Nurburgring

I’ve traveled quite a bit in pursuit of stories over the years, but still have yet to take a lap around the Nürburgring, the famed German racetrack that over the years has claimed many a car and driver due to its degree of difficulty and length.

The 2020 Porsche Taycan has yet to make its way to dealerships, but it’s hotly anticipated as one of the best performing, and best looking pure electrics yet. As part of its pre-production testing, Porsche took a Taycan to the famed Nürburgring-Nordschleife to see what it could do.

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 might have a goofy name, but it’s not a goofy car in any way, shape, or form. This is a serious sedan on steroids, and a car I’d love to have in my garage if money were no object.

When it comes to allowing you to run what you bring on a racetrack the Nürburgring is the place to go. Turn up in a rented cargo van at most tracks in the US and they won’t let you into the paddock, let alone onto the track.

A video has turned up that shows a 2018 Ford GT lapping the Nürburgring during industry test time. The driver is clad in a full racing suit and isn’t taking it easy on the car either.

Any time you can lap the Nürburgring in less than 8 minutes, it’s an accomplishment, and only recently have we seen a handful of sub-7 minute laps in cars like the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. But famed race car driver Timo Bernhard just did the unthinkable – he ran round the ‘ring in less than 6 minutes. 

A few years back, Porsche set the production vehicle lap time record on the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit with their $800,000 hybrid hypercar, the 918 Spyder, and then later with the GT2 RS. Well not to be outdone by another manufacturer, the teutonic sports car maker has put another sub-7-minute lap time on the board – and this time with a car that mere mortals might actually be able to buy – assuming that you have $187,500 to spare.

This is one of the coolest videos that has turned up for car guys and gals in a while. This compilation was captured at the Nürburgring, and shows off a variety of prototype cars being tested around the famed German circuit.

Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations took its awesome XE SV Project 8 four-door car to the Green Hell of the Nürburgring and unleashed the orange beast on the track with pro driver Vincent Radermecker behind the wheel.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is one of the best handling cars I’ve driven in the last year. I’ve yet to drive the Giulia’s crossover cousin, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, but word on the street is that it’s no slouch as SUVs go.

When you talk about the Porsche 911, it means so many different things to so many people. From its fun, yet humble origins in the 1960s, to today’s badass supercars like the 911 Turbo S and the bonkers 700 hp 911 GT2 RS, which just happens to have stolen the record for the fastest lap ever around the Nürburgring Nordschliefe in a production, street-legal car, turning in a time of just 6:47.25. Driver Lars Kern – who previously clocked a a 7:12.7

Pulled straight from the purpose-built performance pages at Honda, the Civic Type R emerges onto the scene amidst great fanfare. It’s the first time in history that America has been offered the Civic with a factory R-rating, and although the PG-13 enthusiasm I felt for the all-new Si was indeed genuine, my thirst for more adult material remained unsatiated. 

It takes some serious driving skill and the right car to go around the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife course in less than 7 minutes. It’s a feat that’s only been achieved by a handful of production cars like the Porsche 918 Spyder, the Radical SR8, and the Lamborghini Huracan Performante.

A private racing team has taken a stock 2017 Viper ACR to the Nürburgring to see how fast the final generation Viper ACR would go around the Ring. With a legitimate pro driver behind the wheel, it turns out the car will go around the ring very quickly indeed. Driver Dominik Farnbacher took the GTS-R Commemorative Edition Viper ACR around the Ring in an unofficial 7:03.45

The 6th generation Chevy Camaro has demonstrated its impressive handling and speed on numerous occasions, and now the race-spec’d Camaro ZL1 1LE has gone and set a record for the fastest lap around the Nürburgring ever in a Camaro.