Mercedes is set to challenge the 7min 20sec lap time set by the revised Porsche 911 Turbo S at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in the coming weeks.

The 585hp coupe will become the fastest car in Mercedes’ line-up when it goes on sale globally later this year. Frank Emhardt, the car's development boss, reckons that the GT R’s Nordschleife lap time should be seen as a better metric of overall performance than its straight line performance numbers -- an impressive, claimed 0-100kph time of 3.6sec.

Emhardt was reluctant to break down from where exactly the GT R’s performance advantage came over the existing GT S, which posted a 7min 40sec Nordschleife lap time. His argument was that the improvement came from the whole package. “It’s definitely the combination -- the aerodynamics, and especially the active aero, the chassis revisions, the rear-steering and the weight reduction.”

The GT R's rear wheel steering system is a first for a Mercedes sports car, but works on the same principle as those of its rivals, including the Porsche 911 Turbo. The active aero features a moveable carbon fibre flap in the underbody. At speeds of over 80kph in the most aggressive Race dynamic mode, this flap lowers by 40mm. This helps to create a Venturi effect that works in conjunction with the sizeable rear wing to deliver peak aero downforce of 155kg at 249kph.

Thomas Jaeger, one of GT R’s principal development drivers, will pilot the Mercedes-AMG GT R around the Nordschleife for the attempt.