Yahoo Autos Porsche Taycan Turbo GT sets lap records and automaker benchmarks
The switch to daylight savings time pushed the debut back an hour, but here's the new Porsche Taycan model that lapped the Nurburgring in 7:07:55 as a pre-production model. And yes, it's called the Taycan Turbo GT. With automaker development driver Lars Kern at the wheel, the Taycan Turbo GT with with Weissach Package became the quickest four-door series-production electric vehicle at the 'Ring; the record for all series-production EVs belongs to the Rimac Nevera, its benchmark set last August. Of note, the 1,914-hp Nevera clocked a 7:05.28, only 2.27 seconds quicker than the Taycan Turbo GT. After the trip around the Green Hell, Porsche took a production-spec model to Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca last month, Kern again in residence to set a record lap time of 1:27.87. This eclipses the benchmark laid down by the Tesla Model S Plaid, first set at 1:30.3 in 2020, lowered to 1:28.2 a year later. The Taycan Turbo GT time makes it the fastest production car of any door count or propulsion type around the northern California track.
How is it all done? More power delivered more efficiently, less weight and refined aero. As part of the changes the automaker made to the overall 2025 Taycan lineup, Porsche fitted a new rear motor and a pulse inverter on the rear axle that's been modified with silicon carbide semiconductor material. The inverter converts energy from the battery into three-phase current to drive the motors, this new version working at 900 amps instead of 600 amps as on the Turbo S trim. There's also a next-generation heat pump, and improved thermal management. A new push-to-pass function added to the Sport Chrono Package up horsepower for 10-second bursts, the total amount of power unlocked dependent on the vehicle trim. On the Turbo S, the pony count jumps by 187 to reach 938 when using launch control, making it the most powerful and the quickest production Porsche ever released.
Until the Taycan Turbo GT and the Turbo GT with the Weissach Package, that is. Both come with a more powerful pulse inverter sending a combined 580 kW into the motors, which converts to 778 Imperial horses, 27 more than in the Turbo S. Maximum torque stands at 988 pound-feet, compared to 774 lb-ft in the Turbo S. Launch control on the Turbo GT boosts output to 1,019 hp for ten seconds, and for two seconds, drivers can hit an ultimate peak output of 1,093 hp. Separately, an Attack Mode reminiscent of the boost function in Porsche's Formula E cars evolves the Taycan's push-to-pass function, using a button on the steering wheel or the right shift paddle behind the steering wheel to inject another 161 hp into the system for ten seconds. That's 67 more hp than available with push-to-pass in other Taycan trims.
