Porsche has set a new Nürburgring lap time with the latest iteration of its hardcore, naturally aspirated 911 GT3.
Despite recent assurances from automakers, including Porsche’s head of road car development, Andreas Preuninger, that setting record times on the Nordschliefe is a thing of the past, the Stuttgart-based manufacturer didn’t shy away from posting the results of the 7:12.7 lap.
The new GT3 managed to shed 12.3 seconds, or in automotive terms, a decade, off the time set by the last model GT3. Porsche says the improvement is largely down to aerodynamic modifications, rear-axle steering, and an 18kW bump in power; the two models weigh relatively the same.
The new 911 GT3 is powered by Porsche’s almighty 4.0-litre flat-six engine, which produces 368kW at 8250rpm, and 460Nm of torque at 6000rpm. Official specs outline a 0-100km/h run of 3.4 seconds for the PDK option, with the manual variant slightly slower at 3.9 seconds. The manual variant has a top speed fractionally higher than the PDK option, rated at 320km/h over the PDK’s 318km/h.
The man behind the wheel was Porsche test driver Lars Kern, and the car in question was fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber, optional carbon ceramic brakes, and the PDK auto transmission. A manual transmission is also available as an optional extra.
To put this in some context, a ‘Ring time of 7:12.7 is a fraction faster than the Dodge ViperSRT10 ACR, and just behind cars like the Mercedes-AMG GT R, Nissan GT-R NISMO and Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV, who posted times of 7:10, 7:08 and 6:59, respectively.
