The rumors were true. The new Porsche Panamera Turbo has set a new Nurburgring lap record for sedans, burning around the famed Green Hell in a time that puts some supercars to shame.
At the car’s official unveiling this week, Porsche announced that the 2017 Panamera set the Nurburgring sedan record by lapping the track in seven minutes and 38 seconds. That time means it beats the 505-horsepower Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio’s (nebulous) lap record by one second—and puts it nearly 20 seconds faster than the quickest four-door with an unimpeachable claim to the throne, the Honda Civic Type R.
The Panamera Turbo’s Nurburgring lap time also means the sedan is faster around the ‘Ring than such vehicles as the Bugatti Veyron, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and the previous-generation 911 GT3. However, it seems early claims the 2017 Panamera would be as fast around the Green Hell as the Carrera GT were somewhat exaggerated; that car whipped around the Nurburgring in 7:27.
A YouTube video uploaded by Porsche provides a little behind-the-scenes peek at the company’s record-breaking antics. The clip, which you can watch below, shows a pre-production 2017 Panamera Turbo test mule getting tossed between the red and white striped cornering of the Green Hell, even providing a little footage of the car carousing through the Karussell.
As our own Ben Keeshin reported from the premiere of the car, the Panamera that set the record was equipped with plenty of camouflage designed to keep spy photographers from picking up on the car’s details before its official reveal. Among the add-ons not included in the long list of factory options: roof-mounted telemetry data, a partial roll cage, and a personally-monogrammed racing bucket seat for the driver.