For decades, the Nürburgring has been obsessed with speed. Faster laps, quicker sectors, new benchmarks for hypercars, EVs and record-breaking prototypes. However, the legendary German circuit witnessed a very different kind of achievement — one that celebrates patience rather than pace.
French manufacturer Ligier has officially laid claim to the slowest lap ever recorded on the full 20.832-kilometre Nürburgring Nordschleife. The honour belongs to automotive journalists Nicolas Meunier and Martin Coulomb, who guided a diesel-powered Ligier JS50 quadricycle around the Green Hell in a time of 28 minutes and 25.8 seconds.
The vehicle in question couldn’t be further removed from the circuit’s usual heroes. The JS50 is a microcar-class quadricycle, closer in spirit to a Citroën Ami than anything resembling a GT or supercar. Its modest 500cc diesel engine produces just 6kW, with a top speed hovering around 45 km/h — a figure that turns Nürburgring straights into extended sightseeing opportunities.
That leisurely lap didn’t just rewrite the record books, it obliterated the previous slowest recorded time. That mark was set in 1960 by a Trabant P50, which completed the circuit in what now seems like a brisk 16 minutes and one second.
Adding to the novelty, the JS50 reportedly completed the entire Nordschleife on a single tank of fuel. Ligier estimates consumption at around 3.0 litres per 100 kilometres, underlining the point that this wasn’t about spectacle alone, but efficiency too.
For Ligier — a brand whose history includes Formula 1 entries in previous decades — the stunt was a playful reminder that engineering doesn’t always need lap records to be interesting. Sometimes, celebrating restraint, simplicity and urban practicality can be just as compelling as chasing outright performance.
That said, the fast end of the Nürburgring spectrum remains firmly occupied. The current production car benchmark belongs to the Mercedes-AMG ONE, which stormed the Nordschleife in 6:29.090 in October 2024. The outright lap record still sits with the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, which posted an astonishing 5:19.546 after shedding its racing constraints.
Between those extremes now lies a new chapter in Nürburgring lore — proof that sometimes, slowing down is the fastest way to stand out.