Porsche’s 2012 Cayman R, the hottest mid-engined model in Porsche’s current lineup, represents the theory side of the equation. This is the thinking man’s sports car—light, stripped, and hunkered down for utmost agility. Aluminum door skins, a bare-bones interior, carbon-fiber seat structures, and new 19-inch wheels hold the curb weight to 3076 pounds. Air conditioning and audio-entertainment equipment are optional. Porsche’s 3.4-liter, direct-injection flat-six has been goaded to 330 horsepower at 7400 rpm, a 10-hp gain over the standard Cayman S. While price doesn’t count in this analysis, the Cayman R starts at $67,250, a pocket-warming $12,700 less than a base 911.

We tapped a 911 GT3—the proud son in an unbroken line of rear-engined Porsches dating back to 1948—to represent the practice-makes-perfect argument. What the GT3 lacks in value (as-tested price: $130,910), it overcomes with pure grit. In terms of power-to-weight ratio, this is the second-hottest naturally aspirated Porsche money can buy (after the GT3 RS). The 435-hp, 3.8-liter flat-six and the six-speed transaxle powering this 911 descend from battle-hardened race hardware. Prepped GT3s compete in the Porsche Supercup, a Formula 1 support series. Decades of exorcising handling gremlins that come with hanging a 570-pound engine behind the rear axle have paid off in razor-edged reflexes. The latest fix is a $1300 set of dynamic engine mounts that cinch up during aggressive maneuvers to calm the GT3’s transient behavior.