Renowned Mercedes modifier Renntech has claimed a new record at the Nurburgring with its upgraded AMG GT R, which completed a lap of the demanding 12.9-mile long circuit in a blistering seven minutes and four seconds. That may not be as fast as the current king of the 'Ring, the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, which lapped the Green Hell in a staggering six minutes and 44.97 seconds, but it does make it the fastest road-legal Mercedes to ever lap the Nurburgring according to Renntech. At the wheel of "the Beast of the Green Hell" was GT3 racing driver Andreas Simonsen, who has raced in VLN endurance races and the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring, so he knows the track inside out.

In stock form, the Mercedes-AMG GT R is already an absolute beast thanks to a turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that pumps out 577 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, but Renntech has boosted the performance up to 760 hp with its R760 package. Installing the package adjusts the ECU and adds in-house developed turbochargers, downpipes, and blow-off valve adapters. Renntech also improves the brakes with a track package that includes lightweight brake discs, special racing brake fluid and a plug-and-play ventilation kit made from carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

To improve the agility, the car is equipped with a suspension kit developed by Bilstein. Combined with Michelin Cup2 ZP tires, this setup improved the car's cornering speeds while navigating the challenging course.

Despite setting a new record, Renntech still isn't satisfied with the result. "That's not enough for us," said Renntech Managing Director Lukas Domogalla. "We are currently working on several intelligent technical solutions to unlock even more hidden potential of the AMG GT R. Therefore, there are still a few seconds left to be squeezed out of the car. Even now the car is already on route for a time of 6:50." If this claim is true, Renntech's Mercedes-AMG GT R could potentially beat the time set by the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which lapped the Nurburgring in six minutes and 57.3 seconds.