Ruling the 'Ring in the four-door class

I’m sure you’re all aware of the efforts being made by Nissan to conquer the Corvette ZR1’s Nurburgring lap record. Well, while the Japanese have recently shaved off more seconds to nearing the ZR1’s record, another car maker has been busy in setting a ‘Ring record themselves. Only this time, they were successful.

The all new, 500hp Porsche Panamera Turbo now holds the fastest ‘Ring record for a four-door production car, beating the previous record holder by as much as three seconds. If you’re not aware, in the world of racing, three seconds is quite a big gap. Apparently, John Heinricy and his Cadillac CTS-V ran their 7:59 record lap only once at the end of test session. Heinricy’s CTS-V was an automatic, so I’m betting he can do even better with a manual. The question is, will it be enough to beat the Panamera?

Keep your eyes out for that one, folks, because more than likely, there’ll be other challengers to the fastest four-door ‘Ring title, such as Johnny O’Connel and his Corvette C6.R. It seems every sports car company worth their salt is eyeing the ‘Ring as their proving ground for the ultimate bragging rights.

So, which car are you betting on? It’s record-breaking mayhem down at the infamous Nurburgring so stay tuned!

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/12/fun-while-it-lasted-porsche-panamera-turbo-reportedly-tops-cadi/