Most Automobili Ardent readers are certainly aware of one thing: That we try our best to expose the Indian automotive scene as it unfolds. Porsche fans in India will remember that last year, a production lap record was broken at the Buddh International Circuit, with India's first ever F1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan behind the wheels of his own Porsche 911 GT3. This time around, Karthikeyan broke the same record with the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS clocking in at 2 mins 0.26 secs, 7.5 secs quicker.

Once known as the driver for HRT and Jordan Formula 1 team, this isn’t Narain Karthikeyan’s first time breaking a record at BIC. It was not more than 4 months ago that Karthikeyan’s very own 911 GT3 that set a record of 2 minutes and 7.6 seconds around India’s only Formula 1 track. Given the fact that the 911 GT3 and the GT2 RS are in close proximity to each other in terms of performance, it is quite surprising to learn that even with quite a few similarities between the two, that the GT2 RS was able to be north of 7 seconds quicker than the GT3. To put things into perspective, in a Formula 1 qualifying session, the difference in lap times between the first and the last driver is about 2 or 3 seconds tops. That means that the difference between starting first on the grid and last on the grid is as little as 2 seconds. So, it is quite shocking to know that the GT2 RS holds a 7 second advantage over the GT3.

It’s not just the team at Automobili Ardent that are surprised by this record, but also the record setter himself, who was not expecting a lap that quick. "Compared to the 911 GT3 we set the previous record with, the GT2 RS is a completely different animal. It was a rush to break the record by such a big margin, and I think I even surprised myself with the final lap time." Says Narain Karthikeyan. Now certainly, that statement holds a lot of credibility coming from an ex-Formula 1 driver.

The most powerful 911 landed in India around last year priced at Rs 3.88 crore (ex-showroom) and is the most powerful road-going 911 ever made. A true petrolhead and a supercar collector, Bren Garage took one of the very first deliveries of the GT2 RS across the country. The record setting GT2 RS featured the track focused Porsche Weissach package which drops the weight of the GT2 RS by 30kgs, thanks to its carbon fiber parts and magnesium wheels. Apart from this the GT2 RS packs 700 horses and 750Nm of torque in a 3.8-litre, twin-turbo flat-six engine.  

Further complimenting Karthikeyan’s comments, the director of Porsche India, Pavan Shetty said: “This record establishes Porsche as the fastest automobile brand in India. In a matter of months, Porsche 911s have now broken the lap record twice at the Buddh International Circuit.”

With yet another record broken, along with its production car record at the Nurburgring, the Porsche GT2 RS is making waves and climbing new heights. In Nurburgring, the GT2 RS beat the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ's time of 6 mins 44.97 secs by clocking a very impressive 6 mins 40.3 secs, claiming the title of the fastest production car in the world. There is no denying that the 911 GT2 RS is one of the most outrageous performance car on the market as of now and we certainly take pride in knowing that it also holds a record on Indian soil. Signing off with something we at Automobili Ardent often like to say: For those of you who think supercars aren’t for India, think again.