The 2020 Mini John Cooper Works GP came with many superlatives even before its L.A. debut in November last year. Apart from the bonkers body kits, it's the fastest and most powerful production Mini ever built, drawing power from a reworked 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot that makes 302 bhp (225 kilowatts) and 332 pound-feet (450 Newton-metres) of torque. That surge of power is available as early as 1,750 RPM.

Of note, these numbers 74-bhp (55 kW) increase over the standard JCW. You can thank the upgraded internals, a larger volume intake, free-flowing exhaust, and a tweaked turbocharger for this improvement.

Gallery: Mini John Cooper Works GP (2020)

More importantly, Mini said that the JCW GP has beaten its previous record at the Nürburgring, although that was done by its pre-production prototype wrapped in red camo. Mini is yet to release an official time, only touting an under eight-minute lap at the 'Ring.

Youtube channel Sport Auto decided to lap the 'Ring on its own with a JCW GP, presumably to challenge Mini's claim. With test driver Christian Gebhardt at the helm, the JCW GP clocked in eight minutes and 3.86 seconds – certainly not better than Mini's claim but still besting the previous eight minutes and 23 seconds time set by the 2013 Mini JCW GP.

Sport Auto said that the temperature during the test run wasn't perfect. The air temperature was at 27 degrees Celsius (80.6 degrees Fahrenheit) while the track itself was at 53 degrees Celsius (127.4 degrees Fahrenheit). The suspension setup was also more of a road car rather than for the track. We're guessing these factors could have affected the underwhelming test run.

For now, we can settle for this best run for the 2020 JCW GP – until Mini releases an official lap time for the revered pocket rocket.