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Porsche has a new ultra high-performance Taycan on the way, and it just set a record around the Nurburgring. Giddy with excitement, the Stuttgart automaker hasn’t even confirmed what the car is called or detailed any of its performance metrics. It has just told us the time. A ‘pre-series Taycan’ lapped the ring in just 7:07.55. This makes it the fastest electric Porsche to ever turn a wheel in anger around the legendary track. It has also buried the Tesla Model S Plaid’s previous record-holding 7:25.231 time by 17.681 seconds.
The new top-dog Taycan’s time is 26 seconds faster than the current Taycan Turbo S, and within spitting distance of the Rimac Nevera’s time of 7:05.298. The Porsche did receive minor modifications to make it safer and more trackable. Racing bucket seats and a roll cage were installed.
According to Porsche, a video of the drive will be released in mid-March. That will likely coincide with more information about the car itself as well as a mid-cycle refresh for the entire Taycan range.
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Speculation is running wild about this new sedan. Likely called the Taycan Turbo GT, it’s rumored to feature a tri-motor drivetrain in the neighborhood of 1,000 horsepower. An extra motor on the rear axle will not only allow for better thermal management but also advanced traction control techniques.
It’s unclear if a new battery has been installed in this trim, but a change in cell chemistry or design to better support long bursts of high current would be necessary if the Taycan Turbo S’ pack isn’t cutting it. Silicon carbide inverters are another possible change, as Porsche has already said it’s applying that tech to the rear axle of the new electric Macan. This change will allow for more efficient operation at higher sustained currents which tracks like the Nurburging demand.
The equally significant part of this record is its repeatability. Porsche says its development driver Lars Kern clocked several laps, all of them almost exactly the same time. It’s worth repeating: the Nurburgring’s long straights and 12.9-mile length is a torture test for electric drivetrains in particular. Levels of heat-inducing current that are only sustained for a few seconds in daily driving are held for ages on the track. Battery cells compromised for energy and power density are stressed in the latter direction to their absolute limits. Porsche’s record is almost overshadowed by the advanced engineering behind it, and we can’t wait to learn more about this new machine.
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