It’s no secret that a new flagship Porsche Panamera is in development. Currently dubbed the “Lion,” this new Panamera is rumored to take the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid’s spot at the top of the Panamera fleet. And now it seems that the Lion is gunning for a new Nurburgring lap record.
A few days ago, this new model was spotted at the Nurburgring, and it did not seem to be slowing down. Rumor has it that the Lion ran an unofficial lap of around 7 minutes and 11 seconds. This is just as fast as a 991.2 GT3 and around 12 seconds faster than the current 4 door record holder, the Jaguar XE SV Project 8. It was being followed by a BMW camera car, so it’s very possible that the 7 minute, 11 second lap is official and they were just filming a promotional video for when the Lion is finally revealed.
Despite its public sightings, very little is known about the Lion. From the outside, we can see that it is based off of the current Panamera Turbo (no wagon has been seen testing) with some additional aero bits and what looks to be larger brakes and retuned suspension. As far as the powertrain goes, it’s all but certain that the Lion will be powered by a 4.0 liter twin turbo V8 (likely the same engine found in the Panamera Turbo models), except it’ll be making MUCH more power. It is unclear whether Porsche will use and hybrid assistance but either way, expect the new car to make at least 750 hp. This would make it faster than any Mercedes AMG GT63, Mercedes AMG E63, or BMW M5.
The Lion is also rumored to feature a number of weight saving features never before seen on a Panamera. Expect lightweight seats, reduced noise dampening, and less luxury features at the minimum. It’s also said that this will be the first Panamera model to be branded as a GT model. Could it be that this car is being developed by Porsche motorsport?
Whatever the Lion is, expect to find out soon, since it will likely be revealed alongside a facelifted Panamera, which we know is coming soon.
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