This past week the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ set a new production car lap record. The raging bull managed a lap time of just 6:44.97 besting the previous record holder, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS.
Last year the 911 GT2 RS lapped the ring in 6:47.03. That’s right, the Aventador SVJ beat the record by two seconds.
6:57, I remember reading that time with my jaw to the floor. The under seven minute lap time of the Nürburgring was recorded by the Porsche 918 Spyder. Back in 2013 it seemed like that production car record would stand forever (with only the McLaren P1 getting close to it).
But just a few years later and that time is no longer indestructible. Back in 2013 it took nearly 900 horsepower to provide that lap time, but it was just bested by the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS with a comparatively low 520 horsepower.
So, is the Porsche 918 Spyder still insanely fast?
Porsche and Ferrari make some of the most desirable cars money can buy. But the question remains as to which is better.
Sure, Ferrari is the more exclusive marquee, but from a pure performance stand point, many Porsche models have been as fast and sometimes even faster.
At the Geneva Motor Show, Porsche unveiled both the Mission E Cross Turismo and the 911 GT3 RS. One car represents the future of the brand as it moves toward an all-electric (or mostly all-electric) future. The other is a race car for the street that represents Porsche’s performance history.
Just its name is enough to make other sports cars tremble in their boots and now it is even faster. The 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS builds on the success of past GT3 RS models. It is faster and yet in a turbocharged world it continues to use a naturally aspirated flat-six (and there was much rejoicing).
For those that can pay the price (and it is up there), the 991.2 GT3 RS provides a track focused machine that can also be driven on the road. When we say track focused we mean track focused. A look on the inside will tell you all you need to know with the lack of back seats and the full bucket seats with carbon fiber reinforced backrests. Door opening loops and reduced sound deadening help enforce that this is a car made for a single purpose.