Porsche has set itself a new record by conquering the Nürburgring Nordschleife in record time with the Cayenne performance SUV. The record time is said to have been set by a new variant of the Cayenne Coupe that will see a green signal for production.
Porsche has disclosed in a press release that the official rankings were recorded at just 7:38.925 minutes for a full lap over a distance of 20.832 kilometres on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife. The lightly camofloudged series production car was driven by test driver Lars Kern.
“Over the first few metres of the Nordschleife in this Cayenne, you’re tempted to turn around to make sure that you’re really sitting in a spacious SUV. Its high steering precision and stoically stable rear axle gave me a lot of confidence,” said Lars Kern, who accompanied long periods of the car’s development, of his record drive. He added: “The Cayenne changed direction at lightning speed in the fast curves, with no wobble and no tendency to understeer. Even in very technical stretches, the Cayenne is a real driver’s car that is easy to control. The drivetrain makes a really strong impression. It delivers power in every situation as well as perfect gear changes.”
A top performer and Cayenne-typical all-rounder “This Cayenne model is a top performer. During its development, we focused on exceptional on-road performance. Our record-breaking Cayenne is based on the Cayenne Turbo Coupé, though more systematically designed for maximum longitudinal and lateral dynamics,” according to Stefan Weckbach, Vice President Product Line Cayenne. “Its record time on the Nordschleife confirms the dynamic capabilities of our new performance SUV. Furthermore, it’s a typical Cayenne all-rounder, providing a high degree of driving comfort and everyday utility.“ Lars Kern recorded his fast lap of the Nordschleife on 14 June 2021 with a summer-like outside temperature of 23 degrees Celsius and a track temperature of 46 degrees Celsius. To protect its driver, the record-breaking Cayenne was equipped with a racing seat and roll cage. The notary public also confirmed the series production status of the still lightly camouflaged SUV, which will celebrate its world premiere shortly. The performance tyres used for the record lap were 22-inch Pirelli P Zero Corsas that were specially developed for the new Cayenne model and will be fitted as standard.
