Under 8 minutes on the Nurburgring used to be the measuring stick for a fast sports car. These days even 4000+ pound luxury sport sedans routinely break into the 7 minute range. Porsche officially holds the record for going the deepest into that 7 minute range with a 7:38 lap from the 2017 Panamera Turbo.

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Now, before you go on stating how incredible this time is (it is impressive) you have to keep in mind that this is not the same Nurburgring as in the past. Nurburgring testing was suspended for a while and sections were repaved along with the installation of new safety barriers and precautions.

Comparing this 2017 Panamera Turbo time to times before the track facelift so to speak is not apples to apples. Is the Panamera Turbo really as quick of a track car as a Lexus LFA, Ferrari 458 Italia, 997 Turbo, or Chevrolet C6 ZR1? Of course not.

A record is a record though and Porsche test drivers topped the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio's 7:39 time.

A new sport sedan overall Nurburgring record sure is a great way to introduce the capability of the new Panamera Turbo. Considering this is not even the Turbo S model that is impressive.

The Panamera sure looks like the performance sedan to beat once again.