Porsche Taycan: Welcome to the 1,000 hp club

Driving report Porsche Taycan breaks 1000 hp barrier

2024-04-18 From sp-x | Translated by AI 5 min Reading Time

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With the new Taycan Turbo GT, Porsche now also breaks the 1000 hp sound barrier. Anyone who steps on the gas in the most powerful series Porsche of all time should have a strong stomach.

Porsche significantly increases the performance of the Taycan.(Image: Porsche) — Porsche significantly increases the performance of the Taycan.
(Image: Porsche)

When we want to categorize the new Porsche Taycan Turbo G, it's worth looking in the rearview mirror. Maybe not all the way back to the first 'Elfer', which began its career 60 years ago with a rather modest 130 hp. Better to 1986, when the super sports car Porsche 959 with 450 hp and 500 Newton meters of torque took our breath away.

From today's perspective, we can only laugh about it. Electric vehicles have long led to an inflationary explosion in performance. The Taycan Turbo GT is now another contender in the 1,000-hp club. The new top performer mobilizes up to 815 kW/1,108 hp peak power, along with a maximum torque of a monstrous 1,340 Newton meters in launch control mode. This makes the Turbo GT the most powerful production Porsche of all time. Not a bad read in a history that is truly not short of superlatives.

Gallery

The distinguishing feature of the Weissach Edition is the fixed rear spoiler.(Image: Porsche)

The new top performer mobilizes up to 815 kW/1,108 hp peak power.(Image: Porsche)

Anyone who chooses the Turbo GT always pays a flat 240,000 euros.(Image: Porsche)

This car contains everything that Porsche is and can do.(Image: Porsche)

Gallery with 6 images

This car contains everything that Porsche is and can do. Like its five electric Taycan brothers, whose significantly increased performance range now ranges from 320 kW/435 hp to 700 kW/952 hp, the Turbo GT also feels the full ambition of the Porsche team. The Taycan has been fine-tuned and improved in almost all respects. The facelift is limited. New colors, new LED headlights, front wheel arches, and hood slightly tightened, a illuminated Porsche logo now lights up at the rear. The interior department reports many standard equipment details that previously had to be paid extra for.

Thanks to higher charging currents and an optimized thermal concept, the Taycan now charges almost as fast as it drives. The battery, which has been enlarged to 105 kWh (previously 93 kWh), can draw up to 320 kW of current, filling the cells from 10 to 80 percent in 18 minutes - twice as fast as before. In the case of the Turbo GT, the maximum electric range ideally increases to over 550 kilometers.

Lap records in Laguna Seca and at the Nürburgring

So much for the duty, now comes the freestyle. The new top Porsche arrives with two lap records in its baggage, set in Laguna Seca and the Nürburgring. Targeted lightweight construction and aerodynamic refinements make the fully electric GT 75 kilos lighter than the Turbo S. A new pulse inverter with 900 amperes at the rear axle controls the electric motor more effectively and faster; with the other Taycan it is "only" 600 amperes, which teases out even more power and torque. In addition, the more efficient semiconductor material silicon carbide is supposed to reduce switching losses and enable faster switching frequencies. In addition, the gear ratios of the transmission and rear axle were adjusted.

To push the GT's performance to the limit, the Attack Mode, similar to the function Porsche uses in the Formula E World Championship, allows for an increase in power of up to 120 kW for 10 seconds at the touch of a button or via the right paddle on the steering wheel - 50 kW more boost power than on the other Taycan models. With Launch Control, the power bar then also reaches this ominous peak system power of up to 815 kW or 1,008 hp for two seconds.

The Turbo GT always comes with particularly light 21-inch forged wheels and Pirelli footwear specifically developed for it. Ambitious contemporaries order the Pirelli Tropheo RS semi-slicks, with which - according to Porsche - another 6 to 7 seconds can be made up on the (dry) Northern Loop. Many carbon parts are also on board, as well as a bug spoiler with aeroblades, HD matrix headlights, or weight-optimized ceramic brakes.

Weissach package for free

Those who opt for the Turbo GT always pay a flat 240,000 euros (approx. 256,000 USD). That's a lot of money. But for a 1,000 hp racer that competes with hypercars, it's almost a bargain. For this amount, the solvent buyer can choose between a civilian and a "race bun" version. For the first time, Porsche is not charging extra for the so-called Weissach package.

This variant is consistently designed for racing and lightweight construction. In addition to some small items, the back seat, insulation material, acoustic glass, and all mats are thrown out. This saves another 70 kilos. At the rear, a fixed wing provides up to 220 kilograms of downforce, additional air guiding elements on the underbody and a new front diffuser improve the aerodynamics even further. With the Weissach package, top speeds of up to 305 km/h (189.5 mph) are possible - the civilian Turbo GT manages 290 km/h (180.2 mph). Great for boasting at the bar. Unfortunately, the battery content also empties at record pace during speed rushes.

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Smart suspension

Behind the GT sports steering wheel, covered with grippy Race-Tex, and strapped into full-shell seats, self-confidence rises to "Verstappen-level". Because you know that Porsche has built the best chassis ever in the basement. The Turbo GT always comes with all-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering and the super-system Active-Ride. In this system, new two-valve dampers react in milliseconds to the respective driving situation thanks to their own hydraulic pumps, compression and rebound stages adjust automatically and offer an even greater spread between comfort and dynamics. In addition, the intelligent chassis always keeps the Taycan horizontal - even in fast corners or when braking sharply.

Sounds like a lot of patronizing - too much? Maybe for real professionals. As an after-work racer, you only notice that the guy has grip in places where there shouldn't be any grip. You brake later into corners and can accelerate earlier again. It feels quite Porsche-like and authentic, not synthetic - as perhaps feared. And it turns mediocre drivers into good drivers. Of course, the question of sense arises whether one should technically train a 2.3-ton vehicle to fly over the track like a race car. Probably falls under the topic of sustainability at the limit.

Anyone who throws the full power of the Turbo GT into the balance with Launch Control and nails the accelerator pedal to the floor for seconds should neither lack courage nor a stable stomach. The immediate power output and the G-forces are so overwhelming that you actually fear losing consciousness for a brief moment while accelerating. This is definitely not for occasional carousel riders. An overkill of feelings. The racing car with street approval catapults its massive body to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in an incredible 2.2 seconds. Faster than a Formula 1 racer or a MotoGP bike. Just to put it in perspective.