars. But in this Fiat 128 versus Alfasud face-off, which one do we prefer five decades on?

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First-gen model 1974 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.0 930 test versus rare 1989 3.3 Turbo LE 930

How different are the first 911 Turbo and the last-of-line 930 LE, a UK-only runout model limited to fifty units in 1989? We hit rural Suffolk and sample fantastic examples of both...

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1971 Maserati Bora Tipo AM117 vs. 2023 Maserati MC20 Tipo M240

Not all supercars have to be hard work and feel brash. So says Maserati, whose MC20 picks up the mid-engined reins from the 1971 Bora as a usable, liveable and above all likeable supercar.

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1987 Porsche 944S vs. 1988 Jaguar XJ-S 3.6

We revisit the 1980s comparison between Porsche 944 and Jaguar XJ-S to find out how these unlikely rivals compare today.

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1967 BMW-GLAS 1600GT vs. 1965 GLAS 2600 V8

These pretty coupés bridge the gap between independence and BMW ownership for the tiny Dingolfing concern founded by Hans Glas.

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1983 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 vs. 1993 Porsche 928 GTS Automatic

Back in 1983, when the Carrera 3.2 was launched, the 911’s future still hung in the balance — only a few years beforehand, Porsche heralded the 928 as the car projected to take the brand into the next century. History, however, tells a different story...

Editor's comment
TRUE COLOURS

How time flies. If there’s one thing to make an automotive enthusiast feel old, it’s a significant anniversary of a car or event, the launch of which sticks firmly in the mind as a recent occurrence. The twentyfifth birthday of the Boxster in 2021 is a prime example of what I’m getting at, as is this year’s two-decade anniversary for the Le Mans Classic. 2022 also marks another significant milestone for Porsche fans — forty-five years of 928.

Now, this is Classic Porsche magazine, and as such, we usually only point our cameras at air-cooled cars carrying the Stuttgart crest (if kettles are your thing, subscribe to our sister title, 911 & Porsche World, the world’s bestselling monthly Porsche magazine). That said, with renewed interest in the Zuffenhausen ‘land shark’ as a consequence of its forty-fifth trip around the sun — done in the lap of luxury, what with it being a super-opulent V8 grand tourer — we reasoned comparable cost between the last-of-line 928 GTS and the earlier Carrera 3.2 may well present something of a conundrum to prospective purchasers wanting to experience Porsche ownership with a set budget in mind. Air or water? Classic 911 or something entirely different from the Porsche stable?

In this issue, we’ve brought together samecoloured examples of both models in the interests of ‘compare and contrast’. Talking of colour, the vibrant shades Porsche applied to its products in decades past — as opposed to the popularity of grey, black, silver and white in more recent times — is one of the hallmarks of the classic Porsche scene, but eye-popping paintwork isn’t exclusive to our favourite manufacturer’s historic road cars. Indeed, the Porsche motorsport department turned out some extraordinary-looking racing machines in years gone by, with some of the liveries worn going on to become more famous than the drivers parading them around the world’s bestloved circuits. Across the following pages, we’ve examined ten brilliant examples of Porsche battle dress. Let us know which is your favourite. On your marks. Get set. Go!
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1973 Mercedes-Benz 250 W114 vs. 1971 Jaguar XJ6 2.8 Automatic Series 1

If you were an executive in the late Sixties and early Seventies, there was only two choices of car – the Spartan Mercedes-Benz W114 or the prestigious Jaguar XJ6. With both cars worth similar values today, how do the 2.8-litre versions of both compare now?

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1995 Jaguar XJS Celebration Coupe vs. Cabrio

Initially controversial, the XJS became Jaguar’s longest running model. In its 21st and final year of production, the company launched the ‘XJS Celebration’ – now deemed by many to be the most desirable of the range – We examine its history and find out what makes them so special…

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