2009 Porsche 911 Turns Fast Times on the 'Ring

STUTTGART, Germany — Nissan's 2009 GT-R supercar showed its mettle on the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife race circuit with a 7 minute, 29 second lap time, and GM was eager to boast about the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V's recent 7:59 run, too. But Porsche has kept a lower profile, only now posting new 2009 911 lap times at a media event in Germany.

According to a Porsche display, the German automaker timed three different 911s for comparison. The fastest was a 2009 911 Carrera S outfitted with Porsche's new twin-clutch automated manual Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) transmission, PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) Sport, and "sports tires," turning a 7:50 lap time.

Next was a 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S (presumably with manual transmission) turning a 7:58. Four seconds slower was a current 911 Carrera S (presumably equipped comparably to the 2009 manual car), turning an 8:02.

Porsche says the PDK shifts 60 percent faster than the former Tiptronic S automatic, and offers a small improvement in fuel economy over the six-speed manual-equipped 911.

What this means to you: Faster 'round the 'Ring than the previous 911, but still smoked by the GT-R. — Kelly Toepke, News Editor