McLaren 720S Nordschleife lap: Time For Coffee?
Sportauto's resident superstar finally gets his hands on the Super Series - can it match those pesky Porsches?
While Nurburgring lap times are nothing new, seeing a McLaren lap the Nordschleife is pretty significant. That's because, while McLaren does use the track for testing, it has famously never published a lap time - even when the P1 was rumoured to have lapped in less than seven minutes.
So here we have a standard 720S at the circuit everyone has an opinion on, running a Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyre (i.e. something less sticky than the Trofeo R offered on the 600LT, or Michelin's Cup 2R) and sportauto's ever-entertaining Christian Gebhardt behind the wheel. The conditions could hardly be better, the lap set in the late afternoon of a June day (why it's taken until now to be published we're not sure) and the driving as near-to-flawless as ever.
The result? Are you sure you want to know? Last chance to look away now... The 720S lap time is 7 minutes and 8 seconds, or 7:08.34 to be precise. In the sportauto rankings that put the car ahead of an AMG GT R (7:10.92), 488 GTB (7:21.63) and Corvette Z06 (7:13.90), but behind the Huracan Performante (only just though, with 7:07.99), and the two Rennsport Porsches - 7:05.41 for the GT3 RS and 6:58.28 for the GT2.
Various theories abound in the comments about just why that is, with tyres cited as the chief contributing factor. Still, that close to seven minutes on a 'regular' tyre is nothing to turn your nose up at, and makes for a video well worth watching. Bring on that faster, lighter, grippier Longtail...
Just sayin.
Just sayin.
7:13 Porsche 918 Spyder (sport auto)
6:57 Porsche 918 Spyder (porsche)
16 seconds!
all things considered it's a very very good time
Just sayin.
Same goes for the huracan it’s honed for the track and has 4wd and is only just ahead! I’m guessing a pista will also be quicker than the standard 720s
BUT wait until Mclaren bring out there special edition LT that will have specific tyres and aero and more power quite frankly they will obliterate the others and I think it’s a testament that the 720 which came out a couple of yr ago is still as quick as Porsche’s Lamborghinis and Ferrari’s brand new current cars!
Porsche 265/35 front 325/30 rear
720s 245/35 front 305/30 rear
So not only was the Porsche running a sticker tire but a much larger ones as well which makes the 720s time look very impressive
Just sayin.
Porsche 265/35 front 325/30 rear
720s 245/35 front 305/30 rear
So not only was the Porsche running a sticker tire but a much larger ones as well which makes the 720s time look very impressive
Cup2 Rs that Porsche are using (and AMG before) are a game changer wrt to the silly laptime battle the manufacturers are engaged in.
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