But these records all pale in comparison to the time laid down by Chinese newcomer NIO. The company has claimed a blistering new lap record at the Nordschleife with its EP9 supercar.

All the records mentioned in the intro are class-specific. The Honda Civic Type-R is the fastest front-wheel drive car to lap the North Loop, and the AMG GT R is the quickest rear-driver. But the NIO EP9 clocked a 6:45.900 lap, topping the Radical SR8LM by 2.1 seconds and Lamborghini's Huracan Performante by 6 seconds to become the outright fastest production car around the Nurburgring. 

This isn't the first time NIO has taken its electric supercar to Germany in search of laptime glory. Last year, the Chinese company set a 7:05.120 lap of the same circuit. Conditions were not ideal, but the time was fast enough to hand the EP9 a record for electric vehicles. The most recent attempt was conducted in ideal conditions, but we aren't sure that's all that changed.