Lotus 3-Eleven Faster Than a Porsche 918 at Hockenheimring

By Tony Markovich - March 14, 2016

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Germany, you’ve just been schooled by the United Kingdom. Worse yet, it was done on German territory at the Hockenheimring Short Circuit.

Before the Lotus 3-Eleven came into town to take its turn on the course, the top three fastest recorded laps belonged to the Porsche 918 Spyder (1:06.3 min), the Gumpert Apollo (1:07.2), and the Radical SR3 SL (1:08.1). The 3-Eleven crossed the line at 106.2. It was close, but as Dominic Toretto taught us in Fast & Furious, it don’t matter if you won by an inch or a mile, winning is winning.

The Lotus and the Porsche are two entirely different realms of the animal kingdom. The 3-Eleven has a 3.5-liter V6 that delivers 460 horsepower and 387 lb-ft of torque in a car that only weighs 1,962 pounds. The 918 is a plug-in hybrid with a 4.6-liter V8 and two electric motors that make 887 horsepower and 940 lb-ft. It also has all-wheel drive, but weighs 3,700 pounds. Tech vs. basic, power vs. lightweight — it’s always fun to see what is possible with different styles and setups of cars. This proves no one way is right.

Just kidding, everybody knows this doesn’t mean jack until it’s done at the Nurburgring. Anyway, here’s video footage of the run.