Strange and mysterious things happen in that little corner of the Adenau Forest they call the Nurburgring. Few stranger than the events of last week, though, when a mystery silver bullet-shaped car appeared on the Nurburgring webcam.

There. In the top photo. Very small. Look closely. This, naturally, piqued the interest of the TG office, prompting much Googling and hypothesising for a couple of days until the car reappeared, more clearly this time (in the second shot), and revealed itself to be a Veritas RS3.

A what? The RS3 was a 2001 concept built around a six-litre V12 borrowed from BMW - a 670bhp unit in a car weighing just under a ton. Veritas was a small German race car manufacturer formed in the 1940s that went bust in 1952, but the name was revived for the boat-like, definitely-a-bit-phallic RS3.

None of which really explains why the RS3 has returned after a seven year absence. Close squinting reveals it to look damn close to the 2001 car - shown in the bottom photo - but with the addition of a bonnet scoop and longer, stretched-back headlights. Still cool though, eh?

One intrepid 'Ring enthusiast even managed to grab a quick video of the RS3 waiting to hit the Nordschliefe.

Watch video

Feeling just a little bit jealous of the driver? Us too. Imagine what secrets lie behind that visor. Let the sleuthing begin.