Even though the latest Taycan to be unveiled uses nomenclature which was previously exclusive to the range-topping Cayenne SUV—a high-performance car in its own right—the new Porsche Taycan Turbo GT has much more in common with the aforementioned line of GT models. Those cars, as most of us are acutely aware of, are an intricate balance of power and chassis philosophies which ultimately produce a car that is as engaging to drive as it is dominant at the race track.

Corkscrew Cred

It's true that there is a hierarchy which exists when it comes to lap times and outright performance credentials between each of the series, and you'd expect the only EV out of the lot to play second fiddle to the more conventionally inspirational petrol-powered cars. The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT says "hold my beer" to that, clocking a blistering 1:27.87 at the world-renowned Laguna Seca Raceway.

Officially, this means that Taycan TGT is now the fastest EV production car to lap the quintessential California race track after achieving the same feat at the Nürburgring Nordschleife not long before in pre-production form. In terms of bragging rights, that's another big "W" versus the Taycan's fiercest and most direct competitor—the Tesla Model S Plaid—which it has now dethroned at those two tracks, with more to follow I'm sure.

While there've been no official attempts at lap times at Laguna Seca (using a factory driver, et al) with other current Porsche GTs such as the GT3 RS and GT4 RS, existing data on YouTube and online forums suggest that the Taycan Turbo GT could possibly even be the fastest Porsche of them all, at this circuit. There's evidence that the latest 992 GT3 RS is already good for pulling off consistent 1:28s, while the new 718 GT4 RS is just a couple seconds behind. Keep in mind that there are of course many variables at play here, not least of which is the fact that Lars Kern wasn't behind the wheel of either of those two cars—so take that as you will.

Insane Benchmarks

There's no reason to believe that the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT won't come through as the lightest version of the Taycan available today, but there has still got to be a serious powertrain when it comes to lugging around almost 5,000 lbs that quickly around a racetrack. Well, that's what the Taycan TGT has in spades, with up to 1,019 hp and 988 lb-ft of torque available to slingshot it through the apexes. This is sent through an all-wheel drive system which utilizes a dual motor setup and a 1-speed and 2-speed transmission on the front and rear axle, respectively.

New "Attack" Mode

This has to be one of my favorite new features. If you've already watched the video above, you'd probably have noticed paddle "shifters" mounted on the steering wheel. Your eyes did not deceive you, but you may have been wondering what function those would be serving in an EV. Porsche says that the paddles control two things—the left would be to toggle your regenerative braking settings, and the right is for activating this new Attack Mode.

What the latter action will do is trigger up to an additional 120 kW of power for 10 seconds, which is functionally similar to the push-to-pass feature on other Taycan models, though Porsche says that Attack Mode is intended only for use at the racetrack (wink, wink, right?). This unlocks the full 1,019 hp that the car is capable of producing, and is also a requisite action sequence in activating Launch Control, from which 0-60 mph is attainable in as little as 2.1 seconds.

Pricing & Availability

Both the Taycan Turbo GT and Taycan Turbo GT w/ Weissach Package start at an MSRP of $230,000 USD. They are available exclusively in sedan configuration—no word yet on whether there will be a Sport Turismo variant. First deliveries are expected to arrive state-side by the summer of 2024.

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