Chrysler is arguably the most European of the Big Three American automakers, having changed hands from one Old World car builder to another in the past quarter-century. Now in the hands of Fiat, Chrysler is arguably undergoing its most European transformation to date…and that includes a lot more training time on the famed Nurburgring race track.

The ‘Ring isn’t just for sports cars anymore either. Jeep took its Grand Cherokee SRT8 out for a lap around the Green Hell, turning in a time of 8-minutes and 49-seconds. Not bad for a 5,000+ pound SUV!

Record setting at the ‘Ring is a place of honor reserved for an elite few. Unofficially, the 2011 Dodge Viper SRT-10 ACR holds the record for fastest production car. Camaros, Mustangs, and all sorts of European and Japanese cars have made the pilgrimmage for the Nurburgring, but few set records.

Indeed, while the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s time of 8-minutes and 49-seconds is good, it is rather far off from its closest competition. The BMW X6 M ran the ‘Ring in 8-minutes 24-seconds, a good clip faster than the Jeep. But the Grand Cherokee SRT8 is still faster than most sports cars around the ‘Ring, and for that Jeep can be proud.