Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (2024) review: big purple monster

 

Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (2024) review: big purple monster 

The Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is Porsche's most powerful series production automobile to date. Like other Taycans, it is entirely electric, which makes the 1093bhp peak power output less of a surprise and more of a certainty. But is it really just another string to the bow - or battery to the pack - of the machine we previously named the greatest electric car in the world? Or is it an unneeded indulgence on the part of a GT team juggling many 911 projects?

Okay, so I doubt the Porsche GT squad is ever sitting around doing nothing. However, there appears to be something weird about painting a 2.2-tonne four-door electric car purple, putting a carbonfibre wing to the back, and eliminating the rear seats if you choose the no-cost Weissach pack. However, even if the purpose is only to put one E. Musk back in his box for a while, I can understand the temptation.

Porsche is most likely imposing power over more than just Tesla. In a world where electric motors are unleashing ever more absurd amounts of horsepower and rapidly changing perceptions of automotive brands - you can buy a 429bhp MG4, for goodness sake (in fact, for the price of a Taycan Turbo GT, you could buy five of them) - so-called heritage or legacy marques must feel increasing pressure to remind buyers of the reasons for their longevity and greatness.

All of this adds up to the Taycan Turbo GT. But should you purchase the Taycan Turbo GT? We have a few laps on the circuit to form an initial judgement...

What's fresh?

Thus, yes. Although it's not ideal, we're basing our initial thoughts on a few circuits at the Circuito Monteblanco in Seville. Whether it comes with the Weissach package or not, the Taycan Turbo GT is still a road car. Despite the fact that it has already broken records at the Nordschleife and Laguna Seca and has an Attack Mode, it is unlikely that many track enthusiasts will be lining up to trade in their GT3 RS for one of these.

However, the Turbo GT gains from a number of general technical improvements to the battery and charging systems, as well as some more performance-specific upgrades, based on the updated Taycan facelift model, which we've driven much more extensively in our Cross Turismo review.

 

The Turbo GT weighs 75 kg less than a 939 horsepower Taycan Turbo S, mainly because of several carbon fiber components, most notably the front bucket seats. The Weissach variant sheds an additional 70 kilograms by doing away with the rear seats, one of the two charging ports (the normal Taycan has two), the floor mats, some insulation, the electric charge port door, and even the clock that comes with the Sport Chrono Package. Additionally, there is a distinct hifi system and customized glass.

The Weissach will sail on to 189.5 mph despite also producing up to 220 kg of downforce, while the standard Turbo GT makes do with a Gurney flap and hits the wall at 180 mph. The rear wing displays optimized aerodynamics, featuring a new front diffuser and air deflectors underneath. Both versions have ceramic brakes, which save weight by nearly 2 kg, and Victory Gold-painted calipers (10 pistons up front, 4 pistons at the back). humble things.

A 900-amp pulse inverter for the rear motor is likewise given to them both. This sounds a lot like something Doc Brown might try to explain to Marty McFly—using silicon carbide to "significantly reduce" switching losses and enabling greater switching frequencies. Therefore, it is perhaps best viewed in the context of having 50% more amperes than the Turbo S's, which likely helps explain why the Turbo GT is significantly faster.

New longer and stronger gearing helps to deal with the increased torque, and the Porsche Active Ride suspension system is included as standard, along with the Sport Chrono Package, air springs, Porsche Torque Vectoring, and rear-wheel steering. The 21-inch alloy wheels, which have'relief-milled' spokes for decreased weight and greater brake cooling, are fitted with unique Pirelli P Zero R tyres, which may be upgraded to the equally bespoke Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS, a street-legal semi-slick.

The customized rubber should be carefully considered by would-be electric track day warriors, as the Taycan's weight and Active Ride cornering behavior are said to produce near-instant slurry out of ordinary performance hoops. This is bound to have a cost impact.