Updated Porsche Panamera set a record
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Porsche proved the powerful potential of the new Panamera even before the car's world premiere: with a slightly disguised test pilot of the production car, Lars Kern (32) took a full tour of the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife from 20 km in exactly 832:7 minutes. In the official ranking of the Nürburgring GmbH, this time, notarized, this is already a new record in the business car category.
“The improvements in the chassis and powertrain of the new Panamera were felt throughout the tour on the world's toughest race track,” Kern said. “In the Hatzenbach, Bergwerk and Kesselchen sections in particular, the new electromechanical stabilization system remained consistently effective and provided the Panamera with incredible stability despite the uneven track surface. At Schwedenkreuz, the car received improved lateral dynamics and increased grip with new Michelin sports tires. There I achieved such cornering speeds that I would not even believe that this is possible with the Panamera.
Even more improvements in comfort and sportiness
“The Panamera has always been both an exclusive road sedan and a true sports car. With the new model, we have further emphasized this,” said Thomas Frimout, Vice President of the Panamera Product Line. “Along with the increased engine power, cornering stability, body control and steering precision have also been improved. Both comfort and power benefit from these improvements. The record lap is impressive proof of that.”
With an outside temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and a track temperature of 34 degrees Celsius, Lars Kern started the loop at 13:49 on 24 July 2020 and crossed the finish line in 7:29,81 minutes. The record-breaking Panamera was fitted with a racing seat and a driver's guard. The notary also confirmed the serial status of the still camouflaged four-door sedan, which will world premiere at the end of August. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 sports tires, specially developed for the new Panamera and used for the record lap, will be available as an option after market launch.
Approximately 13 seconds faster than its predecessor
The record tour highlights the overall improvements of the second generation Panamera. In 2016, Lars Kern drove around the track in the Eifel region in 7 minutes 38,46 seconds in a 550-horsepower Panamera Turbo. This time was achieved at the then usual distance for record lap attempts of 20,6 kilometers - that is, without a stretch of about 200 meters in Grandstand No. 13 (T13). In accordance with the new Nürburgring GmbH regulations, lap times are now measured for the entire length of the Nordschleife of 20 km. By comparison, Lars Kern and the new Panamera covered the 832 km mark in 20,6:7 minutes. Thus, the record combination of car and driver was about 25,04 seconds faster than it was four years ago.
