New Porsche Taycan smokes Tesla Model S Plaid record, is it the next electric hypercar?

A new Porsche Taycan is expected to be unveiled soon. Ahead of its release, Porsche tested the pre-series Taycan out at the Nurburgring. The new Porsche Taycan lapped the Nurburgring 26 seconds quicker than the current version, topping the Tesla Model S Plaid by a whopping 18 seconds.

New Porsche Taycan tops Tesla Model S Plaid record

Porsche has been testing the new Taycan for several months now. We got our first look at the new sporty Taycan Turbo GT in Sept as the Tesla Model S rival lapped the Nurburgring.

The new model is easily ahead of the current Taycan. A pre-series model, driven by Lars Kern, lapped the Nurburgring in 7:07:55. That’s 26 seconds faster than his last record drive set in 2022 with the Porsche Taycan S Sport.

It’s also 18 seconds quicker than the Tesla Model S Plaid’s time of 7:25:31 set it June. Porsche and Tesla have been going back and forth for the title since 2019.

Porsche’s Taycan beat the record in 2019 with Tesla testing early Model S Plaid versions shortly after. Although the Plaid was delayed by two years, the high-performance model beat the record in 2021 with a 7:35:579 lap time.

Porsche took the title back a year later before Tesla regained it in June with an added track package.

Now, it looks like Porsche is out to recapture the crown. “Twenty-six seconds is half an eternity in motorsport,” Kevin Giek, head of the model line explained. This puts “the Taycan in the same league as electric hypercars.”

Giek also noted that the new Taycan had “almost exactly the same time” over several laps. The time puts the new EV only a little over 2 seconds behind Rimac Nevera’s latest record of 7:05:298.

This still makes the new Porsche Taycan the fastest four-door EV to lap the Nurburgring. However, you should note it is still a pre-series model.

Porsche’s new Taycan is expected to be the most powerful version yet. The current range-topping Taycan Turbo S features 750 hp with a 0 to 60 in 2.6 seconds. The new GT version is expected to have around 1,000 hp, putting it in the same discussion as the Tesla Model S Plaid (1,020 hp).

The automaker said an onboard video of the complete lap will be published in mid-March. Is that when Porsche will officially unveil the new model? Check back for more details.