As we're about to enter the inevitable electric era, the horsepower wars are still far from being over. Porsche is working on a mid-cycle update for the Taycan that is widely expected to spawn a more potent version to serve as Zuffenhausen's belated answer to Tesla's Model S Plaid. Tentatively carrying the "GT" suffix, the spicy sedan has been caught at and around the Nürburgring undergoing final testing prior to joining the 1,000-horsepower club.
Our spy photographers learned from an insider at Porsche's R&D center in Weissach, Germany that this prototype did indeed have four-digit horsepower, presumably generated by a beefy tri-motor setup. The Taycan GT won't be the first Volkswagen Group product to have three motors since the SQ8 E-Tron (previously known as the E-Tron S) has had them since late 2020.
Porsche Taycan GT new spy shots
Comparing this newly captured prototype with a different vehicle that our car paparazzi spotted back in June, it would appear the camouflage at the front has been completely removed. The more aggressive bumper hosts a prominent splitter with chunky end plates. There still might be some disguise on the headlights to potentially hide the new HD Matrix LED setup that debuted earlier this year with the 2024 Cayenne.
You can easily tell this isn't a run-of-the-mill Taycan by checking out its massive rear wing resting above an integrated spoiler lip. As with the headlights, there seems to be some disguise on the taillights as well, but the changes are likely minimal. Since the prototype was photographed in motion, our spies couldn't peek inside. However, that full roll cage won't be installed in the production model as that would be too extreme for a road-legal sedan.
Porsche's rival for the tri-motor Lucid Air Sapphire is failing to hide those enormous brakes behind the newly styled black wheels missing the famous crest. A closer look at the profile shows there's duct tape to hide a wire that goes inside the cabin through the rear doors, presumably connecting that roof-mounted sensor to testing equipment installed on the back seats.
The Taycan debuted four years ago, in September 2019 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. That should mean a facelift is right around the corner, with the lineup to be topped by this hardcore version.
