Tesla lost its fastest lap record for a production series electric car at the Nürburgring race track to Porsche Taycan, which originally held the record and motivated Tesla to beat it.
After Porsche brought its brand-new Taycan electric car to the Nürburgring racetrack to break a record in 2019, Tesla CEO Elon Musk decided to use the famous proving grounds for the electric automaker’s own latest performance vehicle.
Tesla started testing early Model S Plaid prototypes at the track and achieved some impressive lap times. However, the vehicle was delayed, and it didn’t launch until two years later.
Last year, Tesla brought its then brand-new Model S Plaid to the Nürburgring track and beat Porsche’s record with an impressive 7:35.579 lap.
It looks like Tesla beating it in its own backyard didn’t sit right with Porsche because the German automaker has brought the latest version of the Taycan electric back to Nürburgring and announced that it managed to improve its time – beating Tesla by two seconds:
Never before has a series-production electric car posted a faster lap on the Nürburgring Nordschleife: Porsche development driver Lars Kern took just seven minutes and 33 seconds for a lap in the Taycan Turbo S.
However, Porsche is pushing the limits of what a “production series electric car” is for the record as the Taycan was equipped with a new “performance kit” that is “only available in Germany and only for the 2023 model year Taycan Turbo S sports sedan.”
Porsche explains the new kit in a press release:
The performance kit includes 21-inch RS-Spyder-design wheels with road-approved, Pirelli P Zero Corsa sports tyres that are now available for the Taycan. Their tyre compound is similar to that of racing tyres. Another element of the performance kit is a software update to the Porsche 4D Chassis Control so that it works in harmony with the sports tyres. The system analyses and synchronises all the chassis systems of the Taycan in real time. “In the past, only thoroughbred super sports cars got into the 7:33 range,” says Kern. “With the new performance kit I was able to push even harder, and the car was even more precise and agile to boot.”
You can watch the record lap right here:
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
