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Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q Hits Nurburgring, Will Steal Porsche's SUV Lap Record

Alfa Romeo is currently in the midst of a Nurburgring assault, with the Italian automaker having brought multiple Stelvio Quadrifoglio prototypes to the Green Hell.
510 HP Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q Hits Nurburgring 6 photos
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Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q Hits NurburgringAlfa Romeo Stelvio Q Hits NurburgringAlfa Romeo Stelvio Q Hits NurburgringAlfa Romeo Stelvio Q Hits NurburgringAlfa Romeo Stelvio Q Hits Nurburgring
The goal of the effort is no less than the SUV lap record, as Alfa Romeo announced back in November last year, when the 510 hp incarnation of the crossover came to the world.

Oh, and since we're talking about Alfa Romeo here, don't expect the test drivers involved in the matter to be set back by the capricious Ring weather.

For one thing, when the infamous German track was hit by the rain, the drivers took advantage of the situation by sliding the hell out of the SUV.

Judging by the relentless assault on the Nurburgring production car record, it's amazing how peaceful things are in the SUV arena. To be more precise, we haven't heard of any new effort on the matter ever since Porsche introduced the Cayenne Turbo S back in January 2015.

The Zuffenhausen crossover managed to lap the Nordschleife in 7:59.74, beating the previous holder of the record, namely the Range Rover SVR, by a whopping 14 seconds.

Interestingly, the SUV Nurburgring record marks the second contemporary battle between Alfa Romeo and Porsche. As for the first, this has to do with the Panamera Turbo losing the sedan crown to the 8-speed automatic incarnation of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Q, which, by the way, shares its platform (up to a point) and its powertrain with the Stelvio Q.

The four-door record is now in Alfa's hands, but that's only because the new Panamera range topper, namely the monstrous 680 hp Turbo S E-Hybrid, hasn't delivered a Ring time yet.

And once the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio inevitably hits its target, all we have to do is wait for the introduction of the almost-baked, third-generation Porsche Cayenne to see the new Turbo S E-Hybrid bringing the accolade back to Germany.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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