What's all this about?

Porsche has unveiled its new, range-topping Taycan model, which is called the Turbo GT. With two electric motors producing up to 1,108hp, it’s the most powerful Porsche production car ever made, and it’s already a lap record holder at two of the world’s most fearsome race tracks.

Hang on, isn’t the Turbo GT a Cayenne?

It is, albeit one that’s no longer on sale in the UK. And like that car, the Taycan Turbo GT is the pinnacle of the Taycan range - at least in performance terms.

With 1,100hp, I should hope so…

Well, the 1,108hp official figure is a little misleading, because it only actually produces that much power for two seconds. Like the Taycan Turbo S, the Turbo GT gets two electric motors, but the rearmost motor has been swapped out for a more potent option. Most of the time, the two combine to produce up to 789hp, but launch control ups the ante to 1,033hp of overboost power. Only for a couple of seconds will you get the full 1,108hp.

But that’s enough. The car gets from 0-62mph in 2.3 seconds, and it takes 6.6 seconds to hit 124mph. Flat out, the car will travel at 180mph. And that’s assuming you get the basic Taycan Turbo GT…

You mean there’s an even faster version?

Oh, yes. Specify the Weissach package and you get no more power, but the car loses about 70kg and gets some clever aerodynamic additions, which makes a difference to the acceleration figures and the top speed. The 0-62mph time is cut to 2.2 seconds, and the 0-124mph time falls to 6.4 seconds. The top speed, meanwhile, rises to 190mph.

So what does this Weissach package provide?

In short, a drop in weight. The standard Turbo GT was already a little lighter than the Turbo S, thanks to its carbon-fibre panels, lightweight bucket seats (fully adaptive sports seats with 18-way adjustment are a no-cost option) and lightweight brakes. But the Weissach package goes a step further, with Porsche stripping out the rear seats and the analogue clock included with the standard car’s Sport Chrono package, as well as the Bose Surround Sound system. Even the second charging flap on the side has gone, leaving the Turbo GT with just the one CCS Combo connector, and the automatic flap operation has been stripped out to save weight.

At the same time, the Weissach package provides a slightly different rear wing that provides more downforce, while there’s extra underbody aero, too. The result is a noticeable reduction in weight, but there are some aesthetic upgrades, too, including Weissach logos on the wing end plates and logos on the interior, as well as some decal sets.

So it’s lighter and more powerful. Anything else?

Porsche hasn’t just left it at that. The Turbo GT also gets a bespoke suspension set-up that’s designed to make it ride and handle more effectively, while the 21-inch forged wheels are shod in specially made tyres. Porsche has fitted a lightweight ceramic composite brake system, too, with changes to the calliper housing and the brake disc chamber shaving two kilos from the weight. The callipers are painted in a colour called Victory Gold.

What does all this do to the range?

Officially, at least, the impact isn’t so bad. According to Porsche, the Turbo GT will manage up to 345 miles on a single charge, which isn’t too huge a drop from the 347-391 miles quoted for the Taycan Turbo S.

And what’s all this about lap records?

Although it has only just been fully revealed, the Turbo GT has already set a couple of lap records at the some of the world’s most fearsome race tracks. First up was an assault on the fabled Nurburgring Nordschleife, completed in seven minutes and 7.55 seconds. That’s 26 seconds faster than the Turbo S, and a record for electric production cars. It’s also the fastest lap time of any production four-door car on the Nordschleife, regardless of propulsion system.

Then, in February, the Turbo GT set a lap time of one minute, 27.28 seconds at the Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, in California. Like the Nordschleife lap, it was a record for road-going electric vehicles. For both laps, the man in the hot seat was Porsche development driver Lars Kern.

Impressive. How much will this thing cost me, then?

Ah. This is where it gets less appealing. The Turbo GT range starts at £186,300, and that’s before you start adding options, let alone the Weissach package. That makes it more than £20,000 more expensive than the Turbo S.

James Fossdyke - 11 Mar 2024