While lap times at the Nürburgring Nordschleife have long been a contentious issue for car fans and manufacturers alike—and rightly so—when the new turbocharged Honda Civic Type R sets a new front-drive record, it’s worth paying attention—especially because it was one of Honda's promised performance claims for the car.

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That’s just what has happened, with the 305-hp hot hatch jellybeaning its way around the ‘Ring in a mere 7:50.63. The time to beat was 7:54.36, set by the 275-hp Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy R in 2014.

While rear-drive sports cars, supercars, and hypercars have gone considerably faster around the Nordschleife, there’s no quicker front-driver—not even the vaunted non-U.S. previous-generation Ford Focus RS managed to get into 7-minute territory.

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For the full details on what makes the 2015 Honda Civic Type R such a beast despite its wrong-wheel-drive layout, read our preview.