• German car magazine editor takes Ferrari 296 GTB to a sub-7:00 minute lap time around the famed Green Hell, Germany's Nürburgring Nordschleife.
  • The 296 was stock, with the optional Assetto Fiorano package.
  • It rode on street-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires.

Automotive journalist Christian Gebhardt of Germany’s Sport Auto lapped the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife in 6:58.70 in a Ferrari 296 GTB.

In an article and video posted today about a lap driven on April 19, Gebhradt describes his trip around the almost-13-mile track late in the day, starting at 6:36 pm local time and finishing less than seven minutes later. Air temperature was a cool 54 degrees Fahrenheit and the track surface temperature was 66 degrees Fahrenheit.

The 296 was equipped with the optional “Assetto Fiorano” package, a set of track-ready components that reduce weight, increase aerodynamic grip, and reduce drag. The car rode on street-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires.

Gebhardt’s time beats the now-second-fastest Ferrari the magazine has taken to the Nordschleife by just 1.3 seconds. A 488 GTB turned a 7:00.03 in 2019.

If you’re watching the video, the actual run starts at about 1:45. Buckle up.

What car do you want to see set a lap time at the Nürburgring? Please share your thoughts below.

Headshot of Mark Vaughn
Mark Vaughn
Mark Vaughn grew up in a Ford family and spent many hours holding a trouble light over a straight-six miraculously fed by a single-barrel carburetor while his father cursed Ford, all its products and everyone who ever worked there. This was his introduction to objective automotive criticism. He started writing for City News Service in Los Angeles, then moved to Europe and became editor of a car magazine called, creatively, Auto. He decided Auto should cover Formula 1, sports prototypes and touring cars—no one stopped him! From there he interviewed with Autoweek at the 1989 Frankfurt motor show and has been with us ever since.