Holidng a Nürburgring lap record is not just about bragging rights. Each of the 147 corners along the 13-mile course gives car makers unparalleled insight into where their machines work best, and where they must improve on.
Manufacturers spend years (if not decades) honing their cars around the Nordschleife in the hope of being crowned maker of one of the fastest cars in the world.
There is a caveat, however: the ‘official’ length of the lap was increased in 2019. Before this, all times were logged on a 12.8-mile circuit that effectively left out a short stretch of the T13 straight at the end of the lap.
Yet with so much emphasis being placed on setting a fast time, the Nürburgring decided that only the whole 12.944 miles would count.
The fastest car to lap the Nürburgring is the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, with a time of 5:15:55 minutes.
Below we’ve divided the lap records between several different types of car. Keep reading to see the quickest lap times in all the major categories.
The Nürburgring lap record
Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo
Lap time: 5:19:546
When Porsche derestricted its Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid prototype racer and sent it on a farewell tour of iconic race tracks before pulling out of endurance racing, smashing the all-time fastest lap of the Nordschleife was all the firm had in mind.
The car was 39kg lighter than its race spec, with radically reworked aerodynamics that improved downforce by 53%. The 2.0-litre V4 hybrid powertrain was tuned to produce 710bhp, with an additional 433bhp coming from an electric motor.
With Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard behind the wheel, the 919 Evo proceded to obliterate the all-time lap record, first setting a 5:24:375 in practice and then a 5:19:546 in an official run.
The Nürburgring electric lap record
Volkswagen ID R
Lap time: 6:05:33
It’s a real achievement that Volkswagen has not only managed to claim the fastest lap time in an electric car with its ID R programme, but also place among the fastest-ever recorded.
The car has subsequently gone on to set records at the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb and China’s Tianmen Shan Big Gate Road, while the technology it pioneered will go on to influence R division’s electric cars.
The Nürburgring front-wheel-drive lap record
Honda Civic Type R
Lap time: 7:44:88
Honda is no stranger to Nürburgring records: every iteration of the Civic Type R released over the past decade has at one point held the front-wheel-drive record.