Porsche Taycan breaks another record
A production-spec Porsche Taycan Turbo S has set the production EV lap record at the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia, USA.
Who cares? Well, anyone with an order for Porsche’s first full electric road car, and anyone considering getting their name on Australia’s ever-clogging waiting list.
The Taycan is set to arrive in Australian showrooms in February 2021, costing from $190,400 – $338,500 before on-road costs. And as we reported last month, local Porsche enthusiasts – of which there are many – are treating the all-new model with a less “just take my money” approach.
Porsche Australia’s Chris Jordan said: “Totally understandably (some buyers) are extremely keen but just want to have a test drive first. We’ve been saying all along this is a true Porsche sportscar, but it’s even better to show them by test driving it.”
A “true” Porsche?
So building faith that an electric Porsche can be a “true” Porsche, a few lap records and some footage of what we like to see Porsches doing – sideways through corners and bombing rapidly on straights – are all little teasers for the Porscherati to get frothy about.
Racing is deep-rooted in Porsche’s DNA, so the Taycan needs to prove itself on road and track. Doing so at Road Atlanta – with its beautiful “Esses” between turns three and five and the diving downhill Turn 12 – makes for a pretty video too. Watch it. Go on, you know you want to.
The Taycan, driven by American pro driver Leh Keen (has Porsche history in Sportscars and at the Le Mans 24 Hours) lapped the 4.09km track in 1 minute 33.88 seconds, verified by Racelogic’s VBOX Video HD2 system. Tyres were the standard fit Pirelli P Zero NFO Elec 265/35×21 (front) and 305/30×21 (rear) with pressure adjusted to 41psi (hot), over 21-inch Mission-E design wheels.
The time meant a production EV lap record, but neither Porsche or Road Atlanta revealed what previously held this record, if at all. Ideally, having a gun driver flinging a Tesla Model S around the same track would be ideal for reference.
We do know the time is some nine seconds off Road Atlanta’s listed production car record – a 1.24.88 done in a Porsche 911 GT2 RS (991 generation) – giving petrol-veined Porsche enthusiasts plenty to cling to.
But is it fun?
That said, the video of the Taycan going about its business with an almost spaceship-like soundtrack and much squealing of tyres makes for compelling viewing. Noisy? No. Fun-looking? Yes.
Keen gave his impression of the tech-laden Taycan, fitted as standard with rear axle steering and optioned with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport, to go with the 560kW, 1050Nm and 0-100km/h time of 2.8-seconds.
“The performance through the turns was surprising. Turn-in, in particular, was crisp and consistent, and the steering response was immediate and communicative. The power pins your head back coming out of any corner, and the brakes have excellent feedback,” he added. “The electric motors respond so quickly, the power is right there when I need it, and combined with the active differentials, makes the Taycan a game changer when it comes to handling.”
Road Atlanta’s one thing, but it’s the Nurburgring lap record all manufacturers want on their resume. In August 2019 a “pre-series” Taycan lapped the Nordschleife in seven minutes and 42 seconds over the 20.6km course.
This made it the fastest street-legal electric car to lap the Green Hell – although German car site Auto Motor und Sport reported later that year a tri-motor Tesla Model S Plaid had recorded a lap almost half-a-minute faster. Nothing official, however, so the Tesla’s supposed 7.13 lap time (which is Porsche 918 Spyder fast) means Porsche still holds its place at the top for now.
