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2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Flies on Nurburgring, Sedan Record Coming

When we found out that Porsche mixed the Turbo S and the E-Hybrid badges, we knew that the resulting 2018 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid would have a special place in the automotive history book.
2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Flies on Nurburgring 5 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Flies on Nurburgring2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Flies on Nurburgring2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Flies on Nurburgring2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Flies on Nurburgring
And a factory-run example of the range-topping Panny is now preparing to fill up that badge, with the test car having been spotted flying low on the Nurburgring.

Having added a 136 hp electric motor to the 550 hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 of the Panamera Turbo, the king of the line-up mixes 680 horses with its PTV Plus-infused (torque vectoring) all-wheel-drive system.

And you can see the high-IQ AWD of the Zuffenhausen halo sedan allowing the car to pivot its way through the Nordschleife corners in the clip below.

So, what is Porsche doing at the track? The Germans are playing Nurburgring chess with Alfa Romeo.

The Italians kicked off the game with the 7:39 sedan record set by the Giulia Quadrifoglio, while Zuffenhausen grabbed the title when the Panamera Turbo S shaved a second off that time. Nevertheless, the eight-speed automatic incarnation of the 510 hp Giulia one-upped the Panamera by a whopping 6 seconds.

And we expect the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid to beat the 7:32 record of the Italian temptress by a respectable margin - sure, the two don't play in the same segment, but, since both automakers have already committed to this Green Hell chronograph brawl, we can't wait to find out the stopwatch number of the Porscha. Meanwhile, you can find the best Nurburgring efforts of the two sedans under the spy video below.

To be honest, the Ring looks a bit like Porsche land these days. The list of other Zuffenhausen prototypes spotted on or near the infamous German track involves the 2018 Cayenne, as well as a host of Neunelfer specials: the 2018 911 GT3 RS, the 2018 911 GT2 and the all-fresh 2018 911 Sport Classic.

Oh and let's not forget the next-gen (2019) Porsche 911, which is rumored to follow the Panamera down the Turbo S E-Hybrid path.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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