The fastest cars at the Nurburgring 2023: quickest lap times ranked

The Rimac Nevera has claimed a new Nurburgring lap record for EVs. We reveal the quickest cars around the legendary German circuit.

Rimac Nevera

The Rimac Nevera has become the fastest production electric car to lap the Nurburgring, with a time of 7min 5.30sec around the notorious Nordschleife circuit in Germany – used as a benchmark for performance car testing.

This scorching lap-time places the Rimac just inside the top 20 road-legal cars around the ‘Ring. Here, we count down the incredible machines that have gone even quicker, including supercars from Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and more.

20. Rimac Nevera – 7:05.30

Rimac Nevera

The Nevera’s record lap was driven by Croatian racing driver Martin Kodric, with the car wearing Michelin Cup 2R tyres. It’s one of more than 20 performance records the 1,914hp hypercar has broken this year, including the highest verified top speed for an EV – at 256mph.

19. Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro – 7:04.63

Mercedes-AMG’s ‘Beast of the Green Hell’ GT R received a selection of aerodynamic and chassis upgrades with this Pro package. That shaved valuable seconds from its lap-time, but the Black Series version would go even quicker.

18. Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS – 7:04.51

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS

The ultimate Cayman has the same Porsche Motorsport-derived flat-six engine as the 911 GT3, producing 500hp at a frenzied 8,400rpm. Some consider it too hardcore for the road (we respectfully disagree), but the RS is a weapon on-track – as a 7min 4.51sec Nurburgring lap-time demonstrates.

17. Dodge Viper ACR 2017 – 7:01.30

The 2008 Viper ACR was one of the original ’Ring heroes. This brutal lump of American iron cemented itself as a serious contender by dominating the circuit. No pressure on the 2017 car, then, which was rumoured to be a contender for the record. Sadly, it never happened, with the Viper ACR failing to break seven minutes. That said, it remains the fastest car around the track with a manual gearbox.

16. Ferrari 488 Pista – 7:00.03

Pista means ‘track’ in Italian, so it’s no surprise this lighter, more powerful 488 was quick around the Nurburgring. Indeed it even borrowed some components from the 488 Challenge and GTE race cars, such as exotic Inconel exhaust manifolds. The open-top Spider version seemed to miss the point, somehow.

15. Porsche 992 GT3 – 6:59.93

The latest Porsche 911 GT3 still has a naturally aspirated flat-six and comes with a choice manual or PDK auto transmissions. With 510hp and a kerb weight of 1,418kg (1,435kg with PDK), it blasts to 62mph in 3.4 seconds and lapped the Nurburgring in a fraction under seven minutes. Porsche pro driver Jörg Bergmeister described it as “by far the best production car” he has driven around the circuit.

14. Lamborghini Aventador SV – 6:59.73

Before the record-breaking Aventador SVJ came the SV, with revised damping, less weight and some serious aero. It also boasted more power and stickier tyres, and became the second road car (after the Porsche 918 Spyder), to break the seven-minute barrier around the Nurburgring. Impressive at the time, but others have surpassed it now.

13. Ferrari 296 GTB – 6:58.70

Ferrari 296 GTB

Blisteringly fast and beautiful, the heart of the Ferrari 296 GTB is a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 that revs to 8,500rpm, plus a plug-in hybrid system with a 7.45kW battery. Together, they serve up a mighty 830hp – good for a Nurburging lap-time that starts with a ‘six’.

12. Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS MR – 6:58.09

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Manthey

This harder, faster GT4 RS is a joint effort between the ‘Nordschleife specialists’ at Manthey and Porsche Motorsport. The improvements are focused mainly on aerodynamics, including a carbon fibre undertray with built-in diffusers and CFRP aerodisc rear wheels to help reduce turbulence. A serious bit of kit. 

11. Porsche 918 Spyder – 6:57

Porsche works racing driver Marc Lieb was tasked with extracting the maximum from the firm’s 887hp hybrid hypercar. He did so brilliantly, setting a lap time of 6min 57sec. With Ferrari and McLaren not publishing times for the LaFerrari and P1 respectively, the Porsche is officially the quickest of the hypercar ‘Holy Trinity’.

10. Porsche 991.2 GT3 RS – 6:56.4

Not five years after the Porsche 918 owned the Nurburgring, the 911 went and beat it. Who needs nearly 900hp, all-wheel drive and instant electric power? Equipped with the lightweight Weissach package, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres and a 500hp free-breathing flat-six, the previous 911 GT3 RS did the business a second quicker.

9. Radical SR8 – 6:55

The Radical SR8 isn’t a car for long motorway journeys. Its manic 2.6-litre V8 develops 360hp and, in theory, it generates enough downforce to drive upside-down. Back in 2005, it blasted around the Nurburgring in a supercar-slaying 6min 55sec.

8. Lamborghini Huracan Performante – 6:52.01

A year before the 911 GT2 fought back, the Lamborghini Huracan Performante put its active aerodynamics to the test for a scarcely believable 6min 52.01sec lap. In 2016, the thought of this relatively conventional supercar beating the sophisticated Porsche 918 Spyder was a real shock. Light weight is another of the Performante’s key strengths.

7. Radical SR8 LM – 6:48.28

When people say “It’s a racing car with number plates”, generally that’s not accurate. This actually is. Radicals race in this spec, minus headlights and those all-important plates. Michael Vergers drove the SR8 LM around the Nurburgring on street-legal tyres for a time of 6min 48.28sec. That’s pretty epic, particularly as it was achieved way back in 2009.

6. Porsche 991 GT2 RS – 6:47.25

The 911 GT2 RS was a fitting run-out model for the ‘991’ model. Its incredible performance at the Nurburgring places it sixth in the current ranking. Given the GT2 name’s reputation for spikiness, it’s quite an achievement to create such a well-rounded 700hp-plus 911.

5. Lamborghini Aventador SVJ – 6:44.97

The biggest and baddest of the raging bulls didn’t enjoy a lot of time atop the Nurburgring throne. Nevertheless, as a proof of how far the Aventador has come, the SVJ’s 6min 44.97sec time is undeniably incredible. Compare that to the original Aventador LP700’s time of 7min 25sec. Yes, that’s 40 seconds slower.

4. Porsche 992 GT3 RS – 6:44.85

With even more aero than a Le Mans-spec 911 RSR – including that monstrous rear wing – the latest Porsche 911 GT3 RS is all about downforce: 870kg at 177mph, to be precise. The extra grip generated means a 525hp 911 edges ahead of a 770hp Aventador around a lap of the ’Ring. Sensational.

3. Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series – 6:43.62

Amazingly, this scorching 6min 43.62sec time was achieved on a cold day with track tarmac that was still damp in patches. Could the mega-Merc emulate the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 and break its own record? Perhaps, but another Mercedes-Benz is faster still…

2. Porsche 991 GT2 RS MR – 6:43.30

Porsche 991 GT2 RS Manthey

Nurburgring lap times are often a bit controversial. So it proves with the second-placed Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Yes, it’s a production car – albeit now discontinued – but like the Cayman GT4 RS further up this list, the record-holder was fitted with the optional Manthey Performance Kit. This consists of chassis, brake and aerodynamic upgrades, plus the lightweight magnesium wheels of Porsche’s own Weissach Package.

1. Mercedes-AMG One – 6:30.71

Mercedes-Benz engineers spent five years grappling with the challenge of making a 1.6-litre V6 Formula One engine pass emissions and noise tests – arguably an even greater achievement than the AMG One’s all-conquering Nurburgring lap record. Still, a time of 6min 30.71sec, set by fearless driver Maro Engel, is pretty incredible. What will it take to beat it?

ALSO READ:

Best supercars to buy in 2023

Your EV questions answered on Motoring Electric

Classic car news and reviews on Retro Motor

Related Articles

Tim Pitt
Tim Pitt
Tim has been our Managing Editor since 2015. He enjoys a retro hot hatch and has a penchant for Porsches.

1 COMMENT

  1. […] self-respecting hot hatch would be without a Nürburgring-Nordschleife lap record, and Seat staked its claim with the third-gen Leon Cupra in 2014. A time of seven minutes 58.4 […]

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Find a Car Review

Latest

Salon Privé London to host three days of champagne and supercars

Salon Privé London returns to the Royal Hospital in Chelsea next month, with special celebrations of McLaren and the Porsche 911 Turbo.

Godzilla fights on: Nissan GT-R Skyline and Takumi editions revealed

The venerable Nissan GT-R gains two new special editions for 2024, but the UK will be denied both of them. Sorry.

New Volkswagen ID.Buzz GTX gets 340hp and all-wheel drive

The retro-styled ID. Buzz people carrier is now offered with 340hp, making for an unlikely addition to Volkswagen’s sporty GTX range.

How to protect your car with an OBD port locking device

We explain how to prevent your car being stolen by criminals targeting its On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) port.