The folks over at PistonHeads.com headed to Silverstone to catch up with Kazutoshi Mizuno, otherwise known as the father of the GT-R. Mizuno spent some time detailing the improvements the 2012 Nissan GT-R (2013 U.S.-spec model) sports, and how he anticipates it to be a very noticeable difference to the car’s performance.

For 2012, the GT-R will receive a nice increase in power, though no figure has been set in stone. The estimates are to be around 550-hp while the right-hand-drive markets will receive an asymmetric suspension setup. The suspension is designed to counterbalance the extra 110-lbs of the steering assemblies. Minor revisions were also made to the front end, slightly improving steering.

And while all these changes are probably very minor and unnoticeable to the everyday person, Nissan claims that the 2012 car was faster throughout the track at Silverstone and because of that data, Mizuno believes that the 2012 GT-R could be 7-8 seconds faster than the 2011 lap time of 7 minutes and 24 seconds.

To put this into perspective, the current production car Nurburgring record holder is the Viper ACR with a 7:12 time.

There will also be an announcement of a Track Pack for the 2012 GT-R which will include Spec-V style interior, racing seats with high friction fabric, upgraded brakes and a sport exhaust. Mizuno also teased about the possibility of expanding the GT-R model line.

GALLERY: 2012 Nissan GT-R

[Source: PistonHeads]

Just a week after Lexus confirmed its LFA Nurburgring Edition had set a new lap record on the Green Hell, Dodge has one-upped the Japanese automaker. With a 7:12 time, the now out of production ACR’s time is a solid two seconds ahead of the $400,000 LFA supercar.

With a 32-hp advantage on the LFA, the Viper ACR’s real strong points are excessive amounts of torque and a nearly absurd spoiler that provides race car like downforce at speed.

In addition to this news, Dodge also reportedly ran a Viper ACR-X track car on the ‘Ring, lapping almost 10 seconds faster than the standard car with a 7:03 run.

[Source: Jalopnik]

A slap in the face to internet bench racers everywhere, Lexus has confirmed its 7:14.64 Nurburgring lap time. Whether or not this is the new production car record is up for some debate, but the LFA is certainly one of the leaders with the only other cars to post quicker times being obscure models like the Gumpert Apollo, or the Radical, which isn’t street legal in many countries. True, Lexus may only have built 500 LFAs and just 50 of these custom are Nurburgring edition models (like the record setting car), however, unlike those cars, the limited number of cars isn’t as a result of a lack of demand or production capability by the automaker.

Powered by the same 4.8-liter V10 engine as the “regular” LFA, the Nurburgring Edition makes 10 more horsepower for a total of 562-hp. Suspension and aerodynamic upgrades are also included. Priced at $70,000 more than the already expensive $375,000 model, just 50 of the 500 LFA models will be Nurburgring editions.

The previous non-obscure record holder was the Porsche GT2 RS.

Watch the proof after the jump:

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Toyota seems to be getting more and more serious about electric vehicles. Recently it announced that it will start producing an electric version of the Rav4 in Canada, and now comes news that it wants to conquer the Nurburgring electric car lap record.

Currently this record belongs to Peugeot and its EX1 prototype vehicle. It managed to go around in 9:01.338 seconds. Toyota plans to not only beat it, but demolish the old record with a car based on the Radical SRF.

In testing, this vehicle has achieved a top speed of 162 mph and can sprint from 0-60 mph in a scant 3.9 seconds.

With green-energy getting more and more popular, the future for electric racing cars is getting closer and Toyota hopes to be at the cutting edge of such technology.

Will Toyota capture the Nurburgring lap record for electric cars? We’ll find out on August 29th.

As a way to keep the Viper name in the spotlight until the next model arrives, Dodge is spending the summer hunting down as many track records as possible with its now-retired halo performance car.

Called the Viper Record Tour ’11, Dodge has already taken its hard-core ACR street-legal track machine to New Jersey Motorsports Park and Sebring International Raceway and reportedly has plans to claim two more lap records at both Texas World Speedway and Daytona. No details have been provided on who the driver is, but Kumo Wittmer, who drives a Viper Cup Car in the SCCA World Challenge series, is tipped to be a pilot for several of the runs. Whitmer, it should be noted, already set the production lap record in the Viper ACR at Miller Motorsports Park.

Perhaps most exciting, however, is word that the ACR may be headed back to to the Nurburgring in search of the lap record there. A Viper ACR did hold the record there in the past, but has since been surpassed by both the Porsche GT2 RS and the the 2012 Corvette ZR1.

[Source: MotorTrend]

Hit the jump to watch the recently released New Jersey and Sebring record runs:

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Reports of the BMW M5′s record-setting Nurburgring lap time are just starting to circulate now, well after we first covered the story last week. The source for the 7:55 run didn’t come from BMW, however, nor did it come from testing done by the automotive media, but from a website FastestLaps.com, raising some doubt as to its validity. Further calling into question the legitimacy of the number is the fact that it ever so conveniently tops the Porsche Panamera Turbo by one second.

We contacted FastestLaps.com and Krisjanis Zelch, a representative for the site, told us that he has, “no reason to question its legitimacy.” According to their source the time was mentioned by F10 M5 project leader Albert Biermannn during the debut of the car over the weekend at the Nurburgring.

Cautioning that he didn’t hear the news himself, Zelch did say that it came from a trusted source. “Judging from past experience, I am absolutely certain that this laptime is genuine (as genuine as lap time claims by factories can be) and in future I expect even faster laptimes resulting from independent tests.”

When contacted, BMW PR representative Dave Buchko neither confirmed or denied the time, stating that it, “is not an official time, so I’m afraid I’m not in a position to provide confirmation.” There’s no telling on if or when BMW plans to make an official timed run.

After having set a near-record time on the Nurburgring in the updated Corvette ZR1, Chevy has just released a second film documenting the improvements made to the Z06.

Driven once again by Corvette engineer Jim Mero, the 2012 Z06 equipped with the Z07 chassis package manages a 7:22.68 lap time an astonishing 20 seconds faster than the standing Z06 time. That time is two seconds faster than the updated 2012 Nissan GT-R, three seconds off the ZR1 (despite being down 133-hp) and just 4 seconds off the best time posted by the Porsche GT2 RS.  Chevy is particularly proud of the feat, especially when you consider the Z06 costs about a quarter of what you’d pay for the GT2 RS.

Watch the video after the jump. There are a few particularly scary moments at 6:40 and right at the finish:

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Pagani has just released a complete video documenting the Zonda R’s outrageously fast 6:47 Nürburgring lap time. Set several weeks ago, that time tops the Ferrari 599XX’s best of 6:58 in the somewhat irrelevant category of production-based cars. What that means is, while the Zonda R might have a production chassis underneath it, it’s definitely not street legal.

The Zonda R is a track-only machine weighing just 2,359 lbs and powered by a 6.0-liter AMG V12 engine that makes an incredible 750-hp and 524 ft-lbs of torque. That’s enough for a 0-60 mp time of just 2.7 seconds, using a mid-engine, rear-drive setup with a paddle-shift sequential gearbox.

The street legal lap still belongs to the Radical SR8LM with a time of 6:48. But that’s also a bit ridiculous, as the Radical is just a street-legal prototype race car and it’s not even legal in most countries. The runner up in the production class is another odd-ball, the Gumpert Apollo, with a 7:11.57. Although it’s hard to classify that vehicle as a production car. Finally, and more reasonably, there’s the 7:22 of the Dodge Viper ACR.

But enough with the stats. Check out some incredible driving after the jump.

See the video after the jump:

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Pagani has once again proven that its cars can go as fast as they look, setting a new production-based car Nürburgring record of 6:47. This bests the recent record set by the Ferrari 599XX of 6:58. The Zonda R’s new time also bests all times posted by street-legal cars, including the fastest street-legal “production car,” the Radical SR8LM with a time of 6:48. Other top-contenders include the Gumpert Apollo with a 7:11.57, and the Dodge Viper ACR with a time of 7:22.

Like the 599XX, the Zonda R is a track-only machine weighing just 2,359 lbs and powered by a 6.0-liter AMG V12 engine that makes an incredible 750-hp and 524 ft-lbs of torque. That’s enough for a 0-60 mp time of just 2.7 seconds, using a mid-engine, rear-drive setup with a paddle-shift sequential gearbox that’s three times as fast as anything Ferrari has.

[Source: Pistonheads]

See after the jump for a video detailing the Zonda R, as well as the 599XX’s Nürburgring run

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Proving that it’s not just horsepower that makes a fast car fast, Subaru has just announced that the all-new 2011 WRX STI has completed a 7:55 lap time about the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife. Now Subaru isn’t about to get itself entangled in a contest with other automakers, simply stating that the 7:55 lap time is a personal best for the brand, surpassing its previous 7:59, set back in 2004.

That time is, however, one second ahead of the current 4-door Nurburgring record holder, the 500-hp Porsche Panamera Turbo.

Subaru is branding the 2011 STI as “The Fastest WRX STI Ever” and the numbers certainly support the claim. Updates to the 2011 model were tested and developed on the Nurburgring with the help of four-time World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen.

The 2011 WRX STI goes on sale this summer. See after the jump for a video of the record-setting Nurburgring run.

GALLERY: 2011 Subaru WRX STI at the Nurburgring

See the video after the jump:

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