Porsche 911 GT3 RS v BMW M3 CSL

To me they seemed like very different cars, and now I’ve spent the day in them, I’m beginning to wonder why. Yes one has a straight-six engine mounted in the nose, the other a flat-six motor slung out behind its rear axle, but that’s not much, is it?

Both made their worldwide debuts 20 years ago this year. They have similar power, similar weight (yes, that surprised me too) and exist for similar reasons, as ultimate developments for their era of already sporting versions of standard models.

And yet: at its most basic the E46 BMW M3 CSL is a 3 Series, related to all those 320d outside lane warriors, one of the best repmobiles there is – if I can even use such a word in such careful times – but a repmobile nonetheless. By contrast, at its heart the 996 GT3 RS is still a 911, still the greatest sports car ever created. No prizes for guessing which one is punching above its weight here. Pun entirely intended.