Nissan GT-R 'V-Spec' news - Lap of the Godzillas? - 2008

News reaches us from deepest Germany that the still-in-development Nissan GT-R V-Spec - the lighter, more powerful incarnation of the new all-conquering Godzilla - has lapped the Nürburgring in seven minutes 25 seconds. The time is unofficial and unconfirmed, but that's bonkers-quick nonetheless.

The standard GT-R managed a 7:38 late last year - itself two seconds quicker than a 911 Turbo, but 7:25? That's quicker than a Pagani Zonda F Clubsport; quicker than Walter Rohrl in a Porsche Carrera GT.

Most of all, it's great advertising for Nissan... and for the 'Ring. The Nordschliefe has turned into something of a badge of honour within the industry of late, a byword for 'look how long we spent teaching this car to go round corners'.

Cadillac tell us it camped out at the 'Ring when developing the new CTS; Aston's N400 has a threaded diagram of the track on its binnacle; and even the Vauxhall Astra VXR Nürburgring Edition gets, erm, some ornamental carbon fibre.

But, in honesty, how much of a badge of honour is the 'Ring name-dropping when a nice lady in a van can lap it in under 10 minutes?