Porsche Panamera Turbo Allegedly Laps the Nurburgring in 7:56 , Beats the CTS-V by 3 Sec

If the report on German magazine Sportauto is true and rally legend and Porsche test driver, Walter Röhrl, did indeed lap the Nordschleife track in 7 minutes and 56 seconds with the new Panamera Turbo, then there goes Cadillac's claim for having the fastest sedan on the block. We remind you that the 556HP CTS-V's 7:59.32 run of the Nurburgring Nordschleife in May 2008, was thought to be the fastest-ever lap time for a production sedan.

To refresh your memory, the Turbo is the fastest and most powerful version in the Panamera range. Fitted with Porsche's all-wheel drive system as standard, it is powered by a 4.8-liter turbocharged V8 that makes 500HP at 6,000 rpm and 700Nm or 516 lb-ft of torque from 2,500 to 4,500 rpm (770Nm or 567 lb-ft with overboost in conjunction with the Sports Chrono pack).

The Panamera Turbo reaches 100km/h (62mph) from rest in 4.2 sec or 4.0 sec with the Sports Chrono package, and can go on to a top speed of 303km/h or 188mph.

Aside from stirring fiery conversations on forum boards and websites as well as offering Porsche some bragging rights, we can't see any other use for these lap time records. Our opinion is that, as in the case of the Nissan GT-R and the Corvette ZR1, the Nordschleife lap times shouldn't be taken seriously by the majority of people that are actually interested in buying of one of these cars.

Via: Sportauto , Hat tip to Marcus!

VIDEO: Porsche Panamera S and 4S V8 400HP, and Turbo V8 500HP in Detail

The way we see it, the new Porsche Panamera is one of those cars you either love or hate, but under no circumstances are indifferent to. Porsche knows this very well so the Germans are trying to make the best of it in terms of publicity by constantly releasing something new on their first-ever production sports saloon. This time we have a 20-minute long video of the Panamera that shows in detail the first three variants of the car that will be available for sale in September.

The Panamera S and 4S are moved by a 4.8-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine making 400 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 500Nm or 369 lb-ft of peak torque from 3,500 to 5,000 rpm. In the S, power is transferred to the rear wheels via a standard six-speed manual gearbox or optionally, a seven-speed double-clutch PDK transmission.

In this configuration, the five-door sports sedan the five-door sports sedan accelerates from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 5.6 sec or 5.4sec if you opt for the PDK transmission and the Sports Chrono Plus package, and goes on to a top speed of 285km/h (177mph) or 283km/h (176mph) respectively.

The all-wheel drive 4S which is offered only with the PDK transmission, goes from 0 to 100km/h 5.0 sec (4.8 sec with the Sports Chrono Plus package) and on to a top speed of 282 km/h or 175mph.

Currently the most powerful version of the Panamera is the all-wheel drive Turbo that is fitted with a 4.8-liter turbocharged V8 cranking out 500HP at 6,000 rpm and 700Nm or 516 lb-ft of torque from 2,500 to 4,500 rpm (770Nm or 567 lb-ft with overboost in conjunction with the Sports Chrono pack).

The V8 Turbo engine is linked to a seven-speed double-clutch transmission with Porsche claiming a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 4.2 sec (-0.2 with the Sports Chrono) and a maximum speed of 303km/h or 188mph.

Porsche Four-Door Sedans of the Past or How to Make the Panamera Look Good

The famous automaker from Stuttgart is no stranger to controversy. And like the Cayenne SUV, Porsche's first ever production four door sedan, the all-new Panamera sports saloon received some decidedly mixed reviews in concern of its styling. But compared with some past attempts to create a four-door Porsche, the Panamera looks like a piece of art -okay, okay, maybe we're exaggerating a bit here just to make a point.

The first Porsche saloon you see pictured on your right hand was based on the late 1960's 911. It was a one-off custom creation built by California coach builder Troutman-Barnes with the blessings of Porsche.

It is claimed that the eerie-looking sports saloon with the rear suicide doors and the four-seat layout was crafted by conjoining two crashed 1967 911s.

In the mid-1980s, Porsche and AMG (then, an independent company) developed a fully working prototype of a four-door 928 S4 that could be viewed today as the Mazda RX-8's forefather. It featured an extended wheelbase, half-sized suicide rear doors and looks that kill - literally...

The bizarre-looking 1986 928 S4 saloon was delivered to the founder and CEO of American Sunroof Corporation (ASC), Heinz Prechter. In August 2002, the car was changed hands at the RM Monterey Auctions for $44,000, or $1,000 less than the low estimate.

And last but perhaps not least as there may be another custom built or concept Porsche sedan that we are not aware of, is the 989 prototype that was created under the watchful eye of Dr. Ulrich Bez, now in charge of Aston Martin.

Quite possibly the closest relative to the Panamera, the V8-powered 989 sedan project kicked off in the late 1980s but was terminated in the early 1990s as falling sales of the 928 made Porsche rethink the idea twice. Even though the Stuttgart-based automaker initially said that the concept model had been destroyed, later on, officials claimed that the 989 remains in storage hidden away from prying eyes.

Via: Insideline , Photo Sources: Tamerlane's Thoughts & Conceptcarz

Porsche Panamera Sports Sedan: New Album with 80 High-Res Photos

More Panamera photos? Well, why not, it's a hot summer weekend, news is slow today anyway and since Porsche showcased its four-door (five if you take into count the tailgate) sports sedan to the media, we now have a fresh batch of photos taken during the presentation of the car as well as a dozen or so new press pics.

When the Panamera begins arriving at Porsche's dealerships in mid September, it will be offered with two V8 engines cranking out 400HP (rear-wheel and all-wheel drive versions) and 500HP (exclusively all-wheel drive). A 300HP six-cylinder petrol engine and a V6 hybrid version will complete the range the following year.

Photos: UP and Porsche