Honda Civic captures speed record at German track

April 24 (UPI) -- A 2017 Honda Civic Type R car captured a speed record at a rigorous race track in Germany.

Honda announced Monday the car set the front-wheel-drive record around the 12.9-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife road course in 7 minutes, 43.8 seconds on April 3. That was 5.41 seconds faster than the record held by the Volkswagen GTI Clubsport. The Japanese automaker had held the record with its previous generation Civic Type R.

The new car averaged 100 mph over twists, turns and elevation changes through Germany's Eifel Mountains. The German Grand Prix Formula One takes place annually on what is considered the world's most demanding road course, according to iRacing.

For the test, Honda installed a full roll cage for safety reasons and removed the infotainment system and rear seats. It also used a "road legal, track-focused" tire.

Production of the new Civic Type R began in March in Swindon, England, and won't be available in the United States until later this spring.

"It basically has face-ripping performance," Honda spokesman James Jenkins told TheStreet in an interview at the New York International Auto Show earlier this month.

Ryuichi Kijima, the lead chassis engineer for the Honda Civic Type R development, said in a news release the car can take corners faster than others racing on the track.

"The cornering speed achieved in the new Type R is higher because the car features a wider track and tires, a longer wheelbase, a new multi-link suspension in the rear and optimized aerodynamics that improve stability," he said. "For example, drivers typically enter the corner after Metzgesfeld at around 93 mph. Even at this medium-speed corner, the speed is around 6 mph higher due to the new Type R's excellent stability. So, with improved cornering performance, we can increase the speed throughout the lap, helping the new Type R to achieve a much quicker lap time."

The car, which weighs slightly under 3,000 pounds, features a 2.0-liter turbo-four engine with 306 horsepower and manual transmission. It also has adaptive steering, high-performance Brembo brakes, a massive rear wing, an aero kit and racing-like seats. It costs around $35,000.

Honda hasn't released zero-to-60-mph times for the Type R.