Nürburgring lap records are a way bigger deal today than they used to be. That's due to the fact that pretty much every carmaker is heading to Germany sooner or later during R&D and pre-production testing to see whether their new cars can overcome the dynamic challenges the Green Hell poses. Believe it or not, the Nürburgring has seen its fair share of non-sporty cars being tried and tested on its bends. One such car that pops into mind immediately is the Toyota C-HR crossover, a car that’s supposed to, first and foremost, greet its owners with comfort. But that’s a story for another time.

Coming back to the topic at hand, Jaguar and Renault have just been dethroned as Nürburgring record holders by the 528-horsepower, front-wheel-drive, Lynk & Co 03 Cyan Concept sedan. Yes, the car is still a concept and officially speaking, what it just pulled off on the ‘Ring might not hold much weight in that regard, but technically, the feat is no less impressive and valid.

How does a Nürburgring lap time of 7:15.123 sound for FWD sedan?

Let’s take them one by one.

Back in May 2019, our hears and eyes caught news of the Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy R trashing the front-wheel-drive Nürburgring record previously set by the Honda Civic Type R (7:43.8) by three seconds, with a lap time of 7:40.1. Well, the Cyan Racing’s heavily modded Lynk & Co 03 sedan did it in 7:15.1, which accounts for a mind-boggling 20-second gap.

Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R Specs

Back in July 2019, the ludicrous yet fascinating Jaguar XE SV Project 8 returned to the Nürburgring to shatter its own record as the fastest four-door car on the famed circuit. And it pulled it off, with a new time of 7:18.3, 2.9 seconds faster than its previous attempt on the Green Hell. Then the Lynk & Co 03 came and trumped that time too.

Jaguar XE SV Project 8 Specs

At this point, it is worth mentioning that Cyan Racing states in its press release the fact that most manufacturers use the short-version of the ‘Ring to test their cars and measure lap times. The full Nürburgring layout stretches to 20.832 kilometers (12.94 miles), while the shorter loop measures 20.6 kilometers (12.8 miles). That’s still impressive, either way you look at it.

via GIPHY

The only problem with the power sedan breaking these two records is that both the Jag and the Renault are road-going cars you can actually buy; for hefty price tag, but they’re still attainable. As opposed to the Lynk & Co 03 Cyan Racing Concept which is, well, as the name loudly says, a concept derived from the fully-blown racer car that Cyan Racing is running in the WTCR (World Touring Car Cup).

Lynk & Co 03 Cyan Racing Concept Specs

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Lynk & Co 03 TCR Road Car Concept by Cyan Racing.