It’s easy to assume that Nurburgring record attempts are these cold, meticulously calculated runs that simply result in a new benchmark or some suspension adjustments. That’s not always the case, though. These spy shots of the most hardcore Porsche Taycan yet—maybe a GT4 RS model—show that carnage is oftentimes the cost of doing business at The Green Hell. After you gawk at that giant, fixed rear wing, take a peep at the wrecked diffuser in the gallery below.
A source tells us that Porsche tried for a Nurburgring record twice on Wednesday, but the Stuttgart manufacturer ran into problems on both runs. Porsche factory driver Lars Kern reportedly hustled a blue super EV around the Nordschleife in ideal conditions, but after bottoming out on one of the track’s 150+ turns, the diffuser was damaged too badly to continue. The result can be seen in these photos, where the aero equipment’s strakes are damaged and the entire assembly is held up by duct tape on the Taycan’s rear bumper:
There was also a purple Taycan that made an attempt with a largely similar body kit, from the aforementioned fixed rear wing to the giant diffuser and front wheel arch vents. It also wore aero discs on the rear wheels, which is something we’ve seen before on hotted-up Taycans in testing. Our source explained that while this car didn’t suffer any damage during its fastest run, its “balance was not optimal” and the lap had to be scrapped.
It was originally believed that these cars, with their wild bodywork and half-cages where the rear seats normally go, were Taycan Turbo GTs with a soon-to-be-optional Manthey aero kit. However, that no longer seems to be the case. It’s clear that Manthey is involved in the project, as the blue Taycan can be seen pulling into an area plastered with the motorsport specialist’s branding, but in a more developmental role. Our spy photographer also claims that the cars captured in these images have more power than the already ludicrous Turbo GT, which makes 1,092 horsepower.
I’m curious to see if Porsche sticks with the GT RS moniker here, as this would be the first EV to wear it. The wild aero is certainly reminiscent of what we’ve seen on 911 and Cayman GT RS variants. It’s also possible that this will be the first Taycan to lap the Nurburgring in under seven minutes, as the Turbo GT’s fastest time as of now is 7:07.55. For what it’s worth, that’s still a ways off the current-gen 911 GT3 RS, which managed a 6:44.848 back in 2022.
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From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
