- The all-electric sedan is powered by a pair of electric motors with a combined 1,019 hp.
- Porsche’s track-focused EV needs less than 2 seconds to rocket to 60 mph (96 km/h).
- The flagship Taycan also set storming lap times at the Nurburgring and Laguna Seca.
While the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra recently stole the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT’s thunder at the Shanghai International Circuit, Porsche is still eager to show the world just how potent its flagship EV is. In early February, it brought a purple Taycan Turbo GT to Brazil’s Interlagos circuit and set a new lap record at the Formula 1 track.
Behind the wheel of the Porsche was Felipe Nasr, a three-time IMSA champion and a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Brazilian, who also had a stint in Formula 1, lapped the circuit in 1:42.1, almost 8 seconds faster than a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, and dropping almost a second to a 911 Turbo S, which lapped the same track in 1:43.087.
Read: Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Smashes Taycan Turbo GT’s Lap Record At Shanghai Circuit
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the Taycan Turbo GT set a new record given its specifications. Power comes from a pair of electric motors with a combined 1,019 hp, and as a recent Car and Driver test revealed, it can hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in under 2 seconds.
While storming down the curved main straight of the circuit in Interlagos, the Porsche topped out at 272 km/h (169 mph) with Nasr behind the wheel. It launches out of the circuit’s high-speed corners like a rocket, picking up speed in a way that beggars belief. Of course, it’s nowhere near as quick as a Formula 1 car at the track, as they can lap the circuit in less than 1:08. Nevertheless, for a production car, the Taycan Turbo GT’s time is very impressive.
“It’s amazing how quickly the car accelerates and delivers its power,” Nasr said after his run. “The steering of the Taycan Turbo GT was very precise in the slow corners and remained stable even under heavy braking. The balance, the grip – a real performance machine.”
The record lap car had the optional Weissach performance package and was fitted with Pirelli Trofeo RS tires. Last year, the same car lapped WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in just 1:27.87, making it one of the quickest production cars to ever go around the Californian circuit.
