Car and Driver: That Was Fast: Porsche’s New Panamera Turbo Has Set a Lap Record at the Nurburgring

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-Porsche has just revealed its new Panamera Turbo, and already the vehicle is claiming the lap record for production sedans at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. The Panamera set a 7 minute 38 second lap, which is just one second quicker than the previous benchmark, set by the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. 
-The new car is equipped with VW Group’s new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, which in this tune can push out around 550 horsepower. The Panamera used to set the lap has yellow calipers, which indicates that it’s equipped with Porsche’s PCCB (Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes). These brakes are a $9210 option on current Panamera Turbos, so the new model probably won’t be much different.

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This time represents a vast improvement in speed compared to the current Panamera Turbo, which set a 7 minute 52 second time on the ‘Ring—and that was actually a Turbo S.

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In the video, Porsche calls the new Panamera the “Fastest Luxury Sedan in the World,” thanks to the lap time. The Nordschleife is the track Porsche has been testing cars for performance benchmarks for years, so it isn’t surprising that its new top-spec sedan has set a record.

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Porsche makes note that the lap was set with a standard, unmodified vehicle on street tires. The Alfa Romeo Giulia reportedly utilized racing tires to set its lap, and was some 220 pounds lighter than the production version.

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So the new Panamera Turbo is fast, and it looks good. Chances are it’s fun to drive too.

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This story originally appeared on Road & Track.

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