Porsche’s Panamera has always had the potential to stand for a polarizing entry in the automaker’s range. It is a liftback four-door limousine that could be described both as a hatchback and a sedan without being entirely wrong on both accounts. Still, since its introduction back in 2009 it became another bustling success for the sports car maker that is currently selling more SUVs than two-door models.
So why did they need to kick off the teasing campaign for the second-generation facelift with a convoluted take on the increasingly scandalous Nurburgring Nordschleife record story is way beyond any of us. Are they trying to make a fool out of themselves by having the enthusiast community point out they never heard of the “executive cars” category?!
As the story unfolded, Porsche announced last week that it “has proven the performance potential of the new Panamera even before the car’s world premiere.” Back on July 24th, test driver Lars Kern swinged around the legendary course over 20.832 kilometers in 7:29.81 minutes.
With just a quick search across the vast Internet anyone could find out that – while arguably impressive – does not hold its own against either the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S (7:25.41) nor the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 (7:21.23). Those are the absolute best in the four-door and the sedan category, respectively.
We suspect even Porsche has trouble believing itself – yes, split personality is a common trait among automakers as well (the stress of sales gets the better of anyone, really). So, they are trying to convince everybody – including themselves – they did the right thing releasing the “record” statement with a spectacular onboard POV (point-of-view) featuring Kern at the wheel.
The footage (embedded below), just like any full-throttle all hell breaks loose video featuring the North loop of the legendary track is spectacular, we’ll give Porsche that. But we must wonder if that official ranking they are so proud of was “certified by a public notary” standing on the backseat while Lars chauffeured him around the circuit.
Seriously, that would have really settled the Nurburgring executive cars conundrum for us... Porsche, here you go, a real missed opportunity for social media perfection in the notarial sector!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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