porsche taycan – Pulpaddict

Porsche Taycan sets new benchmark at Shelsley Walsh

The all-electric Porsche Taycan has claimed two records at the world’s oldest motorsport venue.

In the hands of journalist Dan Prosser, the Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo set the fastest times in both the Series Production Electric Vehicle and Estate Car classes at Shelsey Walsh Hill Climb in Worcestershire.

The 762 PS Taycan recorded a time of 31.43 seconds over the challenging 0.57-mile course, breaking the previous estate car record of 32.41 seconds, achieved with an Audi RS 6 Performance in 2016.

The Taycan then set an all-new record at the venue for production electric vehicles. In fact, it came within a second of the overall electric car record of 30.46 seconds, set by an electric single-seat Formula E race car in 2018.

In order to qualify for the road-car record, the Taycan remained as it left the factory in Zuffenhausen, Germany, right down to its road-biased Pirelli P Zero tyres.

Only a ‘beam breaker’, to accurately record the time of the run, and number stickers marked it out.

Underlining the road-going specification of the car, Dan drove the Taycan to Shelsley Walsh from his home on the day of the event.

Hill climbs are one of the earliest forms of motorsport, and Shelsley Walsh is the oldest motorsport venue in the world to still run events on its original course, having first been used in 1905.

The 914-metre course snakes its way up a rural hillside, and over that distance climbs by 100m.

It gives the course an average gradient of more than one in 10 – and at points it’s steeper still, up to 1:6.24.

At just 3.7-metres wide – narrower than a typical two-way road – and with little run-off area, the course demands precision driving. These factors combine to make hill climb racing particularly thrilling and addictive for competitors and spectators alike.

Check Also

Best cars for first-time drivers

The best car for first-time drivers is the Toyota Aygo, according to research by CarGurus …

Fake It Till You Make It: Would You Buy an EV With a Fake Manual Transmission?

Audi e-tron GT modern EVs have single speed transmissions. Audi and Porsche have models that use a two-speed transmission. But there is nothing out there yet with say 6-speeds. And even the two-speed transmissions in EVs are automatics. But if you are a car enthusiast you likely enjoy shifting gears on your own. Just like you enjoy racy engine sounds. An EV eliminates both. Technology might bring them both back.

Jason Fenske recently posted a video on his Engineering Explained YouTube channel. In the video he explains why most EVs currently don’t have multi-speed transmissions. And he goes further to explain how a fake manual transmission could possibly work in an EV. Would you buy one? Would having a manual transmission, even if it was fake, make you more willing to buy an EV? Let’s start by hearing what Fenske has to say.

Audi e-tron filed a patent application for a manual transmission in an electric car. This car will have three pedals, including a clutch. It will have a 6-speed gear shifter. So, it will look and in theory perform just like a traditional manual transmission. But it is not real. The clutch, shifter, torque, and rpms. Fake, fake, fake, fake. The fake manual transmission will artificially limit torque in each gear. It will artificially prevent you from accelerating with the clutch pushed in. It is all smoke and mirrors.

Audi World forums and let us know what you think. Would a fake manual transmission appeal to you? Would you take the Taycan over the e-tron? We would love to hear your thoughts.

Click HERE to join the AudiWorld forums!

Porsche Taycan revealed as new Formula E safety car

Home / Auto News / Porsche Taycan revealed as new Formula E safety car

Gareth Herincx

2 days ago
Auto News

PORSCHE TAYCAN REVEALED AS NEW FORMULA E SAFETY CAR

Porsche’s first all-electric sports car is the new safety car in the innovative electric racing series, Formula E.

The vehicle will celebrate its racetrack debut at the opening round of the new season on January 28-29 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

Designed to be more than just the Formula E safety car, the striking Porsche Taycan Turbo S samples the liveries of all 11 teams competing in the championship, as well as the colours of the FIA and Formula E, while the number 22 acknowledges the performance of the 22 drivers contesting the series this season.

“We’re proud that Formula E has entrusted a Porsche with this task – one that is important for the safety of its drivers,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.

“With the Taycan Turbo S as the official safety car, we’re making an important contribution to track safety and also underlining the importance of Formula E for Porsche Motorsport.”

The conversion of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S into a safety car required the installation of a roll cage and racing bucket seats with six-point seatbelts as well as wire harnesses for the safety car lighting and the Marelli Logger System. Flashing lights were integrated into the bumpers.

Tags FIA Formula E Championship Formula E Formula e safety car Porsche Porsche Taycan

Gareth is a versatile journalist, copywriter and digital editor who’s worked across the media in newspapers, magazines, TV, teletext, radio and online. After long stints at the BBC, GMTV and ITV, he now specialises in motoring.

Check Also

End of an era at Lotus

Production of the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora sports cars has ended in readiness for …

Silently Slayed: Audi RS6 Avant vs Porsche Taycan Turbo S

Audi RS6 Avant vs Porsche Taycan Turbo S

The Audi RS6 Avant is a wicked fast car — but the Porsche Taycan Turbo S proves that fast is a relative term.

With 591 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of twist being sent to all four corners, the Audi RS6 Avant is clearly one of the most wicked wagons ever produced, and American longroof fans should be stoked it even made it to our shores. Of course, that hasn’t stopped tuners from fortifying Ingolstadt’s handiwork. Not long after it debuted, the tuning wizards at MTM stoked the force-fed 4.0-liter to a whopping 1001 horsepower and 958 lb-ft — which sounds properly weapons-grade to boot.

Now, you might be wondering why you’d need to take an already-fast car to such blisteringly fast extremes. Or, let me correct myself. You might be wondering that if you were a normal person, and not an enthusiast reading AudiWorld. That said? If you’re the owner of a new RS6 Avant, and you’d like to do anything but lose big in a drag race with Porsche’s new all-electric Taycan Turbo S? Well, you’re going to need all the help you can get. Because as this new clip from our friends at Archie Hamilton Racing demonstrates, Stuttgart’s super sedan is bloody quick.

The Taycan that drops the beat down here is the top-spec model, which delivers a whopping 750 horsepower and 774 lb-ft of torque from its pair of permanent magnet synchronous motors. Engage launch control, and that means the Porsche will rocket from zero to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds, which coincidently, is the same time it takes new Corvette Z06 to make the trip. As we’ve seen, that makes it slightly quicker than its corporate cousin — the RS e-tron GT — from a dig. But in my opinion, the Audi looks better. Plus, it isn’t saddled with “turbo” in its name, which is just plain goofy for an electric car.

For anyone who can do math, the results of this race aren’t going to come as a surprise. After all, the Porsche is packing more power, and its electric drivetrain means there’s no windup to deliver twist to the tires. Obviously, it would have been a little more fun to see a proper family feud, with the RS6 facing off against the e-tron GT, though something tells me that’s in the mail. But hey, if people always needed to be surprised to be entertained, shows like NCIS or House wouldn’t exist. So enjoy the clip.

Photos: Audi

Click HERE to join the AudiWorld forums!

Family Feud: Audi RS e-tron GT vs. Porsche Taycan Turbo

Audi e-tron GT vs. Porsche Taycan

On paper, the Audi RS e-tron GT and the Porsche Taycan Turbo are more similar than different. But in the real world…

In the dark days of the malaise era, companies like General Motors used badge engineering to maximize profits and support multiple marques. The nadir of American badge engineering was arguably the Cadillac Cimarron, which was a Chevy Cavalier wearing Caddy crests. But while badge engineering still exists, as this new video from carwow demonstrates — at least where the Germans are concerned — there’s a lot more to the process today. Here, we get to see host Mat Watson compare an Audi RS e-tron GT and a Porsche Taycan Turbo side-by-side, and it highlights just how different the corporate cousins are.

Since the drivetrains and batteries are specced identically, it’s really all about the presentation and tuning. The RS e-tron GT, unsurprisingly, is geared more toward luxury, and the cabin reflects that. The Audi supports Android Auto while the Porsche only has Apple CarPlay, and it also has physical buttons for the climate controls, while the representative from Stuttgart makes drivers use a touchscreen in the center console to make adjustments. Clearly, the Porsche’s minimalist environs came with an ergonomic cost.

On the road, there’s a night and day difference in driving dynamics. The Porsche embodies its sports car heritage by being a much more highly strung beast, with hyper-quick steering, a taut suspension, and finely tuned brake pedal feel. In comparison, the Audi is a more iron fist in a velvet glove, making it a better choice for folks who want a well-rounded ride that can also hustle in the twisties. One big similarity between the two cars? It’s basically impossible to see out the back of either of them.

In my opinion, there’s no winner here, as both vehicles are excellent examples of the burgeoning electric super sedan market. But this video is an interesting look at modern platform tuning, so check it out and let me know which car you’d pick for your daily driver!

Photos: YouTube

Click HERE to join the AudiWorld forums!