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It was only on Monday when news emerged about the latest 911 GT3 RS lapping the demanding Nürburgring in 6 minutes and 56 seconds and now Porsche has confirmed the performance. The exact time was of 6:56.4 and behind the wheel of the track-focused machine was works race driver Kévin Estre who managed to improve the performance of the previous-generation model by an incredible 24 seconds.

The 911 GT3 RS was also driven by Porsche development driver Lars Kern and together with Estre they completed four laps of the 20.6-kilometer (12.8-mile) Green Hell, all of which were under seven minutes and just a few tenths of a second apart. This goes to show the naturally aspirated sports car is seriously (and consistently) fast in the hands of a talented driver and the best lap time was far from being just a fluke.

Update:

Porsche mentions the fastest lap kicked off at 11:40 AM in ideal conditions on Monday, April 16, with 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit) track and 14 degrees Celsius (57.2 degrees Fahrenheit) ambient temperatures. 29-year-old Estre was most impressed with the 911 GT3 RS, saying that during braking and in high-speed corners the car felt just about the same as the track-only GT3 R race car.

The weapon of choice was standard as it did not go through any changes that would have improved its chances of being faster around the Nordschleife. That being said, it did have track-oriented Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires not available right now, but you’ll soon be able to get them and they’re fully compliant with the laws in the European Union and United States. These rubbers measure 265/35 ZR 20 front and 325/30 ZR 21 rear and will also be offered for the mighty GT2 RS.

Speaking of which, the range-topping 911 is still significantly faster than the GT3 RS, having lapped the track in 6 minutes and 47.3 seconds last fall. These two 911 models continue a tradition that started back in 2013 when the 918 Spyder completed a lap of the ‘Ring in 6:57. It's utterly amazing how an extremely expensive hybrid hypercar launched roughly five years ago with much more power has already been beaten by an "old-school" naturally aspirated sports car playing in an inferior league. The new performance demonstrates the progress Porsche has been able to make in recent years, and while some would argue that Nürburgring lap times don't really matter, these are relevant when we're dealing with a model primarily built for the track such as the GT3 RS.

Source: Porsche

Gallery: Porsche 911 GT3 RS Laps The Nürburgring In 6:56.4

Porsche 911 GT3 RS Laps The Nürburgring In 6:56.4
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Porsche 911 GT3 RS Laps The Nürburgring In 6:56.4 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Laps The Nürburgring In 6:56.4 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Laps The Nürburgring In 6:56.4 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Laps The Nürburgring In 6:56.4 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Laps The Nürburgring In 6:56.4 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Laps The Nürburgring In 6:56.4
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New 911 GT3 RS sets a lap time of 6:56.4 minutes through the ‘Green Hell’

The Porsche 911 GT3 RS has set another benchmark for road-approved sports cars at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit in Germany.

Porsche works race driver Kévin Estre set a lap time in 6:56.4 minutes with the 520-hp GT3 RS (911 GT3 RS: combined fuel consumption 12.8 l/100 km; CO2 emissions 291 g/km). The Frenchman’s lap time was 24 seconds faster than the best time achieved with the previous GT3 RS model. Porsche development driver Lars Kern was sharing driving duties with Estre. Following the 918 Spyder and the 911 GT2 RS, the new GT3 RS is the third production Porsche sports car with a notarised lap time of less than seven minutes on the world’s most demanding race track, known as the ‘Green Hell’. As is customary for record drives, the time was measured around the 20.6-kilometre lap.

Frank Steffen Walliser, Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars, commented; “No other Porsche model gets as close to racing as the new GT3 RS. Many innovative ideas from top-level motorsport were transferred; for example, from the 911 GT3 R. This is what our philosophy for GT models is about: Highest technology must be fascinating but tangible. In this regard there is no harder test for our ideas than the Nordschleife.”

The outstanding power of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Andreas Preuninger, Director GT Model Line, added; “All four lap times of both drivers were below seven minutes and only tenths of a second apart. This proves not only the outstanding power of the GT3 RS, but also its extraordinary driveability at the limit. A perfectly composed overall system allows for highly dynamic performance even with a relatively modest engine power. For a driver, each of the car’s thousands of parts have to feel like one – that’s an unbeatable strength of the GT3 RS. And what especially delights me is how much fun Lars and Kévin had when driving that car.”

Kévin Estre (r) and Lars Kern drove the 911 GT3 RS at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife

29-year old Estre began the record lap at 11:40 am in ideal conditions, with 14 degree Celsius ambient and 18 degree Celsius track temperature. “This lap was a sensational experience for me”, he revealed afterwards. “Through the fast corners and on the brakes in particular, the GT3 RS is unbelievably close to our racing car GT3 R. This is also thanks to the new generation of tyres for road going sports cars. I like the engine of the GT3 RS a lot. Up to 9,000 revs per minute from a six-cylinder engine just feels fantastic. The sound is a dream and the torque is massive.”

Since 2016 Kévin Estre belongs to the squad of Porsche works drivers. He competes with the Porsche 911 RSR in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) that includes the Le Mans 24-Hours. In the ADAC GT Masters he races the 911 GT3 R.

World premiere at the Geneva Motor Show

At the Nürburgring the 911 GT3 RS was equipped with the latest generation of Michelin Pilot Sport tyres. Optimised especially for track day use, the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R is fully compliant with relevant EU and US law. The tyre (265/35 ZR 20 front and 325/30 ZR 21 rear) can soon be ordered at every Porsche Centre and selected dealers or tyre fitters. Its approved fitments include 911 GT3 RS and 911 GT2 RS.

The 911 GT3 RS with motorsport-bred chassis and 383-kW (520-hp), four-litre, high- speed naturally aspirated engine had its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in early March this year. The high-performance sports car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, reaching a top speed of 312 km/h.

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