Whatever you think of Nürburgring lap times, ungoverned as they are, they’re our best shot at comparing modern day performance cars without hosting the largest, most expensive, most potentially crashy comparison test in history.

And so it is the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio announces itself as a really bloody fast car. With a 503bhp turbo V6 and some Ferrari engineers behind it, we already knew it’s not slow, and also pretty good fun. Chris Harris likes it a lot.

But a visit to the internet-comment-baiting Nordschleife has determined its place in the modern performance car hierarchy. A rather committed looking 7m 32s lap – with test driver Fabio Francia at the wheel – makes it the fastest saloon on sale, beating the only recently crowned (and 40bhp more powerful) Porsche Panamera Turbo by a full eight seconds.

It also pegs the Giulia at a similar level to the current-gen Porsche 911 GT3 and the barely-off-sale Ferrari 458 Italia. Y’know, properly grown up, serious supercars.

Of course, ‘Ring lap times can open up a whole caboodle of questions and conspiracy theories. “Is the car standard? What tyres was it on? Looks like they had nicer weather than everyone else…” But regardless, 7m 32s is absurd for a 1.6-ton car that will take four adults and a bootful of luggage. Agree?