The following was a post I submitted to an R8 forum. The discussion tread centered around an R8 V10 owner who raced a GT on the road stating that he out accelerated it in every gear. In all fairness, I felt that although both cars are impressive, they both have similarities yet their own personalities. I also don't think that a conclusion can be drawn on either auto's performance based on an uncontrolled environment (drivers experience, road conditions etc.). Below is a copy of my posting to the thread.
Reading the posts on the R8 vs the Ford GT was quite interesting. I am fortunate to own both. Although the GT and R8 have a similar configuration, they also differ in many respects. I am friendly with the some of the engineers and designers of the GT. It was conceived as a retro of the famous GT 40. Refined but more of a race car without a lot of the electronic nannies. It was my understanding that this was the design intent from the get go. Since it was a short production run, never intended to be produced in large numbers or for more than 2 + years. A number have been wrecked due to the car being driven beyond the ability of some drivers. I have also seen the performance vary substantially dependable on the capabilities of the driver. As a daily driver I personally would probably find it a little more demanding than an R8 and not as forgiving. This statement is not meant to be a negative or positive for either vehicle just a reflection on their separate personalities.
The R8 on the other hand epitomizes a high performance German engineered sports car that will provide a compromise as both a sports performance car and a tamed all around daily driver especially with an R-tronic (sequential gearbox was unavailable in the GT).
Since I have a predilection for mid engine sports cars, I hope see the manufactures continue to develop and engineer these configurations.
Reading the posts on the R8 vs the Ford GT was quite interesting. I am fortunate to own both. Although the GT and R8 have a similar configuration, they also differ in many respects. I am friendly with the some of the engineers and designers of the GT. It was conceived as a retro of the famous GT 40. Refined but more of a race car without a lot of the electronic nannies. It was my understanding that this was the design intent from the get go. Since it was a short production run, never intended to be produced in large numbers or for more than 2 + years. A number have been wrecked due to the car being driven beyond the ability of some drivers. I have also seen the performance vary substantially dependable on the capabilities of the driver. As a daily driver I personally would probably find it a little more demanding than an R8 and not as forgiving. This statement is not meant to be a negative or positive for either vehicle just a reflection on their separate personalities.
The R8 on the other hand epitomizes a high performance German engineered sports car that will provide a compromise as both a sports performance car and a tamed all around daily driver especially with an R-tronic (sequential gearbox was unavailable in the GT).
Since I have a predilection for mid engine sports cars, I hope see the manufactures continue to develop and engineer these configurations.