Dodge Viper lays claim to Nürburgring record with 7:12 run [UPDATE]

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As you may already be aware, there is no official production car record at the Nürburgring. That hasn't stopped well-meaning automakers from warming up the great German marketing machine in an attempt to outdo previous marks set by their competitors, and that includes the fine folks at Dodge.

Way back in 2008, Dodge shipped one of its Viper ACR coupes to the 'Ring with the goal of setting a blistering time. Suffice it to say, the outing was a complete success. For quite some time, Dodge claimed with a time of 7:22.1 that it held the fastest lap time of any production car around the famous circuit.

Since then, a number of manufacturers and machines have bested that still-stellar time, notably the 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (7:19.63) and more recently the Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition (7:14). Now, according to a new forum post by Viper Club of America president Marv Spatz, Dodge Viper owners can cheer the return of the crown, because a Viper ACR has reportedly just reclaimed the title with an unofficial time of "7:12 and change."

Keen enthusiasts will note that the Dodge Viper is no longer in production, so SRT sourced a pair of brand-new 2010 models from Tomball Dodge of Texas before having them prepped for action by Mintgen Motorsports, a shop just down the road from the Nordschleife.

No word yet on who was behind the wheel or how many shots at the record they took, but we have a feeling that once the results are certified, all that information will be released in a hail of press releases, in-car videos and so on. For now, check out our exclusive gallery of the two Vipers making their attempts.

UPDATE: Added exclusive gallery of images showing both Dodge Viper ACRs making their record attempts.

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