The 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 has set a Nürburgring time of 7 minutes, 12.7 seconds upon its debut on the legendary Nordschleife circuit, making it 12.3 seconds quicker than the previous model.
With 493bhp courtesy of a race-derived 4.0-litre flat-six engine, the newest iteration of Porsche’s track-focused Neunelfer is around 20bhp more powerful than the previous version.
Not only that, but it’s also become the first GT3 to come with the option of a manual gearbox which will surely please legions of enthusiasts, though the car that set the ‘Ring time was an automatic.
Equipped with Porsche’s quick-shifting PDK dual-clutch gearbox, rear-wheel steering and a set of sticky Michelin Sport Cup 2 N1 tyres, the stock 911 GT3 is quicker around the circuit than cars like the Dodge Viper ACR, Nissan GT-R and Radical SR3 Turbo.
Andreas Preuninger, the director of Porsche’s GT arm, said: “A few years ago, lap times like this could only ever be achieved by thoroughbred racing cars with slick tyres.
“The new GT3 can now achieve this with comparatively modest power, but is still fully suited to everyday use.”
Although it’s shied away from posting Nürburgring lap times in more recent years, Porsche has been renowned in the past for jealously guarding its ‘Ring records, most notably via a series of public spats against the Nissan GT-R.
Between 2013 and earlier this year, Porsche also held the record for the fastest production car lap of all time, which was set by the 918 Spyder hypercar and only very recently beaten by Lamborghini.
The 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 is available to order in the UK now, with prices starting from £111,802.
