SUBSCRIBE TO THE
MAGAZINE NOW
Facebook-f Instagram

Shavin’ seconds: Porsche 911 GT3 goes 12s faster on its Nurburgring record

4 May, 2017

The news is rather ironic, considering that Andreas Preuninger, head of Porsche’s GT road car department, was quoted not a month ago claiming that Porsche was not obsessing over Nurburgring lap times … now their new 911 GT3 has managed to lap the ‘Ring with an impressive 12.3 seconds to spare over the previous model.

View fullsize

2018-Porsche-911-GT3-front-three-quarter-10.jpg

View fullsize

2018-Porsche-911-GT3-rear-three-quarter-in-motion-17.jpg

Equipped with the standard PDK transmission, rear-axle steering, optional carbon ceramic brakes, and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, the new GT3 was driven by Porsche test pilot, Lars Kern.

Setting a time of  7 minutes 12.7 seconds, it’s among the fastest to ever run the famous German track and represents performance improvement for a car that weighs roughly the same as its outgoing model and makes marginally more power. Significant credit then goes to aero changes between the two that has obviously made a big difference.

However, it’s not the fastest Porsche to tackle the ‘Ring; that is honour is held by the 918 Spyder — cranking out 887hp — which ran a blisteringly 6 minutes 57 seconds to holdthe production car world record up until recently.

But don’t take out word for it, watch as Kern slays the ‘Ring in 7 minutes 12.7 seconds

Motorsport Flashback –The right racing recipes, and cake

17 September, 2025

If a top-fuel dragster sits atop the horsepower list of open-wheel racing cars, then cars designed for the massively successful Formula Ford category are close to the opposite end. Invented in the mid-1960s as a cheap alternative to F3 for racing schools, the concept was staggeringly simple: introduce the Ford Kent pushrod to a spaceframe chassis; keep engine modifications to a minimum; same tyres for all; ban aerodynamic appendages; and you get the most phenomenally successful single-seater class of racing car the world has ever seen.
The first-ever race for these 1600cc mini-GP cars took place in England in July 1967, but it quickly took off. The US and Australia were among the earliest adopters. It took us a little longer because we had the much-loved National Formula, comprising predominantly Brabhams, Ken Smith’s Lotus, and Graham McRae’s gorgeous self-built cars, all powered by the Lotus-Ford twin-cam. After a memorable championship in 1968/69 the class was nearly on its knees a year later. The quality was still there with Smith winning his national title, just, from McRae, but the numbers had fallen. Formula Ford was the obvious replacement and was introduced for the 1970/71 season as ‘Formula C’.

Angela’s ashes

28 August, 2025

In November 2018, Howard Anderson had a dream of finding a 1964 Vauxhall PB Cresta to recreate the car he, his wife, Ruth, and three friends travelled in from London to Invercargill in 1969. The next night’s dream was a nightmare. He dreamed he would find the original Angela but it was a rusted wreck somewhere in Southland.
Howard’s inspiration came from reading about a driver in the 1968 London–Sydney Marathon who was reunited with his Vauxhall Ventora 50 years later. He, Ruth, and her parents had watched the start of the rally from Crystal Palace in South London. The fashion at the time among the rally and race set was to paint bonnets flat black to avoid the sun’s reflections flashing into the driver’s eyes, thus saving them from certain disaster. Howard admired the flat black bonnet on the Ventora so much he had Angela’s bonnet painted dull black.