Porsche Taycan sets Nürburgring EV record

Electric-car lap records can sound like marketing fluff. But the Nürburgring still matters because it compresses everything into one ugly test — power, cooling, aero, brakes, tire management, and whether the car stays consistent for almost seven minutes of abuse. That is why Porsche’s new 6:55.533 lap in a Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach Package and Manthey Kit is a real statement. It says the next phase of EV performance is not just bigger motors or bigger batteries. It is systems engineering. ### What actually changed? The car was not a standard Taycan Turbo GT. It was a Turbo GT with the Weissach Package, fitted with a new Manthey Kit that Porsche announced on May 7, 2026. Porsche says the package will be available from June as a retrofit for all Taycan Turbo GTs with the Weissach Package, which matters because this was not a one-off science project built only for a record run. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Who set the lap? Lars Kern did — the same Porsche development driver who has become the company’s go-to Nürburgring benchmark specialist. He drove the 20.832-kilometer Nordschleife in 6:55.533, resetting the record in the electric executive cars category. Nürburgring’s own track-side post says the new mark is more than 9 seconds faster than the previous record holder in that class. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Why is 6:55 such a big deal? Because once an EV gets into the six-minute-fifty range at the Ring, raw acceleration is no longer the headline. The hard part becomes repeatable cornering speed and thermal control. A single fast straight is easy with huge power. Holding pace through high-speed sections, compressions, and long braking zones without the car fading is the real trick. That is what this lap is really advertising. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### So what did Manthey add? Basically, the usual Manthey formula — but adapted for an EV. Porsche describes changes to the wheel-and-tire package, aerodynamics, chassis setup, and software that sharpens power delivery. Other coverage points to a much bigger downforce figure, wider track-focused tires, and lighter wheels. The point is not one magic part. The point is that every subsystem got tuned toward one job: surviving the Ring faster. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Why does the Weissach Package matter too? Because the starting car is already the stripped, track-biased Taycan. The Weissach version deletes the rear seats and leans harder into aero and weight reduction than the regular Turbo GT. So this record is not “luxury EV somehow goes fast.” It is Porsche taking its most focused Taycan and then pushing it further with a motorsport-style upgrade path. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Is this the overall EV record? That is the catch. Porsche and Nürburgring are framing this as the record for electric executive cars, not a blanket record for every kind of EV. Nürburgring records are split by category, and manufacturers are very deliberate about which bucket they target. So the headline is real, but the category label matters if you are comparing it with lighter specials or more extreme prototypes. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Why should anyone care beyond bragging rights? Because this is where EV performance is heading. Early fast EVs won arguments with absurd horsepower. Now the differentiator is integration — suspension, aero balance, brake feel, tire load, and software that meters power instead of just dumping it. Think of it like the difference between a sprinter and a decathlete. Plenty of EVs can do one huge punch. Fewer can do everything, all at once, for a full lap. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Bottom line? This record is really about maturity. Porsche is treating the EV not as a battery missile, but as a complete track car with an upgrade ecosystem around it. That is a bigger story than one lap time — and it is probably where the serious performance EV battle goes next. (newsroom.porsche.com 1) (newsroom.porsche.com 2)