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Porsche brought their Taycan Turbo S to the famed German track to reclaim the title of the fastest 4-door production BEV in style.
Every car enthusiast will fill their knowledge with an abundance of car stats. The majority of them hold basic information such as horsepower and torque figures, and some more devoted fans will be able to throw out some obscure tidbits about their favorite cars. Inevitably, enthusiasts will meet other fanatics and debates will ensue. Their favorite cars' statistics will clash against their rivals in an attempt to claim superiority.
But this "superiority" measuring contest isn't limited to the regular enthusiasts, sometimes the manufacturer themselves join in. What better way is there to show their creation's supremacy than a good old fashion lap record? Well, a lap record on the historic Nurburgring Nordschleife of course. Setting a quick lap on the Nordschleife has become so common that there are websites dedicated to keeping track of them.
Our newest entrant here is aiming for electric car dominance. Porsche has brought their Taycan Turbo S to the famed German track in an attempt to reclaim the title of the fastest 4-door production BEV and has succeeded too.
Keep reading to find out how the Porsche Taycan Turbo S obliterated Tesla's Model S Nurburgring lap record.
As everyone excepted Porsche being Porsche, there was no way they would let Tesla have the last laugh. Especially considering that they haven't had the S variant hit the fame track yet. As anticipated, Porsche showed up with a Taycan Turbo S and went to work. For the attempt to count, the car in question had to be a production model available to the public, aside from the mandatory roll cage and racing seat.
The vehicle was also fitted with the newly available performance kit and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC). The performance kit includes 21-inch wheels and road-legal but near-race Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires. The kit is currently only available in Germany for the 2023 model and will be available for retrofitting in the earlier models by the end of the year.
Behind the wheel, racing driver and Porsche test pilot Lars Kern took the electric war machine around the 20.8km of tarmac in a mind-shattering 7 minutes and 33.35 seconds, roughly 2 seconds quicker than the Model S Plaid. All in all, an impressive feat considering the Porsche outputs 370 hp less than the Tesla. As simple as that, the record is back firmly in the hands of the German manufacturer.
At this point, we can all wait and see what Tesla's response would be, as Elon initially hinted at another attempt by the Model S with added aero bits and stickier tires. Along with lap time confirmation, Porsche also released the onboard video of the record-setting lap. The video takes you on a joyride with every twist and turn, and its telemetry is also included.
Related: Here’s Why The Porsche Taycan Is The Best Electric Sports Car To Buy In 2022
The battery electric lap record battle took full swing when Porsche sent their Taycan Turbo prototype to the Nordschleife back in August 2019. On that day, Porsche took home the record for the fastest four-door electric car around the Nurburgring with a 7-minute and 42-second lap.
Keep note that this is for production cars that are road legal, otherwise, the title belongs to the Volkswagen ID.R. As expected, Elon Musk wouldn't let Porsche take the hypothetical trophy without a fight. Tesla being the poster child of BEV and electric performance, set out to beat the time set by the German manufacturer.
After many attempts, the result for Tesla was 7:35.579, the record was set by the then prototype "Plaid" version of the Model S. Tesla seemed to be the victor in the little tussle, but there was no reason to believe the war would end there. Related: The Best Features Of The 2022 Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Tourism
The top-of-the-line version of the Porsche electric sports car comes in the form of the Taycan Turbo S. As seen on every car in the manufacturer's lineup graced with the "Turbo S" badge, the Taycan offers blistering performance. Unlike the run-of-the-mill Turbo with a measly 680 hp and 626 lb-ft of torque, the S variant offers 750 hp and 774 lb-ft of torque on tap.
This incredible power output goes through a two-staged transmission and is sent to all 4 wheels, coupled with the electric motor's ability for instant torque, the 5,059 lbs behemoth will hit 0 to 60 mph in only 2.6 seconds. Before even hitting the track, we can already see that on paper, the Turbo S is not only fast for a BEV but plain fast for any car for that matter.
Of course, such performance doesn't come cheap, at $187,000, it commands quite a premium over its competitors. Worry not, Porsche's electric flagship might be expensive, but it does deliver.