Porsche is up to its usual tricks, setting lap records. This time it has surpassed its own Nurburgring record for an electric Porsche. It also beat Tesla’s lap time with its Model S Plaid.
Test driver Lars Kern bettered his previous record in a 2024 Taycan of some description, clocking a time of 7:07.55 around the challenging, 20km German circuit. That’s about 26 seconds quicker than the old Taycan Turbo S record, and quicker than Tesla’s Plaid record of 7:25.
The latest time was set by a “pre-production Taycan” coming as part of the 2024 model update. It’s expected and likely to be the rumoured ‘Taycan Turbo GT’ that has been spotted out on the Nurburgring during prototype testing sessions in mid-2023.
It’s believed the GT could come with three electric motors that combine to produce around 1000PS (735kW), which would make it the most powerful road legal Porsche ever. Official specs are yet to be confirmed, however.
Speculations suggest it might also come with silicon carbide inverters. These are set to help with performance longevity, which will come in handy on long circuits like the Nurburgring. Such technology will be offered on the upcoming Macan electric. Speaking about the lap, and hinting at the longevity, Taycan model line boss Kevin Giek said:
“Twenty-six seconds is half an eternity in motorsport. Lars’ lap time of 7:07.55 minutes on the Nordschleife is sensational, putting the Taycan in the same league as electric hypercars. And the impressive thing about it is that over several laps, Lars clocked almost exactly the same time.”
Some interesting clues seen on the vehicle here include a big rear wing as clearly seen on the prototypes captured earlier, as well as a deeper front splitter than the outgoing Taycan Turbo S, complete with side canards.
Porsche says it will be releasing an on-board video of the lap in March, so we should probably expect more details about the car then as well. Click play below in the meantime for a preview.
