Porsche knows a thing or two about building sports cars, but the brand’s Top 5 series returns with an episode dedicated to the fastest among the marque’s historic portfolio.
The fifth spot goes to a bread-and-butter Porsche model, the current 911 Turbo S. With a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-6 engine pumping 580 horsepower, the sports car easily cracks 205 mph. Not only can it run to incredibly high speeds, it’ll clip the 0-62 mph sprint in just 2.9 seconds.
We quickly move into supercar territory with No. 4, the Porsche Carrera GT. The “oughties” darling packs a 5.7-liter V10 engine and 612 hp. With the massive engine onboard, the Carrera GT tops out at 207 mph. However, the 0-62 mph is one second slower than the 911 Turbo S at 3.9 seconds. This competition is measured by top speed, though, so it comes in fourth.
Yet, No. 3 isn’t a modern supercar. It’s the Porsche 959 S, which many consider the world’s first supercar. In the mid-1980s, the 959 produced somewhere around 515 hp from a 2.8-liter twin-turbocharged flat-6. We say “somewhere” because each of the 29 customers was able to choose their final horsepower output, and no two were the same. Porsche pegs a 515 hp model to achieve a top speed of 210 mph. That may be the most impressive figure on this list.
The runner up is no surprise. It’s the 911 GT2 RS. With a 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-6 engine and 690 hp on tap, the current range-topping 911 will max out at 211 mph. For those looking for 0-62 mph thrills, the figure comes in only 2.8 seconds. The GT2 RS also held two Nürburgring Nordscheife lap records for production cars.
Finally, No. 1 is the modern-day Porsche hypercar — the 918 Spyder. A 4.6-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine provides most of the gusto, but it works in concert with two electric motors. The combined output is a staggering 887 hp, which propels the car to a top speed of 214 mph.
