Porsche 911 Turbo S Sets 7:17 Nurburgring Lap (Sport Auto), Beats Official Time

To be more precise, a 991.2 Turbo S manhandled by Sport Auto's Christian Gebhardt managed to blitz the infamous German track in 7:17.11.

Note that Zuffenhausen had talked about a 7:18 Green Hell number for the 580 hp beast, albeit with this being an estimate and not the result of an actual lap.

The said German magazine is an authority in the field and yet we're used to its times sitting behind those delivered by automakers.

Now, before anybody mentions that the new Ring time places the Turbo S three seconds ahead the GT3 RS, there are a few things we need to mention.

For one thing, the 7:20 lap time for the Rennsport Neunelfer belongs to the 991.1 model, since the 991.2, which has recently leaked online, is set to make its debut next month, at the Geneva Motor Show.

And since the 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 has already proven it can one-up the Turbo S by quite a margin (think: a 500 hp model delivering a 7:12.7 chronograph number), we're expecting the revised GT3 RS to be a member of the sub-7 club.

Speaking of which, this is a brilliant opportunity to remind you that the 991.2 GT2 RS still holds the Nurburgring production car lap record, having delivered a 6:47 stunt.

Unfortunately for Porschephiles, we're expecting the new season to see the 700 hp Neunelfer losing its crown. From the 755 hp 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 to the 800-pony McLaren Senna (this is a one-million car), there are plenty of competitors willing to bring home the Ring trophy.

Meanwhile, you can check out the 991.2 Turbo S, with its rather conservative handling, tearing up the Nordschleife on Pirelli P Zero Corsa N0 rubber in the video below.