Oh joy - two of the most rage inspiring topics in the car-based online realm colliding head on. Namely the relevance (or otherwise) of manufacturer-claimed Nordschleife lap times. And the
Porsche 911 GT3
Both things seem to make people very cross indeed. Lord knows what'll happen with news Porsche is proudly boasting its new second-gen GT3 has smashed out a 7min 12.7sec lap.
No wonder Preuninger is smiling
If you haven't already spontaneously combusted in rage or thrown your laptop at the cat at the futility of it all there is something to take from this. Namely that this is very, very rapid for a non-RS GT product and nearly a minute faster than the original 996 GT3, as pedalled to a then-astounding sub-8min by one W. Rohrl when it launched. For a rear-wheel drive car with a naturally-aspirated engine that is very, very rapid indeed too.
That makes it quicker than an RS, raising some interesting questions about just how difficult Andreas Preuninger and his team have made life for themselves when building that car's replacement. It's also significantly quicker than Preuninger was claiming back when we spoke with him ahead of the car's debut back in March. The timing of the Geneva show unveiling meant the last time the car had gone around the 'ring was some months previously and before the final set-up had been signed off. Preuninger was expecting sub-7min 20sec, speculating perhaps high teens on a good day. This final score has, therefore, somewhat exceeded publicly stated expectations.
The car in question appears to have been a PDK version, underlining Preuninger's point that this is a faster car than the manual. Driver for the lap was Porsche tester Lars Kern and the car was running Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres and in what Porsche is describing as 'standard trim'.
here
