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This Is How a Real-Life Porsche Cayman GT4 Nurburgring Hot Lap Looks Like (7:53)

If you ask Porsche, the Cayman GT4 can lap the Nurburgring in 7:40. And while Zuffenhausen prefers a conservative approach when it comes to performance numbers, official lap times and what the chronograph on your dashboard will show are usually two different things.
Cayman GT on Nurburgring 1 photo
Photo: Youtube screenshot
First of all, the numbers that make it to the news are achieved during traffic-free laps, which is not exactly the case when owners attend Touristenfahrten (tourist days) events to put their cars to the test.

Then there's the intoxicating mix between Green Hell knowledge and everyday performance driving practice works drivers deliver - we're not sure about the GT4, but we can tell you that, on the day the 918 Spyder achieved its 'Ring Production Car Record (6:57), Porsche had three drivers flying on the track.

However, we're here today to show you how a real-life Cayman GT4 Nordschleife hot lap looks like. You know, the kind that involves other cars and a driver who might know his way around fast metal, but doesn't earn his living by manhandling vehicles on circuits.

The video below brings us a Porsche Cayman GT4 owner who recorded himself while pulling a 7:53 'Ring lap, so we're talking about a respectable time here. For the sake of comparison, we've added another clip at the bottom of the page.

The second clip shows sport auto's Christian Gebhardt taking the GT4 round the Nordschleife in 7:42 - as 'Ring aficionados know, the German publication is a respected independent authority when it comes to setting lap times on the infamous German track.

Over the last decade or so, Nurburgring lap times have been on a carousel ride - at first, their importance was exaggerated, with this obviously leading to manufacturers sometimes cutting corners towards this goal, which was done by biasing the overall setup of a car or by sheer cheating.

As a result, certain enthusiasts started ignoring Green Hell times, but this is also a mistake. You see, 'Ring numbers should be treated just like a car's top speed, which means they are important indicators of a car's go-fast abilities, but nothing more.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
Andrei Tutu profile photo

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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