Exec car lap record around Nürburgring seized by the Porsche Panamera. Again

Exec car lap record around Nürburgring seized by the Porsche Panamera. Again

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Honestly, the idea of smashing lap records at the Nürburgring Nordschleife for executive saloons may sound silly to some, but the folks at Porsche embrace the challenge wholeheartedly. The Panamera, a familiar contender, has consistently demonstrated its prowess around the track.

The Panamera Turbo set the record for the fastest saloon to go around the 20.8-kilometre track in 2016 with a time of 7 minutes and 38 seconds, followed by the facelifted Panamera Turbo S in 2020 with a time of 7 minutes and 29 seconds, but that was short-lived. 

Mercedes-AMG took its GT 63 S 4-door 4Matic+ to the track a few months later, and it was over two seconds quicker than the Panamera Turbo S, thus making it the fastest executive sedan around the Green Hell. 

Now, Porsche has reclaimed the title thanks to an unnamed high-performance, pre-production variant of its yet-to-be-launched Panamera model, which will likely carry the S E-Hybrid moniker. It went around the Nordschleife and set a new best time of 7 minutes and 24 seconds with the brand’s test driver, Lars Kern, at the helm. 

This makes the Panamera over five seconds quicker than the previous model. It made use of ultra-high-performance Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres that measure 275/35 ZR 21 at the front and 325/30 ZR 21 at the rear, and a Porsche Active Ride chassis for enhanced stability. For added driver protection, Porsche fitted the Panamera with a racing seat, a mandatory safety cage, an optional carbon aerokit, and an adaptive 4-way rear spoiler for more downforce. 

“On the Nordschleife, the transverse dynamic capabilities of a car are particularly important. The new Panamera has made significant gains in this area. In technically demanding corner sequences in particular, such as between the ‘Hohe Acht’ and ‘Brünnchen’ sections of the track section, it responds with noticeably greater agility,” comments Kern. 

Porsche will launch the high-end Panamera in the coming months, and the anticipation lies in whether Mercedes-AMG will vie to reclaim its title. For now, the accolades belong to the Stuttgart marque.

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