Yahoo Autos Porsche Introduces Taycan Turbo GT with a Record-Setting Lap at Laguna Seca
After claiming a Nürburgring lap record with a prototype Turbo GT, Porsche unveiled the production car at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.
Driver Lars Kern set a new lap record of 1:27.87, beating the previous record of 1.30.3.
The 2025 Turbo GT can reach 60 mph in 2.1 seconds, boasts a top speed of up to 190 mph, and, with the Weissach package, drops 157 pounds compared to the Turbo S model.
One rarely thinks of time in measurements of a minute and a half, unless maybe you're holding a plank at the gym, or microwaving popcorn. For Porsche development driver Lars Kern, 1.30.3 was filling his waking hours and haunting his dreams, because it was the time to beat for Porsche to nab the electric production-car lap record for WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The 1.30.3 record was set in a Tesla Model S Plaid at Laguna Seca in 2020, and while electric cars have gone faster around the track since then, nobody has done a quicker lap in an unmodified production car on production tires. That was Kern's and Porsche's goal with the new Taycan Turbo GT.
Video: Join us as we go for a ride in the Taycan Turbo GT with Porsche development driver Lars Kern
Porsche has been teasing us with the Turbo GT ever since an unnamed, pre-production Taycan variant set a new lap record at the Nürburgring in Germany. That car, also driven by Kern, ran a 7:07.55 on the Nordschleife, flaunting a big wing and beating the Taycan Turbo S's time by a whopping 26 seconds. As Kern's team warmed tires and his track-prepped car sat on a mobile charger in the pits, Porsche model line vice president for Taycan Kevin Giek ran through the details that make the Turbo GT lighter and more powerful than the 750-hp Turbo S.
The new top-dog Taycan is the Turbo GT, or if you need things even top-doggier, the Turbo GT with Weissach package. Would-be record setters can place their orders now, with prices for the 2025 Taycan Turbo GT starting at $231,995. Both versions offer a range of around 340 miles and make a continuous 777 horsepower from combining the output of a front motor (the same unit used in the Turbo and Turbo S) with a new, more powerful rear motor featuring a pulse inverter with a max current of 900 amps, as opposed to the 600-amp inverter used for the Turbo S. Following a launch-control start, peak power climbs briefly to 1019 hp. Both GT variants use the same 96.0-kWh battery as the Turbo S and also use the same two-speed gearbox, but with a new gear ratio and modifications to support up to 988 pound-feet of torque. The additional power will send the Turbo GT to 60 mph in 2.2 seconds, and if you opt for the Weissach add-ons, just 2.1 seconds.
The Weissach package is a mix of add-ons and subtractions, as its focus is aerodynamic efficiency and weight savings—the package drops 157 pounds compared to the Turbo S. Weissach cars get a different front diffuser, deflectors beneath the body, and the big wing that caught everyone's attention on the 'Ring run combines with the other aero components to create 485 pounds of downforce while at speed.
