skip to main |
skip to sidebar
As if recent news of the Pagani Zonda F Clubsport completing the Nürburgring Nordschliefe in 7:27.82 (see here) wasn’t enough of a shock, earlier today German publication “Sport Auto” announced that in their monthly “Supertest” the recently released 530bhp Porsche 911 GT2 has completed the Nordschliefe in 7 minutes, 33 seconds.
Such a figure indicates a new echelon in Porsche 911 history. Not only does this particular lap time match what Sport Auto driver Horst Von Saumra was able to do in the Pagani Zonda F, but it’s just a tad whisker – 1 second, actually - behind that of the Porsche Carrera GT which completed the Nordschliefe in 7:32.44 back in early 2005. Thus also means the RWD 911 flagship out performs other such supercars as the 806bhp Koenigsegg CCR, the 640bhp Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 - let alone its normal competition such as the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06. In short, thanks to regular testing at the ‘Ring and Porsche’s great attention to engineering detail, the heavier and much less powerful 911 has been able to annihilate most every car that has previously run in the Supertest – regardless of the power, weight and/or price.
And of course, the new GT2 was able to erase the previous fastest 911 lap time of 7:46 - set in 2002 – with the 996-generation of the GT2
Additionally, Sport Auto’s Supertest revealed the GT2’s amazing cornering abilities as it peaked at 1.35G’s through the corners, and more or less made runny eggs of the both the Porsche Carrera GT and Pagani Zonda F throughout both the 18 and 36 metre slalom course. And as per usual, the frenetic 911 did not fail to shock when it came to straight line performance, hitting 200 km/h (124 mph) in just 11.5 seconds and hitting an indicated 293 km/h (182 mph) on the Dottinger Hohe straight line of the ‘Ring; just 1 km/h (.62 mph) short of the Carrera GT and some 12 km/h (7 mph) faster than the Zonda F.
Suffice to say, Porsche engineers deserve mad props. With each and every successive generation of the 911, just when you think they’ve hit the peak, they manage to out-do themselves.
By Bruce McCulloch It would appear that the near-thirteen mile Nürburgring Nordschliefe circuit has a new king.
According to English publication “EVO”, Pagani Automobili and their fabulous Zonda F “Clubsport” – a faster, more taut and powerful version of the regular unit – has finally stolen the long held crown from the Porsche Carrera GT.
Porsche’s $450,000 flagship had reportedly set a lap time of 7 minutes, 28 seconds with the company’s master test driver, Walter Röhrl at the helm in 2004. Meanwhile, shortly thereafter, well-respected German publication Sport Auto was eventually given the chance to set a lap time themselves, and with racing-trained driver Horst Von Saumra at the wheel, the magazine set a ground-breaking lap time of 7 minutes, 32.44 seconds. And thus was a huge achievement, as it was not only the fastest car Sport Auto had ran around the ‘Ring, but it was a figure which undercut most other records – save for a few 600kg go-karts.
The Zonda, equipped with semi-slick tyres -albeit completely road legal – and driven by Porsche SuperCup Driver Marc Basseng, set an official recorded lap time of 7:27.82. Though there is still little difference between the Porsche’s manufacturer claim and this one, you’ve really got to hand it to the small Modenese supercar manufacturer. With a small budget and a car boasting relatively old-fashioned technology, they’ve managed to attain the prestige award of saying they having the fastest road-legal supercar on the ‘Ring. Such a lap time also undercuts Pagani Automobili’s previous two attempts, both attempted by Sport Auto with the Zonda F and the Zonda S; 7:33 and 7:44 respectively.
What makes this all even more impressive was that the vehicle that was used was generously loaned by an owner(!) and therefore is completely road-legal.
In addition to the lap time’s boast-ability, company founder Horacio Pagani also claims the reason he attempted such was because it marked the 50th anniversary of when the car’s inspiration, Juan Manuel Fangio, won, despite great odds, what most enthusiasts label as the greatest race of all time.
Should you desire to learn more about this glorious achievement, you’ll have to keep an eye out for the November issue of EVO Magazine.
As if recent news of the Pagani Zonda F Clubsport completing the Nürburgring Nordschliefe in 7:27.82 (see here) wasn’t enough of a shock, earlier today German publication “Sport Auto” announced that in their monthly “Supertest” the recently released 530bhp Porsche 911 GT2 has completed the Nordschliefe in 7 minutes, 33 seconds.
