Saar: It beat the previous, road-legal record holder by 2.2 seconds.

India’s first Formula One driver, Narain Karthikeyan, got behind the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 and lapped the country’s only FIA-certified circuit – Buddh International Circuit (BIC). The former Hispania Racing man went around the BIC is 2 minutes and 7.6 seconds. No other road-legal, production car has ever managed to lap the circuit so quickly. The Porsche 911 GT3 was 2.2 seconds faster around the BIC than the previous road-approved, street-legal production car.

The timed lap was certified by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India. The event around the BIC, which measures 5.13 kilometres and has 16 turns in its layout, was organised with the support from Michelin and ExxonMobil.

Powering the Porsche 911 GT3 is a 4.0-litre, flat-six engine that produces 500PS of power and 460Nm of torque. The rear-engine layout delivers the perfect platform for the rear-wheel-drive setup. For transmission duties, the two-seater sportscar can be had either with a 7-speed automatic transmission or an optional 6-speed manual. If you opt for the two-pedal setup, the car can hit 100kmph from a standstill in 3.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 318kmph. With the manual gearbox in place, those figures are 3.9 seconds and 320kmph respectively.

The Porsche 911 GT3 was launched in India in October last year. Back then, it was priced at Rs 2.31 crore. Now, however, it is priced at Rs 2.38 crore. In February 2018, Porsche introduced the 911 GT3 RS in India at an asking price of Rs 2.75 crore. Surprisingly enough, that price has now come down to Rs 2.71 crore. The most powerful version of the 911 family, the 911 GT2 RS, was launched in India in July this year. That carries a price tag of Rs 3.88 crore and has held a lap record at the fearsome Nürburgring.

Porsche has always been pretty serious about setting benchmarks at famous race tracks around the globe. It, just like several other carmakers, is particularly obsessed with the Nürburgring. The Porsche 911 GT2 RS was dethroned by the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ earlier this year. However, Porsche took the crown back with the Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR, which went around the ‘Green Hell’ in 6 minutes and 40.33 seconds.