The Mercedes-AMG GT-R Sets Nürburgring Track Record

December 19, 2016 5:00 am
Mercedes AMG GT R (Daimler AG)
Mercedes AMG GT R (Daimler AG)

[rcl_full_bleed_images left_image=/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/mercedes-amg-gt-r-1216.jpg left_image_caption=”2016, Mercedes-AMG GT R (Daimler AG)” ]

 

Mercedes’ upcoming flagship supercar, the Mercedes-AMG GT-R, has just set a remarkable Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time of seven minutes, 10.92 seconds.

The official time, the fastest ever recorded by a German publication “sport auto,” when testing a genuine road-going sports car on the notorious track, also ranks as the seventh fastest in history around the infamous 12.4-mile circuit.

To put its time, also confirmed as the fasted achieved by a rear-wheel-drive-only car, into perspective, the much more potent 488 GTB needed seven minutes and 21.6 seconds to get all the way around the circuit.

Mercedes-AMG GT R
Mercedes AMG GT R (Daimler AG)

 

Yet the GT-R, on paper, really shouldn’t be so fast. Its bi-turbo V8 engine outputs 585 hp and 700 Nm of torque and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds. The Ferrari 488 serves up 661 bhp and can race to 0-60 mph in 3.0 seconds.

But unlike the 448, this Mercedes lived at the Nürburgring during its development. And it was on that track that the company’s engineers and technicians attempted to transfer as much current generation racing technology derived from Formula 1 and GT3 competition as possible into the car.

“With the new AMG GT-R, we have reached the next level of driving performance. This road-going sports car with motor-racing genes and innovative technical solutions offers an ultimate driving experience that allows people to feel our motorsport origins in every fiber,” said Tobias Moers, CEO of Mercedes‑AMG GmbH.

Mercedes-AMG GT R
(Daimler AG)
Daimler AG

 

It boasts innovations such as active aerodynamics that make the car slippery when going in a straight line or massively increase downforce when hugging turns at top speeds. In this regard it’s the first road-going car to use an active under-floor panel that moves back and forward to channel how air flows under the car at different speeds.

“Our sports car and performance brand AMG has its roots in motorsport and, ever since its formation, has repeatedly faced up to the competition on the racetrack,” said Professor Thomas Weber, member of the board of management of Daimler AG, responsible for group research and Mercedes‑Benz cars development. “[This] new top-of-the-range model is proof of the close collaboration between our constructors of racing cars and road-going vehicles.”

The record time comes just as the GT-R officially goes on sale. The first deliveries are expected in March 2017 and, unlike the equivalent Ferrari, Mercedes has no plans to cap production numbers, meaning that anyone with around $200,000 can have one. —Relaxnews

Below, take a look at a teaser video of the Mercedes-AMG GT-R.

 

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