Pagani Teases It May Be Gunning for a Nurburgring Record
The list of boutique supercar makers teasing ‘Ring times keeps growing longer.
It’s strictly conjecture at this point, but based on a recent social media post, it seems Pagani may be looking to set a new Nurburgring record. If true, that would put the Italian supercar maker in some serious company—but like many automakers, Horatio Pagani’s company is playing its ‘Ring hand close to the vest.
The Pagani Huayra BC has been seen running hot and heavy at the Nurburgring quite a bit lately, prompting speculation from savvy observers that the carmaker is quietly aiming to set a new production car time. A few days ago, however, Pagani released a post on its Facebook page with a video to its previous lap record—a 7:27.82 lap set in a Zonda F back in 2007—with the kicker, “To be continued…”
At the time, that Zonda F lap was fast enough to leave the likes of the Porsche Carrera GT in the dust. But the supercar game has moved forward since then; Porsche’s latest spared-no-expense wonder, the 918 Spyder, famously became the first production car to break the seven-minute-lap barrier back in 2013 when it set a 6:57 lap. So far, that record still stands.
But Pagani isn’t the only supercar company trying to set a new Nurburgring lap time. Swedish hypercar-maker Koenigsegg was a staple at the Nordschleife for a time earlier this year, running its 1,342-horsepower One:1 in preparation for an anticipated record attempt—until the car wrecked on a lap, leaving it broken, battered, and in needs of extreme repair.
Jim Glickenhaus’s upstart Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has already begun making bold claims for its SCG 003 supercar, preemptively boasting that even the daily-driver version will be capable of running a six-and-a-half minute lap on street tires. Such a claim would seem borderline-ludicrous coming from most unproven carmakers—but SCG has already developed a track car version of the car that can run the track in 6:42 with far less power.
And McLaren cohort Lanzante says the limited-run P1 LM it’s preparing for the British carmaker could take a shot at knocking the 918 off its hybrid pedestal. McLaren infamously refused to ever issue an official time for the P1, only claiming it broke the seven-minute barrier—which prompted many to assume it didn’t break the Porsche’s time. But the modifications Lanzante has made to the car could be enough to help push it past 6:57.
With so many contenders, it seems safe to guess the 918’s lap time could soon fall. But whether it’ll be Pagani, SCG, Koenigsegg, or someone else standing on top when the dust settles...well, that’s something we’re excited to learn.
