Armed with a Rear Wheel Drive Taycan, Porsche Sets Guinness Book Record
Porsche set a Guinness World Record for electric car drifting
It took 55 minutes and 210 laps on a skidpad
A rear-wheel-drive only Taycan is not yet announced for the U.S. market
For many—dare I say most—potential electric car buyers, the hesitation to purchase one isn’t range anxiety, access to fast charging, or cost. No. It’s not having proof their future fossil fuel free autos can pull off sick drifts on a whim. Duh.
Well, worry no more! Porsche decided to send it and put a rear-wheel-drive Taycan in circles for more than 25 miles and 55 minutes with the steering wheel always pointed at least a little sideways and set a Guinness World Record.
The location was the Porsche Experience Center (PEC) at Hockenheimring in Germany. At the PEC, a slightly longer than 650-foot circumference circle (262.5 foot diameter) was measured and soaked with water. Porsche instructor Dennis Retera then took the wheel and managed 210 laps over 55 minutes, which added up to 26.2 miles traveled while averaging about 28 mph.
“When the driving stability programs are switched off, a power slide with the electric Porsche is extremely easy, especially of course with this model variant, which is driven exclusively via the rear wheels,” Retera said, “Sufficient power is always available. The low center of gravity and the long wheelbase ensure stability. The precise design of the chassis and steering allows for perfect control at all times, even when moving sideways”.
In addition to a bunch of sensors and GPS, two witnesses watched the record: Joanne Brent of Guinness World Records and Denise Ritzmann, a European drifting champion and, on the day of the attempt, a representative of DEKRA, a German vehicle inspection company.
The official world record is the Longest Continuous Drift in an Electric Car. And Porsche did it in a rear wheel drive only Taycan. A car that is already sold in China, yet, not even officially announced or promised to come to the U.S, though it’s likely just a matter of time.
If anyone high up at Porsche is on the fence about the U.S. getting a lower cost, longer range Porsche Taycan, they should know that we like drifting too!
Drift your way a little farther down to sign up and leave comments below
