A Porsche has gone very quickly around a racetrack in Germany. At this point in time, that’s not really news, but the car in question is an interesting one, because it gives us some hints at what’s to come from the recently revealed third-generation Porsche Panamera.
It was a pre-production version of an as-yet-unnamed derivative of the big exec saloon that Porsche development driver Lars Kern hustled around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a remarkable 7min 24.17sec. That’s around four seconds quicker than a Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E-Performance, and nearly five and a half seconds up on a BMW M5 CS.
Porsche Panamera prototype at the Nürburgring
It’s also a new official track record in the rather specific class for ‘luxury cars with combustion engines and hybrids’. We can take a bit of a punt on exactly what this Panamera is because Porsche does confirm that it’s a V8 hybrid.
The most potent Panamera currently available, the 671bhp Turbo E-Hybrid, uses this same setup, so this is probably the widely expected Turbo S version. It’s set to use the same combination of the VW Group’s 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and electric motor, a pairing that offers as much as 771bhp in the new Bentley Continental GT Speed.
The Porsche team celebrates the Panamera’s lap record
Kern noted that as well as the extra power, the chassis, aero and Michelin PS Cup 2 tyres all contributed to the record run, especially praising the car’s Porsche Active Ride suspension: “The car stays parallel to the road at all times. Its cornering and body stability are on a whole new level.”
With the exception of a racing seat and mandatory roll cage, the record car was said to be identical to the one that’ll soon go on sale. It was fitted with an optional Carbon Aerokit to provide greater front downforce.
Porsche Panamera prototype at the Nürburgring
This isn’t the first time in recent months that Porsche’s used a Nürburgring time to tease an upcoming model: we were given previews of both the Taycan Turbo GT and the new 911 Carrera GTS in similar ways. Beats a shadowy 10-second Instagram clip.
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