On Wednesday, Raffaele de Simone recorded the fastest lap for a production derived sportscar around the monstrous Nordschleife circuit in Nurburg, Germany; however there are already claims about the legitimacy of the record. Indeed, if the record is upheld, it will be the first car of its kind to have officially broken the 7-minute barrier at the 20.8km track, famous for its daunting hills, challenging corners and super fast straights.
That the time of 6 minutes 58.16 seconds was set in the Ferrari 599xx with slick tyres – a souped up inspiration for the Ferrari 590GT machine – appears to be the main point of controversy. Add to that, the 599xx’s six litre V-12 grunt and you have one incredible powerful machine, but none of these things take away from the fact that this car is a joy to watch.
