cars news 10: Subaru Breaks Four-Door Nurburgring Lap Record

Subaru set out to capture the Nürburgring lap record for a four-door car, and it has done just that with a time of 6 minutes, 57.5 seconds in the WRX STI Type RA NBR Special.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a production car record, as the WRX STI Type RA NBR Special is a highly prepared Nürburgring attack dog. The production four-door Nürburgring record still belongs to the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Built by Prodrive, a group of engineers with countless awards and trophies, the time-attack race car is equipped with a rally-spec 2.0-liter Boxer engine that sends more than 600 hp to Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system. Yowza!

The STI’s motor was fortified and given a turbocharger that runs 25 psi of boost. In addition to the fresh engine, Prodrive installed a full FIA roll cage, a World Rally Championship gearbox, 9-inch-wide Dunlop tires wrapped around Speed Line wheels, and an aero package that creates nearly 650 pounds of extra downforce at top speed, which has been upped to 179 mph.

The rear wing additionally has a Formula 1-style Drag Reduction System that either stalls or drops the rear wing to create more downforce in the corners or less on the straights for higher top speeds.

“We brought the WRX STI Type RA NBR Special here to set a record and call attention to the WRX STI Type RA that we will launch later this year. The WRX STI Type RA promises a great deal, with improved performance and styling and even better handling dynamics than the current car,” said Dominic Infante, Subaru’s product communications manager.

The record beats a host of production supercars, including the Lamborghini Aventador SV, Mercedes-AMG GT R, a Dodge Viper ACR, the current-generation 911 GT3, and ties the million-dollar Porsche 918 Spyder. And according to Infante, the only reason Subaru ceased its quest was because the team ran out of tires. “We had another second or so in there,” he said after the lap record fell.

Subaru says a video of the lap record will launch soon and we can’t wait to see the in-car footage.

Source: Subaru