Porsche 911 GT3 RS laps 'Ring in 7:33

It's been a while since any brag-worthy feats have been achieved at the Nurburgring, so it's perhaps timely that Porsche's new MY2010 911 GT3 RS recently lapped the 20.8km Nordschleife (Northern Loop) in a none-too-tardy 7min 33sec.

To put this in perspective, that's a full six seconds quicker than the 7:39 quoted by Porsche for its stonking new 911 Turbo (watch this space for our upcoming first-drive report from Portugal).

However, the 7:33 lap still puts the GT3 RS six-and-a-bit seconds adrift of the time claimed by Nissan for its twin-turbo, all-paw GT-R (although Porsche officials are still adamant there's no way in the 'Green Hell' that time could have been achieved in a showroom-standard car with road tyres).

Be that as it may, the GT3 RS all but matches its brutal twin-turbo 911 GT2 stablemate, which has 390kW and 680Nm at its disposal. By comparison, the GT3 RS makes do with 331kW and 430Nm from its normally aspirated 3.8-litre flat-six.

It's worth noting the 7:33 lap was set in "light traffic", and Porsche is reportedly confident a 7:30 is within the car's capabilities.

Although down on power and torque against the likes of the Nissan GT-R, Corvette ZR1 and Dodge Viper ACR, the GT3 RS is aided by a relatively sprightly kerb weight of 1370kg, as well as braking/handling dynamics that we can only imagine are staggering (seeing as we're yet to drive the car).

The lap time puts the GT3 RS in some pretty elite company, with the 'production car' record currently held by the absurdly quick Radical SR8LM in the capable hands of Michael Vergers (watch the video by clicking on the link).

The 'Ring-meisters
6:48  Radical SR8LM -- Michael Vergers (19 August 2009)  
6:55  Radical SR8 -- Michael Vergers (28 September 2005)  
7:11.5  Gumpert Apollo Speed -- Florian Gruber (13 August 2009)
7:22.1  Dodge Viper ACR (2009) -- Tom Coronel (18 August 2008) 
7:24.3  Maserati MC12 -- Marc Basseng (August 2008)
7:24.7  Pagani Zonda F Clubsport -- Marc Basseng  (August 2008)  
7:25.3  Ferrari Enzo -- Marc Basseng (August 2008)
7:26.4  Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 -- Jim Mero (27 June 2008)  
7:26.70 Nissan GT-R (2010)  -- Toshio Suzuki (23 April 2009)
7:27.82 Pagani Zonda F Clubsport -- Marc Basseng (September 2007)  
7:28.71 Porsche Carrera GT -- Walter Röhrl (2 July 2004) 

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