Tesla’s Nurburgring Attempt Could Be In Vain As Porsche Set The Lap Record With The Standard Taycan Turbo

BY Michael Gauthier | Posted on 28

If you like plot twists, you’ll love the latest development in the battle for the Nurburgring lap record for four-door electric sport sedans.

As we have previously reported, a pre-production Porsche Taycan set a new record by lapping the Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 42 seconds. Tesla CEO Elon Musk quickly responded by shipping a couple of upgraded Model S’ to the Nurburgring to beat the time set by Porsche.

Earlier today, it appeared Tesla was successful as spy photographers clocked a Model S lapping the Green Hell in 7 minutes and 23 seconds. If that time is accurate, Tesla would have beaten the Taycan’s time by 19 seconds.

Also Read: Tesla Model S Prototype Allegedly Demolishes Porsche Taycan’s ‘Ring Lap Record

However, Tesla might not want to celebrate yet as Car & Driver reports Porsche’s lap record was set by the Taycan Turbo and not the more powerful Taycan Turbo S. The news was confirmed by Stefan Weckbach, who is the vice president of the Taycan product line, and it means Tesla’s sudden focus on Nurburgring lap times could be in vain.

That remains to be seen and Weckbach wouldn’t comment on a possible lap time for the Taycan Turbo S. However, it’s possible that Porsche goaded Tesla into wasting their time and resources to develop a three-motor Plaid powertrain and a couple of prototypes to just set a record that can be broken by Porsche at any time.

Of course, there’s also the possibility the Taycan Turbo S isn’t much faster around the Nurburgring than the Taycan Turbo. While the Turbo S produces up to 751 hp (560 kW / 761 PS) – compared to the Turbo’s 671 hp (500 kW / 680 PS) – Car & Driver notes the full output is only available for 2.5 seconds at a time.  Afterwards, both models produce 616 hp (459 kW / 625 PS).

 

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