The Nürburgring is, by far, one of the most iconic race tracks in the world, and the generic go-to for manufacturers when it comes to testing and setting records. As such, record lap times are constantly changing as manufacturers and independent testers alike all try to give the Green Hell their best. Just a few days ago, and just prior to the seasonal winter shutdown, Sport Auto took the GT R to the ‘Ring and put it through the paces. After a long day at the track, the GT R set a record of 7:10.9, a feat that has yet to be attained for any road-going rear-wheel drive sports car.

To put that into perspective, that places the GT R in seventh place overall, being beat out by models like the Nissan GT-R Nismo, NextEV Nio EP9, Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce, Porsche 918 Spyder, Radical SR8, and the No.1 car – the Radical SR8LM. To get into sixth place overall, the GT R would have had to beat out the GT-R Nismo’s time of 7:08.68. But, to really put it into perspective, you need to look at the models it beat. The Chevy Corvette ZR1 made it’s best lap back in 2012 in 7:19.63 and the Dodge Viper ACR did it in 7:22.1 back in 2009. It even beat out the awesome Dodge Viper SRT-10 ACR that posted a 7:12.13 in 2010.

Records are broken on a pretty regular basis, but it’s not often a newer car can find itself in the top 10, let alone be crowned as the fastest rear-wheel drive production car on the ‘Ring. The GT R has been dubbed the “Beast of the Green Hell,” and now we know why! For those who might not know, the GT R has a whopping 577 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque on tap. It’s powered by a 4.0-liter V-8 and power is routed to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. It can hit 60 mph in roughly 3.5 seconds and tops out somewhere around 198 mph. Keep reading to see the onboard footage of the record-setting lap!

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Why it matters

To be honest, we’ve all been waiting for something like this to happen. The Mercedes-AMG GT R is one fantabulous and greedy monster that is hellbent on world domination. And, what better place to prove that dominance that the Green Hell? I would love to see the Mercedes-AMG GT R knock the Nissan GT-R Nismo out of the No. 6 spot, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon. Somehow, it would have to make up an extra 2.4 seconds, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but on the ‘Ring, it’s practically an eternity. Either way, I doubt any other road-going rear-wheel drive production car will beat out the GT R anytime soon, but I’m sure it will be attempted on numerous occasions in the near future. Hat tip to Sport Auto for being the first to test the GT R in this capacity.

Top 10 Fastest Cars at Nurburgring

Manufacturer & Model

Time

Radical SR8LM

6:48.00

Radical SR8

6:56.08

Porsche 918 Spyder

6:57.00

Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce

6:59.73

NextEV Nio EP9

7:05.12

Nissan GT-R Nismo

7:08.68

Mercedes-AMG GT-R

7:10.92

Gumpert Apollo Speed

7:11.57

Dodge Viper SRT-10 ACR

7:12.13

Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package

7:14.64


Mercedes AMG GT R - specifications

Engine

4.0-litre V-8 with twin turbochargers and direct injection

Displacement

3,982 cc

Output

585 HP @ 6,250 RPM

Peak torque

516 LB-FT @ 1,900-5,500 RPM

Transmission

AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7‑speed dual-clutch

Weight

3,428 Lbs

Acceleration 0-100 km/h (62 mph)

3.6 s

Top speed

197.5 mph


Read our full review on the Mercedes-AMG GT R here.