Mark Webber seems to be living the dream. Following his retirement from racing, he stayed on with Porsche as a consultant and brand ambassador. But, it was revealed Webber had a hand in developing the outrageous 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS and he will continue to help develop track-focused cars.
The seasoned race driver may claims he clocked 209 mph in the new 911 GT2 RS at the Nürburgring, likely tapping into much of his behind-the-wheel expertise. As a refresher, the 'Ring is hardly a place for high speed, thanks to its technical corners and rough surfaces; the 'Ring's straight is one of the only places for flat-out speed. What makes Webber's claim so significant is the fact many road cars don't creep past 200 mph at all. For reference, the Lamborghini Huracán Performante, the current production-car lap record holder, only clocked 189 mph on the straightaway. Twenty mph greater is flat-out bonkers fast.
Webber briefly mentioned the unverified feat in an interview with Driving.ca following the reveal of the 911 GT2 RS at the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed and it comes after a sub-seven-minute lap time was suggested. However, just because the 2018 911 GT2 RS can pull great speed on the straight doesn't mean it will be quick elsewhere. We're not saying it won't be, but we won't know until Porsche announces an official time.
Speaking to Motor Authority, Webber did offer up a bit of insight behind the car and said, "It's biblical power—unbelievable power. I've done quite a few laps of the Nordschleife, and yeah. It's sensational."
The GT2's Chief Engineer, Andreas Preuninger, also told Motor Authoritythe car should lap the 'Ring faster than the Performante's 6:52.01 record. "If both cars are coming straight from the dealership, I'm sure we can beat them," Preuninger said.
If we were Lamborghini, or Mercedes-AMG—the current rear-wheel drive record holder with a 7:10.92 time—we'd be a tad worried about the GT2 RS.
