Porsche 911 GT2 RS Claims Another Production Car Lap Record

And it probably won't be beaten for a long time.

The Porsche 911 GT2 RS will always be remembered for the astonishing lap time it set at the Nurburgring, which broke the production car record. Recently, however, the GT2 RS claimed another production car lap record, this time at Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia, the world’s second-longest permanent racing circuit behind the Green Hell with a length of 4.78 miles and 35 corners.

To be fair, though, it didn’t have a lot of competition because the GT2 RS was the first car to set a production car record at the newly-opened Australian race track. Not that we're downplaying Porsche's achievement, because the record will probably stand for a long time given the car’s potent performance.

With experienced racing driver and Motor Magazine performance-car test driver Warren Luff at the wheel, the GT2 RS whipped around the challenging circuit in just 3 minutes and 24.079 seconds.

Located in the small town of Tailem Bend in South Australia, the Bend Motorsport Park is the result of a massive investment of more than 100 million Australian dollars, which is around 74 million US dollars. “The GT2 RS just feels so much more powerful [than the GT3],” Luff said. “I think I got to 161 mph (260 kph) on the straight before I stopped looking down. It’s a mega, mega thing.”

If you need a recap, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS is powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine that produces 690 horsepower, enabling the car to sprint to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds. This setup also enabled the car to smash the Nurburgring production car lap record with a time of 6 minutes and 47.3 seconds.

Porsche’s record could be under threat by the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, however, as recent teaser videos suggest the Italian automaker could reclaim the crown as the king of the ‘Ring after the GT2 RS beat the Huracan Performante’s record.

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Santander to settle consumer watchdog auto-finance claims, report says

WASHINGTON -- European lender Santander has agreed to settle claims by a U.S. consumer watchdog that it misled drivers about the costs of loans and the coverage of related insurance policies, said three people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc., an affiliate of the Spanish banking group, allowed borrowers to make interest-only monthly payments without explaining that doing so would increase the total cost of the loan, said the people familiar with the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.

The lender also failed to explain to customers how an insurance policy -- known as guaranteed auto protection -- would not always cover the costs of replacing a car that was destroyed in an accident.

Santander Consumer has agreed to pay a fine and strengthen its consumer protections, said the sources. Reuters could not determine the size of the fine.

A spokeswoman for Santander Consumer declined to comment on any possible settlement but said the lender has in recent months improved its consumer protection controls. A spokesman for the bureau said the agency does not comment on enforcement actions.

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