Porsche Carrera GT fastest car on Nürburgring

Stuttgart - The Carrera GT is the fastest car to lap the Nürburgring North Circuit. With the clock showing 7'32.44 minutes, Horst von Saurma, Chief Editor of the German specialist magazine "sport auto," achieved a new record for road-approved vehicles, at the wheel of the 612 HP strong Porsche. He completed the 22.6 km long round in the Eifel at an average speed of 164 km/h.

"It was really touch and go. The circuit was dirty in some sectors, which didn't make it any easier," beamed Horst von Saurma with glee, after his record round.

For ten years the magazine has been awarding an (unofficial) challenge cup to the driver who drives the fastest round on the Nürburgring using a road-approved car. Thus the race for the best time round the circuit has become a prestigious affair, as Nürburgring is still the best and most honest test of the quality of a vehicle chassis, motor performance, aerodynamics and naturally of tires. Since 1995, times have gradually improved from 7'52 minutes to the current 7'32.44 minutes. Wolfgang Dürheimer, Member of Porsche's Management Board responsible for Research and Development: "The time achieved by Horst von Saurma is excellent and demonstrates the potential of our car. Until recently such times could exclusively be clocked up with pure racing cars."

The journalist von Saurma clocked up the fastest round in the context of a so-called "super test," which the magazine executes regularly. Top times on the Nürburgring, always driven by the same tester, are among the criteria. Wolfgang Dürheimer: "It is precisely for this reason that the 7'32.44 minutes are so easy for us to put in to context and are thus valuable."