A report recently claimed the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS had lapped the Nurburgring in under seven seconds - but now it's official. The German automaker has announced that works race driver Kevin Estre, who set a new Nurburgring lap record in the Porsche 911 GT2 RS last year, posted a time of six minutes and 56.4 seconds at the Green Hell in the GT3 RS. Impressively, that's 24 seconds faster than the previous-generation model, which shows how much the car has evolved.

To add some more context, the lap time set by the GT3 RS is about a second faster than the Porsche 918 Spyder, which completed a lap of the Nurburgring in six minutes and 57 seconds back in 2013. It's still around nine seconds slower than the range-topping GT2 RS, however, which currently holds the overall Nurburgring production car record with a time of six minutes and 47.3 seconds.

The 911 GT3 RS was also driven by Porsche development driver Lars Kern, and the pair completed four laps of the 12.8-mile circuit, all of which were under seven minutes and just a few tenths of a second apart. "A perfectly composed overall system allows for highly dynamic performance even with a relatively modest engine power." "No other Porsche model gets as close to racing as the new GT3 RS," Frank Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars, added. "Many innovative ideas from top-level motorsport were transferred; for example, from the 911 GT3 R. This is what our philosophy for GT models is about: Highest technology must be fascinating but tangible. "

In this regard there is no harder test for our ideas than the Nordschleife." The record lap begun at 11:40 am in ideal conditions, with 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit track and 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperatures. "This lap was a sensational experience for me", Estre said after completing the lap."Through the fast corners and on the brakes in particular, the GT3 RS is unbelievably close to our racing car GT3 R. This is also thanks to the new generation of tires for road going sports cars. I like the engine of the GT3 RS a lot. Up to 9,000 revs per minute from a six-cylinder engine just feels fantastic. The sound is a dream and the torque is massive."

While the GT3 RS used for the lap was not modified, it came equipped with track-optimized Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires. They're currently unavailable but are fully compliant with relevant EU and US law, and will soon be available to order at every Porsche Center and selected dealers or tire fitters.