“We needed more power,” – said Arno Bögl, a powertrain development director on the Porsche Panamera Turbo. That explains the 4.0 Litre V8 twin-turbocharged engine under the hood producing between 600 and 620 horsepower, which allowed Porsche to set a new executive-class record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit.
The new Porsche Panamera Turbo broke the record on July 24th, 2020, with Lars Kern behind the wheel. The driver achieved a lap time of 7:29.81, enough to beat the Mercedes AMG GT 4-door.
That said, if you try to find and compare lap times achieved by other models, you might notice some contradictions. That’s because the Nürburgring track was slightly modified with time.
Since 2019, manufacturers must complete the whole 12.94-miles track for an official lap time. Previously, the lap measured only 12.8-miles. On the shorter circuit, the Mercedes AMG GT 4-door lapped the track at 7:25.04.
The new Panamera Turbo S also bettered its 2016 predecessor (7:38.46) by around 13 seconds. Not too shabby for a model that is only a mid-cycle refresh.
The new Panamera’s lap time isn’t the fastest of any 4-door car, though. The Jaguar XE SV Project 8, which lapped the new course with a time of 7:23.164, currently holds this title. Porsche’s lap record only applies to executive cars, which are larger than your typical sedan.
That said, the model that set the record isn’t the same as the regular street version. Porsche equipped the Nürburgring car with a roll cage, racing seats, and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Furthermore, the German manufacturer still isn’t ready to release all the information about the car, though.
What we know is that the turbocharged V8 will get a significant power increase. Moreover, Porsche will also upgrade the Turbo S E-Hybrid, which might pump out as much as 700 horsepower. The current E-Hybrid model features 17.9 kWh batteries, enough to achieve 18 miles of electric-only range. Porsche will also likely utilize 48-volt active anti-roll bars and adaptive dampers on all models.
The Panamera will likely debut next month and hit the showrooms by 2021. Prices should start around $90,000 for the base version.
