Arguably the greatest and most dangerous race circuit in the world, the infamous Nordschleife circuit last hosted a Grand Prix in 1976, intimidatingly close guard rails and lack of run-off areas often resulted in serious crashes.
Where could possibly be better to test the limits of a car under acceleration, braking and, cornering? The old Nürburgring circuit has become a mecca for car manufacturers and performance junkies alike. Manufacturers on high-speed test days share the same tarmac with gearheads running what they arrived in, others taking the safer "passenger" ride option.
Ignoring the one-off specials and prototypes, here are 10 of the fastest European cars around the daunting Nürburgring.
10 Gumpert Apollo Sport
What better way to kick off a new sports car brand than to tackle the world's fastest and most famous circuits? Already a record holder on the Top Gear test track, next up the Nürburgring. Opting to use their mid-range "sport" version, Gumpert set down a blistering time of 7-mins 11-sec in 2013, a new record for production cars.
The Sport drew its power from an Audi sourced 4.2-liter V8 boosted by a pair of turbochargers to deliver 690hp and a potential top speed of 229mph, not that maximum speed was ever a problem. It's just a pity the Apollo was a bit on the ugly side.
9 McLaren 720S
Announcing a new supercar to bolster the ranks, McLaren's 720S hit the roads in 2017 based largely on its existing chassis and drivetrain, aside from cosmetic changes and a few engine and suspension tweaks it was a case of more of the same.
Increasing power output to 710hp, proving just how potent the brand's 4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine is, the same basic design from the 2011 12C supercar had a dramatic effect on performance, lapping the ring in 7-min 8-secs proves McLaren's engineers know a thing or two about car set-up.
8 Ferrari 488 Pista
Launched in 2015, Ferrari's new 488GTB would have been plenty fast for even the most serious gearhead with 660hp and a top speed over 200mph. However, there is always a demand for more performance, Ferrari obliging customers needs with the 488 Pista.
Essentially a Challenge Cup variant for the road, the 488 Pista with its more aggressive front and rear diffusers could easily be mistaken for a GT car, backed up with sticker tires and a more potent 710hp 3.9-liter V8. How much of a difference did the changes make? It lapped the Nürburgring in 2019 with a time of 7-mins dead, an impressive 21-seconds faster than a standard 488GTB.
7 Porsche 918 Spyder
It wasn't so long ago that Porsche's 918 Spyder duked it out with rivals Ferrari and McLaren for bragging rights of the world's fastest production car, a battle that the Enzo ultimately won. But, straight-line speed isn't a true measure of how fast a car is, taking to a track is the best guide of who is quickest.
Despite having less power than its rivals, Porsche's 918 is the outright winner here, with a mere 887hp from its combined combustion engine and electric motor set-up, it lapped the famous circuit in 6-mins 57-secs, almost half a minute faster than Ferrari's Enzo.
6 Porsche 992 GT3
Ever youthful, Porsche's 911 range has been around for almost 70 years, each new incarnation getting faster and more powerful. Arriving in 2022, if everything goes to plan, Porsches' most potent track weapon to date has already been put through its paces, setting a lap time of 6-min 55-secs back in 2020.
By comparison to other supercars, Porsche's 992 GT3 might appear to be the underdog with just 502hp coming from a naturally aspirated 4-liter engine in a rear-drive chassis. However, stripping the 992 series of weight makes all the difference, tipping the scales at 3100lbs ensures power deficit is never an issue, hitting 60mph in 3.2-seconds makes the underdog a serious contender.
5 Lamborghini Huracán Performante LP640
Lamborghini to date has resisted the urge for turbocharging and hybrid powertrains for its supercars, the Huracán equipped with a vocal 5.2-liter V10 is all the better for a more traditional approach to performance.
Permanent all-wheel drive making light work of the Nürburgring's demanding nature, channeling all of the Huracán 631hp to deliver a lap time of 6-mins 52-secs, at the time in 2016 raising a few eyebrows being both quicker and cheaper than many hypercars.
4 Radical SR8 LM
The jury is still out for this one, largely based on Radical's SR8 road car means this LM spec model is road legal despite several authorities and gearheads arguing the odds. How the LM spec car differs is hard to see, changes to the car's aerodynamic package appear to be no more than covered headlamps.
Peeling away the bodywork reveals a custom-built Powertec 2.6-liter V8 engine that produces a mere 455hp, weight here being the key to the SR8's performance lapping in a time of 6-mins 48-secs. Road legality issues aside it is hard to imagine anyone using the SR8 daily, but for the truly insane it might just be the ultimate weekend car.
3 Porsche 911 GT2 RS
Porsche engineers are either the laziest or smartest guys in the car industry, taking a standard 991 series bodyshell and adding a few more ventilation holes, rear wing, and turning up the boost and giving it a new name, job done.
We think actually it's the latter, no other car model has endured quite like the 911, the once mocked rear-engine layout proving to be one of the best when it comes to traction. Unveiling their 991 GT2 RS in 2018, Porsche had produced their fastest road car to date, squeezing 690hp from its turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six, dispatching 60mph in 2.8-seconds. Around the Nürburgring, weight, and traction are crucial to a fast time, the 991 GT2 RS crossing the line in 6-mins 47-secs.
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With murmurings from Sant'Agata-based Lamborghini growing in numbers, the Aventador SVJ is sure to be one of the last V12 naturally aspirated cars we will ever see, growing pressure from environmentalists spell the end of an icon.
Better to go out with a bang, upping the SVJ's 6.5-liter V12 engine to deliver 759hp accompanied by a soundtrack to wake the dead, the Aventador isn't ready quite done yet, storming the famous German circuit in 6-mins 44-secs proves power has an important role to play in performance.
1 Mercedes AMG-GT Black Series
Breaking all records for the production car lap recording 2020, AMG's GT Black Series laying down a benchmark of 6-mins 43-secs, faster than many of the world's best supercars, even outperforming a few hypercars in the process.
Taking a different approach, using a comfortable almost practical GT car, reducing weight, and adding one of the greatest modern engines gave us the stock AMG GT, turning up the wick a few notches resulted in the 720hp Black Series. Of course, owning the ultimate AMG comes with a hefty price tag, setting gearheads back $325k.