It is a sort of record, depending on how you view it.
Mercedes-Benz was out at the Nurburgring to use its GT 63S 4-Door. Today, the automaker released a video that shows the car completing the Nordschleife lap in 7 minutes 25.41 seconds. This is a stunning time for any vehicle, not to mention a production-spec Merc with four doors that can seat four adults. It’s actually fast enough for Mercedes, even if it has a four-door record. But here’s where things get complicated and, if you’re honest with yourself, a little nit-picky.
Jaguar fans will be furious right away, as the XE SV Project is quicker. The current ‘Ring king’ of production sedans, it still has a lap time of 7:21.23 seconds. Notice that we did not mention Mercedes or sedan in the same sentence. Mercedes doesn’t either, which is a bit odd considering Mercedes wants to claim a title in a segment it doesn’t recognize with the GT 4-door. Mercedes calls it a 4-door coupe.
The AMG GT 63 S has still four doors and four seats for four adults. It’s slower than the Jag, which still has the same attributes. What is Mercedes doing to claim a record? Mercedes claims that the GT 63 S is the fastest four-seater production car ever to conquer the famous Nurburgring Nordschleife. This is the key, as only 300 cars were built for Project 8. The Track Package, which is lighter than the GT 63 S, sets the record. Mercedes will continue to build four-seat AMG GT-4Door models.
It’s true, it’s a very nitpicky claim by Mercedes that has all of the hallmarks of an unsuccessful outright record attempt turned to a positive. The automaker is correct in pointing out that the AMG doesn’t have a limited-edition track machine, as Project 8. The GT 4-Door is simply amazing, and it’s even more impressive to be able to see the Jag in action for a few seconds. We are certainly impressed and we expect you will be once you see the video.