Ligier, the French manufacturer that fielded Formula One cars from 1976 to 1996, has returned to the Nurburgring with rather different ambitions. Instead of chasing lap records, the company deliberately set out to claim the slowest time ever recorded on the fearsome Nordschleife. They succeeded spectacularly, circulating the 12.9-mile circuit in 51 minutes and 41 seconds aboard a JS50 diesel microcar.
The attempt took place in October 2024, though Ligier only publicised the achievement in January 2026 through a YouTube video and press release. Driver Alexis Wilfart piloted the diminutive vehicle, which measures just 2.79 metres long and weighs 425 kilograms. Power comes from a 0.5-litre twin-cylinder diesel engine producing 8 horsepower, transmitted through a continuously variable transmission to the rear wheels.
"We wanted to demonstrate that the Nurburgring challenges every vehicle, regardless of performance," said Ligier's marketing director Laurent Bresson in the accompanying statement. "The JS50 is designed for urban mobility, not motorsport, yet completing the Nordschleife proves its reliability and charm."
The JS50 belongs to the microcar category popular in France and other European countries, where licensing regulations allow drivers as young as 14 to operate them without a full driving licence. These vehicles face strict limitations: maximum speed of 28 mph, power capped at 8 horsepower for diesel models or 15 horsepower for petrol versions, and kerb weight below 450 kilograms.
Ligier dominates this niche market, selling approximately 15,000 microcars annually across Europe according to industry analysts JATO Dynamics. The JS50 launched in 2021, targeting buyers wanting modern styling and improved refinement over agricultural predecessors. Prices start around €12,000, positioning microcars as affordable transport for rural teenagers, elderly drivers, or those who've lost their licences.
The Nurburgring record attempt required special permission from circuit management, who normally impose minimum speed requirements during public sessions. Track officials closed the Nordschleife to other traffic for the run, ensuring the JS50 wouldn't impede faster vehicles. Even so, the diesel microcar frequently maxed out its 45 km/h top speed on straights while crawling up gradients at walking pace.
Onboard footage shows Wilfart wrestling the steering wheel through corners, the tiny engine screaming at maximum revs, brake lights glowing almost constantly as the transmission struggled with downhill sections. The Karussell banking, Flugplatz jump, and Schwedenkreuz compression all tested the JS50's rudimentary suspension, though the car completed the lap without mechanical drama.
"The most difficult part was maintaining concentration," Wilfart explained in the video. "Fifty-one minutes of maximum attack in a vehicle designed for 30 km/h zones requires different stamina than a two-minute lap in a race car. My forearms were burning by Galgenkopf."
Ligier's motorsport heritage makes the stunt particularly amusing. Guy Ligier founded the Formula One team in 1976, fielding cars for Jacques Laffite, Didier Pironi, and others through two decades of competition. The team achieved nine Grand Prix victories, with Laffite's 1977 Swedish Grand Prix win representing the first for a French constructor since 1957.
Financial struggles forced Ligier's withdrawal from Formula One after 1996. The team sold to Alain Prost, continuing as Prost Grand Prix until 2002. Meanwhile, Guy Ligier had diversified into microcars during the 1980s, recognising French regulatory quirks created a protected market for affordable, licence-exempt transport. That business proved more commercially successful than racing, outliving the Formula One operation and continuing after Ligier's death in 2015.
Modern Ligier operates under Polish ownership following a 2016 acquisition, though manufacturing remains in France. The company also produces commercial vehicles, small trucks, and electric quadricycles, but microcars form the core business. Annual revenues approach €200 million according to company filings, modest compared to mainstream manufacturers yet sustainable within its niche.
The slowest lap record brings welcome publicity to a brand unknown outside France and microcar markets. Previous attempts at deliberately slow Nurburgring laps lack official verification, though various YouTubers have circulated in mobility scooters, bicycles, and even on foot. Ligier claims theirs represents the slowest time in a road-legal motor vehicle, a distinction impossible to definitively verify but plausible given the JS50's specifications.
Comparisons to fast laps illustrate the gulf. Maro Engel's 2022 record of 6 minutes 35.183 seconds in a Mercedes-AMG One means the hypercar completed nearly eight Nordschleife laps in the time required for one JS50 circulation. Even a modern hot hatch like the Renault Megane RS laps in roughly 7 minutes 40 seconds, nearly seven times faster than the diesel microcar.
Whether this constitutes a meaningful achievement or mere marketing stunt depends on perspective. The attempt generated coverage across automotive media, introducing Ligier to audiences who wouldn't otherwise encounter microcars. It demonstrated product durability, albeit in absurd conditions. And it acknowledged the company's racing past while celebrating its present reality selling affordable urban transport.
The JS50 now resides in Ligier's museum alongside Formula One cars, Group C sports prototypes, and historic microcars. Its Nurburgring lap time won't inspire awe, but surviving 51 minutes of full-throttle abuse speaks well of engineering that typically faces school runs and shopping trips. Not every record needs speed to matter.