What does an airborne Porsche look like? The latest 911 GT3 RS lapping the Nürburgring is your answer. We might be years and years away from having flying cars as a standard means of transportation in society, but when it comes to setting unrealistically fast lap records at Germany’s legendary Nürburgring, anything can happen. Truly, Porsche puts the “hot” in “hot lap.”
Breaking Previous Records By A Huge Margin
Sure enough, according to Porsche Club of America — the most credible news source for all things Porsche (at least, for us Americans) — the 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS managed to break its predecessor’s record around the demanding Nürburgring circuit by an impressive 24 seconds. Setting a lap record (of its kind, not an all-time record for the course) of 6:56.4. In a sport where breaking a record by even tenths of a second is considered noteworthy, smashing a lap time by nearly half a minute is nothing shy of monumental.
Our Independent Porsche Mechanics Are Amazed By This Feat
Needless to say, our Pasadena Porsche repair shop is downright impressed. If only we could go all out with our Porsches on our Southern California streets…alas, HOUSE Automotive is proud to uphold the excellence that is the Porsche brand. It’s engineering brilliance like this and pushing the very limit of what’s possible in the motorsport circuit that motivates our independent Porsche mechanics to keep doing what we’re doing.
But just how did the new GT3 RS — with only 20 more horsepower than the 2016 equivalent — manage to bring down the lap time by such a wide margin? Let’s take a slightly closer look.
Less Horsepower…But More Speed?
Yes. Though the odds seem pretty stacked against the 520 horsepower 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, it truly put the 887 horsepower Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar to shame. As a production car lap record (in other words, a lap record set by a vehicle that’s actually street legal), the Spyder set a new benchmark for Porsche less than five years ago. It’s fair to say that Porsche Motorsport has been hard at work since then.
What’s even more interesting to note is the fact that Lars Kern, one of Porsche’s best factory drivers, drove the very similar 911 GT2 RS back in September of 2017, ending with an extremely impressive lap time of 6:57.3. This is only .9 seconds slower than Kévin Estre’s incredible, record-breaking lap time of 6:56.4.
So, how did the 911 GT3 RS do it? The time set by the GT2 RS is amazing, but the GT3’s lap record is the only thing that’s directly comparable to the 918 Spyder’s previous lap record that now falls behind by some 24 seconds. Well, let’s just say that unparalleled driving skills combined with the very best that automotive engineering has to offer is a very…potent combination.
A Production Car That’s Very Close To Its Racing Equivalent
Again, setting a lap record in a street-legal, production vehicle is a much bigger deal than doing so in a full-on track car that gets transported via trailer. Ultimately, what helped set the new GT3 RS apart from the 2016 model wasn’t in the way of raw power, but rather, in superior control and driver dynamics. Responding perfectly to the French racecar driver as he pushed the GT3 RS to its very limits on the Nürburgring, Kévin Estre praised Porsche’s all-time fastest production vehicle for its ability to handle gracefully under extreme pressure and speed.
Tires Matter
The latest innovations in road-legal racing tires also played their part in achieving Porsche’s personal best. Michelin’s ultra-high-performance line of tires, offering optimal grip at high speeds while cornering, is no stranger to the racing scene. Setting the sub-seven-minute lap time on a set of pricey Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires, engineers admitted that these phenomenal tires were what helped make this record possible. Pirelli, another popular tire manufacturer, has a slogan that rings quite true in this instance: “Power is nothing without control.”
Why The Nürburgring? What’s The Big Deal?
To be clear, not only did Porsche prove that they built their all-time fastest production (road legal) vehicle of all time, but they proved this by racing around the world standard in demanding circuits: the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. Colloquially known as the “Green Hell,” motorsport companies from around the world come to Deutschland to test their hand — and the rubber that tethers them to the track — by subjecting their vehicles to some of the most difficult twists and turns that tracks have to offer. If you did a simple ride-along with a driver on an open track day, you’d probably understand just how insane this course truly is.
Celebrating This Porsche Milestone From One Enthusiast To Another
We’ve said it more than once and we’ll proudly mention it multiple times in the future: we’re extremely passionate about the Porsche brand! That’s why HOUSE Automotive offers the most dedicated, expert independent Porsche mechanic services in Pasadena and beyond. That’s also why we dedicate our time to writing about monumental Porsche Motorsport achievements like these.
Visit Our Independent Porsche Repair Shop For Services You Can Trust!
You might not have a brand new 2019 911 GT3 RS (let’s face it, no one has one yet), but HOUSE Automotive will treat your Porsche with the same love and care as we would with their latest record-breaking production vehicle. Schedule an appointment today to get started!