Another day, another Nurburgring record broken. The cold war between the world's auto manufacturers, waged at said German racetrack, has just been escalated by McLaren, whose P1 LM just dropped a new high-yield bombshell of a time on its competition: a 6:43 lap of the 'Ring.
McLaren never released the official time for its standard P1 road car, playing the role of neutral Switzerland in the war over Nurburgring records. Until recently, that is, when it was finally confident enough to unleash its car and favorite driver, Kenny Bräck, on the course. (Bräck was also responsible for the official road car record time set at the Goodwood Hill Climb, also at the helm of the McLaren P1 LM.)
This new record knocks the Lamborghini Huracan Performante off the top of the hill, as it ran the 'Ring in a mere 6:52— though that was enough at the time to beat the reigning king of the 'Ring, the Porsche 918, which set its 6:57 record back in 2013. The Huracan Performante's lap, however, was questioned from the beginning, and some never accepted it as the true ruler of the Nurburgring. Now, of course, they don't have to, because the P1 LM's time knocks down that of both the Lamborghini and the Porsche. Some even suggest that the lap could have been faster than 6:43, citing a late application of the throttle at the exit of the corner (seen at approximately 1:45 into the video).
Including the XP1LM prototype car, only six P1 LMs have been built, and all five customer cars have been sold. They will be shipped to their buyers in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. Vehicles such as these should spend their lives anywhere other than a museum, so let's hope McLaren has been picky about who they sold these cars to.