Watch Alfa Stelvio QV set fastest SUV lap of Nurburgring
Italian car maker says new Stelvio fastest ever SUV around the industry's fav proving groundAlfa Romeo has claimed it has set a new world's fastest production lap record for an SUV at the Nurburgring with its soon-to-be-launched Stelvio Quadrifoglio (QV).
Setting a time of just 7:51.07 seconds, the Italian car maker claims its sporting SUV flagship can lap the ring more than twenty-five seconds faster than the previous record holder, the 405kW Range Rover Sport SVR.
Driven by Pirelli test driver, Fabio Francia – the same man who set the Nurburgring lap record for the Giulia QV – the Alfa SUV that beat the Range Rover was powered by the same 375kW/600Nm twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 as the fast Alfa sedan.
For the record, Francia was said to have driven a standard eight-speed automatic Stelvio QV with the optional carbon ceramic Brembo brakes and the lightweight carbon-fibre Sparco seats fitted.
As well as the performance-enhancing parts, Alfa Romeo claims its Stelvio QV optimum 50:50 weight distribution, excellent power-to-weight ratio and class-leading body rigidity were all contributing factors in setting the lap record.
It's perhaps no surprise the fast SUV set such a quick lap. Alfa Romeo at its launch at the LA Motor Show claimed the Stelvio QV could hit 60mph (97km/h) in just 3.9 seconds and top out at 285km/h.
Releasing the record news just days after Porsche conquered the outright production car lap record with its 911 GT2 RS, that set an astonishing 6:47.30 second time, Alfa followed in the German car maker's tracks by releasing a video documenting the lap record.
Unfortunately, for the Italian car maker, the video of the Stelvio QV flat out on the 'Green Hell' has been called out as fake by fans of Nurburgring hot laps.
According to enthusiasts site, Bridge to Gantry, there's numerous editing faults with the video that re-uses shots of the Alfa attacking the same corner, fast forwards to different parts of the track while the 'official' time counter keeps ticking.
In response to the claims Alfa Romeo says the video of its Stelvio QV on the Nurburgring is from heavily cut footage and is not representative of the record lap.
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