The new Porsche 911 GT3 has celebrated its first day on the Nürburgring with a lap time of 7 minutes, 12.7 seconds for the legendary Nordschleife. The road-approved 911, with specifications similar to its motorsport counterpart, beat the previous model’s Nordschleife lap time by 12.3 seconds.
The 911 GT3 relies more on pure racing technology than the previous model. Its 500bhp high-rev, naturally aspirated engine can also be found in the 911 GT3 Cup racing car.
Equipped with rear-axle steering, a 7-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) dual-clutch gearbox and Michelin Sport Cup 2 N1 tyres, the sports vehicle approached the Eifel starting line in its standard trim. With an air temperature of 8 deg C and an asphalt temperature of 14 deg C, the conditions for Porsche test driver Lars Kern were ideal for racing.
The road-approved, rear-drive coupé recorded its best time under notarial supervision.
“By achieving this time, we have emphatically proven that the new 911 GT3 not only provides the best driving experience, but can also deliver an impressive performance on the Nordschleife. The focus was on optimising the driving quality and adapting to the slight increase in engine power”, said a delighted Frank-Steffen Walliser, vice-president of Motorsport and GT cars at Porsche.
“A few years ago, lap times like this could only ever be achieved by thoroughbred racing cars with slick tyres”, added Andreas Preuninger, director of GT Product Line. “The new GT3 can now achieve this with comparatively modest power, but is still fully suited to everyday use.”
“If you can drive fast on the Nordschleife, you can drive fast anywhere in the world”, Frank-Steffen Walliser concluded.
Check out other Nurburgring Nordschleife lap time record-holders from Honda, Volkswagen and Lamborghini.
