Porsche Says 918 Hybrid Successor Must Beat 6:30 Nurburgring Time
That equates to at least 15 seconds quicker than the current production car record.

At the 2018 L.A. Auto Show, Porsche's head of motorsport Frank-Steffen Walliser revealed a bit of especially promising news about the brand's hypercar future.
During an interview with Top Gear, Walliser spooned out a few details on a followup to the company's 918 Hybrid that may or may not be currently in the works. The executive was adamant about achieving one goal with this new car: a lap time around the 13-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife in under six and a half minutes. The 918 was able to run the course in 6:57, meaning Porsche engineers would have to find a way to shave at least 27 seconds off of the new car's time.
Walliser told Top Gear, "It must achieve a 6:30 at the Nürburgring. I don’t care about the drivetrain, 6:30 is the target. Sports cars are defined by their performance, then we have to look how to achieve it. An electric car in 6:30 is quite a challenge.”
His statement seems to imply that Porsche has ruled out the possibility of a fully electric drivetrain for its next hypercar. The vehicle could exclusively use a combustion engine, like the 991 GT2 RS that rounded the 'Ring in 6:47., though it's likely that it will utilize hybrid technology similar to that of the 919 Hybrid EVO race car, which finished the course in a blistering 5:19, the fastest lap time for any vehicle, ever.
The Porsche exec also mentioned that finding the right racing crew is imperative when chasing down the fastest possible lap time. "The main part is preparation for safety. Nothing just happens—we need a very experienced driver, a very good team taking care of every detail, and we have to be careful."
Whatever form the new Porsche hypercar takes, there's little doubt that it will be able to meet Walliser's goal, especially with the advancements in aerodynamics that have been made since the 918's release in 2013.
-
RELATEDPorsche Executive Says 911 Carrera-Based SUV Is a 'Good Idea'Porsche once called the 911's approach as 'compact and puristic.'READ NOW
-
RELATED2019 Porsche 911 GT2 Clubsport: The 700-HP, Race-Track Only Version of Weissach's FinestIt'll be limited to just 200 units worldwide and cost nearly half-a-million dollars. Exclusive enough for you?READ NOW
-
RELATED2020 Porsche 911 Unveiled: 992 Generation Displays Refinement in Digital FormThe 992 retains the classic 911 formula but modernizes everything else.READ NOW
-
RELATEDPorsche Taycan Can Add 62 Miles of Driving Range in 4-Minute ChargePorsche's upcoming electric sedan will have the quickest charging time of any vehicle on the market today.READ NOW
-
RELATEDThis Straight-Piped Porsche Carrera GT Sounds Like Our Favorite F1 Cars of YesteryearThe 5.7-liter V-10 already has a distinctive exhaust note from the factory, but straight-piping it makes it sound even more heavenly.READ NOW