McLaren 620R or….?

Here we have a 2020 McLaren 620R.  Nice car.  Reeeeal nice.  Based on a GT4 race car.

It’s the road going version of the racing version of a road car.  Designed to drive you to a track, do a few laps, and then drive home again.

Constructed of lightweight materials.  Even has fabric door pulls.

Is all this sounding familiar……?  

It should, because that also describes the Porsche 911 GT3 RS to a “T”.

Yes, the 911 GT3 RS, a modern legend. The closest thing you can get to a race-car-for-the-road from Zuffenhausen.

So, which do you choose? Well, it’s an interesting debate, I think.

For comparison’s sake, let’s look at the 991.2 GT3 RS, which were produced from 2018-2019.  These sell for about the same price as the 620R, all depending on mileage, condition, and options, of course.

It should go without saying the 911 offers tremendous performance, quality, etc.  It’s a Porsche for crying out loud.  It’s going to be good.  

Plus, JUST LOOK AT THE THING!  It has wide hips, stripes, and a gigantic wing that makes the 1999 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4’s look tiny.  A feat I never thought possible.

Where things differ the most are the powertrains, with both taking different routes: the Germans sticking with their tried and true rear engine formula featuring a glorious 4.0 Liter naturally aspirated flat six producing a tick over 500 horsepower.

The McLaren on the other hand, has a pair of turbos slapped to its slightly smaller 3.8 liter V6 engine, which spits out 611 horsepower, and plenty of “koosh koosh” noises emanating from the wastegates.

Both are rear wheel drive with suspension tuned for lap times rather than Friday night cruises.

Moving inside, both feature a spartan, track focused interior with the usual mix of Alcantara and carbon fiber. The 620R boasts a four point harness over the Porsche’s standard three-point belt. I feel that the McLaren looks more like a race car, while the Porsche is more street focused. And by looking at the shape of the seats, chiropractor visits should probably be added to the track day budget.

Where things get really interesting is the rarity factor. Porsche built roughly 4,750 991.2 GT3 RSs worldwide, which is actually a surprisingly high number. The McLaren? Well it WAS going to be 350, but in the end, just 225 were made. 225! You are 21 times more likely to see an RS than a 620R. Wild.

Because of this, I’d go with the McLaren. I’ll admit that the Porsche is probably the better built car, plus it has history and pedigree that the McLaren just doesn’t. But I’m big on rarity and uniqueness, and given it’s incredibly low production volume, that tips it in favor for me.

What says you?