Porsche’s facelifted Panamera is already a ‘Ring king with a lap record

Most of us know the Porsche Panamera as a speedy, comfortable and well-built SUV alternative that maybe hasn’t always been so attractive. According to an announcement from Porsche on Thursday, we can also think of it as the four-door executive king of the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

By that, I mean that the Panamera — which is of the not-yet-officially-announced facelifted persuasion — set itself a Nurburgring lap record, with driver Lars Kern behind the wheel, of just 7:29:81. That’s around 13 seconds faster than the last Panamera that went around there — a 2016 Turbo model.

Now, here’s the thing — because Porsche hasn’t debuted this Panamera yet, it can’t really say which trim level set the record, but based on a conversation with Porsche reps, it would be safe to assume that it’s a high-spec Turbo model with at least 600 horsepower. That means that there’s plenty to be excited about when Porsche pulls the sheet off the vehicle soon.

Interestingly, Porsche specifies that this record was set on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires — which is some pretty damned serious rubber for a big executive car — but that these tires would be available as optional equipment on the vehicle when it becomes available.

“The Panamera has always been both an exclusive touring sedan and a true sports car at the same time. In the new model, we have enhanced these attributes even further,” says Thomas Friemuth, vice president Product Line Panamera, in a statement. “Alongside the increased engine power, improvements have been made in the areas of cornering stability, body control and steering precision. These enhancements benefit both everyday comfort and performance. The lap record is impressive proof of this.”

Porsche will be unveiling the updated Panamera at the end of August and you bet we’ll be there (digitally) to get you all the facts and figures.