► 7:27.8 lap
► 2.11 fasster than a Porsche Panamera Turbo S
► Also faster than the outgoing 911 GT2
Mercedes-AMG has reclaimed the honour of building the fastest “executive” car to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife, after unleashing its new GT 63 S around the circuit in record time.
The updated GT 63 S tore around the full 20.832km-long track in 7min and 27.8sec, smashing the executive category record set in the hands of Porsche with a Panamera Turbo S by 2.11sec.
According to Nurburgring GmbH “executive car” is defined by the German Federal Transport Authority (KBA) and includes examples like the Audi A8, A7 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Given Porsche reset the record lap earlier this year, factory AMG driver Demian Schaffert would have found extra delight in lowering the benchmark time given he piloted the GT 63 S that set the first record lap in 2018.
Underlining that there’s no love lost between the two high-performance brands, AMG in its own press release explicitly states the lap record left their grasp for only three months.
And where did the GT 63 S find this new pace? Equipped with the optional-for-Europe Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres and aero package, AMG says the record setting car was otherwise completely standard save for some suspension fine tuning for the new model year version.
But it does admit a luxury bucket seat and race harnesses were fitted for safety – two items that would not affect performance.
Updates to the GT 63 S exist only within the cabin. Inside it welcomes the brand’s well-known and highly intuitive MBUX infotainment program with AMG specific displays, along with a wide-screen cockpit and a large sweeping digital dash screen.
Both the new GT 63 S and the Porsche Panamera Turbo S it crushed have also proved quicker around the track than Porsche’s previous generation 911 GT2 – a stripped-out twin-turbo super sports car with two seats.
Back over to you, Porsche.