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The Nurburgring Nordschleife

The Nurburgring Nordschleife is just under 13 miles long, and comprises of an unbelievable 154 corners. This makes it the longest race track in the world and it is located around the medieval castle of Nurburg in the Eifel mountains, Germany. Due to the location, and its infamous history with racing - involving some famous altercations with well-known racing drivers - it's easy to see why it has been dubbed as the 'The Green Hell'.

Today, anyone can pay €25 a lap and drive the infamous circuit for themselves. We recommend doing your research before going for yourself, as getting it wrong on the 'ring can become extremely expensive. Manufacturers often book out complete days at this historic circuit for testing their latest performance model. Car makers will test anything from the newest hot hatchback to the latest 700 bhp supercar to improve the ride, handling and of course, lap time.

Getting a table-topping lap time at the Nurburgring is a universally respected badge of honour lusted after by the world's greatest car makers. Sometimes, it's surprising just how quick some cars can achieve, especially if it's from a manufacturer with no real history of ground-breaking performance cars. Clearly, Porsche is not one of these manufacturers. Read on to find out more about our top 5 Porsche's to tackle the Nurburgring.

Nuêrburgring Nordschleife

1. GT2 RS: The World Record Breaker

The Porsche 911 is arguably the world's most iconic sports car, thanks to its distinctive shape which is relatively similar to the original, a car which was originally launched back in the early '60s. The GT2 RS is the most 'hardcore' 911 in the range. The first generation was launched in 2010 coming with a monumental 611bhp, good enough for 62mph in just 3.5 seconds. Fast forward to 2017, and Porsche has released the second generation GT2 RS with even more power, 691bhp to be exact; that's 120bhp more than the ultra-rapid 911 Turbo S and 80bhp more than its predecessor. The all-new GT2 RS can hit 60mph in a mind-blowing 2.8 seconds.

On 20th September 2017, Porsche took the GT2 RS to the 'Green Hell' and came away with a brand-new record for the fastest street-legal car ever with a time of 6 minutes 47 seconds, beating the likes of Radical (who make purpose built road legal track cars) and Lamborghini. To put this into perspective, any time under 8 minutes is considered fast, so to smash the 7-minute mark and by a considerable margin is really quite unbelievable. Watch the video to see for yourself.

2. 918 Spyder

What makes the new GT2 RS time so incredible is the fact that it is quicker than Porsche's flagship hypercar around the 'ring - the 918 Spyder, by an incredible 10 seconds. This is due to a number of reasons including the 918 being first sold in 2013, and Porsche development has since advanced even further. Then, the GT2 RS is significantly lighter, has more mechanical downforce, more tyre grip and can use its available power almost all the time, whereas the 918 can't always use its electric power to complement its V8 engine. This means 918 Spyder now sits as the fifth fastest street-legal car ever. At 6:57, the 918 Spyder was the first Porsche to break the 7-minute barrier and demonstrates the very latest in hybrid technology.

918 Spyder

3. 911 GT3

Another iconic 911, this time the all-new 911 GT3 (991.2). Housing a 4.0-litre, 493bhp engine, it can hit 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds and will top out at 197mph. The GT3 is a more track focused vehicle, yet it's not as hardcore as the 991 GT3 RS. Interestingly however it is faster around the 'ring, achieving a 7 minute 12 second lap time. This is due to the GT3 RS being based on the 991.1 GT3, whereas this new 991.2 GT3 has a whole load more technology and power than its predecessor - making it 12 seconds faster the than the 991.1 GT3.

991.2 GT3

4. GT2 RS Gen 1

The original flagship 911. With 611bhp it is a serious track weapon and could hit 62mph in just 3.5 seconds. It lapped the 'ring in just 7 minutes 18 seconds making it still a force to be reckoned with. In comparison, the new GT2 RS is 31 seconds quicker. Showing just how much Porsche has developed the GT2 RS model since 2010.

GT2 RS 2010

5. 911 997 Turbo

The 911 Turbo has always been a monumentally quick car. The 997 Turbo has 480bhp and can destroy 62 mph from standstill in only 3.7 seconds. As a result, and to show just how quick the more modern 911 (991) models are, the 911 (997) turbo is over a minute slower than the record-breaking GT2 RS, with a lap time of 7 minutes 54 seconds. In its defence, the 997 generation turbo is over ten years old and is still blisteringly quick.

997 Turbo

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