• A new hybrid Porsche 911 has lapped the 12.94-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:16.934—8.7 seconds faster than a comparable predecessor.

• Since Porsche won’t yet specify the 992.1 model that the hybrid 992.2 beat, that’s up for debate, with speculation focusing on the Carrera S and GTS.

• The lap-time news comes as Porsche wraps development of the 911’s new hybrid powertrain; more details will come when the 992.2 generation debuts on May 28.

When the new Porsche 911 hybrid hits the streets, it will be considerably faster around a racetrack than a comparable predecessor. Last week, Porsche announced that an unnamed hybrid-powered 992.2-generation model set a time of 7:16.934 around Germany’s famous 12.94-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife. The company also purposefully pointed out that that time is 8.7 seconds faster than the “corresponding version of the predecessor model.” Which 992.1 model is that? Well, that’s what everyone wants to know.

A Game Called Name That 992.1

Porsche has confirmed that a 2020 911 Carrera S posted a time of seven minutes and 25 seconds back in 2019 (about 8.1 seconds slower than the new hybrid). However, it’s worth noting that around that time is when the people who operate the track started regulating lap times, including new rules about where a lap starts and finishes. Essentially, the ‘Ring grew from 12.8 to 12.94 miles long, meaning lap times set before the 2019 rule changes can’t be directly compared to those that came after. Something we learned when Honda touted the Civic Type R S’s ‘Ring time.

Still, it’s unclear if the 992.1 Carrera S was timed with the new or old rules and how much that might affect things. Also, as the Porsche Club of America points out, the 992.1 GTS had an official lap time of 7:25.632, which is 8.698 ticks slower than the new hybrid 911. While nothing has been confirmed, we like the PCA’s detective work and agree that the GTS is likely the comp for the hybrid-powered car’s lap time.

Porsche also said the hybrid model, which was driven around the ‘Ring by Jörg Bergmeister, wore unspecified standard road tires and was equipped with an aero kit and a fixed rear wing, both of which are existing options.

Of course, we won’t have to wait too long to find out the identity of the gas-electric 911 variant. Porsche plans to reveal the new 992.2 generation next week on Tuesday, May 28. That’s when the world will learn more details about the newest 911, including its hybrid powertrain that the automaker just completed development on.

So far, Car and Driver has reported that the new hybrid powertrain is said to be co-developed with Rimac. The hybridized 395-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter flat-six pairs with a 400-volt electrical system, an integrated starter-generator, and an electric motor that’s good for between 80–90 horses; we expect the hybrid 911 to have a combined output of around 475 hp. And wouldn’t you know it, that’s about the same as the current GTS.

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