Porsche 911 GT3 RS Goes to Green Hell, Sets Speed Benchmark for Road-Approved Sports Cars

The Porsche 911 GT3 RS, running the demanding "Green Hell"
circuit in Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Photo: Porsche media website.

It's known as the most demanding race track in the world, so demanding that it has earned the nickname "Green Hell." That was the setting that Porsche Works race driver Kévin Estre was dealing with when he set a lap time of 6:56.4 minutes in a 520-hp Porsche 911 GT3 RS, according to a Porsche report released April 20.

Porsche stated that the 911 GT3 RS follows the 918 Spyder and the 911 GT2 RS as the third production Porsche sports car with a notarised lap time of less than seven minutes on the "Green Hell" track, officially known as the Nürburgring-Nordschleife circuit in  Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Porsche Unveils Refreshing New Twist on the Crossover: Meet the Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Concept

Our first reaction? To tell the truth, we were a little perplexed.

Hmm... well, it looks a little like a Veloster from the back... doesn't it?

Then, we took a closer look. And our verdict? This, dear readers, is definitely a twist on the crossover concept that we can applaud—as ambivalent as we have been, in general, about Porsche's moves beyond the traditional sports car category.

And, to add another layer of interest, it's an electric. An electric that makes 600 horsepower.

We'll forgive the floating roof. It's still a concept, and mistakes are correctable.