Recently, the Porsche electric sports car Taycan set a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous drift on ice. Porsche driving coach Jens Richter drove a standard all-wheel-drive Taycan GTS. He controlled oversteer and drifted for 46 minutes, completing 132 laps over a distance of 17.503 kilometers.
The drift challenge took place under the witness of the official Guinness World Records™ judge. It occurred on an ice track at the Porsche Arctic Center in Levi, Finland, about 150 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. The Porsche Experience Team set up a 59-meter diameter drift ring for this record attempt. The Taycan generated extreme loads while drifting, damaging the ice track faster than expected. The first attempt ended prematurely after about 11 kilometers. In the second attempt, the team used shorter tire studs and took advantage of the dropping ice temperature at night. They set a new world record for the longest continuous drift by an electric vehicle on ice, significantly surpassing the previous record of 14.809 kilometers.
The challenge vehicle has Michelin tires with one-millimeter studs on both axles. It also features professional GPS equipment to measure the route accurately. The device records the driving distance and the driver’s actions, such as steering, throttle, and braking. It also measures the gravitational acceleration on the vehicle. Jens Richter states, “Our new Guinness World Record™ on ice proves Taycan’s lateral driving performance. The Taycan GTS delivers excellent handling even in extreme conditions, showcasing its outstanding chassis and perfectly balanced performance.” Porsche Taycan holds four Guinness World Records™.
After securing the Guinness World Record, this electric sports car now holds four records. In 2023, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo set the record for the highest altitude driven by an electric vehicle at 5,573 meters on the Xinjiang-Tibet line in China. In 2021, driver Leh Keen accelerated the Porsche Taycan to 165.1 km/h inside an exhibition hall in New Orleans, Louisiana, establishing the fastest speed for a vehicle in a closed building. In 2020, Porsche experience coach Dennis Retera drifted the Taycan for 210 laps at the Porsche Experience Center in Hockenheim, covering 42.171 kilometers in 55 minutes.