Subaru has smashed the long-standing lap record for a production car at the Isle of Man TT circuit with its WRX STI saloon.
Former British Rally Champion Mark Higgins posted a time of 19 minutes and 56.7 seconds with an average speed of 113mph with a peak speed 162mph.
See a pic of the Subaru WRX STI in action at the TT
The new record is more than two minutes faster than the previous record, set 21 years ago by the late Tony Pond in a Rover 827 Vitesse.
The TT event organisers did not allow Higgins any practice runs and only gave him one lap to carry out the record attempt.
The WRX was equipped with the standard 296bhp horizontally opposed boxer engine, unmodified brakes and road-legal Pirrelli P Zero Trofeo tyres.
Read Autocar's first drive of the Subaru WRX SRI saloon
The only changes made to the car were minor adjustments to the suspension springs and dampers to prevent the car from being damaged by the numerous bumps and jumps throughout the course.
After completing the record attempt, Higgins said, “Setting the record was both the most exhilarating and the most frightening thing I have ever done.”
Paul Taylor
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