When it comes to setting Nurburgring records, Porsche does not mess around. When the 918 lapped the 'Ring in 6:57 back in 2013, it was a record that many assumed could hold for years. That assumption held true, but not for as long as most thought it would, with the Lamborghini Huracan Performante laying down a 6:52 in March. Many questioned the Huracan Performante's lap, though, with both racing drivers and video experts pointing out curious flaws in the official video, leading many to disregard the Huracan Performante's alleged record. There was also the McLaren P1 LM's 6:43 back in May, but with production limited to five examples, some don't consider the road-legal variant of the P1 GTR to be in the same class as the 918.
Regardless of how anyone feels about the lap time of the Huracan Performante, it can no longer claim to be a Nurburgring record holder, as the 911 GT2 RS has eclipsed both it and the 918, with the official time clocked at 6:47.3 by both Porsche and a notary present for the record attempt.
Porsche uploaded the record attempt to its YouTube channel, and we have embedded the onboard footage below.
For most of the lap, the drive itself looks almost effortless. Minimal struggle with the steering wheel visible, and the sound of squealing tires infrequent. That said, the driver beats on the curbs like eggs for a meringue, and hits a peak speed of 313 kmh—almost 195 miles per hour.
Though the 911 is often criticized by those uninterested in it for being conservative, Porsche may have proven once and for all that it is capable of taking their tried-and-true pattern of a turbocharged, rear-mounted flat six, and leaving its competitors scratching their heads, wondering how Porsche manages to keep winning. If anything, it makes the 918 look a bit embarrassing now. What'd that extra 187 horsepower get the 887 horsepower 918 over the 700 horsepower GT2 RS? A whole lotta nothin', it seems.