Toyota sets electric car record at Nurburgring with TMG EV P001

Toyota TMG EV P001 - new EV lap record at the Nurburgring

Every car maker wants a lap record at the Nurburgring, and Toyota is no different. What is different this time is that Toyota has taken a non-production car with an electric motor – the Toyota TMG EV P001 – to crack the record for an EV.

Nurburgring regular Jochen Krumbach took the Toyota Motorsport EV P001 round the 20.8km Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in a blistering 7m 47.794s, annihilating the previous record of 9m 1.388s.

Toyota Motorsport aren’t daft, and they made very sure that the TMG EV was more than capable of the record-breaking feat from the start.

The TMG is based on a Radical chassis (that’s the Radical that already holds the lap record at the Nurburgring) and was modified with the electric gubbins by electric racing specialist e-Wolf, who fitted a pair of electric motors with 375bhp and, ore importantly, 800lb/ft of torque.

The aim of the record attempt on Monday was to break the 8 minute barrier – knocking more than a minute off the previous electric car lap record (set by Peugeot’s EX1 earlier this year). But the TMG EV did that so easily it looks like Toyota are planning on coming back for more. Toyota Motorsport boss Rob Leupen said:

Rob Leupen, Toyota Motorsport’s Director Business Operations, said: “This is a very impressive achievement which really shows the huge potential for electric powertrains to deliver fast, exciting action on the race track. There’s no doubt that electric motorsport can be every bit as thrilling as traditional racing and it was an amazing sensation to watch the Toyota Motorsport electric vehicle fly past on the Nordschleife, with only the sound of wind rushing past and tyres squealing.

To achieve a new lap record at the first attempt, and by such a huge margin, is a great achievement and I am very proud to see Toyota Motorsport’s name in the record books. But this is not the end of the story for Toyota Motorsport and I hope we will see our electric powertrains in action on the track again soon.

A hugely impressive feat, and one that’s even more impressive when you watch it on the video below.

But turn off the sound - the whining from the electric motor takes away all the joy.

By Cars UK