What's all this about?

There's a new Porsche Taycan on the way this year, with facelifted looks and almost certainly new technology. Including, it would seem, even more power and better handling than the brilliant electric vehicle (EV) already has.

What do you mean by that?

What we mean is that a pre-production version of the new Taycan has managed to go round the 12.9-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in 7:07.55s... a massive 26 seconds quicker than the current Turbo S managed in August 2022. Both times, these Taycans were in the hands of Porsche's development driver, Lars Kern, so it's a genuinely huge increase in performance from the big EV, leading the company to say it is its 'fastest EV ever'.

How has such a gain come about?

As yet, we're not sure. Whether this is just how the facelifted Turbo S flagship will be remains to be seen, but even if it is then it clearly has an increase in power. This is demonstrated by two startling facts. The first is that, into the long left-hander known as Schwedenkreuz about a quarter of a way around the circuit, the new car was carrying about 15-16mph more speed into the bend than the old Turbo S. The second point is that if you could overlay the two laps side-by-side, kind of like a 'ghost' car in Gran Turismo (or other racing games), then as the new Taycan crossed the line to complete its lap, the Turbo S - itself no slouch - would be four-fifths of a mile further back down the track at Antoniousbuche, just preparing to enter the Tiergarten kink. So is this just a revised Turbo S, or is it actually a new, even higher-performance derivative? It'll be exciting to find out.

Cor! What did Porsche say about it?

Understandably, the people behind it are elated. Kevin Giek, head of the Taycan model line, said of the new record-breaking feat: "Twenty-six seconds is half an eternity in motorsport. Lars' lap time of 7:07.55 minutes on the Nordschleife is sensational, putting the Taycan in the same league as electric hypercars. And the impressive thing about it is that over several laps, Lars clocked almost exactly the same time."

In a car fitted with a rollcage and racing bucket seats to comply with safety regs, Kern did a sterling job but almost downplayed his incredible effort by adding: "I pushed as hard as I could, but that was really all I could do."

When do we get the new Taycan?

It is due to be on sale in the coming year, with a full video of the searing lap due to be released in mid-March. In an exciting period for Porsche's electric plans, the revised Taycan range will be joined by an all-new, all-electric Macan, as well as zero-emission replacements for the 718 Boxster and Cayman cars.

Matt Robinson - 2 Jan 2024