Nurburgring record lap times are not without their controversy. Some say it ruins the tuning of the cars, making them too stiff on normal roads. Some manufacturers have been caught using non-street-legal tires or special suspension setups. Also, the definition of “production car” can be debated; however, the 12.9-mile, 154-turn Nurburgring is technically a toll road, meaning the regulations of Germany and the European Union apply.
Personally, if you want a street car that’s built for a track day, we think it is a good measuring stick and development tool. If you don’t want that out of your daily driver, you may think differently.
For this list, the cars have to be street legal, use OEM tires and have uncut onboard video proof.
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10. Mercedes-AMG GT R
The Mercedes-AMG GT-R wore Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires for its 10th-place run back in December 2016. The RWD German rocket has a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 making 577 hp in the most extreme version of the AMG GT. It uses supplemental electric rear steering to increase maneuverability.
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9. Nissan GT-R Nismo N-Attack
The Nismo version of Nissan’s GT-R is the quick one — Nismo of course stands for Nissan Motorsports, but this is the one with the extra tuning. It ran on Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT tires, with Michael Krumm at the helm. Its time of 7 minutes, 8.679 seconds had it in eighth place, until that pesky GT2 knocked it back one.
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8 & 7. Dodge Viper ACR
The next two spots are both held by the Dodge Viper — the first American car on this list, by the way. It ran a 7:01.3 with Lance David Arnold at the wheel and a 7:03.45 with Dominik Farnbacher, of Farnbacher-Loles fame. The Viper, as you know, has a V10 and makes 640 hp. The ACR version, which both of these were, gets extra aero, including a rear wing big enough to block out the sun.
6. Lamborghini Aventator 750-4 Superveloce
The all-wheel drive Superveloce now comes in sixth on the list. It’s 744-hp (750 PS) V12 is good for a time of 6 minutes, 59.73 seconds on Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires. Marco Mapelli, a Lamborghini factory driver, was behind the wheel.
The 918 Spyder was and is a marvel of modern technology. Its ‘Ring run happened in 2013 when it clicked off a time of 6 minutes, 57 seconds. The Spyder’s 4.6-liter V8 and two electric motors deliver an astounding 875 hp and 944 lb-ft to the rear wheels.
4. Radical SR8
This is the more “pedestrian” version of the Radical SR8 LM. It has a few less ponies, but it weighs about the same. It set a time of 6 minutes, 55 seconds way back in 2005. Driver Michael Vergers was at the wheel for both Radical runs.
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3. Lamborghini Huracan Performante
The all-wheel-drive Huracan Performante gets active aero and carbon bits at the corners, along with a 640-hp V10. It comes in at cool $274,390, and it held second place with a time of 6 minutes, 52.01 seconds on the ‘Ring list for about a year, until Porsche bumped it down.
2. Radical SR8 LM
This is a purpose-built track car that’s barely legal on the street. It uses a teeny, screaming 2.8-liter V8 making 455 hp. It weighs about 1,600 pounds, hence its insane lap time of 6 minutes, 48.28 seconds.
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We just saw this lap. Porsche driver Lars Kern laid down a time of 6 minutes, 47.25 seconds after a handful of tries. It was using Michelin Pilot Cup 2 tires, along with a 700-hp 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six motor. It’s good to have an undebatable production car at the top of the leaderboard.
We’ll be updating this list as new challengers come to the table. Speaking of, there’s a new crop of F1-inspired hyper GT cars on their way from McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin; maybe one of them can knock Porsche off the top spot. Regardless, it’ll be fun to watch.