Late last year, the Porsche Taycan claimed the Guinness World Record for longest drift with an electric vehicle. It lasted 55 minutes. Another, equally as impressive feat has been attempted by the car, setting yet another World Record.
The Guinness World Record for fastest speed by a vehicle indoors now belongs to the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and its driver Leh Keen. Like when the Taycan completed its drift challenge, there were strict rules to get this new title. Keen would have to start from a standstill and come to a complete stop within the space of a building. No run up, no safety net, no open doors. In essence, no escape route.
The attempt took place at a convention center hall in Louisiana.Photo courtesy of Porsche AG
Keen, a Dubin, Georgia native, needed a vehicle that would be both surefooted and quick while also braking promptly and safely. The Taycan Turbo S was chosen for the task. It boasts a maximum of 750 horsepower, has four-wheel drive, and comes equipped with carbon ceramic brakes. It can go from 60 mph to a standstill in 2.6 seconds, the same amount of time it takes the car to get from zero to 60 mph.
The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana was chosen as the location of the attempt. It features 1 million square feet of exhibit space and has the largest contiguous exhibit hall in the U.S. There was just one problem. The floor of the exhibit hall was polished concrete – a surface that would replicate ice when driven on at speed.
“I didn’t really appreciate the scale of the record attempt until my first exploratory run. The surface is so unpredictable, so slick, that you have to have complete trust in your car. It truly was like ice – and you’re accelerating flat out, facing a really hard wall at the end. Suddenly, even in a massive space like the one we had, it seems very small,” said Keen after his record attempt.
Keen and the Taycan Turbo S are now world record holders.Photo courtesy of Porsche AG
Keen had the stock Pirelli P Zero (PZ4) street tires on the Taycan preheated ahead of the record attempt as a precaution. Then, he climbed in the car and was off.
That’s it. It took just one run for the Taycan to smash the existing indoor land speed record, coming in at 102.6 mph. The previous record of 86 mph had stood for seven years up until Keen completed the Taycan’s run.
The speed was confirmed by an independent adjudicators.
Watch a video featuring the record-setting attempt below.
Taycan Powers to Guinness World Records™ Indoor Speed Title
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