Video: "Fastest MINI Race Car" Clocks in a Sub-9-Minute Lap at Nürburgring

Back in July, Mini announced that its John Cooper Works GP clocked in an impressive time of 8:23 at Nürburgring, giving due justice to its designation as the fastest production MINI ever.

We’re saying this because a recent video from Sport Auto shows test drive editor Christian Gebhardt getting behind the wheel of a Schirra Motoring MINI Cooper endurance race car, which proceeded to hit the Nurburgring and post a time of 8:58.

It’s an impressive time in its own right, but well short of what the JCW GP accomplished a few months ago. It smashed this time despite the fact that this endurance car comes packed with a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that has been equipped with new pistons and high-performance camshafts, netting an output of 300 horsepower and 302 pound-feet of torque while achieving a 0-to-62 mph time of 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 160 mph.

As an endurance race car, the Shirra Motoring MINI Cooper was fitted with a new aerodynamic body kit that comes with a new front bumper, extended wheel arches and a prominent rear wing. The vehicle also carries a track-oriented suspension, high-performance brakes and a set of Michelin racing tires.

Regardless if it failed to sniff the JCW GP’s Nurburgring lap time, 8:58 is still a pretty awesome time any way you slice it.