Mercedes-AMG GT R claims fastest RWD lap record at Nurburgring

Mercedes-AMG GT R laps Nurburgring in 7 minutes 10 seconds, beating the likes of the Dodge Viper ACR, Ferrari 488 GTB and Lexus LFA. Remember the

Mercedes-AMG GT R laps Nurburgring in 7 minutes 10 seconds, beating the likes of the Dodge Viper ACR, Ferrari 488 GTB and Lexus LFA.

Remember the Mercedes-AMG GT R that made its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year? If you don’t, then here’s quick recap – it’s a go-faster and track-bred derivative of the already very fast Mercedes-AMG GT. Mercedes claims that this track-focused machine is “the Beast of the Green Hell” or the famous Nurburgring track. And while that sounds like a catchy tagline, the Mercedes-AMG GT R has now sort of justified the title. It’s lapped the Nordschleife in 7 minutes 10.92 seconds, which makes it the fastest rear-wheel drive production sportscar around the track.

The AMG GT R achieved this feat in the hands of Sport Auto’s test driver, Christian Gebhardt. With the lap time of 7:10, the AMG GT R beat some established names like the Dodge Viper ACR (7:12), Ferrari 488 GTB (7:21), Lexus LFA Nurburgring Pack (7:14) and many more. What’s more interesting is that the AMG GT R managed to do this on stock Michelin Cup 2 tyres.

But that astonishing lap time is mainly down to its uprated 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and chassis modifications. The V8 develops 577bhp of maximum power and 700Nm of torque. Power is transmitted by a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. Thanks to all the tweaks, the GT R will do 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds before hitting its top speed of 319km/h. Braking force comes from carbon-ceramic discs.

The chassis of the AMG GT R boasts some serious modifications over the standard model as well – it has wider front and rear tracks, a rear wing that generates 155kg of downforce, and a three-mode adaptive suspension setup, fitted with stiffer springs and thicker anti-roll bar at rear. It also has an active rear-wheel steering. The AMG GT R is 15 kilograms lighter than the GT S.

So, the AMG GT R may be the fastest RWD sportscar (production) around the Nurburgring, but there are a few cars that went even faster here. The Porsche 918 Spyder has a lap time of 6:57 while the Lamborghini Aventador SV managed to complete its run in 6:59. The AMG GT R’s nearest rival that’s gone faster around the Nurburgring though is the Nissan GT-R Nismo with a lap time of 7:08.