Video worth watching: 2017 Lamborghini Huracan Performante decimates lap record at the Nurburgring

Team OD Updated: March 03, 2017, 08:13 PM IST

The Nurburgring Nordschleife , or The Green Hell as its widely known is a driving challenge unlike any other. Fast and unforgiving, the 'Ring' has beckoned racers, thrill seekers and record setters / breakers for years. Performance car manufacturers have long engaged in an unofficial slugfest for setting the fastest lap time record with their production cars.

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Porsche held that mantle for some time now, with their 918 hypercar setting a lap time of 6min and 57 sec. Lamborghini, however, has decimated that record with its new car, the Huracan Performante. Piloted by Marco Mapelli, the Huracan Performante blitzed across the 20.8 km circuit in 6min 52.01sec. That's about five seconds faster than the Porsche and just shy of the Radical SR8LM's time, which is not a production car. That makes Lamborghini's achievement quite remarkable indeed.

What also makes the run so special is that fact that Marco Mapelli had only one run to set the record and he nailed it. The pressure on him, would have been immense. A tyre could have failed, he could have made a mistake or lost control of the car at one of the many notorious corners. He, however, kept his head down and did not to let the pressure get to him.

The video has a separate area at the bottom that shows the feed from the in-car camera, and you can see how calm and composed Mapelli looks behind the wheel. The car too seems to be cornering as if on rails which serves as a demo of what the Huracan Performante is capable of.

The Lamborghini Performante is the go faster version of the standard Huracan and features active aerodynamics. Its forged carbon fibre construction has resulted in a 40kg drop in weight , compared to the regular Huracan. The V10 engine too has undergone significant mods to produce more power.

The company plans to showcase the car at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

Watch the video and see the fastest production Lamborghini, so far, at the Nordschleife.