Thursday 17th June 2021

Mega Cayenne Coupe bags lap record

Latest top spec Porsche Cayenne doesn't have a name yet - but it does have a 7:38 'ring lap

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Whatever you may think of 600hp, track-focused SUVs - we can surely all make an educated guess - it's hard not to be impressed by the engineering achievement. Not so long ago anything that lapped the Nurburgring in less than eight minutes was really, really going some; 7:30 was reserved for the ultimate in ultimate supercars. The Porsche Carrera GT's official time is 7:28.71, for example...

Not long before the Carrera GT set that time, Porsche launched the first Cayenne. Imagine saying back then that a Cayenne could vaguely keep up with that. And yet here we are, with a new Porsche SUV capable of 7:38.925 around the 12.94 miles. Which is pretty extraordinary. The uber Cayenne - it's still without a name for now - has usurped the Audi RS Q8, and is officially recognised by the Nurburgring as the fastest SUV around the circuit, as the Coupe used was a "lightly camouflaged series production car."

Porsche employed Lars Kern for this record run, as it has done for many previous laps. He said of the drive: "It changed direction at lightning speed in the fast curves such as between Hohe Acht and Eiskurve, with no wobble and no tendency to understeer. Even in this technical stretch, the Cayenne is a real driver's car that is easy to control".

Porsche has confirmed that the record run was completed on bespoke Pirelli P Zero Corsas that the production car will come with (on a 22-inch wheel!), deviating from showroom spec with the racing seat and cage all record cars use. Or maybe they'll be for the no-cost-option Clubsport Cayenne. Despite the evident track prowess, Porsche is promising "a typical Cayenne all-rounder" from this car, with "a high degree of driving comfort and everyday utility." Well, it is intended to be a Sports Utility Vehicle - with this lap time as well, maybe the Cayenne Coupe will be the ultimate SUV. Expect to see the see the car shed its disguise next month.

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• New Cayenne Turbo Coupe targets RS Q8
• Audi RS Q8 vs. BMW X7 M50i

[zorba_the_greek]

Ride dem curbs.

[RDMcG]

Meaningless design to remove the full SUV capacity by putting on an ugly sloped roof. I detest this trend

[vikingaero]

Coupe - 2 door saloon?

[Desiboy]

No name? How about 'Porsche Cayenne Coupe Nurburgring 7:38.925'?

[Limpet]

As a petrolhead, it troubles me that I should be impressed and excited by this, but in reality, I just don't give a toss. If I dig really deep there's some respect for the engineering involved, but that is really about it.

Who does this actually matter to beyond Porsche's marketing team? Not a rhetorical question by the way.

[louiebaby]

So it's Porsche vs Audi vs Lamborghini?

They're all owned by the same parent, and built on the same platform. Whilst the engineering is undoubtedly impressive, they're having a war with themselves to get column inches.

[deadscoob]

RDMcG said:

Meaningless design to remove the full SUV capacity by putting on an ugly sloped roof. I detest this trend

Not meaningless if they sell a load though?

But detest the things like you do too.

[BorkBorkBork]

Porsche did reserve the name GT5 some time ago, and rumour had it a Cayenne would get the moniker. Who knows what their marketing dept is up to…..?

[Every day a journey]

I'm sure that record will be crucially important when dropping the kids off at the school gates a quarter of a mile from home

[davey83]

Incredible achievement and considering a 997.2 GT3 is 7mins 40sec

Alot of these vehicles falls into the category 'if it makes money, it makes sense' which i cant argue against.

[kalniel]

Interesting that he seems to leave most of the downshifts to the car. I can see him upshifting manually but rarely downshift.

[mmm-five]

As Dale of Bridge To Gantry points out, it's not really a production vehicle (due to added roll cage, race seats, stripped interior, and no mention of suspension, brake, tyre changes over a road model, etc.).

Don't know how a 'notary public' could confirm it conformed to the production spec when the production specification hasn't been released/announced.

Although, contrary to BTG post, it has now appeared on the official Nurburgring records website.

[mmm-five]

davey83 said:

Incredible achievement and considering a 997.2 GT3 is 7mins 40sec

Alot of these vehicles falls into the category 'if it makes money, it makes sense' which i cant argue against.

[Twoshoe]

What an ugly great lump of a thing - compare and contrast to the Maser (even in unflattering white).

[T1berious]

It's an impressive feat. Unfortunately this is more about marketing than anything else. Ring times are a great indication of a cars performance but No one is ever taking their SUV to the track.

Considering the looming changes on the horizon for the car industry, I think this is a bit of a non event.

I mean the Macan EV isn't far away? Far more relevant.

Could be just me but I'd be quite nervous sinking cash into any ICE car.

[jimmytheone]

Impressive but as someone aptly wrote above, what a pudding of a design.

[Fastdruid]

Porsche are the masters at making something handle despite their inherent fundamental issues.

Despite the impressive technical feat still have zero desire for one.

[Flat-Patch]

Lars Kern is a mean peddler. That's some lap time, and he makes it look effortless.

[cookie1600]

louiebaby said:

Whilst the engineering is undoubtedly impressive, they're having a war with themselves to get column inches.

Yep, it's all about boasting those extra inches these days.....

[Fezzaman]

So given that the current top of the range Cayenne coupe is the Turbo S E-Hybrid @ 131k, this will be say…. £150k?

Cynic in me thinks the timing of this press release a day or so after the GT3 touring announcement is suspicious….. What are the odds that buying one of these first will be one of many hoop jumps necessary in order to get a GT3 touring?