Porsche and BMW make expensive, fast, and fun to drive cars. There is no denying that. But which automaker makes the faster sports car? Take a look at some of the faster cars in the 2021 BMW and Porsche lineups to see which has the faster sports car.

Is Porsche a faster sports car than BMW?

What makes a sports car a sports car, anyway? Depending on who you ask, a sports car is a car built to go fast. It is often smaller or lower to the ground than a regular car. It is certainly faster than a daily-driving car and also more expensive.

If we look at the 2021 lineup from Porsche, we can better understand what a sports car is. The brand has an impressive lineup as far as sports cars go. The 718 Cayman GT4 has been dubbed “Perfectly irrational” by Porsche itself.

The 718 Cayman GT4 gets 414 horsepower, 309 lb-ft of torque, and has a top track speed of 189 miles per hour. It gets from 0-60 in 4.2 seconds with the naturally aspirated boxer 6 engine. For the starting price of $101,200, we can safely assume this is a sports car.

The 911 Turbo S Cabriolet gets 640 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque from the twin-turbocharged boxer 6. The 0-60 speed of 2.7 seconds, and it has a top track speed of 205 miles per hour. The starting MSRP is $219,800.

One of the more sought-after cars is the 911 GT3. The GT3 gets 502 horsepower and 346 lb-ft of torque. The same Naturally aspirated boxer 6 engine has a 0-60 time of 3.2 seconds. It also has a top track speed of 197 miles per hour. The price? $161,100 to start.

What is the fastest BMW for 2021?

BMW has a solid lineup of competitive cars. However, for the most part, the sports car versions will come from the upgraded M lineup. The 2021 BMW M3 has 473 horsepower and gets from 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. The M3 Competition Sedan has 503 horsepower and a 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds.

The 3.0-liter BMW M TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder engine is paired with the eight-speed M STEPTRONIC automatic transmission for the Competition Sedan. The 2021 M3 has a six-speed manual transmission. For the M3, the MSRP is $69,900. The Competition starts at $72,800.

The 2022 BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe gets 617 horsepower from the M TwinPower Turbo 4.4-liter V-8 engine. BMW says it has a track-ready cooling system, a Twin-Scroll Bi-Turbo, and a dual oil pan that maintains oil pressure during intense maneuvers. It also has an eight-speed M Sport transmission.   

The M4 has a similar base model and Competition Coupe. The M4 has 473 horsepower and gets 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. For the M4 Competition Coupe, this car slides in at 503 horsepower. It got an impressive 3.8 seconds for the 0-60 time. Both come with the 3.0-liter BMW M TwinPower Turbo inline-6 engine. The M4 starts at $71,800, and the Competition Coupe starts at $74,700.

Who wins the race?

The faster sports cars based on numbers is almost a wash. Porsche came in with the 718 Cayman GT4 (414 horsepower), 911 Turbo S Cabriolet (640 horsepower), and the 911 GT3 (502 horsepower).

BMW entered the race with the M3 Competition Sedan (503 horsepower), BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe (617 horsepower), and M4 Competition Coupe (503 horsepower).

If we take the average of the three Porsche models, we get 518 horsepower. The same process for the BMW nets us an average of 541 horsepower. Thus, BMW, hypothetically, has the faster sports car.

However, this is just a random selection of the faster cars in the 2021 lineup. All of these likely have upgrades and trims that might net you more horsepower straight from the factory.