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This Taycan has 580kW of power on tap which increases to 760kW during launch.
The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is taking no prisoners. Picture: Supplied
The ridiculously fast Porsche Taycan Turbo GT has just gone and added the Yas Marina Circuit to the growing list of global racetracks where it is officially the fastest production battery electric vehicle.
The record lap time of two minutes 7.247 seconds was set using the current 5.2km F1 GP World Championship circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Strict regulations
A new official lap record format from the Emirates Motorsport Organisation (EMSO) dictates that cars undergo strict scrutineering prior to track activity. This is done to ensure the cars are being run standard production car trim and specification.
On track activity is then limited to a 60-minute practice session, followed by a 45-minute qualifying session. It’s during this qualifying session that the lap record time must be set.
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UAE-based GT racing driver and instructor Ramez Azzam was the man behind the wheel of the Porsche Taycan for the record attempt.
“We all know electric vehicles can be fast in a straight line. To be fast over a whole lap is where the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT really shines,” said Azzam.
Eye-popping oomph
Using the expertise Porsche has developed from its championship-winning 99X Electric race car that competes in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Taycan Turbo GT is able to bring that technology to the street as the most powerful production Porsche ever. The car offers 580kW of power for normal use. But this number jumps up to a full 760kW with launch control activated.
An optional Weissach package is available for the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. What this means for the man in the street is that there are no rear seats. There is also more carbon fibre and this in turn offers a better power-to-weight ratio. The Weissach package saves 75kg while a fixed rear wing provides extra downforce.
Porsche Taycan Turbo GT race-ready
The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT comes standard with lightweight ceramic brakes based on the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake. The car is also equipped with the Dynamics Package that includes the Porsche Active Ride suspension with GT-specific tuning.
The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is said to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 2.2 seconds. And reach a top speed of 305km/h. If only The Citizen Motoring could get our hands on one, this Porsche just might be able to topple Mercedes-AMG’s GT 63 S E Performance Coupe from the top of our sprint table too.
