Some records are about blistering speed. Others, like this one, are more about patience, and perhaps a little self-deprecating humor. If you’ve ever wondered what car holds the title of the slowest vehicle to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife, you can stop guessing. There’s a new champion of leisurely pace, and it hails from a small French company: Ligier.

The brand, once known for fielding its own Formula 1 team, has since shifted focus to tiny, affordable four-wheelers classified as quadricycles. These vehicles are designed to be so unintimidating that you don’t even need a driver’s license to operate one, and in France, you can legally do so from the age of 14.

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It was a pair of French journalists who took on the unlikely challenge of setting a record lap in a Ligier JS50, driving the diesel-powered microcar all the way from Paris to the legendary German circuit.

A Record for the Patient

The JS50, a stubby two-door with just 8 horsepower, is electronically limited to a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h). Around the Nurburgring, it completed a lap in a determined 28 minutes and 25.81 seconds. That figure may not impress on paper, but it earns its place in the books.

For context, the previous slowest recorded lap was 16 minutes and 1 second, set by a Trabant P50 way back in 1960, making the Ligier’s time almost comically slow by comparison. At the other end of the spectrum, the fastest production car to lap the Nordschleife is the Mercedes-AMG One, which clocked a blistering 6 minutes and 29.1 seconds.

Not content with a single entry, the team also brought along two electric versions of the JS50. The first, like the diesel, falls under the L6e classification and shares the same 28 mph (45 km/h) limit.

It managed a lap in 27 minutes and 55.58 seconds. The more powerful electric L7e variant, with a top speed of 47 mph (75 km/h), fared a little better with a lap time of 19 minutes and 53.36 seconds.

A Special Edition for a Not-So-Special Lap

Ligier hasn’t released a video of its incredibly slow laps at the Nurburgring, but we’re not disappointed, as it’d probably be more entertaining watching paint dry. What Ligier did do is prepare a special version of the JS50 specifically for its attack on the Nurburgring, known as the Ultimate Racing Experience edition. This model will be sold in Europe throughout 2026.

The special edition wears a tri-color paint job in blue, white, and red, complemented by new black 16-inch wheels wrapped in Nankang RC semi-slick tires. Ligier has added custom touches inside and out. These include a new badge front and rear, unique French flag-themed upholstery, an aluminum gear knob, Alcantara on the handbrake boot, and blue seat belts.

The steering wheel also features matching blue accents, and the dashboard gets a set of celebratory stickers to complete the transformation.

Renault wrapped up 2025 with an impressive achievement, pushing the outer limits of electric vehicle efficiency. Its ultra-aerodynamic single-seater prototype managed to cover 626 miles (1,008 km) on a single charge. Even more striking, it did so in less than 10 hours, maintaining an average speed of 102 km/h (63 mph) throughout.

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After the run, the EV still had 11 percent of its battery charge remaining. According to the company, that would have been enough for another 75 miles (120 km) at the same average speed, potentially extending the total range to 673 miles (1,083 km).

A Prototype With Unexpected Stamina

The car in question is the Filante Record 2025, a purpose-built concept that made its first appearance back in January. Originally, Renault aimed to attempt the record in July, but meeting the aerodynamic targets proved trickier than expected.

By October, the prototype was ready. Then weather in France got in the way, delaying things again. Eventually, the team relocated to Morocco and ran the test on December 18 at the UTAC high-speed proving ground, where conditions finally cooperated.

The Renault Filante Record 2025 (above) compared to the original prototype (below).

The design draws inspiration from Renault’s past record-setters, notably the 1925 40 CV and the 1956 L’Étoile Filante. Even so, several elements from the original prototype had to be reworked in the wind tunnel to meet the strict aerodynamic targets.

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Changes involved removing the futuristic LED lighting, reducing the number of air intakes, and refining the fender shapes. Still, key features remained intact: the extended hood, transparent canopy, aircraft-style tail, F1-style driving position, and the ultraviolet-blue paint finish all carried through to the final version.

The engineering effort went beyond just slicing through air. Renault also aimed to reduce rolling resistance and weight. To do this, the team used carbon fiber, aluminum alloys, and 3D-printed Scalmalloy components.

Michelin provided a bespoke set of low-drag tires, while the car’s steering and braking systems operated entirely by wire.

French firm Ligier handled the platform, chassis, and carbon tub, integrating an 87 kWh battery pack. For comparison, that’s the same capacity as the battery in the Scenic E-Tech, Renault’s midsize electric crossover.

The Impressive Record

On record day, three drivers rotated in and out of the single seat, covering 239 laps of the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) Moroccan circuit over 10 hours. There were no charging stops, just brief halts for technical checks and driver changes. That consistency helped maintain the 102 km/h (63 mph) average.

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The car posted an energy consumption figure of 7.8 kWh/100 km. That’s nearly half the official WLTP figure for the Scenic E-Tech, which uses the same battery and consumes 14.1 kWh/100 km under standard testing. And unlike those lab figures, this test was run at real-world highway speeds.

Renault developed the Filante Record 2025 not only to celebrate its legacy of record-breaking prototypes, but also to explore ways of improving efficiency in production EVs, particularly for long-distance driving.

The hope is that insights from the project will carry over to future Renault models, helping drivers spend more time on the road as advances in battery and motor technology continue to evolve.

Renault