10 and 1 front-wheel drive fastest in “Green Hell”

The Honda Civic R type he broke into his song Nurburgring and break the timers, “breaking” the Nordschleife lap record for a front-drive production model class. There have been many record forerunners, with top performances being changed from year to year.

THE ‘Green Hell’as mentioned by Mr. Jackie Stewart, is the ultimate challenge for a racing driver, as it is a very demanding way to combine everything. The song is built between Eifel mountain in Germanyand it’s the epitome of raw speed and iconic -plus-turns, just like that The famous Karussell, or Carouselwhich has inspired the formation of many other believers around the world.

Many manufacturers choose the legendary track to conduct the necessary tests for the development of their new models, but also to prove that their venture is worthy of praise. The full Nurburgring Nordschleife track is 20,832 m longbut most rounds are completed approx 200 m earlierfor security reasons, and “small” text to be long 20,600 m.

But which are the 10 fastest front-drive productions to hit the famous Nurburgring track?

10. 2009 Ford Focus RS (8:26)

In 2009, Ford managed to build one hot hatch which was to the surprise of the members of the special press, but also to set the fastest time in the front-wheel drive class for that year. That Ford Focus RS completed his cycle 8:26 in the morning in the drawing of 20,600 mstriving hard, and proving his worth ‘Green Hell’.

With its high speed to touch 262 km / hmay not have been able to get ahead of Renault Megane RS R26.R who held the record since 2008but it was a worthy competitor to many other models, such as Volkswagen Golf R32 and Scirocco.

9. 2008 Renault Megane RS R26.R (8:16.9)

The French’s extreme design may have had its origins on the track, but it was a production model that excelled in the Renault range. The Megane RS R26.R He is on the table for a quick time on his song Nurburgring of 2008complete the circle inside 8:16.9 in the “small” engraving of 20,600 m.

8. 2011 Renault Megane RS Trophy (8:07.97)

A few months after its inception in 2011, The Renault Megane RS Trophy He “conquered” the Nurburgring, breaking the record held by his grandfather 2008.

His strength 2.0 liter turbocharged engine reached 265 horsepowerbut also various additions to the competitive behavior that it brought, such as for example Bridgestone RE 050A tiresa specially designed racing chassis, brakes and Recaro seats, were its supporting features Laurent Hurgon overcome it Nurburgring.

7. 2015 SEAT Leon ST Cupra 280 (7:58.12)

The Seat Leon ST Cupra 280 has been able to prove that station wagons they don’t have to settle for low performance. THE 280 hp four-cylinder enginewith the capacity of the company representative, Jordi Geneset new standards for examples in its class.

He topped the leaderboard for fastest laps Nurburgringcomplete the circle inside 7:58.12and make it difficult even for examples like BMW M2 and Cadillac CTS-V.

6. 2016 Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy-R (7:54.36)

For one more year, 2016, one Renault Megane his master Nurburgringand this time with version RS 275 Trophy-R. An example brought his grandfather, Megane RS 275 trophy white face, “steal” 4 sec since the time of 2011.

Together with 7:54.36 What he did in the “small” carve, the French creation beat many other cars, such as. Mercedes E63 AMG and Caterham R500 Superlightbe on it ‘Green Hell’.

5. 2015 Honda Civic Type R (7:50.63)

This special time is a special case. This is natural Honda Civic R type who did the fastest lap of the Nurburgring in the fair 7:50.63which nevertheless achieved this success before the model’s first official show in the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

Be exampleso not a production carmany find it special Civil Type R it didn’t break the lap record in the front-wheel-drive category, but it’s certainly worth mentioning, as it’s a very impressive effort.

4. 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport (7:47.19)

In 2016, Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S came to set the bar even higher. He arrived at the Nurburgring breaking the record by almost 1 second, completing a lap in 7:49.21when a few months later he returned to the track to “break” his own record again.

Two liter engine 310 horsepower he gave the model the tools to achieve his performance 7:47.19almost the touching times of such supercars Lamborghini Murcielago and Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

3. 2017 Honda Civic Type R (7:43.80)

The thirst for records, fast laps and of course the championship never stopped for him Honda. The 2017,, Civil Type R he returned to the German circuit to retrieve him the name of the fastest front-wheel drive model at the Nurburgring.

This time, Honda engineers improved it corner speed, when they released a new model, a more powerful suspension with more links, a longer wheelbase and optimal aerodynamics. In this way, Honda Civic R type he was able to do his time 7:43.80that is 6.83 seconds fastest from his previous generation Type Rand Sec 3.39 Faster than Golf GTI Clubsport S.

2. 2019 Renault Megane RS Trophy-R (7:40.1)

Three years after the big performance he recorded, the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R again turn on his watches Nurburgring, stealing the record from Honda’s hands. The engine remained the same as the previous version, and turbocharged I4 engine with a capacity of 1.8 liters to continue producing Megane 302 horsepowerbut the model came with a new weapon, improved suspension, and lost 130 kg from its total weight.

Aerodynamic changes, such as the addition of new Brembo brakes, an Akrapovic exhaust and Bridgestone tires, brought Megane RS Trophy-R in the position to make the best time, at 7:40.1 on the 20,600 meter coursewhen when parallel on the way and over 232 meters, it is 7:45.389.

1. 2023 Honda Civic Type R (7:44.88)

For this particular example, no recommendations are required. It has dominated the Nurburgring several times, and by the looks of it, 2023 is yet another year for this Japanese front-wheel drive beast to excel on the tracks. This is brand new Honda Civic R typewhich again broke the lap record at the Nurburgring, doing 7:44.88 on the 20,832 meter course.

Although this carving option is not common, as most experiments are completed at the stage of 20,600 m, this time is definitely the fastest in the Green Hell. Win against 0.5 sec of Renault Megane RS Trophy-R which held the record firmly in its hands since 2019, the Civic Type R managed to climb back to the top.

Bonus: Lynk & Co Concept 03 of 2019 (7:20.143)

Another case where the technical details made the difference. The concept of Lynk & Co 03 Cyan was introduced in 2019with the company revealing that its 528bhp model broke the time on the Nurburgring, performing surprisingly well. 7:20.143but this performance was considered “empty,” for it was a car that it will never go into production.

Lynk & Co announced that later this model was registered in Sweden and it was legal for the road, but most still do not include the Swedish-Chinese car in the list of the fastest cars around the Nurburgring. For us, the timing of such a storm is important to mention.