Porsche has proven the performance potential of the 2021 Panamera even before the car’s world premiere: in a slightly camouflaged series production car, test driver Lars Kern completed a full lap of the Nurburgring Nordschleife over a distance of 20.832 kilometres in 7:29.81 minutes. In the official ranking of Nurburgring GmbH, this time certified by a notary public now stands as a new record in the "executive cars" category.
At an outside temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and with a track temperature of 34 degrees Celsius, Lars Kern (32) started the lap at 1.49 pm on 24 July 2020 and crossed the finish line 7:29.81 minutes later. The record-breaking Panamera was equipped with a racing seat and a safety cage as protection for the driver. The notary public also confirmed the series production status of the still camouflaged four-door saloon, which will celebrate its world premiere on August 26. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 sports tyre developed especially for the new Panamera and used for the record lap will be optionally available after the market launch.
The lap record underlines the comprehensive enhancement of the second-generation Panamera. In 2016, Lars Kern completed the circuit in the Eifel region in a time of 7:38.46 minutes driving a Panamera Turbo with an output of 550 PS - this time was achieved over the then usual distance for lap record attempts of 20.6 kilometres, in other words without the around 200 metres long circuit section at grandstand number 13 (T13). In accordance with the new statutes of Nürburgring GmbH, the lap time was now measured over the complete Nordschleife distance of 20.832 km. For comparison: Lars Kern and the new Panamera already passed the 20.6 km mark after 7:25.04 minutes. The record-breaking car and driver combination was therefore around 13 seconds faster than four years ago.
