Pagani sets Nurburgring record
Ultra-niche Italian purveyor of supercars sets a new benchmark at the Nurburgring NordschleifePorsche's Carrera GT has been toppled as the fastest production car at the hallowed Nurburgring Nordschleife (Northern Loop).
The honour now belongs to the Pagani Zonda F Clubsport, which circulated the daunting 20.8km circuit in a blistering time of 7:27.82.
This feat enabled it to eclipse the V10-powered Porsche Carrera GT's benchmark by a scant two-tenths of a second and cement its place (at least for now) as the king of supercars in terms of real-world speed (for which the Nurburgring seems to a reasonable indicator).
The Pagani's average velocity around the undulating Nordschleife was just under 160km/h, which would have been inconceivable for a production car as recently as a decade ago.
Pagani's contender was the Zonda F Clubsport version, which will be topped in due course by the even more hardcore Zonda R Clubsport.
The key to the Zonda's pace is a Herculean power-to-weight ratio, as its 7.3-litre AMG V12 engine kicks out 443kW and 760Nm -- and it has to haul just 1230kg.
The car's light weight is thanks in no small part to the liberal use of carbonfibre in the Zonda's construction. It's no slouch in the twisties, as evidence by its ability to generate 1.5G of cornering force.
The Zonda F is equipped with fully adjustable shock absorbers and its aerodynamics have been honed to provide a balance of downforce and straight-line speed. For what it's worth, the car's v-max is quoted at 345km/h.
Porsche Carrera GT: 7:28
Porsche 997 GT 2: 7:32
Koenigsegg CCR: 7:34
Nissan GT-R prototype: 7:38
Mercedes SLR McLaren: 7:40
Porsche 911 Turbo: 7:40
Bugatti Veyron: 7:40
Corvette Z06: 7:42
Porsche 911 GT3: 7:42
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