Top 5 Supercars likely to set a Nurburgring Lap Record next

The Nurburgring is the ultimate proving ground for automakers. A lap record at the ‘Green Hell’ not just validates how fast the car is but also exhibits the brand’s engineering prowess. Time and again, automakers take their new performance cars both production and track only versions to the Nordschleife to break records set by rival brands.

It all comes down to the engineering at the end – the powertrain, aerodynamics, chassis and the overall calibration. In 2013, we saw the Porsche 918 Spyder set a 6 min 57 sec lap record with its hybrid powertrain, while manufacturers of the other two hybrid hypercars – Mclaren and Ferrari didn’t reveal times for their cars. Later, We saw Lamborghini’s big brawny Aventador SV do another sub-7 minute lap – less than 3 seconds slower than the 918 Spyder at 6 min 59.73 sec.

Lamborghini came back, this time with the Huracan Performante which used its innovative ALA aerodynamics to break the production car lap record setting a blistering time of 6 min 52.01 sec. The record was much controversial with few claiming that Lamborghini tampered with the telemetry. But the consensus gradually turned to be in Lamborghini’s favor. Now, manufacturers are prepping their next cars in hopes to break Lamborghini’s record. While the Mclaren P1 LM which was modified to be street legal by Lanzante and the all-electric NIO EP9 were both faster than the Lamborghni, they aren’t ‘proper’ production cars with only less than ten units produced.

We list the five cars we think are most likely to break the Nurburgring lap record next. We have only included street legal production cars which are already in development or have been announced. They are in the order of the timelines assigned for their record attempts. We can expect the lap records to be broken in this particular order.

1. Porsche 911 GT2 RS

Porsche’s newest monster might be soon announced to be the new Nurburgring champion. In fact, reports suggest that the 911 GT2 RS already did a sub-7 minute lap when Porsche took the car to the circuit just couple of days ago. While there is no confirmation, but if the record has been broken, we’ll find soon out. With its 700 hp, twin-turbo flat-six and the chassis calibration of the extreme 911, we won’t be surprised if the car is faster than its hybrid sibling.

2. Mclaren P15

The P15 scheduled to be revealed later this year will be McLaren’s most extreme car yet. Given its track focused nature, McLaren will probably do a Nurburgring record run and unlike with the P1, they might actually announce the time. The 720s’ 4.0 twin-turbo V8 dialed up to 800 hp combined with an intense aerodynamic bodywork should be enough for a sub-7 minute lap of the Nordschleife and probably break the production car record in the process. Recently, a prototype of what looks like a souped up 650S was spotted at the Nurburgring, which rumors suggest could be a mule for the new P15. We will soon find out more about the car.

3. Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Stradale

Of a slew of Huracan variations that Lamborghini will launch over the next three years, the GT3 Stradale, SV and the Superleggera will be the most performance oriented of them all. You can’t expect Lamborghini to not try to take the crown back with even hotter Huracan variations than the record breaking Performante on the line. The lessons learned during the development of the Super Trofeo EVO will reflect in the upcoming Huracan models. Even though, the GT3 Stradale will be the most track focused of the three hardcore variants of the car and probably the fastest to lap the Nurburgring, the SV and Superleggera should be quicker than Performante.

4. Mercedes AMG-GT R Black Series

The much anticipated AMG GT R Black Series was finally confirmed by AMG boss Tobias Moers. While the car is not imminent, it will probably arrive even before Mercedes readies the Project One for production. The AMG-GT R recently set the fastest lap for a rear wheel drive car at 7 min 7 sec. But with boosted power, reduced weight and aerodynamic trickery, the Black Series is expected to be much faster. We probably can’t say whether the hardcore AMG will be faster than the other cars mentioned, but it will probably be able to do a sub-7 minute run.

5. Mercedes-AMG Project One

Tobias Moers has already promised a Nurburgring lap record attempt in the Mercedes-AMG Project One. Needless to say, the Project One with its Formula One Powertrain will probably be the fastest car on the Nurburgring and might hold on to its record until next generation of hypercars arrive.

With a 1.6-litre, turbo-V6 and four electric motors all combined to produce more than 1000 hp, fancy aerodynamics, don’t be surprised if the car does a 6 min 40 something second lap time. Its main rival – the Aston Martin Valkyrie won’t be attempting a nurburgring record, Adrian newey has confirmed.

So, as you can see there is a slew of hardcore performance cars coming up to take on the Nordschleife. There is also the Koenigsegg One:1 which crashed on the nurburgring while preparing for the record. We don’t have any word on when or if Koenigsegg will do another attempt. But if there is, we will be sure to update the list. There will probably be a few unannounced cars that might also attempt.

But over all, it will be interesting to watch new cars coming up and prove their mettle at the ‘Green Hell’.