Porsche Taycan Turbo Beats 911 GT3 RS and 911 GT3 Cup on the Track, in Drag Race

Well, you would if you lived in Australia. While most Porsche outfits in the northern hemisphere are busy with their driving schools over frozen lakes, Porsche Australia decided to take a Taycan Turbo (no S), a 911 GT3 RS, and a 911 GT3 Cup to the Sandown International Raceway, a 1.93-mile-long (3.1 km) track near Melbourne. The reason? To have some fun, most likely.

And put some nails into the internal combustion engine's coffin, apparently, because the Taycan really put on a show despite the fact the organizers settled for the lesser Turbo version and not the 761 PS (750 hp) Turbo S. With 625 PS (616 hp), the Turbo was still by far the most powerful car of the three, with the GT3 RS having to make do with 520 PS (512 hp) while the Cup works its magic with just 460 PS (453 hp).

However, the other two have other things in their favor, most notably the weight. If power can make up for some extra fat in a drag race, out on the track where the mass is shifted from one side to another almost constantly, the ability to go easy on the scale is vital. However, according to Luke Youlden, a former Australian Supercars series racing driver who's behind the wheel of the Taycan Turbo, the EV isn't just phenomenally quick in a straight line, but it also "handles exceptionally well, so these boys have a big job ahead of them to try and catch me."

He didn't say "catch me" because he was overly confident but because the cars would start the lap based on a pre-set handicap (presumably based on the model's individual lap time). That tells us the Taycan Turbo is 3.2 seconds slower than the 911 GT3 Cup around the Sandown Raceway International, while the 911 GT3 RS is only 1.1 seconds quicker than the EV.

With the handicap in place, the Taycan manages to stay in front until the last turn, and successfully defend against a last-ditch attack from both gasoline-powered models over the final stretch to cross the finish line ahead.

With that bit concluded, it was time for round two: a side-by-side drag race between all three. Naturally, the Taycan has no problem claiming the victory, with ICE fans probably ruing the absence of a 911 Turbo S to save face for the gasoline burners. Well, at least we can thank the two 911s for making sure the clip's exciting visuals were matched by a cool soundtrack as well.