Porsche Taycan Turbo S takes back EV Nurburgring record

Porsche and Tesla aren’t traditional rivals, but the two have been duking it out at the Nurburgring.

Porsche laid down a marker for electric vehicles at the Green Hell with a Taycan Turbo, before Tesla surpassed it with the Model S Plaid in September 2021.

It clocked a 7:35.579 lap, which Porsche has now undercut with an updated take on its Taycan Turbo S.

Fitted with a new Performance kit by Porsche Tequipment, the Turbo S lapped the Green Hell in 7:33.350.

That kit includes 21-inch wheels with Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres, and an updated version of the car’s 4D Chassis Control system designed to play nice with the stickier rubber.

Production of cars with the Performance kit has already started; owners of the 2023 model-year Taycan will be able to have it fitted to their car from the end of 2022 in Germany.

Porsche says the tyres offered as part of the package are very track-focused, but owners can switch back to more road-oriented rubber without forcing any changes to the car’s software.

“In the past, only thoroughbred super sports cars got into the 7:33 range,” says Lars Kern, Porsche development driver.

“With the new performance kit I was able to push even harder, and the car was even more precise and agile to boot.”

Power in the Taycan Turbo S comes from a dual-motor powertrain making 560kW and 1050Nm, good for a 100km/h sprint time of just 2.8 seconds.

It features a 93.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack good for a claimed 405km of range… just not at Nordschleife speeds.

MORE: Everything Porsche Taycan