Four days after Porsche announced it had broken the executive car lap record at the Nurburgring with its new Panamera, the manufacturer has now provided the evidence. Two onboard cameras illustrate just how flippin' fast a 7:29.81 run looks in a car with four doors and no end of tech. Needless to say, test driver Lars Kern is fully on it for the whole 12.9 miles.
Porsche's test driver's talent notwithstanding, it's the management of both weight and heat which make the lap of arguably the world's most challenging track so impressive. Anyone who has driven more than two or three laps in a regular saloon will testify to the job the manufacturer must've done on the Panamera's brakes. In the earlier announcement (see the story below), Kern said that the upcoming Panemera – which will be headed by the Turbo S and its updated twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 – has a more responsive front end and judging by the footage, the 2021 car does look pretty keen to nail every apex.
It’s apparently composed and planted, too. We’re not shown Kern’s footwork, but judging by the engine tone, he’s not wasting much time feathering the throttle out of bends, put it that way. Note too that the digital readout displays 297kmh, or 184.5mph, at the end of the Döttinger Höhe straight. In a plush four-door saloon. Not too shabby.
Original story: 13.08.2020
Obviously keen to set a benchmark before officially unveiling anything, Porsche has declared the next Panamera the new ‘executive cars’ lap record holder at the Nurburgring with a 7:29.81 time. Driven by Porsche test driver and Green Hell maestro Lars Kern, the partly-camouflaged, production-spec machine – assumed to be a top-spec Turbo S model – used the ‘Ring’s latest and 200-metre longer loop'. Its predecessor used the slightly shorter lap, on which the new Panamera went 13 seconds faster. The old car wasn’t exactly slow, either...
Porsche attributes some of the improved pace to the model’s extra power, with 620hp due from the top variant. But the vice president for the Panemera line, Thomas Friemuth, highlighted improvements that have been made “in the areas of cornering stability, body control and steering precision”. Kern’s car also wore the optional Cup 2s. Still, the time doesn’t make the Panamera the quickest four-door at the ‘Ring; that title is held by the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 and its 7:18.36 lap. But for an executive class car bearing all the leather and toys of a 2020 Porsche saloon, it’s a mighty impressive achievement.
“The enhancements made to the chassis and the powertrain of the new Panamera were always noticeable during this lap on what is recognised as the most demanding race track in the world,” said Kern. “In the Hatzenbach or also Bergwerk and Kesselchen sections in particular, the new setup of the electromechanical roll stabilisation system remains consistently effective and provides the Panamera with incredible stability in spite of the bumpy track surface. At the Schwedenkreuz, the car benefited from the improved lateral dynamics and the increased grip of the new Michelin sports tyres. I achieved cornering speeds there that I would not have believed possible with the Panamera.”
Sounds pretty capable then, although we know the Turbo S won’t be the most potent car in the line-up, as the next Turbo S E-Hybrid is predicted to have 700hp from its part twin-turbo V8, part electric motor setup. The PHEV will obviously be laden with batteries, though, so expect the 4.0-litre-powered Turbo S to rank as the fastest real-world option in the range, as before. Beneath it, the GTS is due for a return to provide an enhanced focus on handling with a less potent V8. That’s relatively speaking, because we’re still expecting north of 500hp.
Porsche is due to pull the covers completely off its upcoming four-door in late August, suggesting the first customer cars could reach roads at the turn of the year. The Panamera has been a particularly strong seller for Porsche; the hybrid variants accounted for around 60 per cent of customer uptake last year - which shows how important lap times are to the buying public.
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