6 – Radical SR8LM – 6:48:28
The Radical SR8LM had held the lap record since 2009, when it lapped in just 6min 48sec in the hands of Michael Vergers, until it was dislodged by the Porsche GT2 RS. The king may be dead, but the Radical still holds a place in the top five. Vergers was driving the car just 24 hours after it was driven from England to Germany for the record. Controversially, the SR8LM only has British single-vehicle approval, not full type-approval, and so there’s some debate as to whether it qualifies as a true street-legal production car record.
7 – Lamborghini Huracán Performante – 6:52:01
Next is the Lamborghini Huracán Performante, a track-focused edition of the standard V10-engined Huracán, with carbonfibre bumpers, side skirts and rear wing allowing its weight to be decreased by 40kg over the standard car. Its aero-optimised body allows it to reach 62mph in 2.9sec and push to a top speed of 200mph. Around the track, its ferocious power worked with the bumper-width rear wing to allow it to lap the 12.9-mile Nordschleife in a hair over 6min 52sec.
8 – Radical SR8 – 6:55:00
The SR8’s 2.6-litre V8 engine develops 360bhp and broke the Nürburgring record in 2005. This model was also driven by Michael Vergers. Like the SR8LM, it only has single-vehicle approval in the UK, rather than full type-approval, which has led some outlets to exclude it from production-car record lists.
9 – Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991.2) – 6:56:04
The 992.1 generation GT3 RS was prepped with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres, an audio system deleted to save weight, and Weissach package (all OEM options, of course) for its attempt to loop the Green Hell. It worked, with Porsche driver Kevin Estre managing to outrun the mighty 918 Spyder hybrid supercar by almost a full second.
10 – Porsche 918 Spyder– 6:57:00
Making use of a carbonfibre construction, a mid-mounted naturally aspirated 4.6-litre V8 and a suspension set-up donated by the RS Spyder racer, the 870bhp 918 Spyder has a top speed of 214mph and, when new, had a starting price of £711,000. Using this power and a 0-62mph time of 2.2sec, the 918 Spyder achieved a Nürburgring time of 6:57:00 when driven by Marc Lieb.
