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Mercedes-AMG GT vs. Porsche 911 [w/poll]

Mercedes-Benz designed the AMG GT to compete head-on with the Porsche 911. It's a clear, singular purpose, and Benz brings a lot of money, technology and race-bred expertise to the fight.
The AMG GT is Merc's followup to the awesome SLS AMG, the retro-modern, gullwing-doored coupe that took us by storm half a decade ago. But this new GT coupe is a more focused sports car than the SLS, rather than an all out supercar capable of extreme performance. It's got a brand-new V8 engine, and state-of-the-art technology that help it to not only be a proper Mercedes, but to be a serious performer.
Mercedes will sell its new baby in two models. The GT S arrives first, in spring 2015, followed by the standard GT in mid-2016. Of course, there's room to grow from there. And while Porsche may have already expanded its 911 range to include a vast variety of models, here's how Stuttgart's icon stacks up against Affalterbach's bad boy.

eGarage video features Helmuth Bott's personal Porsche 959 prototype

"We thought we were going to build a super-911," said Peter Schutz, former CEO of Porsche AG of the development of the Porsche 959. That was before it started getting expensive. At that point, Helmuth Bott, Porsche R&D director got frightened. Costs ballooned because of the all-wheel drive, sequential turbocharging and other technology Porsche had never even thought about when it set out to build a 911 to compete in Group B. Schutz continued, "The amount of resources we were committing got totally out of hand." Instead of pulling the plug, Bott doubled down and drew on the strength of his brilliant team to build a car whose impact is still echoing aross the industry.
"It's probably one of our most prized possessions" says Don Leatherwood, Director of the Brumos collection where Dr. Bott's personal prototype resides, and where Frazer Spowart went to see the car and create a video for eGarage. Check out the sights and sounds of the 959 before it was the 959, and get personal takes on the car from Hurley Haywood, Peter Schutz and Don Leatherwood. Keep reading to see the video.

Porsche offering new tire option for Carrera GT

Let's face it: finding new tires for older cars can be challenging if tire manufacturers have stopped carrying the right sizes (this writer went through Hell to find a set of 205/60-13s). But what about tires for low-volume supercars, which use sizes that often won't fit on high-volume production vehicles? The Porsche Carrera GT isn't that old and tires are still available in the correct sizes, but the German automaker has shown its support of keeping them on the road by working with Michelin to give owners yet another tire option. Enter the Carrera GT-specific Pilot Super Sport.
It's common knowledge that tires are one of the most important pieces of the performance puzzle, and Porsche claims that the PSS tires, sized 265/35ZR-19 front and 335/30ZR-20 with Porsche's "N0" rating, will improve the Carrera GT's handling and stability all the way up to its claimed top speed of 205 miles per hour. That's important for a car with razor-sharp handling characteristics. They'll also net drivers a 10-percent increase in fuel economy on regular roads and up to 20 percent on racetracks, Porsche says.
The PSSs use cutting-edge tire technology to harness the Carrera GT's 610-horsepower. They have a dual-compound tread that's different from the inside of the tire to the outside, which, Porsche says, helps steering precision and increases maximum grip. Aramid fibers, which are lightweight but just as strong as steel, are used in the tire's belt to reduce unsprung weight.