Though these two hail from different eras, their strengths and handicaps make them ideal sparring partners. At Sydney Motorsport Park, where long straights and quick corners allow these two to show off their assets, we get a glimpse of why these cars were so revered, and how they go about setting a lap time in their own unique ways.

To my eyes, the Porsche 962 looks the quicker car here. Not only does it generally appear quicker in both the corner entry and mid-corner phases, when the Porsche’s ground effect begins to work at higher speeds it’s able to claw back at the powerful McLaren M8E. The M8E’s seven-liter Chevy V8 has low-end torque than the 962’s turbocharged flat-six, and so the Porsche struggles to match the McLaren out of slow and medium-speed corners. Additionally, the longest straights reward the McLaren’s additional 150 horsepower and slippery shape.

Though the Porsche’s got downforce, the McLaren’s powerplant is a real asset at a fast track like SMP.

Chris Harris once politely criticized the 962’s braking performance as “of the era,” but its eighties brakes are still magnificent compared to the McLaren’s, and whatever gap the orange Macca can eke out with straightline speed is lost when the two have to stomp on the binders.

For anyone who’s seen Can Am cars racing, the most apparent traits are the enormous power and the limited brakes. Watching them crest Turn 1 at Laguna is an amazing sight, but narrow front tires and little aerodynamic grip ?t=26m12s”>mean they brake well before most other cars. In contrast, the Porsche 962’s impressive straightline speed is ?t=1m14s”>overshadowed by how hard it can decelerate. It is simply something that must be seen in person—it will make you jump out of your seat.