Porsche has just thrown down the gauntlet in the electric car performance wars. A pre-production variant of the facelifted Taycan has scorched the Nurburgring Nordschleife in a blistering 7:07.55, rewriting the record books for four-door electric vehicles (EVs) and placing it within striking distance of hypercar territory.
26 seconds faster than its predecessor
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. This wasn't your average Taycan Turbo S tearing through the Green Hell. This was a glimpse into the future, a taste of what the upcoming Taycan Turbo GT is capable of. With Lars Kern behind the wheel, this beast carved through the 20.8km circuit 26 seconds faster than the 2022 Taycan Turbo S and an equally impressive 18 seconds quicker than the Tesla Model S Plaid (7:25.23).
Hypercar territory in sight
The time also puts the Taycan within a hair's breadth of the current production EV lap record, held by the Rimac Nevera at 7:05.298. While it's important to remember the Nevera is a hypercar and the Taycan a four-door, the closeness of the times speaks volumes about Porsche's engineering prowess.
However, there are a few caveats to this record-breaking run. The car was a pre-production model, meaning its final specifications remain under wraps. But if the aggressive aero package and rumoured 750kW (33 per cent more than the current Taycan Turbo S) are any indication, we're in for a real treat.
Pushing the boundaries of battery tech
One particularly noteworthy detail is the consistency of Kern's lap times. "Lars clocked almost exactly the same time over several laps," says Kevin Giek, head of the Taycan model line at Porsche. This suggests significant advancements in battery technology, allowing the Taycan to sustain repeated bursts of power without performance degradation.
Unleashing the GT beast
While Porsche keeps the variant's official name under wraps, images point towards the car being dubbed the Taycan Turbo GT. It's the first GT division-developed production EV from Porsche, and with Andreas Preuninger and his team at the helm, we can expect a true masterpiece of performance engineering.
A taste of things to come
A full onboard video of the record-breaking lap is slated for release in March 2024, likely coinciding with the official unveiling of the updated Taycan lineup. Until then, let's savour the implications of this historic run - the Porsche Taycan is no longer just an electric sports sedan. It's a bona fide electric performance icon, knocking on the door of hypercar territory and redefining what's possible for four-door EVs.
