{"id":3847,"date":"2021-04-03T01:40:45","date_gmt":"2021-04-03T05:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/?p=3847"},"modified":"2021-04-03T01:40:45","modified_gmt":"2021-04-03T05:40:45","slug":"panamera-turbo-s-achieves-record-131-51-minute-lap-time-at-road-atlanta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/articles.carcostcanada.com\/panamera-turbo-s-achieves-record-131-51-minute-lap-time-at-road-atlanta\/","title":{"rendered":"Panamera Turbo S achieves record 1:31.51-minute lap time at Road Atlanta"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Porsche’s Panamera Turbo S looks menacing on Road Atlanta, and it should now that it holds the track record for production sedans.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s the fastest sedan in the world? Numerous four-door competitors have made claims of being quickest off the line, achieving the highest top track speed, and providing the best handling characteristics, but there\u2019s a very good argument for the Porsche Panamera Turbo S being the current title holder<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Back in July of last year, an even less powerful Panamera Turbo<\/a> achieved the N\u00fcrburgring Nordschleife lap record for production executive cars with Porsche works driver Leh Keen at the wheel, a title it continues to hold today, while Keen also piloted the even more capable Panamera Turbo S<\/a> to the top spot amongst production sedans at the challenging 4.0-km long Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta road course with a lap time of 1:31.51 minutes.<\/p>\n

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Road Atlanta is a challenging 4.0-km long road course.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe engineers found a perfect balance,\u201d commented Keen after his record lap. \u201cThey really made it feel small and sporty. The stability gave me a ton of confidence to use every bit of the asphalt and curbs. And yet the car has a completely different and more refined and relaxed character on the highway \u2013 an amazing combination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Factor in the Panamera is a luxury sedan made from some of the finest materials available, and filled with top-tier premium features (which add a lot of weight), and its highly competitive time seems even more daunting. The only cars that have officially beaten the Panamera Turbo S\u2019 lap time include two Chevy Corvette Z06 (C7) entries with times of 1:30.18 and 1:29.81, a Dodge Viper ACR (Mk V) that ran Atlanta at 1:26.54, a Corvette ZR1 that did it in 1:26.45, and three Porsche 911s that hold third, second and first, including a GT3 RS at 1:26.24 and two GT2 RS (991) entries, the best of which achieved a time of 1:24.88. This puts the Panamera Turbo S<\/a> in seventh place overall.<\/p>\n

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The less powerful Panamera Turbo currently holds the production sedan record at Germany’s famed N\u00fcrburgring Nordschleife too.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This also means the big four-door Porsche outpaced its own Cayman GT4 (718), which ran the track in 1:32.24 with the same driver at the wheel, not to mention the Taycan Turbo S that Keen drove to 1:33.88 (and earned a best lap time for EVs).<\/p>\n

The Panamera Turbo S is new for 2021<\/a>, as is its 620-horsepower twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine. It puts 604 lb-ft of torque down to all four wheels, resulting in a mind-blowing zero to 100km\/h sprint time of only 3.1 seconds, and an amazingly fast top track speed of 315 km\/h (196 mph).<\/p>\n

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Porsche works driver Leh Keen piloted the Panamera Turbo S to its lap record.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along with all of the luxurious refinement and high-tech features that come with a car of the Panamera\u2019s calibre, the new Turbo S comes standard with a host of advanced performance features too, including Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV+), rear axle steering, and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport roll-stabilization system (PDCC Sport).<\/p>\n

The only change from production spec during its record setting Road Atlanta run, was the allowed upgrade from stock performance rubber to newly-developed road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport cup 2 ND0 ultra-high-performance tires that measure 275\/35 ZR 21 103Y XL up front and 325\/30 ZR 21 108Y XL at the rear. The \u201cN\u201d designation means these Michelins were co-developed with Porsche, with this special tire specifically designed for the Panamera and tuned at the aforementioned N\u00fcrburgring Nordschleife race track.<\/p>\n

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Porsche’s team of motorsport professionals takes track performance very seriously, which is why the brand’s cars drive so well on the road too.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It should be noted that vehicle data acquisition and timing expert Racelogic recorded and verified the Panamera Turbo S\u2019 Road Atlanta lap time using their VBOX video HD2 system.\u00a0They\u2019d better keep that timing equipment ready, because something tells us Porsche\u2019s Panamera Turbo S<\/a> will be setting more lap records in the near future.<\/p>\n

To find out more about Porsche’s flagship sport sedan as well as its even more practical extended\u00a0Sport Turismo variant, check out our\u00a02021 Porsche Panamera Canada Prices page<\/a> that shows all retail pricing and allows you to build out each trim with all available features.<\/p>\n

Even better, a CarCostCanada membership<\/a> will provide you with dealer invoice pricing that could save you thousands when it comes time to negotiate, not to mention other savings from manufacturer rebates when available, to factory leasing and financing rates that are currently set to zero percent<\/a>. The CarCostCanada app will make sure you have all of this valuable info at your fingertips when you need it most, so be sure to download it for free at the\u00a0Apple Store or Google Play Store.<\/p>\n

Porsche Panamera Turbo S: Road Atlanta Record Lap (2:12):
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