Right then. In one corner, we have Germany’s latest technological sledgehammer: the all-new Porsche 911 Turbo S. In the other, Italy’s answer to common sense: the Ferrari 296 GTB. It’s precision versus passion, engineering versus theatre, bratwurst versus bruschetta.

The Porsche is what happens when Stuttgart’s engineers are locked in a room with an unlimited coffee supply and told to make physics cry.

Beneath its familiar silhouette lurks a 3.6-litre twin-turbo flat-six aided by hybrid wizardry, producing 711 horsepower and 800Nm. Drive goes to all four wheels, because Porsche believes wheelspin is for amateurs. Yes, it tips the scales at 1,740kg, but so does a small moon.

Then there’s the Ferrari. It arrives wearing scarlet paint and an expression that says, “Rules? What rules?” Its 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and electric motor combine for a mighty 830 horsepower.

It weighs a featherweight 1,558kg and sends every last horse to the rear wheels, because Italians don’t do sensible—they do spectacular. It also costs the thick end of £260,000, which is about the same as a respectable house in some parts of Britain.

So, on paper, Maranello has the power advantage and carries considerably less weight. But Stuttgart has four driven wheels, launch control so clever it probably files its own tax return, and a reputation for humiliating just about everything in a drag race.

Power or traction? Logic or lunacy? Germany or Italy?