This Incredible Student-Built Machine Could Be Set To Topple The All-Time 'Ring Record

Anyone who’s been to university will have likely taken on some sort of project, but probably not anything as major as this. A team of Dutch students at the Technical University of Eindhoven and the Fontys University of Applied Sciences are gunning for the all-time Nurburgring Nordschleife lap record, all as part of their course.

Set in 1983 by Stefan Bellof in a Porsche 956, the 6min 11sec lap time has stayed intact ever since. The students aim to break that record with the futuristic racer you see here, dubbed the IM01. It looks a lot like the Red Bull X2014 - the fictional Gran Turismo 6 racecar designed by Adrian Newey - with its enclosed cockpit, copious amount of aerodynamic devices and a blown rear diffuser.

Much like modern Le Mans prototypes, under that fantastic design is actually a hybrid powertrain. There are four electric motors, one in each wheel giving permanent four-wheel drive, as well as a rotary engine as a range extender.

Though performance figures haven’t yet been revealed, we’re excited by the prospect of a rotary engine making a return to motorsport, even if only as a range extender. The ultimate plan is to enter the car into the Le Mans 24 Hours under the Garage 56 classification, which has recently featured the DeltaWing and Nissan ZEOD RC cars. It’s being partially funded by the two universities, but the team is also looking for sponsorship. We hope they’re successful.