VIDEO: 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Test Car Laps the Nurburgring in 7:55.00, Faster than Panamera and CTS-V

Subaru has just released test footage of its soon-to-be-launched 2011 Impreza WRX STI sedan from the Nurburgring race track. Described by the Japanese automaker as the firm's "fastest WRX STI ever", the 2011MY turned the Nurburgring race track in an impressive 7 minutes and 55 seconds in the hands of four-time World Rally Champion, Tommi M�kinen.

For those keeping track, rally legend and Porsche test driver, Walter R�hrl, lapped the 'Ring with the 500HP Panamera Turbo in an unofficial time of 7 minutes and 56 seconds, while Cadillac's 556HP CTS-V clocked a 7:59.32 lap in 2008.

But there's a catch; the 2011 STI that lapped the 'Ring was in Subaru's own words, a prototype model. According to the company, the test car combined a series of production performance upgrades from the JDM-only R205 and C-Spec STIs including a larger turbocharger with some additional mods such as under body aero parts and aluminum fenders.

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New 2011 Suzuki Swift Snagged on Film, Could Debut in Paris This Year

Having presented the new Kizashi sedan, Suzuki is now focused on finishing the development of the new generation of the Swift supermini that was spied here on film during testing in and around the Nurburgring race track.

Riding on a new platform, the 2011 Swift will be slightly bigger than today's model but it will maintain its MINI-like design feel and shape. The most notable styling changes (or at least those that can be seen on the camouflaged cars) concern the more prominent and significantly larger headlamps and tail lights.

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Vauxhall Astra VXR N�rburgring Crash with Videos

Some guy in a Vauxhall Astra VXR N�rburgring Edition went to the notorious Nordschleife to try to live up to the name on the side of his car and made a booboo. Hey, no sweat, these things happen all the time.

People get a little antsy in the pantsy, lose their concentration, and wreck their car. The real point of interest here is the potential costs involved (other than that of a damaged car and pride).

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BMW's M3 GT2 Snatches Victory from Porsche's 911 Hybrid at N�rburgring 24 Hours Race

The N�rburgring had a eventful weekend hosting its eponymous race, giving two of Germany's biggest names the chance to go at it for a day. BMW and Porsche both showed up looking to be strong contenders again this year (Porsche has won for the past four years).

Stuttgart-based Porsche finally debuted its much-hyped GT3 R Hybrid (more details here) on the track, but the car gave out 22 hours and 15 minutes into the race. Just because the end result was a DNF does not mean that it didn't put up one hell of a show, holding the lead for eight hours.

Porsche factory driver Joerg Bergmeister says he "heard a loud noise at the rear of the car and suddenly the power went."

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Audi R8 LMS Dominates the N�rburgring, Takes First Four Grid Positions for 24 Hour Race

Audi's attempts to win this year's edition of the Nurburgring 24 Hours got off to an excellent start as the qualifying session for the event ended with four examples of the R8 LMS racer filling out the first four grid positions for this weekend's race.

This will be the first time in the history of the 24-hour race at the N�rburgring that an Audi will start from pole position.

Three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner finished first in an Audi R8 LMS run by ABT Sportsline. Werner broke the existing lap record for the current N�rburgring circuit layout by almost two seconds with a lap time of 8 minutes and 24.753 seconds.

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Seven Audi R8 LMS Racers to Compete in 24 Hours of N�rburgring

This year's running of the 24 hours of N�rburgring that kicks off this weekend will see three Audi customer teams (ABT Sportsline, Black Falcon and Phoenix Racing) entering a total of seven R8 LMS racers.

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Lexus Prices N�rburgring Package for LFA Supercar at $70,000

If owning one of the 500 examples of the LFA supercar that Lexus plans to build doesn't claim victory to your ego, then you'll be happy to know that the Japanese automaker has just released U.S. pricing for the N�rburgring Package that will be strictly limited to only 50 units worldwide.

Those that choose to tick the option will be charged an extra $70,000, while Matte black will carry an additional cost of $20,000. The standard LFA carries a MSRP of $375,000, meaning that with the N�rburgring Package, increases the total price to a $450,000.

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VIDEO: Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid hits the Nurburgring

Remember the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid that was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show this past March? Well, Porsche has released a new video of its hybrid racer with which it will compete at the N�rburgring 24 hour race on 15/16 May.

Williams Formula 1 pilot Nico H�lkenberg tested the orange and white liveried 911 GT3 R Hybrid on the Nordschleife in the lead up to the third round of the VLN Long Distance Championship. Check out the video after the jump.

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VIDEO: Ferrari 599XX Sets New Lap Record for Production-Derived Sports Car at the Nurburgring

Records are meant to be broken, though we're not quite sure what kind of record the track-focused, but not street-legal, Ferrari 599XX broke at the Nurburgring race track.

The Italian maker said in a press statement that the 700HP 599XX, which inspired the road-legal 599 GTO, is the first ever "production-derived sports car to break the 7-minute barrier on the 20.832 km Nordschleife circuit, lapping it in 6 min 58.16 sec."

For comparison, the Dodge Viper ACR and the Corvette ZR1 turned the 'Ring in 7:22.10 and 7:26.40 respectively, however, unlike the juiced-up Ferrari, both American sports cars are street legal.

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VW Returns to the 'Ring with Improved Scirocco GT24-CNG

Volkswagen will participate at this year's edition of the N�rburgring 24-hour endurance race over the weekend 12-16 May with three natural gas-powered Scirocco GT24-CNGs.

The Scirocco GT24-CNG coupes are fitted with the same 2.0-litre TSI engine modified to run on natural gas that secured class victory at last year's event. A few minor tweaks help increase output from 325HP to 330HP.

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VIDEO: All-Electric MINI 'E' Laps the Nurburgring Circuit in Under 10 Minutes

A lightly modified race-spec version of the all-electric MINI 'E' completed a lap of the legendary 20.8 km-long "Green Hell" in a time of 09:51.45 minutes recording a top speed of 187 km/h or 116mph, the BMW Group announced today. At the wheel of the electric racer for the hot lap was former DTM racing driver Thomas J�ger from Munich.

It goes without saying that the folks from the BMW Group didn't bring the MINI E to the notorious N�rburgring-Nordschleife circuit to break any records but to show that their all-electric test vehicle can manage a respectable lap time on the 'Ring.

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