Porsche Taycan Turbo GT – Battle of the EV Super Sedans Intensifies
By Edward A. Sanchez — March 11, 2024
Fifteen years ago, if someone would have told me that there would not be one, but several production models with more than 1,000 hp on sale, and that they’d all be fully electric, you probably would have gotten an incredulous side eye and raised eyebrow, followed by a skeptical “OK.” Yet here we are. You can now add another to that pantheon of electric muscle: Introducing the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT.
The “regular” Taycan Turbo S was no shrinking violet in itself, bringing 764 sustained hp (938 hp with “overboost” function) to the table, and a 0-60 mph time of 2.3 seconds. The Turbo GT cranks that up a notch further with sustained output of 777 hp, and 1,019 with overboost, and an even higher 1,092 for a brief two seconds, bringing 0-60 times to 2.1 seconds and top speed up to 191 mph. All impressive numbers for sure, but most important symbolically for Porsche, is an official lap time around Laguna Seca Raceway in the limited edition Weissach GT trim of 1:27.87, nudging the Tesla Model S Plaid off the podium as the fastest production EV around the track. For reference, the Plaid did the deed in 1:30.30.
The Lucid Air has gone around Laguna Seca in various guises, with the latest “official” lap time being 1:31.30 in what was believed to be a developmental prototype of what we now know as the Air Sapphire. Lucid has not released new lap times for the production-spec Sapphire.
Honestly, except for OEM testing, professional racers, vehicle testers, and multi-millionaires with enough money and spare time to attempt to set these records, none of these numbers really matter. The Plaid, Sapphire, and Taycan Turbo GT are all wickedly fast super-sedans that will vanquish most other cars on the street. It’s entirely conceivable that Tesla, Lucid, or a private owner or “tuner” will best the Weissach GT by a couple hundredths of a second in the months or years ahead.
Want to put a Taycan Turbo GT Weissach in your garage? Porsche will be happy to take your money to the tune of $231,995, including $1,995 destination. That puts it close to the Air Sapphire’s $250,000. Either way, out of the reach of most of us.
There may be a few out there still throwing shade about EVs and boasting about their boosted Camaros, Mustangs, Supras, and BMW M4s. To each their own. It’s pretty clear to those paying attention that EVs can compete in the ultra-high-performance realm. I’m not here to rain on anyone’s performance parade, ICE or EV.
This competition on the cutting edge will inevitably trickle down to more mainstream models, possibly manifesting itself in more power-dense batteries or more efficient motors. While observing developments in the $200,000+ class is interesting, I’m more excited for what will happen in the $35,000-$50,000 segment.
(Image courtesy Porsche)
