Please Meet The New Fastest Car in The World!*

The man at the wheel was Timo Bernhard, who in just five minutes and nineteen seconds lapped the 20.8km circuit. That’s an average speed of 233.8kph. That’s 51.58 seconds quicker than the previous record set by Stefan Bellof.

While it doesn’t exactly come with disclaimers, there are some noteworthy things I think we should mention. Bellof’s record of 6min11.13 seconds stood unchallenged for over 35 years, and was achieved in a very analogue Rothmans Porsche 956 C race car. Timo had his work cut out for him for sure, but this is a ‘no restrictions, the sky is the limit affair’ and with the gloves off in 2018 versus ditto in 1983 what with the advancements in technology, the result was elementary.

“This is a great moment for me and for the entire team – the 919 programme’s icing on the cake. The Evo was perfectly prepared and I have done my best on this lap. Thanks to the aerodynamic downforce, at sections I never imagined you can stay on full throttle. I’m pretty familiar with the Nordschleife. But today I got to learn it in a new way.”

Said the 37-year old German who remains a big fan of Bellof.

The car is a hard charging record devourer – on April 9 of this same year, it achieved a quicker lap time around Spa than an F1 car. This Evo iteration then is essentially a time-attack evolution of the Le Mans 24 Hour car that won in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

If anything this begs the question - unrestricted, what are all the world’s fiercest motorsport combatants able to achieve around the Nordschleife. Nascar, F1, BTCC, WRC, send us your finest, if only for a laugh.

Inside the beast: Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo - (919 Hybrid WEC)

Monocoque:

Composite material structure consisting of carbon fibre with an aluminium honeycomb core. The cockpit is closed.

Combustion engine:

V4 engine (90 degree cylinder bank angle), turbocharged, 4 valves per cylinder, DOHC, 1 Garrett turbocharger, direct petrol injection, fully load-bearing aluminium cylinder crankcase, dry sump lubrication
Max. engine speed: ≈ 9,000/min

Engine management:

Bosch MS5

Displacement:

2,000 cm3 (V4 engine)

Output:

Combustion engine: 720 hp, rear axle (< 500 PS)


MGU: 440 hp, front axle (> 400 PS)

Hybrid system:

KERS with a motor generator unit (MGU) mounted on the front axle; ERS for recuperation of energy from exhaust gases. Energy storage in a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery with cells from A123 Systems

Drive system:

Rear wheel drive, traction control (ASR), temporary all-wheel drive at the front axle via the electric motor when boosted, hydraulically operated sequential 7-speed racing gearbox

Chassis:

Independent front and rear wheel suspension, push-rod layout with adjustable dampers and Pitch Link System with actively controlled lockout system (no actively controlled lockout system in the 919 WEC version)

Brake system:

4-wheel brake-by-wire system (front-rear brake-by-wire system), monoblock light alloy brake calipers, ventilated carbon fibre brake discs front and rear.

Variable control of wheel torques to optimize the car balance (variable control of torque distribution front to rear).

Wheels and tyres:

Forged magnesium wheel rims from BBS; Michelin Radial tyres, front and rear: 310/710-18