After being dethroned by the Tesla Model S, the Porsche Taycan regains its crown in Nürburging. But if the German sports car is one of the fastest electric cars in the world, it is nevertheless overtaken by the incredible Rimac Nevera.
In recent years, electric car manufacturers have been waging several battles. That of sales figures, being won by the Chinese BYD or even that of prices, with the sharp drop orchestrated by Tesla. But that’s not all, because the war is also fought on the ground, and more precisely on a circuit.
The Taycan is back in force
It is indeed on the Nürburgring track, renowned as being the most difficult and demanding in the world, which manufacturers oppose. They test most of their cars there, and take the opportunity to deliver incredible performances. Thus, it is on this circuit that speed records are regularly broken. And these are obviously not reserved for thermal cars, quite the contrary.
Because electrics have nothing to be ashamed of. For several years, two manufacturers have continued to wage a merciless battle over what we nickname the Green Hell. These are Porsche and Tesla, two brands which at first glance have nothing to do with each other. And yet, the German firm launched its first electric car in 2019, the Taycan, which hunts directly in the territory of the Model S.
And for more than four years now, the two rivals face each other on the Nürburgring to find out who has the fastest car. With a lap time of 7:25.231, it was the Model S Plaid so far, thanks to a small improvement. And that didn’t really please Porsche, who decided to take their revenge. It is now done, since the Taycan is once again ahead of its rival, as announced on the site Motor Authority. Thus, the German sedan completed the 20.832 kilometers of the circuit in 7:07.55.
Enough to beat its previous record, established in 2022 with a Turbo S equipped with specific settings which were then to be offered to customers. Regarding the brand’s new performance, Porsche did not specify which version of the sedan it was. But it is likely that this is also the variant covering the range, from the top of its 761 horsepower thanks to its boost. Unless it’s an even more radical variation?
Not the fastest
And for good reason, in October 2022, a prototype of the Taycan had been seen then in the testing phase on the German circuit. The latter could be that of a brand new, even more efficient version. It was rumored at the time that the latter would be equipped with three engines and would have a power exceeding 1,000 horsepower. Enough to target directly and unambiguously the Tesla Model S Plaid and its 1,020 horsepower.
Porsche could present the new facelifted Taycans in mid-March 2024, since the record press release indicates that the full on-board video will go online at this time of year.
There is no doubt that Elon Musk’s firm should not stop there, and will no doubt quickly want to take its revenge. Especially since the latter must already see red because its Chinese rival BYD has become the world number 1 in electricity recently. Should we expect the launch of a new, even more radical version? Nothing can be ruled out at the moment.
Especially since we remember that Tesla planned to launch a few years earlier a Model S Plaid +, developing no less than 1,100 horsepower and displaying a maximum speed of 322 km/h. 0 to 100 km/h was announced in less than two seconds. But in June 2021, Elon Musk published a message on X (formerly Twitter) to announce that this variation would be canceled. Could it finally see the light of day?
Regardless, the two rivals will still have a lot to do to equal the absolute record in the electric car category on the Nürburgring. And for good reason, the latter is currently held by Rimac Nevera, which has completed the tour in just 7:05:298 last August.