Video: MINI-E posts sub 10-minute lap at the Nurburgring

You won’t mistake the all-electric MINI ’E’ from the other cars burning up lap times at the Nurburgring any time soon. That, of course, didn’t stop BMW from taking the car for a lap around the track affectionately called the "Green Hell".

Driven by former DTM racer Thomas Jager, the MINI ’E’, as expected, didn’t exactly post a new Nurbugring record with its lap time of 9:51:45, but scorching the track with the MINI ’E’ wasn’t part of BMW’s plan either. Instead of showing off its sheer speed - or lack thereof - BMW used this test run to show that, despite being an electric car, the MINI ’E’ can still pull off a respectable time around the Nurburgring.

"The aim of this unique undertaking was to provide an impressive showcase of the great potential of the MINI E and its environment-friendly drive concept," said BMW’s Peter Krams, the man behind the "MINI E Race" project.

Needless to say, the "MINI E Race" delivered exactly what it was supposed to do. Outfitted with racing specs like a roll cage, a lightweight body frame, and race-ready suspensions, brakes, and tires, the MINI ’E’ ran the ’Ring in a time - 9:51:54 - that was far from the lap record of just under seven minutes. Nontheless, it posted a good enough number relative to the other cars that have taken their own stabs at setting the Nurbugring lap record, especially considering the circumstances.