Alfa Romeo announced the official Nurburgring record for the recently-launched 4C sports car, and it’s a good one. The 4C has lapped the legendary Nordschleife in 8 minutes 04 seconds, which is an astonishing time for a car of this size and power output.

In fact, Alfa Romeo 4C Nurburgring lap time is a new all-time record for all cars with engines producing less than 250hp. The record was set by the ‘Ring expert and journalist Horst von Saurma on September 12.

The record was achieved during one of the Nurburgring test session designed to push the performance and durability of the 4C to the limit. The car was also tested in every part of the world, from the ?35°in Sweden to the +40°of Abu Dhabi for performance, quality and reliability. The new generation of Alfa show no trace of the unreliability which they were known for in the olden days.

Alfa Romeo 4C may only have 240 horsepower, but it is pretty fast thanks to its lightweight construction consisting of a carbon fiber tub and aluminum chassis. The car’s performance numbers are quite impressive by any standards: 0 to 62mph in 4.5 seconds; 160mph of top speed; power-to-weight ratio of over 250hp per tonne; lateral acceleration of 1.1 g.

The 4C can be ordered with either Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tyres, the sportiest version in the Pirelli P Zero line, mounted on wheels of size 17″ front and 18″ rear or 18″ front and 19″ rear, or with ‘AR Racing’ tyres, offered only in 18″ front and 19″ rear sizes.