Just 6 minutes and 30 seconds. That's the targeted lap time for the 12.9-mile Nürburgring-Nordschleife for Porsche's next hypercar.
The information was confirmed to Top Gear magazine at last week's 2018 LA Auto Show by Frank-Steffen Walliser, the head of Porsche's motorsport department as well as the man responsible for the automaker's high-performance road cars and soon the 911 line, too.
“It must achieve a 6:30 at the Nürburgring,” he said. “I don’t care about the drivetrain, 6:30 is the target.”
Mercedes-AMG One
Porsche may have to move that target, though, depending on whatever times the Mercedes-AMG One and Aston Martin Valkyrie set. In the case of the One, AMG boss Tobias Moers has already hinted at some crazy targets.
Porsche's R&D boss, Michael Steiner, said in an interview last year that the company's next hypercar could be electric as Porsche has already demonstrated hybrid performance with the 918 Spyder which was the first production car to crack the 7:00 mark when it was launched in 2013. However, he pointed out that battery technology is still a long way from delivering the required performance of a hypercar. A hot lap and then a depleted and/or overheated battery won't cut it at Porsche.
It's something Walliser backed up in his interview with Top Gear, stating, “An electric car in 6:30 is quite a challenge.”
Frank-Steffen Walliser
Depending on the route Porsche goes with for the car's powertrain, the wait could be a long one.
The current record for production cars at the 'Ring is the 6:44.97 set earlier this year by Lamborghini's Aventador SVJ. However, Porsche's 919 Evo time attack car based on the 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car in June completed a shockingly fast 5:19.55 lap. Even six months out, the video still leaves your jaw on the floor.
In other news, Walliser confirmed that the GT3 version of the new 992-generation 911 will arrive in the next 18-24 months. Prototypes are already out testing.
