McLaren P1 LM GTR Sets Yet Another New Nurburgring Record

With 6:43.2, McLaren P1 LM becomes quickest street car on the ‘Ring.

Hopefully, the arbiters of Nurburgring records books, whoever they may be, write everything in chalk these days. In the last 45 days, three cars have smashed the production-car ‘Ring record. The most recent and current record run came from the McLaren P1 LM GTR. Nearly on the eve of this year’s Indy 500, we find it fitting that the company sent former Indy racer Kenny Bräck to set the new record 6:43.22-second lap.

The McLaren takes away the short-lived—about a week—record of the NIO EP9 (6:45.9), a very limited-run all-electric hypercar. The NIO itself had taken away the month-old record of the new Lamborghini Huracan Performante (6:52.0), a seriously awesome Lambo with trick active aerodynamics. Regardless, the McLaren’s record should come as little surprise; last year found the P1 LM setting a new street-car record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hill Climb.

The McLaren P1 LM GTR essentially takes a track-only P1 GTR and turns it street legal. Lanzante Motorsport assisted with that bit of kit, the sum total of which is a street-legal car with nearly 1,000 horsepower. The conversion chopped out significant weight; the LM GTR weighs in a shade north of 3,000 pounds. Add in some serious aerodynamic gains from a giant wing and splitter to generate 40 percent more downforce.

All told, you can add this to the purpose-built-race-car-turned-street-car category of dream cars. From the final Dodge SRT Viper ACR to this P1 LM GTR, now is a great time to love track weapons that can, at least in theory, be driven to the racetrack.

That wasn’t the only Nordschleife news this week, either; Volvo apparently set a production-sedan record with an S60 Polestar in 2016 that they never publicized. That 7:51 lap has since been bested twice, but the Swedish automaker’s typical humbleness stands in stark contrast to the bragadocio of the hypercar cars.