Two German Towers Of Powers

Audi R8 or Porsche 911 Carrera. Which is your favorite?

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the new Audi R8 supercar and claims it to be one of the best supercars in the world - only to be interrupted by a competitive Richard Hammond in a Porsche 911. Which one is better - the Porsche 911 or the Audi R8? The only way to settle this argument is through a Top Gear special drag race! Who will win? Watch this clip in full to find out.

The Audi R8 is a sports car with a longitudinally mounted mid-engine, and uses Audi's 'trademark' quattro permanent four-wheel drive system.

The R8 was introduced by the German automaker Audi AG in 2006. The car was exclusively designed, developed, and manufactured by Audi AG's high performance private subsidiary company, quattro GmbH, and is derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo. The fundamental construction of the R8 is based on the "Audi Space Frame", and uses an aluminium monocoque which is built around a space frame. The car is built by quattro GmbH in a newly renovated factory at Audi's 'aluminium site' at Neckarsulm in Germany.

In 2005, Audi announced that the name of the successful Audi R8 race car would be used for a new road car in 2007, the Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car, appearing at the 2003 International Geneva Motor Show, and 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The R8 road car was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006.

Porsche 911, the iconic German sports car that has been on the market in one form or another since 1963.

The Porsche 911 (pronounced as Nine Eleven, German: Neunelfer) is a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. The famous, distinctive, and durable design is notable for being rear engined like the Porsche-designed Volkswagen Beetle it had been based on. The car was also air-cooled until the introduction of the all-new Type 996 in 1998. Since its introduction in autumn 1963, it has undergone continuous development. The basic concept has remained little changed throughout its evolution.

Throughout its liftime the 911 has been modified both by private teams and by the factory itself for racing, rallying and other forms of automotive competition. It is often cited as the most successful competition car ever, a normally aspirated 911 Carrera RSR in the mid 1970s winning major world championship sports car races such as Targa Florio, Daytona, Sebring or Nürburgring outright even against prototypes. The 911-derived 935 turbo also added the coveted 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979.

In the 1999 international poll for the award of Car of the Century, the 911 came fifth. It is the only one in the top five that has remained continuously in production, and was until 1998 the most successful surviving application of the air- (now water-) cooled opposed rear engine layout pioneered by its original ancestor, the Volkswagen Beetle. It is the one of the oldest sports car nameplates still in production.