Porsche Taycan Turbo S crushes indoor speed record

The Porsche Taycan Turbo S has slashed the indoor speed record, certified by Guinness World Records, by reaching 165.1km/h within the concrete confines of the Ernest N. Morial Covention Centre in New Orleans.

Racing Driver Leh Keen was the man behind the wheel, and faced the daunting task of peddling Porsche’s performance EV faster than any car has ever travelled indoors.

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Guinness World Record rules stipulate that the run must start and end at a standstill, all within the confines of an enclosed room. There are to be no run-ups or run-offs, no open doors or safety nets, no contingency plans. Put simply, if Keen didn’t stop himself, the wall would do it for him.

The Taycan Turbo S proved the perfect tool, with the EV’s near-instantaneous torque able to launch all 2,295kgs of Porsche to 100km/h in just 2.8 seconds. All-wheel drive was undoubtedly a blessing on the slick polished concrete floor, while carbon-ceramic brakes ensured the run was done and dusted well within the 488-metre confines of the convention centre hall.

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To help with the ice-like surface, the Taycan’s original equipment road tyres were pre-heated with tyre warmers. Keen took a few exploratory runs in the lead up to the record-breaking attempt, but ultimately required just one attempt to claim the title.

“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 following the record-breaking run.

The indoor speed record was initially set in 2011, by Tanner Foust in his Ford Fiesta Rallycross car with a top speed of 139.98km/h. In 2013, the record was marginally bested by Finnish rally car driver Mikko Hirvonen in a Suzuki motorcycle-powered cross kart which topped 140.0km/h.

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The Porsche Taycan range launches domestically this week, and comprises of the Taycan 4S, Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S – currently missing out on the base RWD Taycan offered overseas.

Stay tuned for our local first drive review, and check out our international first drive review here!