Can a 911 Turbo chase down an Audi RS3 with a 70m head start?

The Audi RS3 is a fast car in its own right, but the Porsche 911 Turbo is a really fast car, capable of clocking 0-100km/h in a ballistic 2.8 seconds.

The potent 294kW RS3 hatchback is quick enough to hassle genuine supercars from only a few generations ago, but Porsche's 427kW twin-turbo sports car icon is here to show us just how far the game has come.

The humble hot hatch was never going to be a match for the Porsche but, for posterity, we flung them both down the quarter mile with a very convincing – if not, expected – win claimed by the 911.

But this raised an interesting question: how many car lengths ahead would the RS3 hot hatch need to keep the 911 at bay?

In the name of science, we decided to find out.

The first experiment saw the RS3 begin ten car length’s down the 400m strip, equating to an approximate 40m head start.

Even with a significant head start, the 911 despatched the RS3 in short order, crossing the line with a handful of car lengths to spare.

With the staggered start extended to 15 car lengths, or approximately 60 metres, the 911 Turbo was still able to run down the five-pot hot hatch – crossing the finish line a few car lengths ahead, still.

The biggest head start of the day saw the RS3 begin with an almost 70-metre advantage – seemingly a full set of traffic lights ahead of the 911.

While not even positioned as Porsche’s apex predator – sitting one rung below the bigger, badder Turbo S – the 911 Turbo chased down its prey with ferocious intent, with the photo finish showing the Porsche pipping the Audi hot hatch by inches.

For curiousity’s sake, we performed a roll race commencing from 50km/h, with an emphatic victory given to the 911.

It’s a stark display of just how rapid today’s crop of performance cars have come. By the cold Winter day’s end, the 911 Turbo bested a 0-100km/h sprint in 3.1 seconds, clearing the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds.

The Audi, predictably, trailed behind measuring 4.1 seconds from 0-100km/h, and mustered a 12.4 second pass over the 400m strip.

It's certainly no knife in a gunfight, but today the heroic Audi RS3 was simply outgunned. Watch all the action up top, and let us know what other weird pairings you'd like to see in future!