The previous-generation Porsche 911 GT3 became famous for many things, and one of them was its blistering quick Nurburgring lap. But sports cars have a come a long way since 2011, and the 911 that once was among the fastest vehicles around the "Green Hell" is far from impressive six years later. But come 2017 and Porsche upgraded the GT3's "Ring lap with the latest iteration of the coupe, and it's as impressive as they get.

Updated to 991.2 specs, the new 911 GT3 gained better aerodynamics, 25 horsepower, and 15 pound-feet of torque. As a result, Porsche was able to improve the nameplate's Nurburgring time quite dramatically, shaving no fewer than 12.3 seconds off the previous GT3's benchmark. Specifically, the track-ready 911 lapped the "Green Hell" in seven minutes and 12.7 seconds, which makes it the second-fastest Porsche on the track after the 918 Spyder supercar.

How Quick Is That?

Nearly two seconds quicker than the Lexus LFA with the Nurburgring Package and just a tad slower than the Dodge Viper SRT-10 ACR, the 911 GT3 ranks eleventh in the 'Ring's fastest lap times statistic as of April 2017. That's an impressive achievement given that the top 10 includes vehicles such as the Radical SR8LM, Lamborghini Huracan Performante, Aventador SuperVeloce, Nissan GT-R Nismo, and Gumpert Apollo Speed. The fact that its main competitor in this niche, the Mercedes-AMG GT-R, is almost two seconds quicker is a bit of let-down, but the 911 GT3 is still incredibly fast given that it's the only vehicle on this list that has less than 550 horsepower at its disposal.

Top 10 Fastest Cars at Nurburgring

The new lap time was achieved with the PDK automatic transmission, but the massive 12-second improvement over the previous generation can also be attributed to a wide range of updates. As a brief reminder, the current 911 GT3 sports rear-axle steering and Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires, just to name a few.

“By achieving this time, we have emphatically proven that the new 911 GT3 not only provides the best driving experience but can also deliver an impressive performance on the Nordschleife. The focus was on optimizing the driving quality and adapting to the slight increase in engine power”, said Frank-Steffen Walliser, vice president of Motorsport and GT cars at Porsche. “A few years ago, lap times like this could only ever be achieved by thoroughbred racing cars with slick tires”, added Andreas Preuninger, director of GT Product Line. “The new GT3 can now achieve this with comparatively modest power, but is still fully suited to everyday use.”

Why It Matters?

When a 500-horsepower sports car is quicker than a large amount of vehicles rated at more than 600 horses, you know you're going to the right manufacturer.

Read our full review on the Porsche 911 GT3 here.