Arguably the most famous track in the world, the Nürburgring race facility has undergone some strange changes over the last year and a half since the German government handed it over to private company, Nurburgring Automotive GmbH (NAG).

The management was handed over back in May 2010 in hopes that the company could revamp the popular German race facility but it has become an overwhelming failure even after over $437-million (€ 330-million) of public money was invested into it. Luckily the German government won’t stand idle watching one of its prized possessions fall apart. The authorities announced that they would sever the lease with NAG and are now looking for a new operator.

During NAG’s tenure, there were high-profile scandals to go along with plenty of public pressure to get rid of the group. Changes to the Nürburgring facility included the addition of a theme park and a shopping mall – both of which seem out of place to automotive enthusiasts worldwide. A non-profit organization (read as: Facebook group) has even been setup to “Save the Ring” and has close to 60,000 likes already.

So now the German authorities will find a new operator for the facility and will probably set a contract to last a year, in order to avoid a mishap like this again.

[Source: GT Spirit]

Cadillac is drumming up a lot of excitement for its upcoming ATS model, which will be GM’s answer to BMW’s ever popular 3-Series. To get everyone excited about the new ATS, Cadillac has been releasing a series of videos teasing the vehicle as it gets put through its paces of testing and tuning.

The newest video highlighting the ATS’ journey shows Cadillac developing and refining the sedan on the Autobahn and the Nurburgring. By gathering an elite team of drivers and engineers, Cadillac threw everything it possibly could at the ATS in order to develop the perfect sports sedan.

Check out the video below:

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Horst von Saurma, editor-in-chief of Sport Auto magazine, took McLaren’s MP4-12C out to Nurburgring for a single lap to see what the machine could do. Obviously we should all take the 7 minute and 28 second lap time with a grain of salt, considering the driver only had a single lap despite being very experienced at the ‘Ring.

McLaren did confirm that the MP4-12C was completely stock, including the factory Pirelli P-Zero Corsa rubber. It’s worth noting that the video doesn’t feature von Saurma’s MP4-12C that he lapped on the Nurburgring, but rather another car that was used on a separate lap day earlier in the year. Unfortunately that vehicle wasn’t able to complete a lap due to rain.

For comparison’s sake, the current production car record holder is the Viper ACR with a 7:12 while the MP4′s closest rival, the Ferrari 458, has a recorded best of 7:32.

Nonetheless, the video is entertaining to watch and McLaren has no plans of recording an official lap this year with their MP4-12C. (It’s a bit nippy in Germany this time of year).

Check out the video after the jump:

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Cadillac has released a video of its 2012 ATS testing at the Nurburgring, along with some photos of the heavily disguised sports sedan being put through its paces.

The ATS in the video is obviously a long way off from production, with a rollcage, bucket seats and other competition-grade pieces, and we can’t quite make out whether the engine is a high-strung 4-banger or a GM V6.

GM’s U.S. boss Mark Reuss says, “The ATS is probably the most sporty car that Cadillac has ever done and I think you’ll find this car more entertaining than anything else int he segment. And I think it’s also one of the most beautiful cars.”

Take a look for yourself after the jump.

GALLERY: Cadillac ATS At The Nurburgring

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If you’re a Nurburgring lap video junkie then today is your lucky day. After first announcing the new 2012 Camaro ZL1‘s incredible 7:41.27 time around the Green Hell, Chevy has now released a video of the stunning feat.

The 580-hp supercharged V8 muscle car proves it can handle too, thanks in part to the Corvette ZR1′s Performance Traction Management system.

The lap time, while roughly 20 seconds off the ZR1 is just 1.5 seconds away from a Porsche GT3. The current production car record holder is the Dodge Viper ACR with a lap time of 7:12.

Enjoy the video, and the Camaro’s incredible sounds, after the jump:

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According to General Motors’ PR machine, the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 set a Nurburgring lap time of 7 minutes, 41 seconds and 27 milliseconds.

For the sake of comparison that time is just a second and a half off the time released by the new 2012 Porsche 911 and is the same as the 997 Porsche GT3. The 2012 Corvette Z06 recently laid down a 7:22 lap time, while the current record holder for production cars is the Dodge Viper ACR with a 7:12 time.

We wish we were excited about this announcement, but knowing what a crock most Nuburgring times are, we’re remaining unmoved. The only accurate measure of its performance will be to actually drive the car, so until then, speculation on the ZL1′s performance will remain off-limits for us.

GALLERY: 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1

British racing driver Jackie Stewart called the Nurburgring Nordschleife (Northern loop) the “Green Hell,” and this past week, the track lived up to its nick name due to an eight car pile up that included a rented Chevrolet Corvette, a BMW M3 “Ring Taxi”, two rare Vauxhall VX220′s an E36, E30 and E92 BMW 3-series, an old Porsche 911.

The accident took place on a public lapping day at the “Bergwerk” section, where a construction company was doing some repair work, which is not a great idea especially when novices are out on the track. According to reports, four cars were racing as they approached the construction zone, which according to some was not clearly marked.

These four cars slammed on their brakes upon seeing the construction zone and the carnage ensued. This chain of accidents took out eight cars in total and sent one man to the hospital with serious injuries.

This accident caused around $200,000 worth of damage to cars and property. Usually all damages to the track are paid by those involved in the accidents, but there could be a strong case made against the track for its untimely construction on a open lapping day and then not marking the construction zone clearly. We reckon this story is far from over. We’ll keep you posted on this developing story.

[Source: GT Spirit]

Even though the accuracy of Nurburgring records has been debunked ad nauseaum, the low-IQ crowd still seems to take some stock in their veracity – or maybe they just need a lot of visual stimulation. Either way, the Dodge Viper ACR has apparently set a new lap record for the Nurburgring, and there exists video “proof” of this miraculous non-event.

The Viper Club of America has pandered to these folks by releasing video of the event (below the jump) which is really not all that exciting – although we do get some cool V10 sounds towards the end. Nonetheless, the slick production should hopefully convince any holdouts that these Nurburgring lap time runs are just contrived marketing ploys and nothing more.

Hit the jump to watch the video of the Dodge Viper ACR Nurburgring Lap Record

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Toyota has already announced that it intends to set a new electric car lap record at the Nurburging, but now the automaker has some extra exciting news for EV performance enthusiasts – you’ll be able to buy one!

Just days ahead of the planned record breaking attempt, Toyota has said the electric SR9 racer will be available for retail sale, well, some if it will anyway. Consumers will be able to buy the car’s electric drivetrain, battery, twin electric motors and lithium-ceramic batteries. Buyers won’t, however, be able to purchase the body shell or lightweight chassis from Radical – although we suppose you could buy both individually and match them up yourself.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but the lucky few that do purchase these sophisticated items will likely have to shell out some serious coin.

GALLERY: Electric SR9 Race Car

[Source: Green Car Reports]

It’s the experience of the lifetime. In fact, it’s several, all rolled into one.

To help celebrate the launch of the all new 2012 M5, BMW flew six lucky winners to Germany where they became the very first to drive what will no doubt soon be crowned as the world’s most high performance sedan. Better yet, all six were taken to the Nurburgring to drive car, and get the ride of their lives sitting shotgun for a few hot laps.

Get full details on the new M5 here and look for more photos from its Frankfurt Auto Show debut in the weeks to come.

Watch the video after the jump:

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