Over 20 kilometres of asphalt, 73 bends (33 on the right and 40 on the left), a gradient of up to 17% uphill and 11% downhill. This is the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the 'green hell', one of the most iconic circuits in the world.
The 'Ring' is much more than just a track. It's a veritable test bed for manufacturers, who put their sportiest models through their paces on this extremely technical circuit. From Volkswagen to Bugatti, via Renault, Mercedes and BMW (to name but a few), many manufacturers have 'set foot' at the Nürburgring, even in an attempt to set a lap record.
Indeed, since the 1990s, the Nürburgring has become a laboratory for manufacturers to fine-tune the performance of their cars and attempt to break speed and performance records. So let's take a look at the rankings and the fastest cars from the green inferno.
Production cars
The definition of 'production vehicle' covers models that are produced in large numbers and offered for sale on the mass market. According to the Guinness World Record, at least 30 examples of a given model must have been produced to be considered a production vehicle.
The Mercedes-AMG ONE's record in the ring
The times recorded are made official by journalistic sources in the field or by the carmakers themselves, accompanied by videos documenting the feat.
| Car | Time | Driver | Date | Notes | Circuit length |
| Mercedes-AMG One | 6:35.183 | Maro Engel | 28/10/2022 | Test carried out by Mercedes | 20,600 m |
| Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey Performance Kit (991.2) | 6:38.835 | Lars Kern | 14/06/2021 | Test carried out by Porsche | - |
| Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series | 6:43.616 | Maro Engel | 04/11/2020 | Test conducted by Mercedes | - |
| Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992.1) | 6:44.848 | Jörg Bergmeister | 05/10/2022 | Test carried out by Porsche | - |
| Lamborghini Aventador LP770-4 SVJ (2018) | 6:44.97 | Marco Mapelli | 26/07/2018 | Record set during the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tests | 20,600 m |
| Porsche 911 GT2 RS (991.2) | 6:47.25 | Lars Kern | 20/09/2017 | Test carried out by Porsche | - |
| Radical SR8 LM | 6:48.28 | Michael Vergers | 19/08/2009 | In England, there was a diatribe between Evo, which considered the vehicle to be "street legal", and Sport Auto, which saw it the other way around. | 20,600 m |
| Lamborghini Huracán LP 640-4 Performante (2017) | 6:52.01 | Marco Mapelli | 05/10/2016 | Test carried out by Lamborghini | 20,600 m |
| Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series | 6:52.54 | Christian Gebhardt | 07/07/2021 | Test driven by 'Sport Auto' | - |
| Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992.1) | 6:54.99 | Christian Gebhardt | 19/10/2022 | Test driven by 'Sport Auto' | - |
| Radical SR8 | 6:55.00 | Michael Vergers | 28/09/2005 | - | 20,600 m |
| Porsche 918 Spyder | 6:57:00 | Marc Lieb | 04/09/2013 | Test conducted by Porsche. Tyres used: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 'N0'. | 20,600 m |
| Ferrari 488 Pista | 7:00.03 | Christian Gebhardt | 16/10/2019 | Tyres used: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R K1 | 20,600 m |
| Dodge Viper ACR (2017) | 7:01.30 | Lance David Arnold | 01/09/2017 | - | 20,600 m |
| Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro | 7:04.632 | Maro Engel | XX/11/2018 | Tests carried out by Mercedes Benz | 20,600 m |
| Nissan GT-R NISMO (2015) | 7:08.679 | Michael Krumm | 30/09/2013 | Development test "N-Attack package | 20,600 m |
| McLaren 600LT | 7:08.820 | Christian Gebhardt | XX/09/2019 | - | 20,600 m |
| Gumpert Apollo Sport | 7:11.57 | Florian Gruber | 13/08/2009 | Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres | 20,600 m |
| Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z06 | 7:13.90 | Christian Gebhardt | 24/04/2017 | Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 " ZP tyres | 20,600 mv |
| Lexus LFA Nürburgring Package | 7:14.64 | Akira Iida | 31/08/2011 | - | 20,600 m |
| Donkervoort D8 RS | 7:14.89 | Michael Düchting | XX/XX/2006 | - | 20,600 m |
Prototypes (not homologated for road use)
These are cars and prototypes that are not intended for road use, but are developed specifically for competitions or to demonstrate the technical potential of the brand. They can also be built with the aim of setting a lap record on the Nürburgring's Nordschleife. Here again, the times are recorded and validated by the people concerned or by the Nürburgring authorities.
| Car | Time | Power | Driver | Notes | Circuit length |
| Porsche 919 Hybrid EVO | 5:19.546 | 710 PS + 324 kW | Timo Bernhard | Specially modified Le Mans LMP1 prototype | 20,832 m |
| Volkswagen ID.R | 6:05.336 | 671 PS (500 kW) | Romain Dumas | Average speed of 206.96 km/h. Record among electric vehicles and lowest energy consumption at 24.7 kWh. | 20,832 m |
| Lotus Evija X | 6:24.047 | 2,011 PS (1,479 kW) | Dirk Muller | One of a kind | 20,832 m |
| Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR (991.2) by Manthey Racing | 6:40.33 | 690 PS | Lars Kern | Although a production vehicle, it was also commonly assessed as a prototype for its degree of preparation. | 20,832 m |
| McLaren P1 XP1 LM Prototype | 6:43.22 | 986 PS | Kenny Brack | - | 20,832 m |
| NIO EP9 | 6:45.90 | 1,360 PS (1,000 kW) | Peter Dumbreck | - | 20,832 m |
| Pagani Zonda R | 6:47.50 | 740 PS | Marc Basseng | - | 20,832 m |
| Subaru WRX STI Type RA NBR Special | 6:57.5 | 608 PS | Richie Stanaway | 20,600 m circuit, not 20,832 m | 20,600 m |
| Ferrari 599XX | 6:58.16 | 720 PS | Raffaele de Simone | - | 20,832 m |
| Dodge Viper ACR-X | 7:03.06 | 640 PS | - | - | 20,600 m |
| Lynk & Co 03 Cyan Concept | 7:20.14 | 528 PS | Thed Björk | - | 20,600 m |
| Mygale M12-SJ-Ford Ecoboost | 7:22:00 | 202 PS | Nick Tandy | Formula Ford transformed into a road car | 20,832 m |
| Toyota TMG EV P002 | 7:22.329 | 469 PS | Jochen Krumbach | Test conducted by Toyota Gazoo Motorsport | 20,600 m |
| BMW M3 CSL (E46) by Loaded | 7:22:80 | 533 PS | Richard Göransson | Time achieved during a day of non-exclusive use of the track, in the presence of other cars. | 20,600 m |
| Tesla Model S Plaid Track Package | 7:25.231 | - | Tom Schwister | Tesla Model S Plaid with original Track Pack. Goodyear Supercar 3R tyres were used in the test, which are only approved for road use in the US and not in Europe. | 20,832 m |
| BMW M5 (F90) by AC Schnitzer | 7:29.5 | 710 PS | Jorg Muller | - | 20,600 m |
| Porsche 911 Carrera S (991.1) Prototype | 7:37.0 | 395 PS | - | Prototype "in its best configuration" during the development phase | 20,600 m |
Official documents by category
The official Nurburgring website also presents official figures. What does this mean? A time that is also checked by a notary, who therefore certifies the lap completed within the specified time.
| Car | Time | Category | Date |
| BMW M2 Coupé | 7:38.706 | Compact car | 05/04/2023 |
| BMW M4 CSL | 7:18.137 | Mid-size car | 05/04/2023 |
| Mercedes-AMG GT4 63 S 4MATIC+ | 7:27.800 | Gran Turismo | 04/11/2020 |
| Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT | 7:38.925 | SUV | 14/06/2021 |
| Porsche 991 GT2 RS Manthey Performance Kit | 6:43.300 | Sports car | 14/06/2021 |
| Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo | 5:19.546 | Prototype | 29/06/2018 |
| Volkswagen I.D R | 6:05.336 | Prototype | 03/06/2019 |
| Lotus Evija X Hypercar | 6:24.047 | Prototype | 13/10/2023 |
The value of registrations
However, the subjectivity of some of the registers drawn up must be taken into account. Since, in most cases, there is no independent certifying body, there may be doubts about the veracity of the results obtained.
BMW M2
After all, as we have said, the manufacturers organise and manage the whole process, from preparing the car to recording the lap time, and then proudly publish the results. But who can guarantee that no undeclared modifications have been made to the car to improve its performance during the test?
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Furthermore, the standardisation of test conditions between cars, such as temperature, atmospheric pressure and tyre condition, is virtually impossible to guarantee, introducing additional variables that can influence the final results.
Despite these challenges and uncertainties, the Nürburgring remains a symbol of excellence in the world of motor racing, a fascinating and unrivalled challenge for those who love the thrill of speed and precision driving.
Gallery: Mercedes-AMG One Nurburgring Record
