The Porsche Taycan has set an unusual world record. On the 28th of Jan, the performance-focused German automaker announced that its sporty, battery-powered sedan completed the longest continuous electric vehicle drift on ice, something that was confirmed by Guinness World Records. The vehicle slid its way around a frozen track for 46 minutes, racking up 132 laps totaling nearly 11 miles (17.5 km).
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Slipin’ And Slidin’ To A World Record
To secure this record for Porsche, driving instructor Jens Richter was behind the wheel of a Taycan GTS. Slippin’ and slidin’ a torque-rich, driver-focused car around on ice sounds like a simple task, but it’s not as easy as it initially seems. Maintaining a drift for more than three-quarters of an hour requires serious skill, and then there were issues with the circuit itself, which is located in Levi, Finland, 93 miles (150 km) north of the Arctic Circle. “Under the extreme continuous load of the drifting Taycan, the ice track deteriorated faster than expected,” said Richter in a media release shared by Porsche. “We therefore had to abort the first attempt after around 11 kilometers (6.8 miles).” Breaking this world record required a second try.
To achieve this, technicians swapped the tire studs out for shorter ones that, ostensibly, would do less damage to the ice. They also used the falling temperatures brought on by nightfall to their advantage, the chilly conditions likely helping firm up the track’s surface.
These strategy changes resulted in a big win. Richter was able to drift the Tacyan for nearly 11 miles around the 194-foot (59 m) diameter circle, using only the accelerator pedal and steering inputs to control the car. This performance handily beats the previous electric car ice-drifting record of slightly more than 9 miles (14.8 km).
The Taycan GTS Is A Nobel Steed
Richter seems to have enjoyed all this icy hooliganism. “With our new Guinness World Records title on ice, the Taycan has once again proven its sideways driving qualities,” said the instructor. “The fact that the Taycan GTS can be controlled so well even under extreme conditions speaks volumes for its excellent chassis and balanced performance.”
The Taycan GTS used for this stunt was equipped with four off-the-shelf Michelin tires each fitted with 1-mm spikes for added traction on ice. Of course, a representative from Guinness World Records was on hand to supervise the activities. Making it a great vehicle to drift, the sporty Taycan GTS thunders with up to 690 horsepower when launch control is engaged. In appropriate conditions (read: not on ice), this electric four-door can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in as little as 3.1 seconds. The car can blast its way through the quarter-mile in just 11.1 seconds.
If this record-breaking, battery-powered Porsche sounds like the right vehicle for you, prepare to spend a small fortune. The 2025 GTS model starts at around $150,000 including $1,995 in destination fees.
