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Report: Porsche Panamera Turbo lays claim to 7:56 Nurburgring lap time

 
4 4,097 views Jul 10, 2009

2010 porsche panamera turbo 004 2

The new four-door from Porsche would displace the Cadillac CTS-V if the time holds up

The new four-door from Porsche would displace the Cadillac CTS-V if the time holds up

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Porsche's intense rivalry with Nissan over Nurburgring lap times may have cooled off in recent months, but a new rivalry appears to be in the works, this time with Cadillac and the CTS-V. A report emerging from Germany today has the Panamera Turbo lapping the Nurburgring in 7:56 minutes - just over 3 seconds faster than the American uber-sedan.

It would also mean taking the mantle as fastest lap time for a production sedan, since the CTS-V holds that title now. Porsche hasn't confirmed the time reported by Sport Auto, nor has it released its own times for the car, so it will remain to be seen if this is the final word.

Still, the possibility of the next round of super-sedans taking the title from the current $59,995 Cadillac CTS-V by mere seconds goes to show just how far Cadillac has pushed the performance-per-dollar value equation, especially considering the Panamera Turbo, at $132,600, is the least expensive of the super-sedan set, which also includes the Aston Martin Rapide and Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S.

On the other hand, lap times at the Nurburgring, while a good measure of real-world performance, aren't the end-all, be-all many manufacturers would have you believe. Variables such as tire type, driver ability, season, temperature, traffic and more can all affect lap times, and in the end, very few if any of the production cars that guard their 'Ring times closely will see actual track use, making the debate academic at best.

For more on the Panamera Turbo and its other variants, read our release story here, or check out our preview of the car's debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance this August.
2010 Porsche Panamera

HI-RES GALLERY: 2010 porsche panamera turbo 004 2




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Comments (4)

  1. ma_Ken avatar Ken Posted: 7/11/2009 4:32pm PDT

    The irony is that this might actually matter a little bit, because there are probably some customers in Europe who will take their Panamera to the 'Ring.

    But I'll bet none of those owners are very good drivers, and any pro could spank 'em in a Cobalt SS. That's the whole point here - a pro driver who's familiar with the track set these times, whereas most of us regular Joes couldn't even get close to 8 min in a GT2.

    The ugly truth is that most of us lack the cojones to run a track like that at the speeds required to set a respectable lap time. Sure, we'll hold the gas down on the straights, but we'd be all over the brakes when a corner comes up. Or we'd smack it into a tree before getting halfway 'round.

    Posting comments on a website doesn't make a pro driver out of any of us.
     
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  2. ma_uragan avatar uragan Posted: 7/11/2009 5:15pm PDT

    There's nothing like bragging rights to push up sales.
     
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  3. ma_phil12321 avatar phil12321 Posted: 7/11/2009 5:33pm PDT

    no matter what....the cadillac is still and always gonna be the best bang for the buck when were talking about performance, luxury, safety and reliablity!!!
     
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  4. ma_WizardsLore avatar WizardsLore Posted: 7/12/2009 4:25pm PDT

    no matter what....the cadillac is still and always gonna be the best bang for the buck when were talking about performance, luxury, safety and reliablity!!!

    your american strip glasses are showing...

    i am with you for the first one, but luxury ? no, safety, maybe, reliability, hahahaha

    sorry but its true. i will say though it is a stonking car, but give me an Audi RS4 any single day of the week and twice on sundays :)
     
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