Porsche has always been a company that takes performance seriously. But there’s nothing like a little friendly competition to help raise the bar. With Porsche, that’s most commonly demonstrated by the company’s numerous victories in endurance racing. Sometimes, that edginess shines through on the road, too. And that’s what we have here, with Porsche’s new fastest production car, the Taycan Turbo GT, taking it to the Tesla Model S with a series of new lap records.
A few weeks ago, Porsche set a new Nurburgring record with a then-unannounced flavor of its electric sedan. Now, we have all the details, and they’re pretty amazing. The upcoming Taycan Turbo GT makes 777 hp to start, 27 more than the current Turbo S. But with a quick tug of the right shift paddle, the Turbo GT can gain an additional 160 hp for 10-second bursts.
It gets even better. For two-second surges, the Taycan Turbo GT can deliver up to 1,092 hp. That may not sound like long, but it’s very nearly enough time for the 0-to-60 sprint. That feat, accelerating to 60, takes just 2.2 seconds in the standard Taycan Turbo GT. Add on the no-cost optional Weissach pack, and that number drops to an astonishing 2.1 seconds.
Porsche Taycan Turbo GT
Porsche
The standard Turbo GT adds a number of performance goodies beyond the former top-shelf Turbo S, including PCCB ceramic brakes, a new front splitter, a light dusting of carbon fiber on various body surfaces, and bespoke 21-inch wheels that have had their spokes milled out to save weight, wrapped in Pirelli P Zero R tires.
If you really want to save weight you’ll want that no-cost Weissach option package. On this model, the aerodynamic tweaks get more advanced, including a fixed rear wing and new splitter that offer 485 pounds of downforce, 175 at the front, and 310 at the rear. The rear seats are deleted along with the rear speakers, sound deadening is removed, and Porsche even removes the secondary charger on the left front fender.
The result is a 157-pound weight reduction and a car that just set the electric series-production lap record at Laguna Seca with a time of just 1:27.87. That’s about a half-second faster than a heavily modified Tesla Model S went back in 2021 and, more significantly, just 0.2 seconds slower than the all-time production car lap record set by a McLaren Senna.
That is some absolutely world-class performance, and to get a bit of a taste, I headed down to the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, GA for the unveiling of the car. The hero car at the event was the more dramatic of the two bespoke colors available for the Turbo GT. Purple Sky Metallic is an absolutely lurid hue that will turn heads from across the county, never mind the parking lot.
The other color, Pale Blue Metallic, is far more subtle as the name implies, and would be a better choice for those who’d like to be a little more stealthy in their Taycan.
My guide around Porsche’s extended race track was long-time endurance racer Jörg Bergmeister, who wasted no time in flinging me into the back of the seat as he blasted out of the pits. With its cold tires complaining, the Turbo GT not only showed the amazing acceleration that I expected from its horsepower and torque figures but some amazing handling prowess, too.
Porsche Taycan Turbo GT
Porsche
That’s thanks in part to Porsche’s new Active Ride suspension, an advanced air setup that can dynamically adjust ride height and compression in a fraction of a second. It got a good workout at the Porsche Experience Center. The circuit there is incredibly narrow and undulating, with many corners inspired by or blatantly copying those from great circuits elsewhere in the world. As we flew over a mini-Corkscrew and blasted around a Nurburgring-like carousel, the Taycan Turbo GT was not only planted and brutally responsive, but playful as well.
Bergmeister had no problem kicking the tail out when he wanted, and, into every corner, my seatbelt locked with the violence of those carbon-ceramic brakes. Yet on our cooldown lap, the Taycan immediately settled into its smooth, silent self, doing the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine with aplomb.
The performance may be unreal, but the Taycan GT is a reality. It’ll be coming to Porsche dealers this summer with a starting price of $230,000 plus $1,995 delivery. Again, the Weissach pack is a no-cost option. You only need to decide whether you want room for two or four in your world-class, all-electric, record-breaking rocketship.