EV lap records fall to Porsche Taycan Turbo GT

BY MATT BROGAN AND PETER BARNWELL | 12th Mar 2024

LAP records for a series production fully electric road car at Laguna Seca and the Nürburgring racetracks have been set by Porsche’s new Taycan Turbo GT.

To be clear, the records were set by a Taycan Turbo GT (with Weissach pack) that optimises the vehicle for track driving deleting its rear seat for a better power to weight ratio and faster laps.

The interestingly named Turbo GT and Turbo GT Weissach pack (no turbo) are additions to Porsche’s expanding model line-up of the all-electric sports sedan. At peak power, both models can deliver more than 1100PS (European horsepower) or 815kW.

The first Taycan Turbo GT models are expected to arrive in Australia from mid-2024 to be priced above the current top of the line Taycan Turbo S AWD sedan at $374,200 excluding on-road costs.

They feature various lightweight construction and aerodynamics measures, Porsche says “raise the bar in terms of driving dynamics”. Additionally, a more powerful and efficient pulse inverter that uses silicon carbide as the semiconductor material is used on the rear axle.

Porsche took examples of the Turbo GT to the legendary Nürburgring in Germany (a pre-production model) and to Laguna Seca racetrack in the US for lap time challenges.

Needless to say, the effort was successful with a Weissach package equipped version earning the title of fastest electric series-production car at the Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, in California, on 23 February 2024 with a time of 1:27.87min piloted by Porsche development driver Lars Kern.

This was preceded by a pre-production version of the same new model clocking a new class record on the Nürburgring with Kern also at the wheel posting a lap time of 7:07.55 on the Nordschleife track (the long one).

Considered an “official” lap time, it is a whopping 26 seconds faster than Kern recorded for his last record lap in a Taycan Turbo S sport sedan equipped with the performance package back in August 2022 and stands as the current record for a series-production electric car.

The effort also makes the Turbo GT the fastest four-door of any powertrain type on the Nürburgring.

Model line vice president at Porsche Kevin Giek said, “The two records in Laguna Seca and on the Nordschleife show what great track potential there is in the Taycan”.

“To prove your mettle on the track, it’s not enough to simply have as much power as possible. The overall package of accelerating and braking, cornering grip, aerodynamics, stability and fine-tuning has to be right.

“In the Taycan Turbo GT and the Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package in particular, our engineers have achieved this in absolutely stunning fashion. They have already done a great job with the recently updated existing Taycan models but our new GT cars yet again raise the bar even higher in terms of driving dynamics.”

Driver Lars Kern commented, “The track at Laguna Seca pushes the Taycan Turbo GT to the limit. It’s the overall package that makes the difference”.

“The Turbo GT with Weissach package sets new standards in almost every metric. These include acceleration and braking, an Attack Mode that’s intuitive to use and a powertrain designed for maximum traction and performance. And the cornering grip levels are just as impressive.

“The controllability and light-footedness are unbelievable. The tyres work very well, and you have the right balance in every driving situation. It is incredibly good fun to drive this car around the undulating track at Laguna Seca,” he explained.

Attack Mode is activated/deactivated by the right-hand steering wheel paddle, delivering up to 120 kW of additional power for 10 seconds and is based on the push-to-pass function of the other Taycan models.

The system is optimised for driving on the track and functions in a similar way to the 99X race cars that Porsche uses in the Electric ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The boost is indicated by a countdown timer in the instrument cluster and dynamically staged with animated rings on the speedometer.

Porsche has recently extensively upgraded the Taycan model line and generally increased the overall system power of the cars including the aforementioned rear-axle motor that enables even more dynamic performance compared to the predecessor models.

The Taycan Turbo GT and Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package are Porsche’s new sporting flagship models and are equipped with a more powerful pulse inverter, giving both cars 580kW. However, with Launch Control, that increases to up to 760kW of over-boost power or up to 815kW for two seconds according to the peak power measurement method.

The Taycan Turbo GT takes 2.3 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100 km/h, a tenth less with the Weissach package. Torque output is up to 1340Nm.

In Australia, the Taycan Turbo GT and Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package will be additionally fitted with a tyre fit set and digital radio as standard.

Turbo GT variants will also be available with thermally insulated glass, Lane Change Assist, Park Assist with 360-degree camera, head-up display, rear side airbags, a panoramic fixed glass roof, adaptive cruise control, seat heating front and rear, and comfort package floor mats (also with Weissach package).

Both the Taycan Turbo GT and the Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach package are priced from $416,600 plus on-road costs.

2024 Porsche Taycan pricing:

Taycan (a)	$164,400
Taycan 4S AWD (a)	$205,300
Taycan GTS AWD (a)	$248,300
Taycan Turbo AWD (a)	$292,600
Taycan Turbo S AWD (a)	$363,800
Taycan Turbo GT (a)	$416,600	New variant
Taycan Turbo GT Weissach (a)	$416,600	New variant