McLaren->ke284 may have built a 650S->ke4801-based replacement for the 12C GT3 race car, but the latter is far from being obsolete. Sure, the British sports car won't bring any trophies home at the of the 2014 Blancpain series, but the 12C will remain as the fastest race car around the Nurburgring 24 Hours track. Specifically, Doerr Motorsport's 12C->ke3514 GT3 set a record lap time of 8:10.921 minutes while qualifying for the 2014 24 Hours of Nurburgring, smashing the previous benchmark by more than six seconds. That's quite an achievement for a race car that's living its final months on the track.

The astonishing record was achieved by McLaren GT factory driver Kevin Estre, who also placed his race car in pole position. The Frenchman was 2.5 seconds quicker than his nearest rival, a performance difficult to obtain even on a long course such as the "Green Hell". Unfortunately, none of Doerr Motorsport's 12C race cars managed to finish the grueling event, but Estre's record will serve as benchmark for other drivers and manufacturers for many races to come.

Hit the play button above to watch Estre's record lap and don't forget to check out our McLaren 650S GT3 review for the full details on the 12C GT3's replacement for 2015.

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