Wringing it out at the Nurburgring
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Back in the good old days as it were, the traditional sports car performance metric used to be based on how fast a car could get to 60mph or pass the quarter mile marker. It was easy to replicate and worked well enough back when most cars featured broadly similar drivetrain layouts.
The advent of the modern age of sports cars tended to muddy the waters though, with launch control systems, all-wheel drive and turbocharged power, many cars could set blistering short distance times but would falter when it came to real-world conditions.
A change was needed and comparing track times soon became a more representative way of separating the true performers from the one-trick ponies, the addition of corners tested a car’s dynamic abilities too.
There are hundreds of world class venues and racing circuits around the world that are up to the task and the toughest one of the lot has risen up to be the benchmark for the modern production sports car…
The Green Hell
No prizes for guessing that it’s the Nurburgring, this track has become very well-known over the years, built in the ‘20s as a Grand Prix racing venue, it originally featured 174 bends and was up to 17.5-miles long. Stirling Moss called it the Green Hell and it was one of the toughest tests of man and machine.
Many modifications have since taken place to try to tame the circuit and the venue today is now 12.9-miles long and after some rough patches is once again host to a number of racing events, most famous of which is the annual 24-Hour endurance race.
When not being used for racing, motor manufacturers regularly test their fastest production cars around the circuit and publish their best times, yes some results have been mired in controversy and achieving a clear run can be tough, so we have stuck to only verified times here.
7:12.7 Porsche 911 GT3 991.2
No.10
The impressive Porsche 911 GT3 has always punched well above its weight when it comes to track ability and while this model has almost 500 bhp to call on, it is one of the least powerful cars on our list.
7:12.13 Dodge Viper ACR (2010)
No. 9
Some may claim that the Dodge Viper is all about its massive 8.4-litre V10 engine but the American Club Racing (ACR) models are clearly capable of some world-class lap times too.
This 2010 model still holds the record for the 9th fastest time around the ‘ring.
7:11.57 Gumpert Apollo Sport
No. 8
The Gumpert may be one of the ugliest things ever to have been created so in a way it is a good thing that it is so fast you won’t have to look at it for very long.
Race versions could produce up to 789 bhp, courtesy of an Audi sourced 4.2-litre twin-turbo V8.
7:10.92 Mercedes-AMG GT R
No. 7
The AMG GT-R is a serious sports car and it proved its mettle in December 2016 when Christian Gebhardt piloted this 577 bhp winged beast to the 7th fastest time ever officially achieved by a production car.
7:08.679 Nissan GT-R NISMO (2015)
No. 6
The giant-slaying Nissan GT-R underdog showed the world what all the fuss has been about when a NISMO spec version embarrassed some very quick cars in its 2015 run.
7:01.3 Dodge Viper ACR (2017)
No. 5
Another Dodge Viper ACR slips into the top five slot, this time a 2017 version was used and it is currently the fastest rear-wheel drive American car around.
It is also the the fastest on our list to have a manual transmission.
6:59.73 Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce
No.4
Other than spitting blue flames out of its tail pipes, the Aventador is also famous for its searing track ability.
The 740bhp LP 750-4 Superveloce is the first on our list to dip below 7-minutes.
6:55 Porsche 918 Spyder
No.3
With no official times available for the McLaren P1 or Ferrari LaFerrari, the Porsche 918 is the sole hybrid hypercar to represent this trio.
The fact that you can also drive it through a crowded city street on electric power alone makes this one very special car indeed.
6:52.01 Lamborghini Huracán LP 640-4 Performante
No.2
The Aventador’s younger and smaller stablemate currently holds the 2nd fastest time for a production sports car.
The Huracan Performante may only have a ‘mere’ 630 bhp but numerous chassis tweaks over the standard model all clearly make a massive difference.
As a reference, standard Huracan takes 7:27 to complete a lap.
6:47.25 Porsche 911 GT2 RS (991.2)
No.1
The current title holder is the monstrous Porsche 911 GT2 RS, set in September 2017, test driver Lars Kern drove this production specification car, completed with standard Michelin Sport Cup 2 tyres to the record.
While it is a massively quick time, one thing you can bet on is that rival manufacturers won’t let it stand for long…
7:13.9 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
No.11
An honourable mention must go to the 11th placed Corvette, which practically matched the GT3’s pace.
Yes it does have a massive supercharged V8 compared to the naturally aspirated 4.0-litre GT3 motor but it is a lot cheaper too.
And you thought Americans couldn’t make cars that cornered.
7:21 Ferrari 488 GTB
No.22
Some of you may have noticed that there is not one Ferrari on the top ten list, without any official figures for the latest 812 Superfast or LaFerrari to go on, the fastest time currently on the board is 22nd place for the twin-turbo 488 GTB.
It may be even quicker still but we won’t know until an official test is conducted.
7:21.23 Jaguar XE SV Project 8
No.23
It is worth noting too that the Project 8 Jaguar that has only recently set its four-door saloon record lap time, is practically on par with the 488 GTB, despite being based on a production saloon.
This one had a roll cage and only 2-seats but Jaguar asserts that the four-seat version would have performed identically.
Sub 8-minute cars
So, what is considered a fast time for your average sports car then?
Anything below 8 minutes is a very rapid time and you would still need a Ferrari F430 or Lamborghini Gallardo to achieve it.
A few high achievers like the BMW M2 and front-wheel drive 2014 Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy-R are capable of these times too but you will have to be a pretty handy driver to breach the 8-minute mark all the same.