New Porsche 911 Is Already Smashing The Nurburgring

Jan. 21, 2019 6:30 PM ET by Noah Joseph Nurburgring / 5 Comments

And the boys in Zuffenhausen are just warming up.

Porsche 911s have clocked some of the fastest times for street-legal production machinery around the Nürburgring. Both the GT3 RS and GT2 RS have crossed the line in under seven minutes, besting even the exotic and high-tech 918 Spyder. But what about "lesser" versions? Like, say, the new 911 Carrera S?

An unnamed company spokesman reportedly told Motor Authority that the latest Carrera S can round the Nordschleife in just 7:25. And that's pretty darn quick for the version that currently stands as the base model and will remain near the bottom of the pecking order.

To put that number into context, consider that Sport Auto in 2016 lapped the previous 991.2-generation Carrera S nine seconds slower at 7:34 (though the source quotes a quicker time for the same model at 7:30). That same German publication returned the following year with the step-up Carrera GTS and hustled it around in 7:24 – just one second quicker than the new Carrera S.

Not for nothing, but 7:25 is also a good three seconds quicker than the Carrera GT ever managed, and that was Porsche's flagship supercar just over a decade ago with a 603-horsepower V10 engine.

The time would also put the new Carrera S on pace with cross-town rival Mercedes' new GT63 S four-door coupe and the SLS AMG Black Series that was one of the most hardcore performance machines it's ever made – both tested in the 7:25 range by the manufacturer itself.

And this from just 443 horsepower, channeled to those rear wheels from a 3.0-liter twin-turbo boxer six through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission to hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds (3.3 with the Sport Chrono pack). Just imagine, then, what Porsche's GT department will manage to do with the new model once they get their hands on it.

New Porsche 911 Is Already Smashing The Nurburgring

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New Porsche 911 Is Already Smashing The Nurburgring

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