It may look all the same on the outside beyond that new paint scheme, but the new Porsche 911 Turbo has been tweaked to allow the legendary machine to slash its predecessor's Nurburgring Nordscheife time by a full ten seconds.

15 extra kilowatts from its all-new, 3.8-litre, turbo direct petrol injection boxer-six and a refettled chassis and suspension has given the 911 Turbo to razor edge to slice its lap to 7 minutes and 27 seconds.

The 230kW-per-ton vehicle is even quicker than the Poreche Carrera GT and compares to rival Nissan GT-R's latest 7m26s - a time much disputed by Porsche.

Nurburgring Roll of Honour

30 Fastest Laps at the Nordscheife to date (14 October 2009)

1. Gumpert Apollo S 7m11s
2. Dodge Viper SRT-10 ACR 7m22s
3. Maserati MC12 7m24s
4. Pagani Zonda F Clubssport 7m24s
5. Ferrari Enzo 7m25s
6. Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 7m26s
7. Nissan GT-R 7m26s
8. Porsche 911 997 Turbo 7m38s
9. Porsche Carrera GT 7m28s
10. Koenigsegg CCX 7m33s
11. Bugatti Veyron 16.4 7m40s
12. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 7m40s
13. Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 7m40s
14. Ford GT 7m40s
15. Porsche 911 996 GT3 7m42s
16. Porsche 911 996 GT2 7m46s
17. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano 7m47s
18. BMW M3 CSL 7m50s
19. Nissan GT-R (Porsche 'Test') 7m54s
20. Porsche Panamera Turbo 7m56s
21. Cadillac CTS-V 7m59s
22. Mercedes CLK 63 AMG Black 8m02s
23. Aston Martin V8 Vantage 8m03s
24. Audi R8 8m04s
25. BMW M3 V8 8m05s
26. Subaru WRX STi Spec-C 8m06s
27. Audi RS4 8m09s
28. BMW M6 8m09s
29. BMW M5 V10 8m13s

Fastest Sedan

21: Porsche Panamera Turbo - 7m56s

Fastest Hot Hatch

31: Renault Mégane RS R26.R - 8m16s

Taking a launch literally Here's a launch that will go down as one of the most daring and dramatic vehicle unveilings.

Turbosaurus Rex Nissan has quietly released an updated GT-R with some subtle but significant changes.

Scoobies in the rough Subaru's new 'combo-cars' - the Legacy and Outback - are ready to roam local roads.