The Nürburgring is the ultimate test track for developing new cars, whether they are out-and-out supercars or more modest hot hatches.
The challenge posed by the circuit and the variety of corners along the 13-mile course gives car makers unparalleled insight into where their machines work best, as well as where they need to improve.
As such, a Nürburgring lap record is something of an accolade for a manufacturer, and several have spent years honing their machines around the Nordschleife in the hope of being crowned the fastest of all.
These record laps can be divided between several different types of car. Take a look below to see the quickest lap times in all the major categories.
Fastest road-legal lap around the Nürburgring
1 - Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series - 6:43:62
The ultimate version of Mercedes-AMG's flagship (for now) two-seater took the production lap record crown from the Aventador SVJ by just over 1.3sec. The 720bhp model, driven by the brand's GT3 racing driver Maro Engel, was unmodified from stock bar the addition of the optional Track package. The adjustable aero, camber and suspension were all optimised for the track, but Mercedes claims conditions were "less than ideal" due to low temperatures and some damp patches. This means another attempt could be in the works down the line.
2 - Lamborghini Aventador SVJ - 6:44:97
Lamborghini used active aerodynamic upgrades to transform its Aventador supercar into a record-smashing track weapon, letting the V12-powered Aventador SVJ break the Nürburgring record for a production car with a 6:44:97 lap time. That knocked the Porsche 911 GTS RS down into second place at the time, claiming a win for the Italians.
3 – Porsche 911 GT2 RS – 6:47:25
The 690bhp 911 GT2 RS blasted around the 'Ring seven-tenths of a second faster than the Radical SR8LM, making it the fastest rear-drive production car to lap the infamous Nordschleife.
4 – Radical SR8LM – 6:48:28
The king is dead. 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. Now that Lamborghini and Mercedes have set even faster times, the Radical has to settle for fourth place. 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 street-legal record.
5 – Lamborghini Huracán Performante - 6:52:01
Next is the Lamborghini's Huracán Performante, which lapped the 12.9-mile Nordschleife in a hair over 6min 52sec.
6 – 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.
7 - 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.
