Vans And Commercial Vehicles Tackling The 'Ring Is A Must-See

The Nürburgring Nordschleife is a fascinating place. We say that not just because of its storied history in motorsports, or because of its 12.9 miles of endless curves, dicey crests, and blind transitions that can simultaneously elate and terrify a driver. It's an extraordinarily difficult circuit to master, but among the almost daily news reports of record attempts at the 'Ring, it can be easy to forget that it's also open to the public on a daily basis. Show up during a Touristfahrten session during the week with €25 and you can tackle the Green Hell for yourself – no matter what you're driving.

People certainly take advantage of that luxury, as seen in this recent Nürburgring compilation video from statesidesupercars on YouTube. Yes, the majority of cars on the course are of the performance variety, but that doesn't stop the occasional van and bus from having a go. Some are obviously all about having fun, like the tall Transit dressed up like the A-Team van, or Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine. Others certainly give off the tourist vibe, because it's not like the scenery in that part of Germany isn't quite fetching.

We also suspect there are more than a few using the 'Ring's fame for a bit of advertising. People are bound to notice slogans on big vans bombing around a race track after all, and we can totally see disgruntled employees thrashing the company work vehicle after the boss denied their time-off request.

There's also the fact that modern vans aren't necessarily terrible to drive at speed. In fact, some can be downright entertaining to toss around. If you're a hard-working auto nut with a family and just enough cash for a single vehicle, you do the best with what you've got. Given a choice between sitting at home playing a video game or tossing the family truckster around an actual track – never mind the freaking Nürburgring – we'll take the real deal every time.

Here are a few of the standouts we captured from the video, but pretty much any Nürburgring compilation is worth a few minutes of your day to watch. Sit back and enjoy the insanity – you've earned it.