The 355 is just a number on a piece of paper. In the real world, the 997S performs basically toe-to-toe with the 400 h.p. Corvette in straight-line acceleration. And they also are very close on terminal speed. This has to do with what was previously detailed, engine layout, precision engineering, all adding up to more horsepower making it to the rear wheels and less rolling resistance as speed climbs. I also think that Porsche "sand-bags" their power figures a bit, because honestly, a 355 horsepower 3,300-3,400 lb car running mid-twelves in the 1/4 mile???? I don't care if they say it has 150 h.p., the real-world test results for the 997S are SMOKING!! The driving experience is also more satisfying than the higher-power-on-paper Corvette, because the power delivery of the flat-6 is more elastic and goes on forever in the rev band. I'm a muscle car owner, and power fanatic, and I get more of a power rush from my 997S than I do when I test drive Corvettes.

So, in short, screw the horsepower figure, look at the stopwatch, and then take a drive for yourself. You'll find that the 997S OVER-DELIVERS on its paper promises.