In a slightly camouflaged series production car, test driver Lars Kern completed a full lap of the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife over a distance of 20.832km in 7:29.81 minutes.
In the official ranking of the Nürburgring GmbH, this time certified by an independent, expert witness now stands as a new record for a production car in the “executive cars” category.
In accordance with the new rules of Nürburgring GmbH, the lap time is now measured over the complete Nordschleife distance of 20.832 km. For comparison: Kern and the new Panamera passed the 20.6 km mark after 7:25.04 minutes – roughly equal to a 2014 911 GT3 (991.1 generation). The record-breaking car and driver combination was around 13 seconds faster than the Panamera Turbo that was run four years ago.
“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 PDCC 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 UHP tyres. I achieved cornering speeds there that I would not have believed possible with the Panamera.”
A Porsche spokesman said that apart from having more power, the new Panamera's cornering stability, body control and steering precision have been improved to benefit both everyday comfort and performance.
