The new Porsche 911 GT3 sets a blistering lap time at the Nürburgring - Beating the previous GT3's time by 12.3 seconds!

Unsurprisingly, the new Porsche 911 GT3 is faster than the previous GT3. Surprisingly, it is 12.3 seconds faster than the older model. Absolutely blistering in terms of raw pace, this new 911 GT3. It goes to show how much fine tuning Porsche has put into this car. 

According to Porsche, the focus this time was on optimising the driving quality and adapting to the slight increase in engine power. The slight increase in power is around 25hp or from 475hp to 500hp. Basically the new GT3 gets the 500hp of the previous GT3 RS. But you now know that chassis tuning must have been the key focus in the development of the car. It being over 12 seconds faster around the Nordschleife is no mean feat. And it doesn't have those extra wide arches of the GT3 too. It has road legal Michelin Pilot Sport tyres too (albeit a special model). Amazing. 

This is the one Porsche 911 which I actually lust after. Even more than the 911 Turbo. It's just pure unadulterated 911.

PRESS RELEASE

Nürburgring Nordschleife: New Porsche sports car over twelve seconds faster than the previous model

7 minutes, 12.7 seconds: The 911 GT3 sets a new best time

Stuttgart. The new Porsche 911 GT3 has celebrated its first day on the Nürburgring with a lap time of 7 minutes, 12.7 seconds for the legendary Nordschleife. The road-approved 911, with specifications similar to its motorsport counterpart, beat the time set by the previous model by 12.3 seconds.

“By achieving this time, we have emphatically proven that the new 911 GT3 not only provides the best driving experience, but can also deliver an impressive performance on the Nordschleife. The focus was on optimising the driving quality and adapting to the slight increase in engine power”, says a delighted Frank-Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT cars at Porsche. “A few years ago, lap times like this could only ever be achieved by thoroughbred racing cars with slick tyres”, adds Andreas Preuninger, Director GT Product Line. “The new GT3 can now achieve this with comparatively modest power, but is still fully suited to everyday use.”

The 911 GT3 also relies more on pure racing technology than the previous model. Its 368-kW (500-hp), high-rev, naturally aspirated engine can also be found in the 911 GT3 Cup racing car. Equipped with rear-axle steering, a seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) and Michelin Sport Cup 2 N1 tyres, the sports vehicle approached the starting line in the Eifel in its standard trim. At an air temperature of 8 degrees and an asphalt temperature of 14 degrees, the conditions for Porsche test driver Lars Kern were ideal for racing. The road-approved rear-wheel drive Coupé recorded its best time under notarial supervision. “If you can drive fast on the Nordschleife, you can drive fast anywhere in the world”, Frank-Steffen Walliser comments.

Note: Images are available in the Porsche Newsroom (http://newsroom.porsche.de) and, to accredited journalists in the Porsche Press Database at http://presse.porsche.de.

911 GT3: Combined fuel consumption 12.7–12.9 l/100 km; CO2 emissions 290–288 g/km