Whether a Ferrari P4 challenging a Porsche 910 for the lead at Le Mans or cruising the streets of Camps Bay, these two manufacturers have and always will be put head-to-head and compared. Ferrari and Porsche are names that even the most naive motorist would associate with super performance and style, however the seemingly age old opponents approach the task of building dream cars in an extremely different manner.

We pitted the passionate Ferrari F430 against the methodical German 911 Carrera 4S retort in a fight for the 2005 CIA supercar of the year title. Both vehicles strive for astonishing performance while attempting to maintain a reasonable amount of practicality but do not pretend to be anything other than sportscars.

A practical modern sportscar is one that can be started easily, manoeuvred around town, blasted on a couple of country roads, does not require a contortion act to get into or kidney belts to protect vital organs, while at the same time looks and performs the part on a racetrack.

Porsche and Ferrari have mastered the modern sportscar requirements and separating the duo was never going to be easy and with emotions being split between the two phenomenal cars, measured figures had to play a role in the verdict.

It was the Ferrari's lightning fast 4-second 0-100km/h acceleration and thrilling exhaust tone that initially impressed. The new generation 4.3-litre V8 pushes out 368 snarling kilowatts as the needle climbs around the analogue rev counter pinning the occupants to the purposeful seats. Although 0.8 seconds slower to the 100km/h mark, the Porsche's 261 kilowatts offer that kick in the pants acceleration a supercar should deliver.

With such awesome performance on tap it is no surprise that both cars excel in the braking department. Huge optional ceramic discs and Brembo callipers adorn the F430 while the Porsche offers equally impressive stopping power also with optional ceramic discs.

Porsche gets the upper hand with a more refined engine and leaps ahead in the economy ranks with a 11.8 litres per 100km return as opposed to the 18.3 litres per 100km that the Ferrari guzzles.

Both cars deliver the power through impressive 6-speed gearboxes and offer top rate handling performances. Ferrari maintains a traditional rear wheel drive format and Porsche surprisingly makes use of an advanced four wheel drive set-up which is perhaps a bit of overkill for the South African climate and adds undesirable weight and cost.

Ferrari falls down slightly in terms of ride quality, smooth and consistent on a well prepared racetrack surface, but the bumps and irregularities of the provincial road system that got transferred through the cars were more noticeable in the F430. Both cars offer a surprising amount of driver and passenger comfort and although interior space is limited in each example the occupants don't feel claustrophobic and flustered. Fit and finish of the Porsche is first-class and while an impressive mix of suede, carbon fibre and aluminium abound in the Ferrari the Italians have just missed the high finish level attained by the Germans.

Speed and sound are key elements in the spine chilling supercar experience but perhaps the biggest draw card for any supercar is the look and appearance. The Carrera 4S, although displaying new proportions, is a typical Porsche and similar in silhouette to any 911 and even though an admirable performer with good proportions the styling no longer creates the jaw dropping reaction that the Ferrari does. Traditionalists can argue that the manufacturer is paying homage to its roots, but the fact of the matter remains that the Ferrari simply gains more attention.

What Porsche loses out on in terms of head turning looks is rapidly regained when the prices are considered. The Porsche comes in around a million Rand cheaper than the F430 so maybe you could turn more heads with two of Stuttgart's finest filling your garage.

Sanity overruled emotions and the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S narrowly scooped the CIA 2005 supercar title with a more complete all round package but that is not saying that the Ferrari F430 did not send the biggest chill done my spine and leave me smiling for days afterwards.