Porsche 911 GT-S T-Hybrid Driven at an F1 Race Track: Resetting the Goal Posts

Truth be told, I didn’t expect to like the new 911 GTS ‘T-Hybrid.’ Not that I’ve ever driven a 911 I didn’t like (well, there was one – a 997.1 Cabrio with a Tiptronic gearbox, which felt a little soulless if I’m honest). But I assumed that the addition of hybrid tech would just add weight and complexity to what is otherwise a near perfect formula. Well (not for the first time), I was wrong!

The GTS is, in one word, incredible. Not only is it an incredible feat of engineering but also an incredible machine to be behind the wheel of. As always, Porsche has been very clever and innovative.

GTS for the WIN

Engine size has gone up from 3.0-litres to 3.6-litres for the flat-six, and twin-turbos have been shelved in favour of one larger, electrically assisted turbocharger. A wastegate has been tossed to allow the turbo, at high revs, to act as a generator and send power back to the small 1.9kWh battery that weighs under 30 kilograms and lives under the frunk (front trunk in ‘American-speak’). Meanwhile, an electric motor lives inside the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that supplements power when needed, especially at low revs.

All of this means that the weight penalty is minimal, with the GTS T-Hybrid weighing in at 1,675kgs, while the power, at more than 530 horses from the engine and electric motor combined, is stupendous. Moreover, since the battery is small it’s always charged and, since the electric boost is kicking in both from the electrically assisted turbo and the electric motor in the transmission, power delivery is seamless and always on the boil.

Also Read: The 911 GT3 RS, the 718 GT4 RS, a Racetrack and a Dream Debate

The end result is genius – it’s instant and endless speed – and the kicker is that all this trickery simply works to flatter the internal combustion engine and not detract from it. Plus, it also sounds good, which adds to the feeling of engagement. In most hybrids, you can sense the transition to-and-from electrical power, but since the electrical assist is there merely to supplement the 3.6-litre engine here, it remains under the radar but is supremely effective.

And, finally, I was fretting about missing the analogue central tachometer – which has been a hallmark of the 911 for over 60 years – but the digital tach in the centre of the screen, which now makes up the entirety of the instrument cluster, does a good job of simulating the original and retaining that symbol of 911 heritage while being just as legible and perfectly positioned. All of this meant that, when I found myself chasing a GT3 RS around the BIC I was forced to back off on the straights because we were given strict instructions not to overtake – otherwise the GTS felt capable of not just keeping up with the GT3 but also eating it for breakfast on the straights. That is how fast the GTS feels from behind the wheel.

Lasty (I promise this is the final point), I thought the louvres in the front air dam would be a turn off, and, yes, they do take some getting used to but in the grey and black of our test car they really didn’t look bad at all. In fact, the GTS looks just about as purposeful, fetching and desirable as ever. So, it’s only fitting that it’s considerably better from the driver’s seat than the GTS it replaces.

And therein lies the beauty of the Porsche World Road Show India edition, it enables you to get behind the wheel of so many new cars in the Porsche range that it’s inevitably a revelation, and a day that I deeply look forward to every year. Of course, we also drove the GT3 RS once again and the 718 Spyder RS for the first time – although the latter was only on a very short slalom course – but the other car that drew my attention (and turned my stomach) was the Taycan Turbo GT with the Weissach pack.

Taycan Turbo GT Weissach Pack

Now, typically, I’m not that impressed by straight-line acceleration. I’m much more interested in the kind of cornering G’s that the GT3 offers, but once in a while a car resets the paradigm for what’s truly impressive in terms of outright speed and acceleration – and that’s where this particular Taycan comes in.

It accelerates from 0-100km/h faster than an F1 car. It achieves three-digit speeds in a mind numbing 2.2 seconds, while an F1 car takes almost half a second longer. Let that sink in – an electric, luxury, four-door sedan that accelerates faster than a Formula 1 car. And it doesn’t need a team of engineers to start it up.

The most impressive thing about the Taycan Turbo GT is that you can just jump in, hit the brake pedal to engage Launch Control and enjoy the sensation of your eyeballs popping out of your head. It really is that fast! Your stomach churns, your eyes struggle to keep pace, not just with not just how fast the scenery is suddenly moving but also the urgent velocity of your skull as it presses into the headrest. It genuinely feels like a roller coaster on four wheels!

But the kicker here, again, is Porsche engineering. Most EVs would pull off a full-bore acceleration run and then need to sit in the back of the garage to cool off and recharge before you can attempt to do it again, but not this Porsche. The Taycan Turbo GT can do this all day long, time and again, with no breaks in between – and all at an ambient temperature of 40-degrees no less.

Then, there are the numbers. It produces over 1,000 horsepower and 1,200Nm of torque from the electric motors on its front and rear axles. And while it is technically a four-door sedan, the Weissach pack means that the rear seats have been tossed out for being too heavy and replaced with swathes of shiny carbon fibre instead – which makes the cabin look very purposeful indeed, if not entirely practical.

And, finally, there’s the Porsche Active ride technology, which is an amazing party trick. Not only does it ensure that there’s no squat or dive, but it also rises and drops instantly when you open or close the door – so that ingress and egress are made as easy as possible

I’ve always said that the Taycan feels like a paradigm shift, and, in Turbo GT form, it’s taken up another notch. I, for one, certainly won’t forget that acceleration run for a long time to come…

Playing in the mud

The Porsche World Road Show is more than just sports cars hurtling around a track, it also involves Porsche SUVs playing in the mud.

This is certainly not the image that comes to mind when you think of Porsche, but the fact is that the Cayenne, while being one of the most tarmac-friendly SUVs around, is actually quite a capable off-roader as well. The air suspension means that you can, of course, adjust the ride height, while the suspension articulation is impressive, as are the electronics – all of which means that your average off-road course is child’s play for this monocoque SUV from Stuttgart.

Also Read: We go dune bashing in a Porsche Cayenne Coupe

What I take away from the Porsche World Road Show every year is the depth of Porsche engineering, and the ability of this engineering-focussed automaker to continue to surprise and impress. Porsche doesn’t do half measures or gimmicks, they only do engineering that’s ground-breaking and deeply impressive – which in turn enables them to build the most impressive machines on the planet. Period.